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The Motivated Mindset with Cynthia D Dunn · Military Broadcast Radio | MBR Talk

0:59
So that or want to not just learn, but want to.
1:06
But I think that that. Welcome to the Motivated Mindset
1:19
with your host man Jose Flores. Say thank you ladies and
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gentlemen for being here. I am a proud Latino, born in the
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Bronx, yay yay. Raised in Brooklyn, NY City, a
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veteran with over 30 years of military service and someone who
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truly believes our greatest chapters yet to be written as we
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face our greatest challenges today.
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My journey has taken me from the streets of New York City to
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serving our nation around El Mundo, that means the world.
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I had the honor of serving in places like Alemanya, Germany,
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Korea, Central America, Afghanistan, Iraq, and many
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places throughout the United States.
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After retiring from the military, my commitment to
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service continues as I transition into the federal
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government, which was stupendous When I joined.
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I had the privilege of serving in the Department of Defense,
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DoD, and later with the Department of Housing and Urban
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Development in the EEO. Specialist and certified
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mediator, as we say. And I've had the honor of
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serving along some great leaders that reminded about one
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important truth. Leadership is not about Title Me
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and the leadership is about influence.
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It's about integrity. And more importantly, it's about
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the impact we have on others. One person who has made a
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lasting impact on my journey as a friend and mentor, Miss Cindy,
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Cindy done Cindy. It was stupendous.
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Back in 2022, I had the privilege of attending a
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leadership conference with Cindy was one of the facilitators,
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right? And as I stopped there, as I sat
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there watching her delivering her training, I was, I remember
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thinking, I have to meet Miss Dunn.
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I have to meet this incredible human being.
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Her passion, you know, her ability to connect with people
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immediately stood out. And after the after her
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training, I introduced myself and asked her if she could
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consider becoming a mentor for me.
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And thanks for the she said, say what?
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OK, see, of course, you know, it's it's it was stupendous.
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And that moment became the beginning of an incredible
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mentorship journey for Jose. Cindy has challenged me,
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encouraged me, and inspired me to continue to a better leader
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and a better human being, a better person.
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What started as a professional mentorship has grown into a true
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friendship, you know what I'm saying?
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Built on respect, trust, and a shared commitment to helping
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others grow. And that's what the motivated
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mindset this channel is, is all about me and the recognizing
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people who pour into us, right? Learning from their wisdom and
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sharing stories that inspire others to keep moving Adelante
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forward, right? Because remember, every person
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has a story, every challenge has a lesson, and every set back can
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become a setup for something even greater.
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You know, whether you're a veteran transitioning into a new
4:10
chapter, whether a leader trying to make una di ferencia a
4:16
difference, right and entrepreneur chasing a dream,
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right, or someone simply looking for motivation to get through
4:23
the day me. And you never know whose roof is
4:26
leaking unless you live there. So remember this, your mindset
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is importante. And one last thing before before
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we start, check this out. One last thing before we start
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if if you vibe with what you hear today, right as we go
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through this this interview, if this conversation inspires you,
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if you appreciate the interviews, the energy gay gay
4:50
bring it on and the message. All I ask is support us.
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For example, the YouTube scan it put your phone there hit like
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you know, as a matter of fact, what I will do is I will put in
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the comments right here. Make it easy for everybody is
5:05
the link and I just put it in there.
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Check it out, check it out. It's on its way.
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So you know, just just share this episode with someone who
5:15
could use a little motivation. I'm telling you, you know, your
5:18
support helps us continue to bring powerful guests, you know,
5:23
meaningful conversations, me gente and purpose driven content
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straight to you. All right, family, let's get
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ready to to bring a bring bring a person on.
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You know who I'm bring. Give us a moment 'cause we're
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about to make this happen. Captain, the interview of the
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week is brought to you by Jersey Mike's a sub above.
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Cindy, what's up? How you doing?
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Wonderful, Jose, Wonderful. Thank you.
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Oh my goodness, this is stupendous.
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I am so happy that you're here because we we definitely going
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to delve into some stuff and on purpose.
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Like I said, I kept some of the stuff out so we can talk about
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your journey, who you are. And ladies and gentlemen,
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another thing. This is what I want you to do.
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If you have comments, if you want to send a shout out to
6:17
Cindy, please say it throughout the program.
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Put it out there. We want to know who's out there.
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So, so Cindy, who it, before we start with any title, who is
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Cindy where you grew up and who are you?
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Yes, yes. But first, I want to thank you,
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Jose as well as Yvette for inviting me to join my very
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first podcast. I'm excited, my very first one,
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so thank you so much. Well, who is Cindy?
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I am a proud product of Prince George's County, Maryland.
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My mother is still actually living in the family home that I
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was raised in, Lanham, MD. My parents purchased that house
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in 1964. My mom still, I tease her all
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the time. She still has the same home
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phone number, So it's embedded in a lot of people's mind.
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You know, I lost my dad from complications of dementia in
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August of 2024. I have a older sister and a
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younger brother. I married a career Army soldier
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in 1983. And I had my first son in 1984
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and my second son in 1986. My youngest son will be 40 years
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old tomorrow. So if you let me indulge you
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just for a second, I like to give a shout out to my baby boy.
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Happy 40th birthday your your mother loves you and I will see
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you tomorrow. Thank you.
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I have 5 grandchildren between the ages of 19 and seven.
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Don't ask me to name each one and give you the exact age
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because I will mess up. And guess what, you all are the
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first to hear that I will be a great grandmother.
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So you know I had to think about it and I asked my son.
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I said wait a minute am I old enough to be a great
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grandmother? So me and my analyst self, I
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start Googling what is the average age to be a great
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grandmother and it came back between 60 and 75.
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I said, well I guess I'm old enough so I'm going to be a
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great grandma. Oh my God, we we got a couple of
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shout outs. You got a shout out, shout out
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to from. What's that?
