Black Leaders: Will Multiple Black Executives in a Company Ever Be the Norm?

As we bring Black History Month to a close in 2024, I asked myself this hard question: Will Multiple Black Executives in a Company Ever Be the Norm?

When it comes to navigating the corporate world, especially as an African American and Black leader, there have always been numerous challenges in my quest to secure more senior executive roles. My coaching clients from similar cultural backgrounds share similar struggles. Despite pouring our heart and soul into our work, we often find ourselves overlooked and underappreciated. It’s disheartening to see ideas stolen and our contributions gone unrecognized, while our bosses continue to climb ladders without acknowledging my efforts. I strive to make a difference in the workforce. My minority coaching clients desire to make meaningful impact on the job. Ultimately, I want my presence and the presence of other Black executives in an organization to be viewed as the norm. I would love for company leaders who are not affected by the challenges that I have faced in my career to not view the presence of minority executives as the exception.

How To:

If you’re experiencing similar frustrations, it’s important to recognize the phenomenon of “talent trauma,” a silent epidemic affecting people of color in the workplace. It leaves us second-guessing ourselves concerning our work and whether or not our performance is satisfactory in the workforce. This constant cycle of receiving verbal praise without tangible evidence can take a toll on our mental and emotional well-being, leaving us feeling undervalued and disempowered. Here is a snapshot of talent trauma experiences from my coaching clients who identify as persons of color:

- "They call me a “rockstar”, 32 times within a year to be precise. These words failed to take meaningful action. Each time I was commended for my work, it was never followed with an offer to provide a raise or promotion. I felt increasingly demoralized and disconnected from my job.

- "Being a black leader in Corporate America is HARD, REALLY HARD. I have started second-guessing myself which makes it hard for me to connect with more leaders and teams resulting in me becoming less engaged with my work. Eventually, I realized that I needed to speak up for myself to demand the respect and recognition I deserved.

Client/Success Story:

Let's take Ayana for example. During our executive leadership coaching, she learned how to proactively communicate her concerns with her supervisors and team members. To her surprise, she regained her confidence and sense of personal agency in her career. She began to trust her abilities and set boundaries with non-minority peers to ensure that her contributions were properly acknowledged and rewarded. As a result, she not only secured the promotion she had coveted for 3 years, but also cultivated a healthier mindset and work-life balance. She says, "I felt recognized, but also more aware that I was not alone....that many other ambitious Black leaders had faced these similar frustrations and have overcome them with coaching support."

I'm here to tell you, when it comes to talent trauma for Black leaders, you are not alone. By speaking up for yourself and asserting your worth, you can break from the cycle of underappreciation and reclaim control of your career trajectory. “Talent trauma” is something that will never go away! This is why it important for CEOs and CHROs to not take a backseat approach to building diverse executive leadership teams beyond “hiring more women or the occasional LBGQTIA+ rising star.” They need to be more intentional about attracting Black executives and developing a company culture that helps them be seen, treated, and respected as equal leaders when compared to their non-minority peers. There needs to be an overhaul of policies, processes, and practices that hinder companies from normalizing executive teams with multiple Black rockstars. We must remember that producing real change requires you to become educated on this topic and be dedicated to doing the work. My hope is that more non-minority leaders truly see the work of their Black executive peers and champion their career group by becoming more vocal allies as well as sponsors.

To Decrease this pervasive dilemma for Black Executives, try these leadership growth tips:

1. Let it out

Journal your life away and feel all the feels of what you’ve experienced. Don’t hold back and express how the experiences you have lived impacted your mindset, family, and career. Journaling is therapeutic and only you can have access to these words. You are entitled to giving yourself the freedom to express your own feelings by writing them on paper.?

Once you've purged the past, visualize your own ideal future reality—what is it that you want? What does success look to you? Is it receiving a raise or a promotion or do you have a different vision in your career advancement? Do you want to repair broken relationships or initiate a culture transformation project that will prevent others from having your similar experience in your company? Write down proposed steps that can help make your visions come to life.?

Need help? Hire a coach as a sounding board to create a plan that you can activate and achieve quickly. Try not to put pressure on yourself to set everything in stone on the first pass. Start with a simple outline as this could be key to engaging in some much-needed soul-searching time to heal.

2. Seek counseling

Work with professionals who are trained to support you as you process talent trauma and create new ways to prevent future occurrences. There is no shame in asking for help and seeking counseling can potentially provide invaluable support as you pursue your career plan.?

Counseling can also assist in helping you develop emotionally and mentally. You might be prompted to role-play how you could turn a trauma story into a success story by applying new strategies. This can assist you with preventing future career-limiting situations and speaking clearly about what you are hoping to achieve in your career without sounding arrogant or entitled.

3. Hire an Executive Coach

Develop a talent trauma prevention toolkit with an Executive Coach. They can help you position yourself as a strategic leader who is skilled in building critical internal relationships, growing executive presence, and navigating difficult situations that arise on the job. An executive coach helps rising leaders engage in self-reflection about how they feel in their current position and tactical planning about navigating the corporate world as a minority leader.?

You should not have to accelerate your career alone. Hiring an executive coach can shift your mindset and approach to aligning your core values with your career aspirations and organizational objectives.?

To Recap

If you are a Black executive and have been languishing in promotion purgatory for what feels like an eternity, it’s natural to feel torn between holding out hope for that elusive promotion and entertaining the idea of moving onto greener pastures. Investing 5+ years of your life into a company with hopes of earning that coveted C-suite position can be incredibly hard. It's disheartening to see others earning it before you and being fast tracked with fewer barriers.?

While loyalty to your current company is commendable, it’s essential to ALWAYS balance your own professional growth and fulfillment needs. If you feel that you have been passed over for a raise or a promotion for far too long, it might be time to start knocking on different doors.

Remember, you are worthy of executive career success as a Black senior leader....do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Continue to strive for excellence, but acknowledge that there are sadly different experiences for executives aiming for the C-suite based on their race, ethnicity, gender, and other identity markers. Multiple Black executives might not ever be the norm in a company, but if you commit to these leadership transformation shifts in yourself you can shape your own destiny through sheer determination.?

This is a powerful way to process your “talent trauma” and develop new strategies towards moving forward with confidence and a sense of personal agency about your executive career pursuits.

Anything I missed? I’d love to discuss in the comments.

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Hi, I'm Jessica, an Executive Leadership & Career Coach, Chief Talent Officer, Inclusion Expert, Speaker, and Facilitator.

I help companies and executives build inclusive leadership teams with high-caliber, overlooked talent to increase engagement, productivity, revenue, and retention in their workplace.

I also help rising stars and executives define authentic leadership brands that increase their confidence, capabilities, & compensation.?

DM me if YOU want help landing executive promotions or growing stellar leaders to reach business goals, manage rapid change, and avoid employee burnout.

Want to know why you aren't achieving your leadership growth goals in your company or personal career? Book a 30-minute strategy session me: calendly.com/jessica_evolvecareer/executivegrowth