Moderator: Lynn Cooper, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Fair360, formerly DiversityInc
Panelists:
- Salma Jutt, Divisional Vice President of U.S. Commercial, Chronic Pain Therapies at Abbott (No. 4 on The Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list in 2021)
- LaKendra Davis, Vice President of Technical Operations and Support at Cox Communications (No. 32 in 2021)
- Kristen Wells, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Hilton (No. 1 in 2021)
- Dr. Angela Anderson, U.S. Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Operations and Strategy at Novartis Pharmaceuticals (A Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Hall of Fame company)
- and Lisa H. Robinson, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, DEI Strategy and Implementation at Wells Fargo (No. 25 in 2021)
During Fair360, formerly DiversityInc’s July 21 webinar, “Career Advice for Women of Color,” Fair360, formerly DiversityInc’s Lynn Cooper spoke with leading women of color executives from Abbott, Cox Communications, Hilton, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Wells Fargo about the industries where women of color are making the biggest gains. Our expert panel examined many of the best practices around networking and making connections through employment that are guaranteed to help women of all levels and in all industries succeed. The conversation also touched on the challenge of finding a new job in our current working environment — and the ways it can successfully be done.
Panelists also offered tips and recommendations on how to stand out as a candidate, excel in the interview process and how everybody in the job market today can ultimately land their new dream career.
Key webinar thoughts, takeaways and highlights:
Salma Jutt on the importance of representation
“The biggest overall challenge women of color are facing in the workforce is just not seeing people to identify with. It’s difficult to have a vision of yourself, your career and what your aspirations can be if you don’t see people that look like you, speak like you, think like you or have a background like yours in those same roles succeed every day and pave the way.”
Kristen Wells on what holds Black women back in the workforce
“I think a lot of us struggle with those age-old fears that kind of sit in the back of our minds, like not being too much, not being too ethnic or too female or too overly passionate in our expressions for fear that we might be categorized as being one thing or another. There’s also fear of being not enough, not professional enough, not polished enough — if we let them, those are the kinds of fears that can hold us back. And overcoming those fears is a challenge that a lot of us face in the workplace.”
Dr. Angela Anderson on how every female POC can better advance within their industry
“Start by always doing your research. Really work to make sure you understand what it is that you would like to do and where it is you would like to do it. Find points of commonality with people who are in positions of influence or power and then identify opportunities to exchange value. And most importantly: be consistent. Strive to set the foundation and then do the work and commit yourself to the process. Those are the things that I have found to be most useful in my journey.”
Jutt on the importance of ambition
“Whenever you’re asked to take on additional work, take on an additional project. If someone’s looking for volunteers, volunteer. If you’re offered a role that maybe looks lateral on paper but allows you to acquire a new skill set, take it! Doing this allows you to get a greater understanding of the scale and scope of your industry. Say yes to those opportunities. Don’t limit yourself ever. And if someone brings a problem to you, say yes to being part of the solution. The bottom line for me is that you should always work to find every opportunity for your own growth while, at the same time, also making contributions to the goals of the organization or whoever you’re working for and the people that you’re working with.”
Wells on relationship building
“One thing that I was super intentional about at the top of my career was setting short and long-term goals. Where do I want to be in five years? Then I would map that out to ensure that every single career decision I’m making is 100% getting me to where I want to go. In other words, be thoughtful and intentional in where your career goes. Do your research and always build relationships. Try to understand who you can work with to help educate yourself to get to where you want to be. Always keep those doors of communication and relationships open — they might open doors in the future.”
Lisa H. Robinson on “thinking like a man”
“We have to stop asking for permission and think like men do. Don’t be afraid of self-promotion. Take the leap. It’s not uncommon for many men to apply for jobs that they’re not even qualified for, but they’ve got the bravado and the courage to say, ‘You know what? I’m going to do it. And if I fail, so what. I’ll move on to the next.’ Women need to start doing the same thing. We have to get better with not being emotionally tied in and not overthinking an opportunity. We need to think much more strategically and directionally versus ‘I’m a mom. I’m a wife. I’ve got three kids. I’m on the go all the time.’ Sometimes you have to pivot in direction, strategy and execution to make sure you’re actually delivering and building the type of career you want to build.”
Jutt on self-doubt
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking myself once in a while, ‘can I do this?’ If I don’t ask myself that, I don’t give myself the opportunity to look squarely at myself and say, ‘Of course I can.’ Just the very fact that I would stop and pause and ask myself those kinds of questions allows me to grow from that self-awareness. It also helps you to better succeed in whatever you’re doing. Knowing that ‘Yes, I can do it’ puts you in the right mindset for success.”
LaKendra Davis on building self-esteem
“Asking questions is good, but don’t let it turn into a cycle of wondering ‘Am I good enough? Is the work I’m doing good enough?’ Some of that doubt we all feel from time to time can be alleviated if we lean in on our leaders.