8:22
Teresa Singleton? Am I saying that right?
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Hey Teresa, that's one of my old employees.
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Thank you all for affording me. We have another one from Jimmy
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Porter. Hi, Cindy.
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Hey, Jimmy from Louisiana. How's it going?
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And we have another shout out from What is it?
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I said yes, yes. My girlfriend I love this you
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all know that I I thrive on energy so just keep it going.
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Thank. You we got another one from
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Jordan Porter. Hi, Cindy's.
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Jordan, Congrats on being on the podcast.
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Hey, Jordan. Oh, my goodness.
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I love it. I love.
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Family keep it coming. Keep it coming.
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So yeah, yeah. So, so we would, you know, thank
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you for the SO before we get started, right, like what made
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you, what made you start your career working for the federal
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government? And please let people know where
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you started and what grade and so on.
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Absolutely. My mother and father always
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instilled in their children, you're going to go to school and
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you're going to get a good government job.
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That's what they used to say back then, a good government
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job. So I remember when I was at the
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University of Maryland, I went over to what was called an
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unemployment office. And I, I really like to ask
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people question, but I'm sure a lot of people are on here and
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they remember unemployment offices.
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It was right in College Park right next to the University of
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Maryland. And I'm going to specifically
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say I met a man by the name of John Plummer.
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And you know, people who affected your life and left a
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legacy, you will always remember their name where you met them.
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And I remember Mr. John Plummer being so nice when I walked into
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the unemployment office. I said I would like to have a
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good government job while I'm in school.
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So we sat down. He asked me what was my
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interest. And before long, he had set me
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up for an appointment to take what was called the civil
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service exam. This was a 1980s civil service
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exam. So I remember going over to the
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Department of Agriculture, all there in College Park, MD,
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taking the civil service exam. I was in this small room, Jose.
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It was so small. And I'm sweating because I'm on
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this manual typewriter and I had to type.
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Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their
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servicemen. I know people remember that
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typing test and I remember this woman pacing behind me looking
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at her watch because she was recording my keystrokes that
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told how fast I type and that would determine the grade that I
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will be eligible for entering the federal government.
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So she told me in about two weeks that I will receive a
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grade in the mail, which I did. And I was so excited when I
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opened it up and it said I qualified for AGS 3.
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Now I was excited. I took that GS3 running up to
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USDA, said that I have been, you know, ranked and I'm ranked as
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AGS 3. And they told me, well, because
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you're under the age of 18 at that time I was only 17 years
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old. I had the GS1.
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They said how to start as AGS one under 18.
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So sure enough, I started as AGS one in 1980 and six months I got
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my GS2 and then in six months I got my GS3.
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I thought I was in there. I was like, Oh my gosh, this I,
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you know, I was just so excited. And Long story short, I worked
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my way up the federal government, skipping only grades
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GS 8 and 10 to a senior manager in the IRSI, retired February
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22nd, 2025. And I retired as the longest
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serving EE OEDI Director for the IRSI, held that position for
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over 25 years. And that is one of my many
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legacies. And that's what we're going to
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talk about, leaving legacies. Yes, and we have another shout
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out from let me see it, Javon, Javon.
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OK, OK. That's.
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My international friends are joining me.
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I love it. Jose, this is so great.
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Hey Javon. This is stupendous.
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I love it. I love it, people.
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Keep it coming. Keep it coming.
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So. You know, So what we're we're
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going to talk about as we talk about legacy, you know, so like
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what are some tips to become an effective leader when it comes
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so you can leave a legacy, if that makes sense.
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Yes, ma'am. Absolutely, and these are tips
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that I live by. This is tips that I've taught
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by, you know, to be an effective leader.
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And that's the key. You want to be an effective
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leader. You have to keep your word #1
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don't make promises you can't keep.
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No one will believe you and follow you if you do not keep
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your word. Be fair to all.
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You know, good leaders show no favorites.
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And I know I had to learn that early in my career as a young
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leader. I had my favorites.
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You know, we going to be honest here.
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Everybody had their favorites. I knew who I could go to.
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I knew who would get the job done.
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I didn't have to do no status checks.
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Oh, how long it's going to take you?
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When you going to have this back?
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I knew that they were going to be able to get the work done.
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But as I involved, you know, revolved and grew into my
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leadership position, I knew I had to afford everyone an
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opportunity. So make sure that you be fair to
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all, be a good communicator. You don't have to have a
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commanding voice for people to follow you and leave with you.
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Be flexible. And this is one of my favorites
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and I know Teresa can vouch, one of my employees, I always say
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you always have to have a Plan B.
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You sometimes you need a plan CAD because all at all times,
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plan A sometimes doesn't work. So you got to have and be
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flexible, be organized. The time you spend planning will
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repay, be repaid many times over.
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So you got to be organized. I used to have a junkie office.
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I had stacks and stacks of paper.
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But if someone was to call me and say Cindy, where's file BI
14:29
could have told them, go in my office, the second stack, the
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green folder, I could tell them exactly where that was.
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So be organized. Don't forget to delegate.
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You know, some leaders assumes that the job won't get done
14:43
unless they do them themselves. And I was like that too early
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on. I'll just do it so I don't have
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to worry about explaining it. And I know it's going to be done
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right. But no, a good leader, an
14:52
effective leader will delegate, give everyone an opportunity to
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be able to contribute. Then set as an example.
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You know, we have to lead by example.
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Be consistent. You know, nothing is more
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confusing than a leader who is saying being one way one minute
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and then switching and being somewhere something totally
15:13
different. So be yourself and you know,
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make sure you be consistent. One of my favorites, give
15:19
praise. You know, it costs nothing to
15:23
say nice job, you know, or give someone a pat on the back.
