Shana Harris has spent 27 years working for Warschawski, a marketing communications agency with high-profile clients like Dole Foods, CFG Bank and Under Armour, and she now serves as company COO.
Harris leads a life of strict discipline, working long hours for the business and waking up early every morning to work out, something she does multiple times a day, along with being a fitness instructor.
The COO also maintains a strong Jewish connection in her personal life and has taught fitness classes at the JCC of Greater Baltimore.
What does your Jewish life look like today?
I don’t really put a label on myself but consider myself modern Orthodox. We are members of Shomrei Emunah. I have three grown children and three grandchildren — a very mixed and dynamic family. I have children that are observant and nonobservant, and everyone comes together for Shabbat dinner — it is great. I have been a fitness instructor for more than 35 years in the community. I have taught at the JCC and other establishments for many years, and now teach at Flex at LifeBridge, so that keeps me very active in the community and engaged.
You’re the COO of Warschawski, a full-service marketing communications agency with many high-level clients. How did you ascend to this position?
It has been an amazing journey and having David Warschawski as my mentor, friend and CEO is what has led me to where I am today. He took me under his wing from day one and gave me opportunities to grow in ways that do not happen in other agencies or places of work. I am blessed and grateful for our partnership. I don’t see my role/position as a job. It is part of who I am. I love what I do and am thankful to have the opportunity to work with an amazing team and clients.
What is your day to day like as a COO?
There is no typical day. I spend a lot of time meeting with team members, checking in with them to see how things are going, providing feedback, guidance and advice, reviewing work, discussing strategies for clients and campaigns, etc. I work closely with our senior leadership team to go over operations of the agency, have new business calls, client calls and more. I handle all aspects of the running of the agency and work closely with our executive vice president to manage the day to day. What is unique is that I do have my finger on the pulse of almost every account. I know where we are and what we are doing, I meet personally with almost every team member multiple times a year and create strong, personal connections. I love working with people who want to grow and improve and seeing them push themselves, overcome challenges and make it happen!
You’re also a mother of three who works out twice a day, serves as a fitness instructor and runs 10Ks. How do you have time for it all? When do you sleep?
It is all mindset and being clear on what you want out of life and how you use the 24 hours in the day. I choose what I want and make it happen — no excuses. I get up at 5 a.m. to work out in the morning, do laundry, meal prep, check emails, do some work and run an errand or two all before 9. I often leave the office between 7 and 8 and do another workout, wrap up some more work, prep for the next day, more laundry and often get to hang out with some of my children and grandchildren.
You have described working out as something you need to do. Why is it so important to you?
Working out is my fuel — some have coffee or water — this is it for me. I enjoy the challenge. I am always working to get better each day. There is no stopping until I can’t do it anymore. … No one wants to get up early and work out. It is the ability to overcome the first challenge of the day, just showing up when others are sleeping and getting more done before the official start of the day, that starts you off on the right foot and sets you up to tackle anything that comes your way. After sled pushes, running, burpees, weightlifting, rowing and the assault bike, everything else seems manageable.
Do you take a Shabbat? If so, how does that help balance out your week amid all this activity?
The idea of Shabbat is rest, but not for me in the literal sense. I host guests for the meals and have family and friends over throughout, but I love it. While it’s not a physical rest, it’s great to have the time to focus on family and friends. I do have colleagues who often say, I wish I can have a day where no one can reach me via email or phone.
What are some other philosophies that are important to your life?
I believe that everything happens for a reason and G-d is in control of the world. This plays an important role in business and life. You should only focus on the things you can control.
You can’t often control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to things and do everything in your power to achieve your goals. If people use their energy to focus on what they can do to get the desired outcome, even you get derailed, or if you hit a rough spot in life but pick yourself up and get back up, it is amazing what you can achieve.