“I’m in a new work role right now. And I’m leaning in with my boss around what I’m calling radical clarity — candor with clarity. I’m seeking that clarity in ‘how am I doing in this new role? What do you need me to do that I might not already be doing?’ Sometimes we’re afraid to ask for that information from our leaders or our teams. And sometimes, the answer might be ‘No, I think you’re doing great.’ Or ‘Actually, I didn’t even need you to do that.’ The more we can do it, the more we all benefit from seeking that clarity and seeking that feedback.”
Dr. Anderson on the value of a good career/life balance
“Some of the most influential mentorship and sponsorship relationships I’ve ever had weren’t in the workplace. They came through service. It was volunteer work. It was finding common ground with people who had an interest in the community and those were the relationships that tended to last over time. Those were the relationships that added value to our lives. Remember that success and personal growth don’t just come from the work environment. You’re always networking. And if you lead with kindness and service, oftentimes that is returned to you. So, wherever you are, when you’re engaged with people, you never know who you are connecting to, and just be mindful of how you show up in that space.”
Davis on networking at all levels
“There’s only a one letter difference between ‘networking’ and ‘not working.’ And it’s true. You have to remember that networking is work. You should be doing it all the time. Early on in my career, I was focused on networking up. I wanted the ‘who’s who’ to know who I was. At the same time, I also had to learn that, sometimes, you can be positioned too high. The person making the decision that’s next in your chain may not know you. Maybe their boss knows you or maybe their boss’s boss knows you, but they’re not going to swoop down deep into the organization and make that person hire you or make that person give you an opportunity. You’ve got to network up. You’ve got to network across. You’ve got to network within. You’ve got to network outside of your organization.”
Dr. Anderson on having a stable support system
“Any opportunity that you can find to grow or expand or add skills to your toolbox, do it. If that means having a coach or looking for new mentors or sponsorships, do it! I don’t think that is something that we talk about enough and it’s so important. When we come to the room, we expect that people want us to have all the answers — and it’s okay that we don’t.
“Give yourself grace for the things you know, and the things you don’t. One way to build that foundation of support and knowledge is to make sure you have your support or support team in place. It may take the form of a new educational degree. It may look like a development program. It may be just a really good coach that can help you strategize with your next move within the organization. And it could just be great relationships with co-workers. Build and grow professionally through people who have similar interests or backgrounds who can give you the advice you need to help you navigate through different aspects of your career. When you have that in place, you set yourself up for success.”
Wells on the power of knowledge
“One thing I’ve noticed in some of the C-suite leaders that I watch very closely — and one thing that I’ve learned in my career — is to be a student of the business. You don’t have to know everything. You don’t have to be an expert in every aspect of the business. But know enough to be dangerous. Spend some time educating yourself in other aspects of the business. What I’ve seen, particularly from the women who serve on our executive committee, is the fact that they can speak on any single topic. They can show up in any room and they are comfortable and prepared. As you work on moving forward in your career, watch the way these individuals within your company move. Watch the way they lead and influence. That’s a huge part of building your skill set and it will help you grow in your career, regardless of the type of business you happen to work in.”
Robinson on the power of self-advocacy
“At the end of the day, remember that you have to be your own biggest advocate. And that’s not being braggadocious. If you’ve got the drive, you can’t wait for somebody to save you. You must save yourself. When it comes to your career and getting the career growth you want, only you can save yourself. Bring others along, of course! But if you’re waiting for that handout, sometimes it’s not coming.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who have ultimately been very disappointed in their career path and where it went. And they probably could have changed that trajectory if they drove things better. That might mean leaving the company, or learning to better advocate for themselves, or just better mapping and calculating what their true path was. In the end, remember that you want to work smarter, not harder. And you want to work yourself out of a job and into the higher positions further along your chosen career path.”
Davis on being a powerful leader
“I’ve been in leadership for most of my career and I remember early on, in one of my first roles leading people, I had a mentor tell me that my goal as a leader… It’s going to sound crazy, but I still carry this. She said my goal as a leader should be to make myself obsolete. That’s how you build high-functioning, high-performing teams. You’re a good leader when you can take a two-week vacation and not look at your phone. That’s when you know you’re ready. That’s when you know you’ve done it right. My goal is to give my team everything they need — the structure, the vision — to enable and empower them to go and run the business without me. When that happens, then I can go find the next big thing that my organization can focus on.”
Robinson on the best advice she’s ever received
“In the end, we have to be our own best friend — and our own best advocate. Be prepared. Think about where you want to show up. Do the homework. Know what you don’t want to do so you can open the aperture for what you do want to do. Figure out what you’re willing to take chances on. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Stop overthinking. It’s not brain surgery. We can recover. We can figure it out. Ultimately, we all need to not admire ourselves in perfection, but really in enablement, activity and implementation.”