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We're so quick to criticize. We need to give praise as good
15:30
leaders and then ask for help. That's the last tip that I have
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for being an effective leader. Leaders don't have the answers
15:38
to everything. No one has the answers to
15:40
everything. So it's OK to ask for help.
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So those are my tips for being an effective leader and it has
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worked for me throughout my career.
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No, those great tips, I know when you mentored me, that was,
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that was pretty cool. And you tell them, OK, so you
15:55
got to read this and then we'll talk about it.
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And I know one thing that you didn't like was whenever one of
16:01
your mentees said they were going to be there and then they
16:03
show up, we'll let you know. And how important that is.
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If you're going to say you're going to do something, you
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commit. Absolutely, absolutely, Jose,
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you're here. Later on.
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I, I, I never turned anyone down who asked to be mentored, but I
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did have strict criteria for that.
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I said #1 if I'm spending time putting you on my calendar,
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setting up time and dates, then you need to be on time.
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I understand things happen and you know, emergencies happen,
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but you need to let me know as soon as possible because I tell
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them, you know, if you don't show up, I don't give you a
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second and third, third chance. That's it.
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And I cut you off my mentor list.
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So yes. And we got another shot out.
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This is from, let me say, see that always be on time, Teresa
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said. Always.
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Be on Teresa. Yeah.
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And let me say, I think we have another one.
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Let me say that. John Jones.
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Hello, Cindy. Hey, John, what's going on?
17:00
I'm glad you could make it. And we have another comment that
17:03
this one is from. Good luck boys, and said so
17:05
proud of you. I've learned so much about
17:07
leadership just by watching you. The lessons you taught me help
17:11
shape me into the leader I am today, leading teams of over 200
17:15
people. Love you mom.
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That is my baby boy, his birthday.
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Happy birthday baby. Ankle plan your fairly.
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We're going to go diversity up in the air.
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That's what makes you work right.
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Hey, thank you. Oh my God, that is so awesome.
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That is stupendous. You know, no, that's if I had
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hair forget it. It'd be standing up.
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That is stupendous right there. But, you know, so, so so, Cindy,
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is it true that you mentor federal employees throughout
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your leadership career? Absolutely, Absolutely.
17:54
I became a leader. What I consider I first, I want
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to go back because I say everyone is a leader in their
18:00
own right. You know, you can be a leader in
18:03
anything but an official leader in the federal government.
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I guess how it was about 19, maybe 94 where I started leading
18:11
and mentoring people. So yes, it 1994 was probably
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when I first started leading and mentoring, mentoring and I, I
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lost count of the number of people I mentor.
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I would say hundreds and maybe in the thousands.
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I always call out Teresa because she was one of the ones in my
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office that helped schedule all the mentoring.
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And she was like, Oh my God, Cindy, if you say yes to one
18:38
more person, I just love mentoring people because if it
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wasn't for other people who have helped me in my career, I would
18:47
not have gone as far as I did in the federal government.
18:49
So I appreciate that. And and you know, that kind of
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doves tail as when, when can you tell us about organizations that
18:57
you hold life membership with? What are the benefits of joining
19:01
organization like that? Absolutely.
19:04
I have joined so many and still members of several organizations
19:08
and I'm going to try to remember them.
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I got a little ticklers because there's so many.
19:12
I am a life membership of Blacks and Government, the Federal
19:16
Asian Pacific American Council, the Federally Employed Women,
19:21
the Worldwide Women's Association, the Society of
19:25
American Indian Government Employees, National Image,
19:28
National Women's Collaborative, and Deaf in Government.
19:32
I also hold memberships with the League of United Latin American
19:36
Citizens, African American Federal Executive Association,
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as well as the Association for the Improvement of Minorities
19:44
within the Internal Revenue Service.
19:46
And I'm glad you asked me that question.
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What are the benefits of joining these organizations?
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Because people used to say to me all the time, Jose, well, why
19:54
are you going to LULAC, you're not Hispanic, or why are you
19:57
going to FAPAC, the federal Asian Pacific, you're not Asian.
20:02
And I said, first of all, you never judge the book by its
20:05
cover 'cause you don't know what your DNA.
20:08
Entails so that's number one, and you don't have to be a part
20:12
of that specific group to be able to join.
20:15
And I'm going to use deaf in government as an example.
20:19
I'm not deaf yet. I I may not have a little hair
20:22
long, but I can still hear. But I joined that organization
20:26
because I read what their, you know, objectives of the
20:30
organization, what you know, what are they doing for their
20:33
members? And I enjoyed what they were
20:36
doing. And I said this is something
20:37
that I could benefit from and I can also help them benefit from.
20:41
I love the diversity of the organization.
20:43
When I would speak at their conferences, they would bring in
20:46
an interpreter for me to interpret my, you know, vocal
20:51
presentation into sign language. So you don't have to be a member
20:57
of that organization or a member of that ethnic group in order to
21:00
join. We, you know, we know how we are
21:03
and far as our ethnicity, but you want to reach out and learn
21:07
and have knowledge of other cultures and, and ethnic groups.
21:11
So yes, I look at what their membership entails, you know,
21:17
what are their criteria and objectives and goals of the
21:20
organization. And if it fits into mine, I'm
21:22
joining. Absolutely.
21:24
We have another shout out right here from Macy Keisha Houston
21:29
and says hello Miss Cindy. Hey.
21:31
Keisha, how are you, my dear? Oh my goodness, this is this is
21:37
stupendous so. I love it.
21:39
This is awesome. So we're going to take a quick
21:41
break. But then when you come back,
21:43
when Cindy, this is what I want, what we want to know is what
21:48
have you been doing since retirement?
21:50
You know, for example, are you busier now than you were when
21:53
you were working, etcetera, etcetera.
21:55
And ladies and gentlemen, we come back, have those questions.
21:58
We wouldn't have questions. We're going to take a quick
22:00
break and we'll be right back. Gracia all.
