Black Faces in High Places

Diversity Matters with Oscar Holmes IV

Season 3 Episode 2

Episode Title: Black Faces in High Places

Guest: Dr. Jeffrey A. Robinson

 

Diversity Matters with Oscar Holmes IV is a podcast that explores all things diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) related. In each episode, Oscar and his guests have lively discussions around DEI topics, explore the latest research on the topic, and discuss the implications so that listeners will be more knowledgeable about the topics and be able to apply the insights to their lives.

 

Show Summary: “The Black Faces in High Places book is not just about getting your success; it's undoubtedly a matter of seeking significance and impact on our community, the black community.”

 

People of color sometimes find it challenging to succeed in corporations or institutions led mainly by white people because of systems and culture. The black community has so much talent, but discrimination and being outnumbered by white people can make it more difficult to climb the corporate ladder, which adds multiple barriers to dominating the competitive world.

 

And that's how the Black Faces in White Places book was written twelve years ago by Jeffrey Robinson, the Prudential Chair in Business at Rutgers Business School & Randal Pinkett. It is where they shared 10 revolutionary strategies for playing & changing the game to transform the system not only for them but the whole community.

 

And in this episode, they talk about the new book, Black Faces in High Places, which aims to help the black professionals reach the top and stay there. Listen until the end of the episode and be more confident in breaking down the barriers that prevent you from having a real opportunity to make it to high places. Know what's the importance of having a mentor, a great network, and how you can find meaning in what you do to attain success.

 

3 Exceptional Highlights:

 

• Mentors help develop great entrepreneurs, great business leaders, and great community leaders.
• Ikigai is developing self-mastery and finding meaning in what you do.
• In entrepreneurship, the type of network you need to be successful is the entrepreneurial network: the sparse network that takes advantage of borrowing networks from other folks.

Show Highlights: 

 

How is your previous book, Black Faces in White Places, connected to your new book, Black Faces in High Places?

 

2:44 Jeffrey Robinson

 

• Black Faces in White Places was level one. It's what happens when you enter the workforce & how do you deal with it. There are certainly some parallels between the two books because we had a lot of things we wrote the first time around that we didn't use and weren't able to use. 

 

• So we had already thought to ourselves, some of those things we couldn't write in the first book one day, we'll write in the second book. Finally, that day came. And that's how we got to the new book, Black Faces in High Places.

Why is it important to have a game changer's mindset?

 

8:00 Jeffrey Robinson

 

• You're playing a series of games whether we are in a corporation or academic institution. When you have achieved success in that game, you have to think if that's the right game to play for you & other people like you. The game changes when you start rethinking the system & how it's played to make it more equitable. 

 

• And if you can transform the system for the communities, corporations, and institutions to make the game better for those who are coming behind you, you have the game changer mindset.

 

What are the top three strategies that you'd suggest people focus on?

 

12:50 Jeffrey Robinson

 

• Ikigai
• Networking 
• Mentorship

 

Is it possible that black people can do all the strategies and still not make it to the top?

 

37:29 Jeffrey Robinson

 

• Some people change careers; they either start their businesses or hit certain ceilings in their companies. In contrast, some decide to focus on their families. But don't assume that when we say high places, it's only in the corporation because there are many ways to make an impact, be successful, and be significant. Technically, some people could do all of these things and still not make it. But the question is, did they see all the opportunities in front of them? Do they think about where they could make the most impact and use their skills best? 

Important Links:

 

Jeffrey Robinson Rutgers Business School

BCT Partners

Black Faces in White Places

Black Faces in High Places

 

Call to Action:

Subscribe to Diversity Matters and get exclusive access to all episodes of Beyond the Mill, which is my live diversity dialogues talk show that I host on campus at Rutgers University-Camden. 

 

Episode Sponsor Links: 

 

Kearny Point Studio

 

Producer Links:

WH Consulting Firm

Diversity Matters Podcast Section

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