Want to Move Up in
Management? Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
By Jennifer Millman/Courtesy
of DiversityInc
Tired of waiting for review time for a shot at that
coveted promotion? How do you step out and brand
yourself as a leader? In a Q&A with DiversityInc,
Elizabeth Cline, founder and president of
leadership-development program iMPACT, talks about
the skills you need to take your career to the next
level.
DIVERSITYINC: Tell us a little bit about your
career and your organization--its mission, goals and
what inspired you to found it.
ELIZABETH CLINE: I started iMPACT for
Professional Development about six years ago. I got
tired of hearing the phrases like "We can't find
them, or "You're not quite ready" in referring to
why we still do not have more women and minorities
in top level positions. Prior to that, I was the
community-relations director of a local NBC and ABC
television affiliate. That position gave me such an
in-depth eye-opener in terms of what it is we need
in terms of diversity in the community and at the
corporate level. My mission is to teach and inspire;
the whole idea of transformation in terms of
corporations is to help transform corporate culture
through those people-centered strategies.
I was born in Trinidad but grew up in England. When
I moved to America 28 years ago, the first thing
that struck me was the whole idea of being a
minority. I didn't come from a culture where I was
referred to as a "minority," and even though I know
that minority supposedly means numbers, I came to
understand that somehow it meant "less than." There
was an inference that there was something missing.
That impression stayed with me all through. Coming
from the Caribbean and speaking with the accent I
had, I did notice sometimes the subtle difference.
People will say "you're not really Black" because of
my accent; you begin to understand the subtleties of
race that are not subtle sometimes that play out in
corporate America. The sad thing is you get it from
both sides. You get it from the white side; you get
it from the Black side.
DIVERSITYINC: Your organization first focuses
on "self." How and why? Why is it so important to
combine personal with professional development?
CLINE: If we're talking about changing
organizations, that requires personal transformation
or basic shifts in how we think and how we interact
with each other. We could choose to stay in "victim
mode" where we keep pointing the finger out there
and say, "It's the system; they don't understand."
We could continue pointing the finger outside all
the time.
I'm not here to say we don't have racism or sexism
or any other "ism" out there, but I believe we must
come to terms with our own prejudices, our own nooks
and crannies, our own fears and doubts, our own
strengths and weaknesses, and be willing to look in
the mirror.
DIVERSITYINC: What are some of the key skills
necessary for advancement, and how do participants
in your program develop them?
CLINE: Strategic thinking and conceptual
thinking, quality decision making, presentation
skills. Presentation skills aren't about just
preaching a PowerPoint. It is about persuasion and
influence. How do you access power? How do you
leverage influence?
For all corporations, community impact and
perception of that corporation is directly linked to
customer satisfaction and how customers perceive
you. We've got to get especially minorities thinking
differently about getting out of their comfort zone
and being a part of the community. That's how you
meet people from other areas; that's how you begin
to develop relationships, and quite frankly, that's
how you may meet the greatest mentor you may ever
have.
We also cover communication all the way through in
terms of cultural frameworks, but the non-verbose,
the body language, how you're coming across. Just
the simple way you stand, and the way you turn your
body slightly, what is that communicating? Do you do
enough environmental scans? As you pick up the
environment, you see this environment is not very
friendly to me. I don't see pictures that look like
me; it seems as though this is not my type of place.
How do you begin to communicate once you've made
those judgments? Those competencies are extremely
important in moving up the ladder.
DIVERSITYINC: One of the modules in your
program on professional development focuses on
planning and dressing for success. What are some
things NOT to wear?
CLINE: One of my pet peeves: I really don't
want to know you are wearing thongs! Ditch the
triple earrings. I am kind of old-fashioned and my
British background comes into play here, but wearing
stockings with a dress looks so classy. Regular
heels instead of platforms look so classy. Casual
office dress does not mean beach wear. Know your
environment.
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