Where are the Black Women Executives?

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iStock_000005966600XSmallBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

A little more than two years ago, The Executive Leadership Council Institute for Leadership Development & Research published the findings of its Black Women’s Research Initiative [PDF]. Executive Director Ancella Livers, Ph.D., explained, “Some of our female members noticed the numbers of black women in executive roles seemed to be fairly small. They wanted to know why.”

“We really wanted to be able to understand what’s going on, and to give some of our younger women markers on a pathway.” She continued, “Younger women have the intelligence and the skills, but not the access to the experiences of the women who went before them to guide the way.”

Unfortunately, according to Dr. Livers, in the years since the research was published, there has not been much change regarding the number of Black women in senior roles, or in the pipeline. And while she noted the importance of Ursula Burns as the CEO of Xerox, Dr. Livers said, in general, many black women perceived a lack of role models, as part of the reason why. Others suggest that black women lack strength in their strategic relationships with those in power, as another reason.

This week and throughout the month of February, The Glass Hammer will highlight some of those Black women who have achieved a high level of success in the corporate environment, who can serve as role models for the women climbing the ladder behind them.

Strengthening Relationships of Power

“The research confirmed a lot of things we already knew. The biggest finding is that, on aggregate, CEOs saw Black women very differently than Black women saw themselves. Our research exposed some things that were very disturbing around the notion of the networks Black women have and the quality of their relationships with individuals of power.”

She continued, “Black women thought they were very strategic in their networking and relationships. Their CEOs and peers said they weren’t. Black women are not getting the infrastructural guidance, and they’re not counted on for infrastructural guidance. That makes it harder to get to the C-suite.”

Dr. Livers said that that many of Black women’s peers and CEOs felt they didn’t take feedback or coaching very well. The women countered that concern saying there was more to the issue. She explained, “The research showed that Black women did not take feedback in coaching very well. It comes down to a matter of trust – they don’t always trust the people giving feedback and coaching.”

She continued, “This ties back to relationships. If relationships are stronger, you’re more likely to trust feedback. Women have to recognize that they can’t immediately dismiss it.”

On the other hand she said, “Peers and bosses may not be giving the feedback as objectively as they believe they are.”

Engineering Success

“I think women are going to have to take the first step,” Dr. Livers said. “It’s not necessarily fair. But particularly because they are often more junior, the boss is not necessarily going to reach out. The person who wants to move up usually has to make the first move.”

First of all, Dr. Livers said, “Build bridges. Find ways to connect, ask for information, be in places to give information. Push for strategic relationships.”

“Sometimes we don’t want people to know that we don’t know something. When you’re seeking information, let people know. Be open to share. That allows people to build relationships,” she continued. “Be an expert. Be seen as the go-to person for a particular issue. Think about this very strategically, and be strategic when you start making relationships.”

Additionally, Dr. Livers advised women to take charge in their own advancement. She explained, “If we want it to happen, we have to engineer it ourselves. We have to take control of our lives and have to have those conversations.”

She also emphasized the value of coaches or mentors. “There’s no shame in getting a coach. Most folks in top spaces have them.”

As for the feedback issue, Dr. Livers said, “Be very careful not to reject advice if it is given badly. It doesn’t mean it’s not good feedback.” Women should also evaluate their relationships to make sure they are with individuals they trust and who will give them quality feedback. “Balance the feedback you don’t trust with the feedback you do trust, and calibrate that. You need to have people who will tell you the truth,” she added.

What Companies Can Do to Advance Black Women

“My advice is for companies to ask themselves questions,” Dr. Livers explained.

“Look at leadership teams and measure how many women there are – white women and women of color. What may be filtering people out? Are they addressing specific barriers, like feedback issues? Are they training managers to provide developmental feedback, and not just criticism? Are they also giving positive feedback?”

She continued, “Black women have to reach out and build great relationships. But they should not be the only ones reaching out. They cannot have the sole responsibility for making things better.”

She advised companies to ensure there are Black women on slates of candidates for top positions and to ensure Black women are being considered for global assignments and P&L responsibilities.

Starting a Conversation

“Many women say that ‘eyes just kind of slide over us,’” she continued, “and so Black women and organizations have to work to make Black women and their value visible to their companies. Black women have to have already said they are willing to take on assignments and be prepared so the organization can see them. Organizations have to be willing to push themselves and choose new people for important assignments and jobs.”