22:03
Right. The station where our veterans
25:31
voices are heard. MBR talk.
25:35
Hey, thanks for tuning in. Welcome.
25:38
Are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the
25:43
views or. Positions of any entities they
25:45
represent the web at NB radio dot welcome back welcome back
25:51
welcome back Cindy this is stupendous OK hey first of all
25:55
we got a couple of more shout outs from you this one is from
25:58
Keisha UC say good so happy to be on all right and.
26:02
Then. We have.
26:04
Let me see. Pamela Harkless.
26:08
Hi, Cindy. So proud of you.
26:10
Thank you, Pam. So proud of you.
26:13
So this is awesome. Thank you.
26:17
So, but before we get into the question, tell me what did you
26:20
think about that commercial? Wasn't that like on?
26:23
I loved it. I absolutely loved it.
26:26
Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
26:29
So before, no, thank you, thank you.
26:31
Before we go on break, before we went on break, we, we wanted to
26:35
know what have you been doing since retirement?
26:37
And you know, are you busier than when you, you know, what is
26:40
it like? So that's what we want to know.
26:42
Oh yes, I feel like I'm more busier now than when I was
26:46
actually working. I, I promise myself I am not
26:49
going to take on another full time job.
26:52
I said I have worked for the last 45 years and I retired with
26:56
47 years. So I am not going to work hard
26:59
any longer. But I do appreciate and I
27:03
continue to help friends who have like contracting, you know,
27:08
businesses where they may need some help.
27:10
Periodically, I served as a keynote speaker for the
27:13
Federally Employed Women's Mentoring Seminar.
27:17
I conducted a leadership training class for the Prince
27:19
Georges County Public School Administrators.
27:22
I was a keynote speaker for the 5th Annual Juneteenth
27:26
Celebration in Colonial Beach, Virginia, which was really a lot
27:30
of fun. I was a speaker for the Women's
27:33
History Month celebration of girls at Millwood Elementary
27:37
School and that was a lot of fun.
27:39
It it, it was intended for the young girls at the elementary
27:43
school, but they had such a good time and the teacher said, you
27:47
know what, we need to bring the guys in here too.
27:50
So they eventually invited the entire classroom to come and
27:54
listen to that. I was a speaker for the Faye
27:57
Pack Mentoring Seminar and conducted workshops seminars on
28:01
financial literacy and retirement planning for FEW and
28:05
AIM IRS. I am going to be the speaker for
28:09
the National Women's Collaborative Summit, which is
28:12
going to be in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, OH.
28:16
My goodness. I have been the speaker for the
28:19
last three years and I said, oh, I could finally come and be a
28:22
participant, but I couldn't get away from that.
28:25
I was now chosen to be one of the facilities for the fireside
28:30
chat, so I'm going to be doing that.
28:33
I conducted a presentation for Sage Organization.
28:35
I supported and marketed the Giving Back event that helped
28:39
feed and pay bills to thousands of Maryland Prince George's
28:42
County family members. I am a board member for the
28:46
Trade Legacy Education Foundation where we provide
28:49
scholarships to youth in the Baton Rouge, LA area.
28:54
So I want to give a shout out to the Porter family for starting
28:57
that. So I have a lot going on.
29:00
Oh man, that's beautiful. We got another shot, another
29:02
shout out right here. This one is from What is Wilma?
29:06
Wilma Edmonds, that's my auntie. Oh my goodness.
29:10
Hey Auntie, I love it. That is stupendous.
29:16
I love my family. My family is so supportive.
29:18
And they and they love, they love you.
29:20
They they love you so much that it's evident, you know, and let
29:25
me see one of the things also I know you talked a little about
29:29
that you excel in your federal career starting as AGS 1 and
29:32
skipping what was it 8 and 10 was it that's.
29:34
Correct. Retiring as a senior manager.
29:37
Any tips for those who are looking to advance in the
29:40
federal workforce? Yes, yes, absolutely.
29:43
I love giving tips on people, but you know, you learn from
29:47
your mistakes and I always want people to learn so that they
29:50
don't have to make the same mistakes that I did.
29:53
And one of the things that I had learned and helped me again in
29:55
my career is that you don't turn around any opportunities.
30:00
And what I mean by that I I love giving real life examples.
30:04
I know many people on the call have heard me speak in many of
30:07
my presentations and I love giving real life examples.
30:11
And this is the example that I want to give again.
30:14
You know, I work for the IRS and I always listen to our
30:18
employees, Jose. And we had a lot of secretaries
30:22
where they capped off at GS10 level and they kept saying, you
30:26
know, we need we need opportunities.
30:28
There's no career ladder to move us up like all the other
30:32
specialized positions. So, you know, we need to do
30:35
something about that. So what I did is I went to my
30:38
commissioner and said, look, I would like to create a detailed
30:41
opportunity where we'll give, you know, secretaries and, you
30:46
know, give them an advantage of where they can possibly move up
30:49
and move into another series so that they can continue their
30:52
growth. So I was approved to have a 7979
30:58
EEO assistant, you know, so then that could become a EEO
31:02
specialist for people who are in the government.
31:05
Know how that series run? So I went out and I did my
31:08
interviewing and I remember in particular this young lady
31:10
called me and well, I called her and she called me back and I
31:14
said, hey, I see that your secretary and you're looking to
31:18
possibly, you know, look for a detail opportunity.
31:21
I read over your application. It looks really well.
31:23
And I want to ask you, are you interested in possibly working
31:27
in my office? The first question she asked me,
31:30
Jose, was, well, what grade level is it?
31:33
I said, well, it's a seven. I said a seven, I think it was a
31:37
789. That's what it was.
31:39
And she said, well, I'm in the 8 already, so I don't think that I
31:44
would be interested in this position.
