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Abstract

and her team — a white man named Caleb, a white woman named Katie, a Black man name Thaddeus, and myself. Anna sat at the head of the table and shared her idea. I sat there in awe, after almost 30 years in the corporate world, I must have come across a Black woman holding the reigns a maximum of 4 or 5 times only.I sat there with a smile on my face, so proud of Anna in that very instant. She was impressive. The best however was yet to come.Anna asked each team member for their thoughts about the idea. In the dynamics in which I usually work, white men always start when it comes to giving feedback. They speak loudly and don’t leave space for anyone else. As a Black woman, I’ve always had to force my way into the discussion and most times when I finally do get in and say something, I notice the fidgeting, the clear signs that few are actually listening to me.After a lifetime of this, I must admit that I am tired. I don’t always force myself into a discussion anymore, I just don’t have the energy to anymore — unless the matter being discussed is simply unbearable to me.“Rebecca, what do you think”, Anna asked, her eyes focused on me.I was surprised. I was never asked to give my opinion first, that rarely ever happened.“Er…er”, I stuttered, marking some hesitation.Anna looked at me surprised, I could almost spot disappointment on her face. She must have thought I had nothing to contribute.“Oh yes, I would love to give my feedback”, I said hurriedly.Everyone in the room looked toward me, and I let out my thoughts. The others actually listened and commented and even built on my ideas. It mad

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e me feel so appreciated, and so wanted in that room.The others followed. Everyone spoke respectfully to one another. No one was overpowering or treating the other badly, for me it was one of the most efficient and effective meetings I had ever been to. Why? Because a Black woman was leading, the power dynamics in the room changed completely from the meetings that I was used to where ego-driven, privileged white males often prioritized and rewarded aggressive behavior to the detriment of healthy team dynamics or a favorable outcome to the actual meeting itself.I went home that evening feeling special and valued. Anna hadn’t paid me for the session, but the way she had treated me was worth more than that. Because I was able to speak, without feeling stressed, I felt safe and the feedback and ideas I recommended were truly excellent.I learned something important about myself that day, if given the opportunity to be in those types of environments more often, performance-wise, I would exceed expectations time and time again. I wondered how much companies lose in terms of money and talent when they don’t take an active role in urgently diversifying their teams and monitoring to ensure healthy team dynamics are in place.I’m not saying that all companies should go out and hire Black women or minority individuals to lead teams, but I think that to remain sustainable or relevant, companies should play an active role in changing things. Because the reality is that global companies can no longer afford to have their leadership not resemble the people who they are trying to sell their goods and services to.Thank you for reading my perspective.</article></body>

A White Man, A Black Man, A White Woman, And Two Black Women In A Tub?

Who was the boss and how did their meeting go?

A few weeks ago, a lady I had recently met, asked me to join a brainstorming session for a new business venture she had in mind. I’ll call her Anna for the purposes of this article. Anna is a powerful woman in Geneva circles, she’s a Black woman.

Now, I was really surprised when I first met her because in Geneva despite all the expertise and talent Black people have, I have witnessed or personally seen very few in positions of power such as Anna. It’s just the way the racism mill works here quite frankly.

Quite early on, Anna informed me that whenever she negotiated big deals, she’d hire a white front person to meet her actual clients. She’d do all the work, design all the projects from start to finish, and then send a white person to seal the deal. She realized how racist people were so she made sure she rarely ever had direct contact with most clients.

Depending on the circumstances, she would either hire a young blond, blue-eyed woman or a middle-aged white man to replace her. Anna wasn’t going to let racism get in the way of her making money. That’s the solution she had found to not let it affect her, I was flabbergasted.

So on to my meeting with Anna and her team — a white man named Caleb, a white woman named Katie, a Black man name Thaddeus, and myself. Anna sat at the head of the table and shared her idea. I sat there in awe, after almost 30 years in the corporate world, I must have come across a Black woman holding the reigns a maximum of 4 or 5 times only.

I sat there with a smile on my face, so proud of Anna in that very instant. She was impressive. The best however was yet to come.

Anna asked each team member for their thoughts about the idea. In the dynamics in which I usually work, white men always start when it comes to giving feedback. They speak loudly and don’t leave space for anyone else. As a Black woman, I’ve always had to force my way into the discussion and most times when I finally do get in and say something, I notice the fidgeting, the clear signs that few are actually listening to me.

After a lifetime of this, I must admit that I am tired. I don’t always force myself into a discussion anymore, I just don’t have the energy to anymore — unless the matter being discussed is simply unbearable to me.

“Rebecca, what do you think”, Anna asked, her eyes focused on me.

I was surprised. I was never asked to give my opinion first, that rarely ever happened.

“Er…er”, I stuttered, marking some hesitation.

Anna looked at me surprised, I could almost spot disappointment on her face. She must have thought I had nothing to contribute.

“Oh yes, I would love to give my feedback”, I said hurriedly.

Everyone in the room looked toward me, and I let out my thoughts. The others actually listened and commented and even built on my ideas. It made me feel so appreciated, and so wanted in that room.

The others followed. Everyone spoke respectfully to one another. No one was overpowering or treating the other badly, for me it was one of the most efficient and effective meetings I had ever been to. Why? Because a Black woman was leading, the power dynamics in the room changed completely from the meetings that I was used to where ego-driven, privileged white males often prioritized and rewarded aggressive behavior to the detriment of healthy team dynamics or a favorable outcome to the actual meeting itself.

I went home that evening feeling special and valued. Anna hadn’t paid me for the session, but the way she had treated me was worth more than that. Because I was able to speak, without feeling stressed, I felt safe and the feedback and ideas I recommended were truly excellent.

I learned something important about myself that day, if given the opportunity to be in those types of environments more often, performance-wise, I would exceed expectations time and time again. I wondered how much companies lose in terms of money and talent when they don’t take an active role in urgently diversifying their teams and monitoring to ensure healthy team dynamics are in place.

I’m not saying that all companies should go out and hire Black women or minority individuals to lead teams, but I think that to remain sustainable or relevant, companies should play an active role in changing things. Because the reality is that global companies can no longer afford to have their leadership not resemble the people who they are trying to sell their goods and services to.

Thank you for reading my perspective.