 By Perri Capell
Provided by CareerJournal.com
As a minority executive, what must you do to get ahead
in corporate America?
Don't rely on company diversity programs to help you
climb the ladder. Despite years of effort, current
diversity
initiatives aren't as effective as companies think they
are, many minority professionals say.
A December 2001 survey by search firm Korn/Ferry International
indicates that 57% of corporate executives believe
large organizations are generally effective in
achieving diversity.
However, just 38% of minority professionals agree.
Similarly, 74% of executives believe their own
organization has
been effective in achieving diversity, while just 48%
of professionals
agree.
"These
findings suggest that large corporations need to do better
in both understanding and addressing the expectations
— and the experiences — of minority employees in
their
diversity efforts," says Gilroye A. Griffin Jr., managing
director of Korn/Ferry's diversity practice.
So for most minority professionals, advancement to
the top is still up to you, say a panel of senior
minority executives selected for interviews by
CareerJournal.com. The diversity-hiring guidelines
that most large companies
heed may help you get hired, but achieving success
is
your responsibility, they say.
"At
the end of the day, people who are running businesses
and organizations want to know if you can contribute
to the bottom line and produce results," says Kay Cole
James, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management
in Washington, D.C. "If you can't produce, it doesn't
matter if you're a minority."
Here's what six upper-level managers say helped
them get ahead in their careers, and what minority
professionals
can do to reach the senior ranks:
Kay Cole James, director, U.S. Office of Personnel
Management, Washington, D.C.
"One
of the reasons for my success has been having skill sets
that are easily transferable to a variety of different
environments. I have worked in the corporate,
public and
nonprofit sectors, including think tanks
and academia, and having skills that are easy to transfer
has been helpful.
One I've used in every area has been writing.
I can't tell you how many people I come across who can't
write well.
"Another
good skill is the ability to take a huge volume of information,
digest and analyze it, and make decisions
based on it. What separates out people
quickly and easily is whether you don't mind and actually
enjoy making decisions.
You can't make it to the executive ranks
if you don't enjoy decision-making.
"You
also have to give the boss what the boss wants. I remember
sitting in a cabinet meeting when I
was an assistant secretary for [the U.S. Department of]
Health and Human Services
and the Secretary said he would like
something done. Not one person in the room wrote it down
and I always did.
It may not have made sense to me at
the time because of my limited knowledge of what I was
dealing with, but it
was vitally important to him. Some
bosses work best through written documents and memos,
while others like oral briefings.
If the boss likes oral briefings, don't
give him a 20-page document to explain something.
"But
really there's nothing you should do differently as a
minority person. There are no separate rules and agendas.
If you are excellent and contribute
to the bottom line
and to the overall mission of the
organization, people won't care if you are black, white
or purple. You'll succeed.
In those rare cases where you can't
succeed because of discrimination, fight back with everything
that's within
you and use every legal tool."
Gilroye A. Griffin Jr., managing
director, Korn/Ferry International
diversity
practice, New York
"There's
no substitute for excellence. After that, the next most
important thing is knowing the importance of networking
both internally and externally.
These two things are infinitely
more important for minorities,
so multiply them to the nth degree. That's because, in
this day and age, you're
still not playing on a level
field and you must be that much better than your competitors
to get to the top and
reach your potential.
"Those
are the ingredients you must have. After that, you'll
always do well if you can accept
risk and challenges. These will give you great visibility.
If you aren't up the task,
you'll crash and burn in place,
but if you are up to it, you'll be noticed and that's
important for career acceleration.
"For
me, the best example of this is to go back 20 years when
I left Mobil Oil Corp., where I had a secure career
as corporate counsel, for
a position as head of labor relations at Bristol Myers
Corp. It was a great challenge for a minority
to leave a solid and secure
executive position and go into the unknown of a new company
where I didn't know anyone.
"Lastly,
I put a great premium on communication skills. If you
want to access senior levels of management, never
underestimate the power
of communicating well, in writing and orally. That is
a strong distinguishing characteristic
that will turn a good candidate
into a great candidate."
Betty Spence, president,
National Association
of Female Executives,
New York
"Women
are steered into staff positions. They get beginning
advice that says, 'You're a people person. You should
be
in the communications
or human-relations department.'" These are fine careers,
but if a woman is interested in moving
ahead and managing
the organization, she needs to be in line positions,
not staff jobs.
"Pick
your battles. Women have many glass ceiling-related obstacles
and women of color have more than that. Pick
the things you want
to try to change and move on when you can't. That was
a tough lesson for me to learn. We have
a limited amount
of energy and we must conserve these scarce resources
and use them wisely.
"The
most important thing is to find a mentor. Everyone who
makes it to the top has a mentor. If you can find one
in your organization,
that would be your best strategy,
because he or she
will show you the ropes and pull strings. It's difficult
for women and minorities to find mentors
in their organizations,
because there aren't many people there who look like
them, and mentors pick people who look
like them. You
may have to find a panel of mentors — a person who can
teach you about office politics, someone
who can help you
write a press release, or make a presentation or translate
the language of a meeting.
"Women
say they work harder than male colleagues and working
hard is essential
to success, but it isn't enough. Women should make establishing
networks part of their objectives.