31:47
I said, what do you realize? I'll move you out of the 318
31:50
secretary field to the 260 EEO field that that would give you a
31:54
better power of being able to move up.
31:57
She said no, I mainly wanted a promotion, so I don't want to
32:01
waste your time by interviewing. I said OK, and I said the lesson
32:07
learned there, Jose, because later that year I was afforded
32:11
to announce AGS 791112 in my own.
32:18
And guess whose application came through?
32:20
That same lady. That's what we did with that
32:24
application because I already knew what you wanted in your
32:27
mind. So I say you never ever overlook
32:32
blessings and opportunities. There have been times where I
32:36
took laterals and another example when I was working for
32:40
Export Import Bank of the United States, I was AGS 13.
32:44
I was the SCPM and for people who don't know that, I'm sorry,
32:48
special emphasis program manager for the entire agency.
32:51
I was AGS 13 and I remember a job opening up at the IRS and it
32:58
was AGS 13, EEO specialist. I said, well, let me just try it
33:02
and see. I remember particularly what the
33:05
director said to me during the interview.
33:07
She said I'm looking for someone who can replace me when I
33:12
retire. And these bells went off Ding,
33:14
Ding, Ding, Ding, career opportunity to move up.
33:17
So even though I took a 13, that's when I start moving up
33:21
even more so in my career. So don't ever overlook your
33:25
blessings and make sure that you know, it's not all of us.
33:30
You know, I'm going to be honest, we all want more money,
33:32
but in the long run you need to sometimes look at the long term
33:38
goals. You may not get paid right away,
33:40
but in the long term you will. And if I do, I have time to tell
33:44
one more story about that 'cause I'm very passionate about that,
33:48
OK? I am so passionate about this.
33:51
When I was working for the Department of Agriculture, I was
33:56
AGS 9 personal assistant to the EEO director, and we had twelves
34:02
that were on staff, which was EEO specialist.
34:06
And we would meet around the table with our director every
34:09
week and have a meeting. And I remember our director
34:12
asking, OK, who wants to go on the next EEO compliance review
34:19
with us? And I remember all the GS12 EEO
34:23
specialist asking, well, where we have to go?
34:26
And nothing against Ames, IA, believe me, I loved Iowa.
34:30
But when he said Ames, IA, everybody's like, oh, I don't
34:34
want to go there because it wasn't Las Vegas, it wasn't
34:38
Orlando, nobody wanted to do it. And I raised my hand.
34:42
I said, well, I know that I'm AGS 9 EEO assistant, but I'm
34:46
willing to go to Ames, IA to help you with the training.
34:50
I went with my director to that training.
34:53
We trained employees from Monday through Friday and I never
34:56
forget Jose on Thursday. He told everybody, this is the
35:01
last time I'm going to be doing the training.
35:04
Friday my EEO assistant is going to do the training.
35:07
And I was like, you know, I wasn't prepared.
35:10
But he said she was taking a lot of notes because I had my note
35:13
paper and I was taking a lot of notes.
35:15
So Friday, sure enough, he said I'm going to turn it over to
35:19
Cindy and I was able to provide the same training that he
35:22
provided because I watched them all week.
35:25
When we got back to Washington DC, he got HR on the phone and
35:30
said I want you to create. I made another position in my
35:32
office, a 9/11 12 for a EEO specialist.
35:37
And guess who was selected for that position?
35:39
Because I was the only one that volunteered my time to go.
35:43
So it's so important. Yes, speaking Cindy.
35:48
Cindy, hey, that's right. You got to.
35:51
Don't ever overlook or overlook your blessings.
35:55
And somebody, what's this? Teresa said.
35:57
I took a lateral detail with you and eventually received another
36:00
grade. That's right.
36:02
I brought Teresa over as a lateral and then she became one
36:05
of my senior specialist. Four teams, yes, and did a great
36:09
job, yes. Oh my goodness, no.
36:11
That's a great story. And always, always tell it
36:14
because that is important. You know, one thing, in the
36:17
military, you never turned out, any training you take it.
36:20
You never know where it's going to lead.
36:22
We have a question from a LinkedIn user.
36:25
So the question is, what does legacy mean to you beyond
36:28
titles, achievements or career minds, milestones?
36:33
Is that Yvette Delgado I see Yvette.
36:35
I hate that what legacy means to me beyond the titles and
36:42
achievements and career milestones is just leaving a
36:45
positive message. My young, my youngest son is on
36:49
the line. I don't know if my oldest son is
36:51
on, but they know. I always talk about leaving a
36:53
legacy. When you're gone, you know, what
36:56
will people say about you? You know, what would they
36:59
remember about you? So many times people retire and
37:03
then, you know, next year somebody mentioned your name and
37:06
say, who is that? You know, who is that person?
37:08
I don't, I don't and call that person.
37:10
So it's so important to me and leaving a a positive legacy
37:15
where people will always remember you.
37:18
I have positive things that I have done and that I love
37:22
telling this story as well. One of my legacies that I will
37:25
always have at the IRS is that I created what was called a detail
37:30
opportunity database and I had to fight for this database, but
37:34
it is still you being used to this day and what this database
37:38
is. Again, early on in my
37:40
conversation, I was talking about how, you know, saying, you
37:46
know, helping people, talking to employees, listening to them.
37:50
Employees was coming to me and saying, Cindy, I'm tired of
37:53
hearing about detail opportunities after the fact.
37:56
We'll get an e-mail. Well, let's thank Jose Flores or
38:00
say congratulations to Jose for being selected for this detail
38:04
you hear after the fact. So I came up with this database
38:08
and I went to my commissioner and said, why not create a
38:12
database where all detail opportunities be put into?
38:16
I said, so all managers who are doing any type of hiring put it
38:20
in a database so all employees will have an opportunity to see
38:25
and apply. And I got pushed back and I
38:28
remember the commissioner saying, no, I don't want to do
38:30
that because we're not going to pay for somebody to move from
38:33
Washington to California for a detail, blah, blah, blah.
