My reflections on black women leaders…
Working in corporate America can be frustrating, humiliating, isolating, and induce feelings of anxiety, and impostor syndrome. I believe this experience stems from many factors, but want to highlight three:
- Glacial Progress – since 2015, Leanin.Org and McKinsey & Company have studied the state of women in corporate America. Key findings of their research state despite modest progress, women are still dramatically underrepresented in leadership. Black women leaders are more ambitious but face greater barriers to advancement.
- Entitled Co-Workers – regardless of level or reporting relationships, people feel empowered to go over the head of a black women leader and question any decision they make, promotion they receive, or authority they are given. I have witnessed colleagues making disparaging comments about black women leaders’ clothing, hair, and credentials just to name a few.
- Life Under a Microscope – if colleagues do not agree with the actions of a black women leader, the action itself is not the focus, but their entire leadership career. Every aspect of the leader’s life is investigated, analyzed, and critiqued. Irrespective of your personal views, the experiences of leaders like Claudine Gay today, and Joycelyn Elders before show how quickly the ax will fall. Neither leader lasted a year and a half in their role.
In light of the above headwinds, I’ve observed two prominent career strategies.
Don’t Make Waves Strategy
How it works: the leader aims to not take major risks and focus on job performance. The goal is to be likeable, build a broad internal network, and develop a reputation for being a team player.
When it works best: you work for a large organization in an operational support area (e.g., Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Customer Service).
Implications: higher probability of job security, moderate influence over time. However, not a path to the senior-most levels of power, and not effective in profit and loss roles.
Be Bold Strategy
How it works: use your time to aggressively make your mark and take appropriate risks. The leader aims to make a noticeable contribution within the first 90 to 180 days and build a reputation for bold action and delivering results.
When it works best: you have a mandate from senior leaders to act, to turn around a department, and/or work in a P&L or client-facing role.
Implications: high risk / high reward environment with lower job security. Most be willing to leave the organization if actions do not succeed. Higher probability of advancement to senior levels and role with power and influence.
Choose the strategy that best fits your ambition and situation. These are extreme strategies, so a hybrid approach may be effective in your situation.
I want to end with what I have found works best for black women leaders who wish to navigate the barriers to advancement and success:
Cultivate White Male Mentors and Sponsors
The reality is the majority of senior teams and organizational leaders are white men. It is important to cultivate their mentorship and garner their sponsorship. Black male and white women leaders might wish to help, but they may be unable or unwilling to use their political capital to save your career or advocate for your promotion.
Prioritize Experience Over Titles – In the Short Run
Majority leaders are promoted based on potential. You will be promoted based on repeated success. Take on the messy jobs and assignments. Your goal is to gain experience delivering results that matter to executives. Executives care about money (increasing revenue and reducing costs), markets (increasing market share and reducing time to market), and exposure (reducing operations, strategic, financial, and legal risk).
Avoid Company-Run Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs
The biggest beneficiary of DE&I programs are white women. Black men come in a distant second. Asian women and men come in next. Black, Latinx and Indigenous women are at the bottom. Because you need the experience of delivering concrete results, most DE&I don’t work for you. The programs are too short, don’t provide the right mentorship or sponsorship, and little to no real power. The exception to this rule is participation in an external program that expands your outside-industry network.
Invest in a Towering Strength
For any given field or endeavor there is a core strength or mindset that will enable you to be successful. The first step is to identify and build the core intelligence that makes you technically competent in your field. Ask, “What do I do better than 85 percent of the population, and am willing to spend 10 years developing?”
Say No to the Ceremonial Role
If you perform and progress better and faster than expected, you will be tempted by those that wish to slow or derail your career with a token or ceremonial role. How do you recognize it? The job pays well but has no direct reports. You are given management responsibility, but no control over your budget. You ask for a P&L role, but you are offered an advisory role like Chief of Staff, Head of Development, or Head of Strategic Initiatives. These roles are offered to placate your ambitions. Have the courage to say no.
Bottom Line
Career success for black women leaders is difficult, but possible. You must learn to recognize and address the barriers, cultivate mentors and sponsors that will show up in your time of need, and boldly demand a seat at the table.