4A's @Talent2030 Takes on the Black Employee Journey

One of the event highlights was the panel session quotThe Importance of the Black Employee Journeyquot moderated by Tamiko Evans Senior Vice President Marketing Communications ampamp Events 4A39s She was joined by guest participants Khristy Nguyen Senior HR Manager the Community Taylor Wesley Management Supervisor FCB NY LaRonda Davis Senior Vice President Creative Director Publicis NA and Terea Shaffer Cultural Curator Director Saatchi ampamp Saatchi These women were uniquely qualified to square off in this conversationAt the same time that I watched these five Black women discuss their victories and travails navigating an oftenunforgiving work environment there was another interrogation of the Black professional journey Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court was subject to Senatorial hearings that for many Black professionals felt far too familiar Our career arcs might not culminate in a seat on the Supreme Court but we could watch in collective horror at the disdain Judge Jackson had to endureI was struck by the splitscreen sadness of this professional reality acting out and being discussed in realtime Every sigh every clenching of the hands was a testament to the patience and grace employed to deal with mediocrity masquerading as an arbiter of your credentials and accomplishmentsFor a Black woman facing the scrutiny of a hostile environment the Senatorial hearings were proof that the journey was going to be distinct and painful no matter how high you getThe Black Employee Journey is not an abstraction of ideas and wishful thinking It is the lived experience of countless professionals who have to make a herculean effort to show up day after day and thrive in an environment that works against their successThe Black Employee Experience is not limited to the form and function of work as a list of expectations responsibilities and deliverables It is a holistic conversation that asks us to consider how Black employees physically and psychologically manifest their reality while at work In her opening remarks Nguyen distinguished between experience and journey saying quotDEI is still top of mind but the focus has to capture the E Equity as that will encourage Black employees to stay in their roles Psychological safety which means attention on belonging support and trust will turn it from an experience to a journeyquotEvery journey has a beginning noted moderator Evans astutely shifting the conversation to retention Can the industry deliver on equity promises if it can39t attract and retain Black talentA journey also requires a quotnorth starquot for guidance and Shaffer shared why that matters quotWe are looking for people within leadership positions that are proof we can rise and achieve to higher levels but often that is lackingquot she said quotThe lack of that support can negatively impact your perception of the possibility of successquot Creating a roadmap absent models of upperlevel success can call the entire Black employee experience into questionAcknowledging these obstacles and barriers invites us as listeners to interrogate the possible ways forward that work for Black employees and industries failing to adequately address diversity Any arduous journey is made better with a solid community to provide support quotThis goes way beyond entrylevel positionsquot said Laronda Davis of Publicis quotWe have to think about the actionable steps from an organizational perspective once employees walk in the door to provide mentorship and supportquotThere is a natural apathy and organizational malaise that can stall progress Community and inquiry can push past that inclination quotOrganizations need to assess their decisions when evaluating talentquot Davis explained quotIt is not enough to say there wasn39t a culture fit If candidates aren39t finding success we have to ask why Suppose you can39t answer what you39re specifically doing to attract Black talent In that case you39re not doing enoughquotCommunity support acts informally and formally and the commitment of programs like the 4A39s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program MAIP fill those voids Wesley FCB NY cited her background as both a MAIP alum and Vanguard Fellow as part of her success quotOrganizations need to strive to embody the future state in the nowquot she said quotTheories have to be put into practice and Black talent is owed an answer as to how we are designing our workplace and leadership as a proof point that there is a viable path to success without constantly having to break glass ceilings and forge new pathsquotIn other words the community must be replicable and exist in actual time realities Aspiration is not enoughAny industry is only as relevant as its people The entire future of the advertisingmarketing industry rests on whether it can solve its most pressing problem the attraction and retention of Black talent Highlighting these challenges while also centering the enormous promise of the Black employee experience is the flip side of the same coin But what we do know is that Black employees are seeing their struggle play out in the most visible of forums Whether you watch riveting conversations like this Talent2030 panel or the more prominent news cycle one can39t say they didn39t know It only matters what you did once you bore witnessClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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4A's @Talent2030 Takes on the Black Employee Journey

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Philip McKenzie

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

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