Question:
I am an African-American (AA) woman, IT middle-manager who has stalled in my career. I’ve been in the same position for several years and would like to remain in IT, but I won’t do so unless I can advance. I’m really interested in moving into senior management, but I’m not sure what to do. What do you recommend?
Answer:
First, thank you for your question; and please recognize that you are not alone in this dilemma. It sounds like you’ve hit the “concrete ceiling” in your organization. Let me explain.
The term “glass ceiling” is used when referring to barriers that block advancement up the career ladder for white women, but for women of color the barriers such as negative stereotypes, double-outsider status, hidden biases, the inability to access informal communication structures (networks), lack of mentoring and other barriers, collectively represent a ceiling that is more dense and less easily shattered, hence the term “concrete ceiling.” Within the technology sector, research shows that AA and Latina/Hispanic women are poorly represented. According to the Anita Borg Institute (ABI) (2009) report: Obstacles and Solutions for Underrepresented Minorities in Technology, the representation of AA technical women goes from 4.6% at the entry level to 1.6% at the high level positions. And, the numbers for Latina/Hispanic women are even more disparaging with the entry level being 5% and the high level being 0%. Because of these challenges, it is reported many underrepresented women of color (African-Americans and Latinas/Hispanics) in technology are weighing their options regarding whether or not to remain within this industry.
THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A DIVERSE TEAM
Much research has demonstrated there are clear advantages to having diverse organizations and leaders within these organizations. Caroline Simard, VP of Research and Executive Programs for ABI was recently quoted in The Mercury News article: Blacks, Latinos and Women lose ground at Silicon Valley tech companies as saying, “If everybody around the table is the same, the same ideas will tend to come up. If you have a diversity of race, gender, age, educational and different life experiences, people will attack a problem from different perspectives, and that will lead to innovation. In an industry that thrives on innovation, like high tech, it’s especially important.”
Clearly there is work to be done. But we’re also not talking about rocket science here, from my perspective; this is a win-win for everyone. But, this is a very complex issue with no simple solutions.
STRATEGIES FOR BREAKING THROUGH THE CONCRETE CEILING
I recently attended a Women in Leadership professional development and networking event jointly hosted by the Women of Color Action Network (WCAN) and ABI at HP entitled: Strategies for Learning the ‘Unwritten Rules’ and Cracking the ‘Concrete Ceiling.’ Mary Boughton, Sr. Director of Catalyst Western Division presented findings based on the latest Catalyst research report, Unwritten Rules: Why Doing a Good Job Might Not Be Enough. I will share a few of the strategies presented and discussed there, along with a few of my own.
The top three barriers to advancement were noted as: Access to Critical Relationships
- Exclusion from Informal Networks
- Lack of Role Models
- Lack of Mentoring
These five unwritten rules play a major role in career advancement (not in order of importance):
- Communication and feedback
- Performance and results
- Career Planning
- Increasing visibility
- Relationship building
What was even more interesting, women more than men, and women of color more than white women rated Seeking Visibility as being one of the most important strategies for advancement. Here are my recommendations for advancing your career.
Build Relationships that Take You to the Next Level
Let’s talk about relationship building, because I believe it at the core element of strategizing activities and tactics for advancement. Relationship building comes in various forms, and it is key to being successful, particularly for women of color. Your networking needs to happen at different levels and contain different types of people. Charlie Seashore, PhD and Michael Broom, PhD report, “We cannot manage systemic change alone. Develop support systems to help you strategize and operationalize your change strategy to support you in using yourself effectively.”
1. Gain Clarity
Usually before you take a trip, you have a destination in mind. Before you begin mapping out your strategy, ensure you know where you’re going. With this in mind, first make sure you are clear about what your own goals. Then ask yourself these questions:
- Can I achieve my goals within this organization? (One way to determine this is by seeing if your personal/professional goals are aligned with the organization’s goals and values)
- Are there other women and people of color in senior leadership positions?
- Who can I enlist to help me along the way?
- Where do I start?
2. Approach Your Manager
There are key strategies, but the best tactic I recommend is beginning with your manager. Your manager is in the best position to give you feedback and in most organizations; work with you to launch your career planning and professional development based on your need. Research further shows that hidden biases amongst underrepresented women often begin with their managers, with this person often being a hindrance instead of an advocate for their advancement. Having a frank sit-down with your manager as to get his/her perspective on why your career has stalled and what your options are, provides you with a good place to start. If you sense as a result of this discussion this person is not necessarily your advocate, this is good data to support your next steps.
3. Build Your Network
Your network should also include professional organizations, and informal networks, which is where a lot of business actually gets done. It’s also one of the predominant barriers for underrepresented minorities. Getting involved in work-related informal activities can provide major benefits as well as provide some visibility that doesn’t just come from work. This can be something as simple as going to a happy hour.
4. Seek out Mentors
And, of course your network should include influential senior managers with whom you can connect with as your mentor. All senior managers are not made the same. Intentionality is the call of the day! Having more than one is a good recommendation, seeking out diverse mentors (i.e., ones that don’t look like you), and seeking mentors outside of your immediate organization are also good things to keep in mind with this strategy.
5. Minimize the Impact
Lastly, often what’s not discussed is the impact of working in an environment where you are many times “the only.” This along with other commitments in your life can be extremely stressful. A fundamental component of my coaching approach is to ensure your personal needs and development is at the core of all the work I do with my clients. I believe it is equally important that you ensure you incorporate practices into your lifestyle that supports your being grounded and centered. This provides us with the support and fortitude to address the challenges we encounter on a day-to-day basis. This is also another important strategy that should not be overlooked! A simple practice such as taking 10 minutes at lunch to meditate helps you to recalibrate and refocus yourself during the middle of day. Let’s take it even one step further, many of us don’t even take lunch – let’s start there first.
Sabrina Coleman has twenty years experience within IT. In her current role, she is a Sr. Manager, in charge of IT Strategic Change Management and Training at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. She is also a Women’s Personal Empowerment Coach and Owner of Mahogany Coaching & Development; which specializes in working with women of color. Mahogany Coaching & Development provides individual coaching programs and developmental seminars to women individuals, leaders and professionals focusing on personal awareness, relational and interpersonal skill-building. You can reach her at Sabrina@mahoghany.comcastbiz.net.