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Can we talk about being black in leadership positions?

Have similar stories to everyone here.

I was the Datacenter Manager at my previous contract before the one I'm currently on.

I had hiring athority and damn right if they were qualified and black…they were hired.

Interactions with the govt upper management was minimal to non existent but I will say they did everything legally possible to make it hard for me to do my job.

The best advice I can give you is of course be professional but ALWAYS BE YOU. Code switching and all that other shit…dont do it. It dont give you the respect or acceptance you think it does. It does nothing but show them crackers you will do anything to be “accepted”
 
I manage a team. The rules are simple. I don’t want no stress from my boss, I don’t give no stress to you. Excell where you can but I’m not gonna keep pulling you up for not doing the basics.

You got to manage up as well as down. Unless you the CEO/Chief Ex you have a boss.

Really and truly, I ain’t friends with anyone. I have a career but it’s only to fund my life outside of work. I hate talking to anyone I don’t need to. Sometimes I have to chill in work social events and buy drinks too…smh. It’s part of the role.
 
DNB1 said:
I manage a team. The rules are simple. I don’t want no stress from my boss, I don’t give no stress to you. Excell where you can but I’m not gonna keep pulling you up for not doing the basics.

You got to manage up as well as down. Unless you the CEO/Chief Ex you have a boss.

Really and truly, I ain’t friends with anyone. I have a career but it’s only to fund my life outside of work. I hate talking to anyone I don’t need to. Sometimes I have to chill in work social events and buy drinks too…smh. It’s part of the role.
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Do you feel challenged/questioned more by your white colleagues or subordinates .
Do you feel their is a glass ceiling?
And if so, do you intend to break thru it and how would you attempt this?
 
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DOS_patos said:
Do you feel challenged/questioned more by your white colleagues or subordinates .
Do you feel their is a glass ceiling?
And if so, do you intend to break thru it and how would you attempt this?
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Bro, I got stories of racism. I’m now sane level as the person who was trying it.

In general I think now more than ever whites are much more careful in the workplace.
 
DNB1 said:
In general I think now more than ever whites are much more careful in the workplace.
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Even in the uk?

it was actually a black woman I talked with from the uk that got me thinking more people should share the shit they had to deal with, but more importantly why didn’t that stop you or keep you stagnant and what advice would you give those behind you.
 
Is there people that continue to push for diversity in the “meetings” when not in the position of leadership?
 
DOS_patos said:
can you talk about your experience in the UK?
@CeLLar-DooR @Blue_London @DNB1

How about you @Hundredeyes ?
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I work in the media, specifically sports media, which you would like to think would be more progressive than other industries but is just as if not more racist than anywhere else. I always say the media shines a spotlight on everyone else but no one shines a spotlight on the media. Add to that in the UK entry level positions in the media are no paying/low paying so the barriers for entry is already high for people from less privileged backgrounds.

I just got a Distinction in my Masters on a Leadership In Sport course and they have made me an alumni ambassador for the course so trying to parlay that into having more of an influence in sport over here.
 
Buckets_Biaaaaatch said:
I’m a retail district manager…. Got 22 stores under me, all female store managers. Of the 22, only 2 were black to start.
imagine being a black man with 20 white women reporting to you…. Now I have 4 black female managers, 2 male managers, and 16 others.

I’m not ready to stop yet
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Black Excellence
 
I can’t say I’ve faced many race related situations. A few awkward moments here and there, but I can usually see them coming so I don’t give into that energy once it starts. I’m not interested in seeing just how racially insensitive somebody might get so I just go quiet once it starts going in that direction. I’m there to get a check and enjoy what I do, not necessarily who I do it with.

I try to hire black people or get them promoted as much as possible. Been responsible for changing a few lives. Edit: They deserved it so all props to them. I just gave the word.

I think I’ve had more struggles being the youngest than black. I’ve always managed people 10-20 years older than me. I became a manager at 29 managing about 14 people. Was promoted to manage a department of 72 people a couple years after that. Now I’m a senior accounting manager at a Fortune 500 company. Been there 7 months and already promoted a black lady in my department.
 
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Only spot a few blacks the higher I go…

Jay-Z, Murder to Excellence - Watch the Throne

So true. I’ve regularly been the only black person in my corporate peer group and higher. Leadership meetings I’m the only black person. Everybody else is white, not even other minorities (I’m not counting my counterparts in Asia and Central America). And I’m half white so I guess there’s even fewer black people than it seems, lol.
 
TheNightKing said:
Only spot a few blacks the higher I go…

Jay-Z, Murder to Excellence - Watch the Throne

So true. I’ve regularly been the only black person in my corporate peer group and higher. Leadership meetings I’m the only black person. Everybody else is white, not even other minorities (I’m not counting my counterparts in Asia and Central America). And I’m half white so I guess there’s even fewer black people than it seems, lol.
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But you're making the breakthrough, hopefully being in those decision making positions allows you to open doors for others and over time that compounds to where we gain real leverage.
 
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