Walking The Tightrope

Black men in senior leadership walk a professional tightrope.

While you’ve gotten your advanced degrees, gone to industry association events, built out your Black and White network, and landed an executive role, you now face a new challenge.

Executive racial bias.

What is executive racial bias?

Executive racial bias is something Black men who are often one the only Black men at their level of seniority, often deal with.

Not only do these men often inadvertently become spokesmen for all things related to Black people, which is not likely what they signed up for, but any mistakes or errors they make might skew the viewpoint that their non-Black colleagues and superiors may have about Black people in general.

Therefore, there is additional pressure for this man to come off as perfect, not just for his career but for the benefit of the Black staff to follow.

However, executive racial bias is a uniquely challenging double-edged sword for Black men.

I’ll explain it now.

If a brother in a high-level position in an organization promotes or hires another Black man, it could be seen as a sign of favoritism toward Black men and a way to keep other qualified candidates of other backgrounds from getting a chance.

Or, did he simply promote or hire the best candidate for the job who happened to be Black?

Brothers in senior leadership know that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on them to personally advance more junior Black staff members at their company, both from those staff members themselves and from Black employee resource groups that look up to them as an advocate.

If junior-level staff don't see this happening, this Black male executive may be viewed as a "sell-out," a "gatekeeper," or someone who doesn’t care about his people.

On the other hand, he may have other non-Black senior leaders who are often keeping a close eye on him to see if he is discounting candidates of other races or backgrounds in order to unfairly give opportunities to people of African descent.

The former has the potential to put this man's credibility in the Black community at risk, while the latter has the ability to put his job at risk.

It’s a no-win situation at times where Black men in senior leadership roles have to walk a cultural tightrope while battling executive racial bias, in addition to doing the job they’ve actually been hired for.

Unfortunately, many brothers don't know where to turn for help because their non-Black coworkers may not understand the situation, and Black junior staff members may not be very understanding of their situation.

However, one of the best solutions for this dynamic is to first acknowledge that it exists, if you are experiencing it. Sweeping it under the rug will only lead to personal and professional problems later.

Secondly, you should find a supportive group of Black executive peers to learn the best practices for addressing this specific concern and many others that Black men in senior leadership experience.

Lastly, you should become highly politically savvy to determine how much you want to and can support more junior Black staff members, and how much doing so would rock the boat with your colleagues and superiors.

Once you have all three steps locked in place, you will be in a much wiser and more empowered position to navigate this form of executive racial bias successfully.

If you are ready to take your career to the next level, contact me today for a free consultation at?www.blackexecutivemen.com.

Jewel Edward Love, Jr

Founder & Executive Coach

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Executive Coaching

Executive coaching is the number one tool for Black men in senior leadership seeking to take their salary, seniority, and job satisfaction to the next level. I am direct and will be on you like a hawk to make sure you reach your next level of professional success. This one-on-one service is only for Black men who are looking for huge results in their lives, as?this investment starts at $10,000. If you are ready to take your career to the next level, contact me today for a free consultation at?www.blackexecutivemen.com.

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Corporate Speaking

Pepsi has contracted me to speak to over 300 African-American staff members from senior leadership on down for three separate events this year to support them in reaching their next level of success. This is a private event for Pepsi staff only.?

The EmERGE conference has contracted me to give an action-focused talk on the importance of culturally attuned mental health resources for employee resource groups. This event is open to the public.

Amazon?and I are in talks to provide?my Black Men's Leadership Training to?100?of their?midlevel Black male employees to help them reach their next level of seniority. This would be a private event for?Amazon staff only.

If you want to ensure that?Black men thrive at your organization, contact me today at?www.blackexecutivemen.com.

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Corporate Recruiters

I have partnered with the following companies to ensure my coaching clients have direct access to externally posted roles, internally posted roles, and opportunistic hiring opportunities: Kellogg, Autodesk, Owens Corning, Columbia, BD, Nvidia, FHLBSF, Booking & Priceline, and Recroom.

If you are a recruiter who wants access to executive-level Black male talent for your organization, contact me today at?www.blackexecutivemen.com.