38:37
Well, you know, Cindy, I came up, I had my options and I said,
38:40
OK, you're right, we're not going to pay for them to go into
38:43
detail. But how do you know they they
38:45
don't have family members that live in California that they can
38:48
stay with to, you know, go into the detail.
38:51
So don't afford no one the opportunity.
38:54
Let them decide, but let them know we're, we're not going to
38:56
pay for any moving expenses, but they may make some other
38:59
arrangements. So, so I that worked out really
39:04
well and that detail opportunity database is still being used as
39:09
far as I know at the IRS. And people have applauded me
39:14
many terms for saying that they have this and they now have a
39:18
fair opportunity to apply for position.
39:22
Position. No, that is too bad.
39:25
Yeah, I don't it, it comes in depends on the Internet.
39:27
Yeah, but we're good. I can hear you.
39:29
It comes out clear. We have another shout out right
39:33
there from it says hi Cindy. Hey, Jeff, Jerry, hey, I'm going
39:38
to be cruising with Jessie for her 75th birthday.
39:42
And Oh my goodness. I look, I have to drop it.
39:44
Jessie, 75, we're cruising for her birthday.
39:49
Thank you for joining. We we definitely need pictures
39:52
and the LinkedIn user said yes, I mean, based on what you said
39:56
before, you know, and I think that's so important.
39:58
And I got a text from somebody, I guess say it says what do?
40:02
What do you believe? The next generation needs most
40:06
from leaders right now. What do you think?
40:09
What do you think they need the next generation of federal
40:12
workers? I think they need guidance,
40:16
definitely guidance from season or seasoned employees because I
40:20
think that's what's going wrong now within the federal
40:22
government cause so many seasoned people, people have
40:25
been, you know, fired or forced to retire where there's no
40:31
historical knowledge anymore. So they're having a start from
40:35
scratch. And I don't think that's fair to
40:37
millennials or you employees entering the workforce, not
40:40
having any type of person to tell them, you know, the
40:44
culture. I always say the unwritten
40:46
rules, you know, they have unwritten rules and you'll never
40:51
find it in a textbook or in any type of standard operating
40:56
procedures. That's what you learn from
40:58
season and full. So that's what I would say, find
41:02
guidance, find someone who is seasoned that can help you tell
41:07
you the culture about the organization.
41:09
So many people come into an organization with all these
41:13
really good ideas. They want to come in and change
41:15
things really quick and what happens most of the most times
41:20
they fail because they don't know the culture.
41:23
Culture. Yes, you have to know the
41:26
culture of any organization. They should be entering and
41:29
trying to make any drastic changes.
41:31
Yes, yes. That's a good.
41:34
That's a good. Question Yeah, absolutely.
41:36
I remember when I was in the military and when I changed over
41:39
to another division and what I would do is stop, look and
41:42
listen 90 days unless it's a safety issue, then we make
41:47
changes. But stop looking, listen, see
41:49
what? See what the culture is like,
41:51
you know, because that's going to help you out, help you out a
41:53
lot. And just so as I know we talked
41:57
about this, but do you have any upcoming events that you're part
42:00
of? And we're like for us to watch.
42:02
I know you, you shared about the one.
42:03
Oh, my Saint Thomas, is there anything else?
42:06
Oh my goodness, I can't. That's going to be stupendous.
42:11
Oh my God, you know. I am so excited about that,
42:13
Jose. Like I said, I thought I was
42:16
going to be going as a participant this.
42:17
Year. Now being a retired federal
42:20
employee, but the CEO, Sharon Jackson have convinced me to be
42:25
a facilitator at the one of the fireside chats.
42:29
So we will be, I will be doing that.
42:33
I have a couple other things coming up.
42:36
I'm going to help my financial panel with his marketing
42:40
strategies for. His business.
42:43
I have another girlfriend, Don. We have a mutual friend, Don
42:48
Hancock. I'm going to help her with
42:50
marketing her company. I love people.
42:53
I love interacting with people. So everyone is willing me, you
42:56
know, willing me into marketing and helping with their
42:59
organization. But I, I do want to say if I can
43:03
go back because I got to give a shout out.
43:06
And I know people say, oh, you know, I don't like the brag or,
43:11
you know, I feel like I'm being conceited.
43:14
But we have to brag about our accomplishments because if you
43:18
don't, nobody will know what you've done.
43:21
So Muhammad Ali said it the best.
43:24
He used to say it's not bragging if you're telling the truth.
43:27
So I just wanted to put a shout out there to say I know we
43:31
talked about legacies. I do want to talk about one of
43:34
my lasting legacies that I am very, very proud of.
43:37
And that is that I was featured in a magazine.
43:41
And I think Jose's going to share that later with you all.
43:45
But in October 2024, I was featured in a diversity com
43:49
magazine. And let me me tell you how I was
43:52
selected for that because it's so important about networking.
43:56
That's another thing that I would say that we need to do.
44:00
If you're still in the workplace now, you need to be able to
44:03
network with people because you don't know who can help you.
44:07
I was at the LULAC conference and I was giving a presentation
44:11
and I remember seeing this lady walk in with this big old camera
44:15
and she was taking pictures. And I was thinking to myself,
44:18
oh, she's going to move on to the next and, you know, do her
44:21
thing. Well, she ended up staying the
44:23
entire presentation. And immediately after my
44:26
presentation, she walked up to me and she said just the same.
44:30
She said I came in here to take some pictures and I was going to
44:33
move on, but I was so intrigued by your presentation you reeled
44:38
me in and made me stay. She said, hi, my name is Mona
44:41
Lisa and I'm the CEO of Diversity Com Magazine and I
44:46
would love to feature you in our magazine.
