Principles of Success for Women of Color
PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS FOR WOMEN OF COLOR
Today my goal is to be successful for all of my future business and professional endeavors, I want to make a lot of money for my family, I want to buy a home, purchase a nice car, and I am a woman of color how do I get there? Are the qualifications different for me than for other women?
To be successful on the job as a woman of color, we may have to work a little harder, find ways to go up and beyond our job description. How focus are you on achieving your goals for a promotion, that next big leadership role.
1. Show esteem for your co-workers openly, show support in their mission responsibilities, and expect them to support you. Every day project an image of solidarity, be a team-player and have a singleness of purpose in fulfilling your goal.
2. Once you make a decision, implement it – Prior to making your decision research and reason out the process. As a leader or a women on the move to taking a leadership role make your decision after gathering the appropriate information from your team. Once you make a decision share ownership of this decision with your team, and as a leader take responsibility for this decision.
3. Develop and Promote a win/win approach with your fellow staff members, should there be a disagreement at your place of employment, define the issue and not the person, find and seek constructive ways to manage the problem. Oftentimes fellow co-workers will become defensive, angry, irate, but you as leader, or a potential leader should not lose sight of the issue at hand. People tend to look at a woman of color who is in a management position with critical eyes, you have to maintain that positive attitude and utilize the win/win approach. Allow the other person to loose gracefully, when confronted with a win/lose situation, or you will have a lose/lose situation on hand and no one wins. As a manager you will be considered unprofessional and you will have an unsuccessful team environment.
4. If you report to a Senior Manager be supportive, do not gossip about this person behind his/her back, discuss issues in private, but have you information and research done, never go to your Senior Manager with no supporting documents Be on top of your game ! Be helpful to your boss, make him/her look good in turn you will look good and find success. Others will notice your support of your Manager, there will be times when you will not agree on certain issues, but discuss them in private, and not amongst your team or co-workers. Keep that attitude positive – Remember as a woman of color you have to go up and beyond your duties and responsibilities.
5. Delegate, delegate for success, and not failure. As a leader, a true leader, your goal and focus should be to make your team successful. Seek out those on your team who want that new car or nice home, encourage and motivate your team by delegating, sharing responsibilities. As your team supports you, do not keep them from moving on to their next level of financial independence, this is one way you will support and the word will get around the company, that you are a good manager.
6. True leadership is Teaching and true leadership is shown by Example. As a leader do not demand, but ask, by demanding you lose the respect of your co-workers. Respect is earned, admired and not demanded of, it must be given.
Statistics and Women of Color:
Only 26% of women of color say that career development is an important part of their company's diversity program. Only 17% say their managers are held accountable for advancement of women of their own racial/ethnic group. http://www.diversityhotwire.com/business/diversity_statistics.html#women_color
As a woman, as a woman of color, as a manager of team, have knowledge of your role as a leader at work, know that you are a role model for others, you are an example, management is watching you, your team is watching you, and all eyes are on you. This is just the way it is at work for a woman of color.
You are being watched for successes and failures, but, do not be afraid or fearful of your failures, know your job, duties and responsibilities, always keep supporting documents of your decisions and anything else that may be pertinent. Find yourself a mentor at your place of business or at another company.
A failure is just another avenue to achieving success, great leaders have failed and they have gotten up, again, and again. Failure is to never try again after having failed.
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