Giving Notice

The Associated Press recently reported a disturbing reality concerning the rapidly shrinking number of African American CEOs. Following Stan O’Neal’s recent retirement from a top tier position at Merrill Lynch & Co. and Dick Parsons’ announcement that he will retire at the end of the year from Time Warner, Inc., only four African Americans will remain chief executives among Fortune 500 companies. Though CEOs, regardless of race, generally have a short shelf life, representation among African Americans in these top positions is sorely lacking nonetheless. Which begs the question: What challenges do African Americans face that prevent them from reaching the top ranks?

Giving Notice acknowledges that African Americans and other people of color are often confronted with a myriad of hidden barriers and with disproving stereotypes from the moment they enter the corporate workplace. While leadership and managers clearly need to address these workplace issues that negatively affect the retention of African Americans at every level, there is an equally if not more critical challenge at the source that impacts African Americans’ career advancement—dismantling educational barriers. One approach to harvesting increased numbers of African American future CEOs in Fortune 500 companies is planting the seed early on through improved fairness in education, opportunities, resources, and investment in African American youth so that they can realize their potential to truly rise through the ranks and become leaders. This, in effect, serves as a pipeline and will better prepare them with knowledge and confidence to confront the hidden bias and barriers in the workplace that undoubtedly await them…

“Clearly, whether on an individual, company, or societal level, a fresh approach to diversity is required–­not a one-size-fits-all way of thinking that starts with a legal framework (you’re either a protected class and can sue us or not), but a deeper and richer approach, based on rigorous research that distinguishes between the different levels and types of hidden barriers. This approach must provide a deep understanding of bias and how it pervades business and hiring decisions. It must allow for a broader evaluation of what actually makes a candidate qualified. This new approach to creating fair workplaces is laced with an acute understanding of the business imperative to stem the loss of talented women, people of color, and gays and lesbians from America’s top companies. Without these talented employees, American businesses will face defeat in the increasingly competitive global landscape.” Excerpt from Giving Notice, Chapter 1.

C.W. Nevius has been writing thoughtful columns on sports for the San Francisco Chronicle for many years. Recently, he published a controversial column on San Francisco public schools. In a nutshell, the majority of kids in S.F. public schools are black. Although many in the community give lip service to supporting public schools, a Principal from Starr King Elementary, Chris Rosenberg, said, “Many people don’t feel comfortable sending their kids to school with a lot of African Americans.”

The fact remains that when Californians had the opportunity to support public education, the majority voted against it in the form of Proposition 13, a statewide proposition that froze the percentage of property taxes. Now, in one of the 10 richest states in the country, public schools are in shambles. School district superintendent Carlos Garcia is organizing a task force to look at the problem. “My question to everyone…is if we left all those things in the 60′s, how have our schools become more segregated than ever?”

Nevius poses the question, “After all, what’s the real advantage of keeping schools racially diverse?” He finds his answer with a teacher who was responsible for teaching a mix of African American, Latino and Asian kids. “The classes were not only mixed but the students interacted well.” In other words, give kids the chance to experience diversity and there’s more hope they will grow into adults who can accept differences. Which all leads to healthier work environments, and a level playing field.

CNN.com ran an article on a 37 year old woman who suffered a heart attack.

After a good, hard look at her lifestyle, Smith contends that her stressful job as a forensic psychologist was the cause of the attack. The CNN reporter brought in experts to discuss the case. Working With You is Killing Me: Freeing Yourself From Emotional Traps is a recent book that addresses the issue of work related stress. While the author’s advice is sound (detach, depersonalize work stress) we at Level Playing Field Institute also believe that a harder look at the inside of an organization was probably overdue. What drove Smith to take on too much work, too much responsibility and accept extreme levels of stress?

What drives you? Are you willing to change?

At a party at Peter Hirshberg’s house recently I sat on the couch next to a woman who told me she’d just moved here from NYC. Peter is Chief Marketing Officer of Technorati, the blog search engine company, and his parties tend to attract an interesting array of characters.

“And what are you doing now in S.F.?” I asked. She told me that she’d left a corporate job in NY to join a start-up in San Francisco. “I’d been one of the highest ranking women at Warner Music Group,” she reported.

“Why’d you leave?”

“When I finally got sick of all the guys making deals over at a local strip club, I figured my career was going to stall out.”

She is, as we say at the Level Playing Field Institute, a Corporate Leaver. Her story is why “Giving Notice” was written. Hidden bias, and unfairness sends millions of professionals packing each year.

The New York Times recently ran an article on workplace romance. The news is this: although there is a trend toward acceptance, workplace relationships should be approached cautiously. While I found it heartening to read that the Internet’s dating sites have not proven to be the fertile ground for lasting matches as their proprietors had hoped (interviewees for the article expressed a need to get to know each other better before becoming romantically involved), work might not always be the perfect place to pick your partner. “Before you rush ahead, think about how it’s going to feel to sit in this weekly staff meeting with somebody who you had a miserable breakup…” advised Freada Kapor Klein, founder of Level Playing Field Institute, and co-author of this blog.

What are your workplace romance experiences? Can you be open about dating a co-worker?