44:50
So again, networking is so important.
44:52
I would not have met Mona Lisa and I would have not known about
44:56
Diversity Com Magazine if it wasn't for her to come up and to
45:00
speak to me. So I always like to say I am the
45:03
centerfold of the Diversity Com I'm Mike smack dab.
45:07
I've been the middle and I share a magazine with Magic Johnson.
45:10
Hey, that is a great legacy, right?
45:15
I also want to talk about I'm sorry, Jose, I I think you're
45:20
muted. Okay, I also want to briefly
45:24
talk about a legacy with the federally employed women.
45:28
I was the first recipient of the Champion for Diversity award
45:33
that was given in 2018, and then I was given the same award in
45:37
2024. So I am the only recipient of
45:41
that award and I'd like to thank that they made that award award
45:45
because no one was before me and no one was behind me.
45:49
I was also awarded the Spirit Award, but I was the body of
45:52
American Indian government employees.
45:55
So I always say by leaving a legacy, my goal is to have my
46:01
great, great, great grandchildren, you know, you
46:04
know, to read about their grandmother, about the work that
46:08
she done, the difference that she made and, you know, market
46:12
and making society a better place.
46:14
So I said it's not about bragging.
46:17
Tell people what you've done. Tell people you know your
46:20
accomplishments because that's the only way that they would
46:22
know. They would know.
46:23
And Jordan, I'm going to get you a copy of that magazine.
46:25
Magazine. I see your.
46:27
I see your comment. Thank you.
46:29
Thank. You, and before we get into how
46:31
people can contact you, August 26th is Women Equality Day.
46:35
What does that? What does that day mean to you?
46:39
Yes, Women Equality Day means a lot to them, especially during
46:44
these days and times. We're going through some, you
46:47
know, real bad times, but we need to know.
46:49
It commemorates the 192020 certification of the 1919
46:55
amendment of the US Constitution granting American women the
47:00
rights right. Beyond celebrating the right
47:03
vote, vote women's equality deserves is an annual focal
47:07
focal point to raise awareness about the hurdles that women
47:11
continue to face. For example, you know, gender
47:15
pay is still in existence to the gender pay gap, caretaking
47:19
burdens and the lack of workplace flexibility,
47:23
reproductive rights. So women still face obstacles
47:27
today. And that is why it is so
47:29
important that you do exercise your right to vote.
47:32
I had two grandchildren that turned 18 last year.
47:36
And that was the first thing I asked.
47:37
Did you register to vote? It is so important that we do
47:41
that. By chance, is any of my
47:43
grandchildren on the line? I just wanted to ask Jose if, if
47:47
so, do a shout out real quick. And Jose, I think you're muted.
47:57
Yes, right. I was, I was, I do.
47:59
Hey, people. Hey.
48:00
And grandchildren, any of the grandchildren out there and
48:03
somebody said, Jessica, hey, Cindy, you have truly been a
48:06
blessing to so many people doing their careers.
48:08
I'm so proud of you and all your well deserved accomplishments.
48:13
Right. Yeah, no one.
48:14
Yeah, that's that is that is awesome.
48:18
So what we're going to do is how can people get a hold of you and
48:20
talk about some of the things. I'm going to bring up the slides
48:23
and you can talk about it. Let me go to that first one and
48:26
you can talk about what what's going on here.
48:29
Oh, this was so much fun. Jose, let me tell you about this
48:32
slide here. Now, I told you all that I was
48:35
invited to be the keynote speaker for Colonial Beach's
48:39
Juneteenth program that took place on June 19th this year.
48:44
And right after I gave my keynote speech, this radio
48:50
station pulled me over and said, hey, we want to interview you
48:53
live. And I was like, Oh my goodness.
48:55
So it was an impromptu interview where they just went over the
48:59
key points and I went over the key points of my Juneteenth
49:04
presentation. So that was really exciting.
49:07
I actually had the link to I can share with you and the rest of
49:10
the people. Jose, I can give that to you
49:12
later that you can hear the live interview of the radio station
49:17
88.1. You're you're muted, Jose.
49:24
Yeah, absolutely. Yes, yes, I'm sorry.
49:26
Yeah. And here's the next slide.
49:29
Yes, this slide is my you get my presentation for the June 10th
49:33
program. And everyone was saying I look
49:36
so nice in my red and I was trying to explain to them red
49:39
represents the blood that was shed, you know, by our ancestors
49:45
during Juneteenth. So that's why I had this bright
49:48
red dumpsters on. But that was really nice.
49:51
We had a good time at that program.
49:54
Cool beans. And we have a question.
49:56
We have a comment. I'm proud to say that I've been
49:58
to a few workshop provided by Cindy as a manager of the
50:01
Virginia State Social Services. I've used some of the some of
50:05
the strategies. That's.
50:07
Yeah, that is stupendous. Oh my God, yes.
50:12
And I think here is where that's the magazine there that we were
50:17
talking about. You can scan the QR code and so
50:20
on, and I'll put it back back out there.
50:21
So that's another great thing. Let me see.
50:25
And this is how they can connect with you, Cindy.
50:29
Yes, yes, you know, and my e-mail is on their chairs.
50:33
Oh. Yes, wait a minute.
50:34
Yeah, let's put that e-mail. Let's put that e-mail.
50:36
Let's put that e-mail. And it is right.
50:39
Let me see show. And while Jose's pulling up that
50:42
e-mail, I would have put out a little disclaimer because since
50:46
I've retired, I am always trashed.
50:49
And I used to say when I'm working, I would answer in 24
50:52
hours. Well, guess what?
50:53
It might be a little bit longer because I may be on an exotic
50:57
island in Saint Mark, one of my favorite places.
51:00
So I may not be able to respond by the way, but I will respond
51:04
to all emails, LinkedIn and Facebook messages.