Women of color
say the lack of mentors and exclusion from informal networks
where relationships develop are their
biggest obstacles.
You must pay attention to your style and develop one
that people are comfortable with. Few of
us are office
naturals."
Don Holmes, senior
vice president
— human
resources,
Central
Parking Corp.,
Nashville,
Tenn.
"What's
helped me is staying focused and working hard. I don't
mean you have to put in a ton of hours. You need
to stay focused
on what you're doing and put in the time to get it done.
Keep moving your goals upwards, not so
they become
unattainable, but because success breeds success.
"It's
important to have relationships with people who have
gone before you who can share their knowledge, give direction,
be confidants
and be honest with you. You may not like
what they
have to say, but if you have a good trusting relationship,
you'll be more ready to act on what you hear.
I feel
fortunate because I was able to do this in my career
path. I had individuals take an interest in me and help
me grow.
Sometimes I didn't know who was pulling the strings
and putting
me in positions where I would be tested.
"But
I gave a lot as well. People aren't going to mentor you
unless they get some gain. This might just be seeing
someone
with knowledge and skills move forward. If you aren't
showing something, you can't expect people to help
you.
You don't need more ability and competence than anyone
else,
but you must have those things. Then opportunities will
open for you and you'll be in a position to take advantage
of them.
"What's
also important for minorities is to remember that all
white folks aren't their enemies and all black folks
aren't
their friends. You can't go into an organization thinking
that white folks aren't willing to help you. All
my
mentors happen to be white males. At the same time, I
have mentored minorities and nonminorities, males and
females.
Get away from thinking that because someone is
of
a separate race, they're the enemy or because they're
the
same race, they're a friend."
Maria
Sastre,
vice
president,
total
guest
satisfaction
services,
Royal
Caribbean
International,
Miami
"I
spent 25 years in the airline industry before I started
in the cruise industry. The frameworks of both industries
have been very male dominated, especially in the senior
ranks. I needed to create a lot of new paradigms about
women in operations of airlines or the hotel side of
the cruise industry. In the airlines industry, I had
to build
relationships with subordinates, government authorities
and airport regulators, who were all males. I had to
engage them on the basis that I was just as qualified
and knew
what the issues were. I had to go a step further, whereas
males didn't have to deal with those issues.
"I
have been very tenacious in pursuing goals and objectives
and ensuring they're achieved in a timely way. I also
have been successful at recruiting very talented people
to build
a strong team. That's been most important. The ultimate
success of any executive is in part due to the professionals
that surround them.
"Eliminate
any obvious obstacles that are in your way. Get an M.B.A.
It's a wonderful qualifier. You also need to
diversify your experience if you want to be a senior
executive. Move from marketing to sales to finance. Then
when you
reach management, surround yourself with the best talent
and don't be intimidated by them.
"One
of the hardest things I had to learn is that there are
people with inherent prejudices. They won't like you
because of your color or gender and they will make it
a subtle issue. You must have confidence to overcome
this.
It's hard to come to terms with the fact that there
are people like this, but if you don't have confidence
and
overcome these attitudes, it can really be a burden."
José Morales,
vice president, A.T. Kearney, and general manager,
A.T. Kearney-EDS-i2 alliance, Dallas
"There
are a lot of very bright people who aren't successful
in business because they lack leadership ability. This
means not only being able to inspire a following and
leading by example, but also taking risks and making
decisions
with incomplete information. You can put two people
side by side and one will demand more information and
data to
reach a decision and the other will decide he has enough
information to execute against it. The person demanding
more data will be overcome by events, because events
will drive the decision. He won't have as much flexibility
and
leeway as the person who had the conviction and ability
to make the decision early in the process.
"As
a Hispanic, I was born and raised in a traditional family.
My first language was Spanish, and we were very deferential
to our elders. It took me a while to realize that some
viewed this as a weakness. You need to take this disadvantage
and turn it into an advantage. Our world is going global
at all levels. Being able to speak Spanish has been
a net-net for me. I've lived in South America and Latin
America and
Europe, and being able to speak the romance languages
has been helpful.
"Always
try to be unique and fully leverage your skills. It doesn't
behoove anyone to carry his or her differences
openly. Don't say, 'I'm black, gay or Hispanic and I
should be treated differently.' Some people also tend
to be too
selective in their career choices. When you're too selective,
opportunities don't come your way. Whatever you're given,
do it well and show an eagerness and hunger for more
responsibilities. This will broaden your opportunities
and allow you to differentiate
yourself." Ms. Capell is a senior correspondent for CareerJournal.com.
She can be reached at frances.capell@dowjones.com.
This article is reprinted with permission from CareerJournal.com
(c) 2003
Dow Jones & Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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The
Board of Directors of the Human Resource Association
of Central Indiana (HRACI) has discussed several amendments
to the Chapter's By-Laws (By-Laws) and recommends them
to you for your review and approval. To afford all
members of HRACI in good standing as much time as possible
to consider these amendments and then to vote on their
adoption at the monthly meeting scheduled for Thursday,
November 20, 2004, I am enclosing a complete draft
of the By-Laws - 
Program
Cost: Rate 1 - ($65 guests,
$45 members, $30 students) if participate
in the Diversity Conference from beginning
to closure (includes keynote speaker.
Valued at three SPHR/PHR certification
credits.