According to Dr. Livers, many women have said the study came in handy when starting a conversation with managers or employee resource groups in order to create change. “It can be hard to get a conversation started, but this is a good starting place.”

  1. Dani Ticktin Koplik
    Dani Ticktin Koplik says:

    Let’s start with the fact that all women, regardless of color, are only represented in senior levels of management to the tune of about 17%. This number, bizarrely, is consistent across industries and even crops up in the tally of women in Congress. If all women comprise only 17% of senior management, it’s no surprise that the subset of women of color would be an even smaller sliver. And, while Black women may have some particular issues gaining traction in this male dominated industry, the hurdles seem to be those of degree not kind: in my experience developing professional women, so many struggle — across the board –with understanding the importance of cultivating strategic relationships, not taking feedback as a personal assault, taking ownership of their career, asking for what they want, taking credit when it’s due, etc.

    The primary difference I see is the trust factor. As an executive coach, I know that no progress can be made without the elements of trust and commitment which necessarily flow in both directions. There are two ways to set the stage for greater trust. The first is to communicate that coaching shouldn’t be seen as remediation; rather, it’s a gift and is indicative of the company’s confidence and investment in the employee. The second is to engage external coaches. Confidentiality is paramount to eliciting trust and as hard as internal coaches may try, they’re only human making it near impossible to segregate their own internal experience and knowledge from that of their internal clients.

    As another way of supporting advancement, affinity groups are great but have limited utility, as same-same groups tend to fall victim to group think and as a result, have the same blind spots. They’re definitely important and necessary but I think it’s critical to offer training around skill acquisition across interest groups which will have the added benefit of enabling new relationships across the company.

  2. Coach Colette Ellis
    Coach Colette Ellis says:

    I believe two concepts highlighted in the study are quite important to advancement of black women executives: strategic visioning and strategic networking. Granted, these concepts are relevant to all women who are seeking to advance in their careers; yet the 1.1% representation of black women in US corporate office positions does suggest closer examination of the unique factors.

    Strategic visioning implies having a clear sense of one’s career goals, and a clear roadmap that will lead to achieving those goals (ideal positions, P&L responsibilities, developmental opportunities, supervisory roles, etc.). The study also points to the importance of having the aspirational factor — do you really want it? And, if so, what are you willing to commit to doing (personally and professionally) in order to achieve it? This does include accepting and acting upon feedback on performance.

    Strategic networking is developing relationships with the key people in the organization who will be in the boardroom when compensation and promotion decisions are being made. Who is on your “board of champions” now, and who needs to be there? For some who find it difficult to build trust, it might mean starting outside the organization in professional networks to find mentors and advisors who are willing to give feedback. An executive coach can also be a great source of accountability and sounding board for ideas/decisions.

    These are two factors of which black women executives can take control and navigate. Yet, this is a two-way street. Companies need to consider their commitment to building and maintaining an inclusive workforce at all levels of the organization.

    https://twitter.com/Coach_Colette

  3. Jeni
    Jeni says:

    Black women want to succeed- they hear the same message over and over again about strategic networking and networking with decision makers etc. Most companies are not ready to have women be in the “inner circle” , especially black women, no matter what they say in public. Events happen that certain people dont get invited to, or when certain people show up for an event- the conversation is not as candid. There is definitely something to be said for the fact that both parties, companies and women need to try harder- but the truth is- until we can trust each other – even just enough to live in the same neighbourhoods and visualize certain people, women, black women, in positions of authority as the norm- this kind of study will continue to yield the same results.

  4. Charity Skelton
    Charity Skelton says:

    Greetings:
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    Financial Leadership
    Strategic
    Financial focus with a keen interest in operations
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    Strong written and verbal skills
    Systems Prowess
    Performance Metrics
    Audit experience (desireable)
    Influencing factors: Shared services experience, facilities Management.
    Accounting background helpful
    SERVICE INDUSTRY AND SUPPLY CHAIN A PLUS!!!!
    Please contact Charity Skelton via email for more info and job spec details as well as company details by emailing your resume to c.skelton@thecartergoup.com
    Thank you,