51:08
And let me see if there's any more questions.
51:11
Let me see. I think that's about it.
51:13
So we have a few minutes. What would you like to say is
51:16
your closing to to the audience, to people, future generations?
51:21
What would you like to say, Cindy?
51:23
Yes, I would. I want to talk about leaving a
51:26
legacy since that's our main focus here.
51:28
We need to be able to leave a positive legacy.
51:32
And I want to leave you with another personal true story
51:36
about Legacy working for the IRS.
51:40
There was another manager that came up to me and said, Cindy,
51:44
do you need another employee? I said, yeah, I can always use
51:47
another employee, but what's wrong with her?
51:49
Because normally people don't give away employees.
51:53
And they said, oh, she has two bachelor's degrees.
51:56
She has two master's degrees. She's a veteran of the Armed
52:01
Services. And I was like, OK, well, let's
52:04
bring her on. So I bought her on for a six
52:07
month detail and before she started that Friday, I had a
52:12
conversation with her and I'm gonna call her Tina.
52:14
I'm not good at telling lies. So her name was Tina, but I'm
52:17
not gonna say the last name. So I had a conversation with
52:21
Tina. Tina and I told Tina these are
52:24
my rules and this is how my office goes.
52:27
So we talked about everything. After I told her about how
52:31
things will be going, I said, OK, I'll see you. 8:00 Monday
52:34
morning, 8:00 morning. There was no Tina.
52:39
And I said, oh, well, maybe Tina got confused and went down to
52:43
her old job, forgetting that she's supposed to start her
52:46
detail. So I reached out to the manager.
52:48
The manager said, no, Tina's here today and I said, OK, well,
52:52
I tried to call the number that was on file, couldn't get in
52:54
contact with her. And Tuesday, Tina come walking
52:58
into the office. I said, Tina, what happened on
53:00
Monday? She said, can I be honest with
53:02
you? I said sure, I want you to be
53:04
honest. She said, well, every weekend I
53:07
drive to see my significant other in New Jersey and it never
53:11
fails. Cindy, my car breaks down on the
53:14
way home every weekend, so I can't get into the office on
53:18
Monday. And I said, Tina, that's not
53:20
good. I said I need somebody who's
53:24
going to be, you know, on time, reliable.
53:27
I can't have a part time employee, I said.
53:30
But if that's just to give us another, I would think that they
53:33
would do anything as soon as possible to come see you.
53:36
If he knows, he knows you're breaking down every weekend.
53:39
So. I say that to say that was what
53:43
was called my invisible briefcase story because I
53:47
learned early on every, everybody carries a invisible
53:51
briefcase and it's invisible to you because you cannot add to it
53:56
nor can you take out of it, but people around you can't.
54:00
Tina's invisible briefcase said that she had two bachelor's
54:03
degrees. She had two master's degrees.
54:06
She was a veteran, but Tina didn't know how to get to work
54:09
on her. So you don't want that.
54:14
You don't want that briefcase to follow you with all that
54:16
negativity. So you have to make a point that
54:19
you do what you need to do so that the people around you will
54:23
put the positive things in that briefcase and not negative.
54:27
And to close that out, my one of my favorite people of all time,
54:31
he was one of my bosses. I would meet with him every
54:34
morning and my meeting would start at 3:00.
54:38
But I was in his office, outside his office 7:30 every Monday
54:42
morning. And one day he came out about
54:45
7:45 and he asked his secretary, where is Cindy?
54:47
Cindy. He said, well, you know, it's
54:49
not until 8:00. He said no, Cindy is always here
54:52
1/2 hour early. So something is wrong with
54:55
Cindy. We need to know what is going
54:57
on. That's my invisible freeze.
55:00
Always on time. I'm never late.
55:02
You have to anticipate me and late me and late.
55:05
Well, I know, Cindy, that it's amazing.
55:09
Wow. Yeah.
55:12
And you have one. I don't know if you got a chance
55:14
to read it, and said this has been a fabulous interview.
55:16
So thankful for you Cindy and all that you have sewn into me
55:20
and many mentees. Yes, that's true.
55:23
You have to leave. Thanks for joining joining.
55:25
So if you want to know he's. Been awesome.
55:27
I'm sorry, I was going. To say.
55:29
No. You know, Jose, I'm a
55:32
chatterbox. You got to shut us off.
55:33
No. Oh no, we're good.
55:35
We're good. We are good.
55:37
No, no. I just want to make sure that we
55:39
get everything you want to say in SO.
55:41
Yes, yes, and I will. I just wanted to say if you want
55:45
to know what your legacy is, So what people think about you.
55:49
My dad used to say this all the time so he would say Google me.
55:55
So I always always say say periodically.
55:58
You should always Google yourself.
56:00
See what people are saying about you.
56:02
I do it at least once a week. Unfortunately, all my e-mail EDI
56:07
stuff are surely fading from the Internet.
56:10
Internet. There's still a lot of things
56:12
out there. I'm giving you all the human
56:15
assignment. Google Cynthia Dunn IRS and you
56:19
send me an e-mail and tell me what you find.
56:22
OK, no, thank you. Thank you for everything.
56:25
And and again, I'm I'm, I'm putting out there the YouTube.
56:30
But when you write your memo on your book, you're coming back on
56:34
the show to talk about it. We want to hear everything.
56:37
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to say thank you for being here,
56:40
for giving the shout out any more last shout outs, please
56:43
send it because we're about to go off the air.
56:45
But but you have dropped so much knowledge.
56:47
I'm glad that you are my friend. You're a great leader, a great
56:51
human being and you have a lot of love and compassion to give
56:54
to all. So thank you so much.
56:57
I just want to say, Gracia, I'm do one more check.
57:00
Nobody has said anything. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you
57:02
for everything and have a great one.
57:13
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57:17
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57:36
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57:37
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