Connections
I met with my mentor and the laundry list of people she recommended me to today and it went well. I started with the corporate director of environmental affairs (the same corporate sponsor who moved me to IA at my request). He asked me how my first year in IA went.
"Although it was challenging coming into a group with virtually no leadership for the first two months, taking on a project that was 2 months behind schedule, adjusting to living and working in a totally different culture, and being only 1 of 6 brown faces I saw at work on a regular basis...it's been good. I actually wish I'd done it sooner," I honestly shared.
He asked me about my work group & I shared that it's been difficult since I'm the only minority (never mind being african-american) and the only female in a group of competitive white men who view me as a threat since they think I've been annointed by corporate. My sponsor said, "You've got to earn their respect if you're going to be successful." I took his advice to heart and asked for suggestions on how to do that. "You have to focus on your technical development and don't think so much on where you want to go next," he plainly said and hinted that my stay in IA is going to be closer to 3 years instead of the 2 I was hoping for. I thanked him for his time and moved on to my next meeting with the current V.P. of ES&H.
My meeting with her went basically the same way, except she asked how I was handling child care for Shorty during this trip to corporate. "I worked something out with the neighbors. I patched together child care between a couple of them, so I'm good for this trip and any other I may need to take. I've been doing this for years, my entire career actually," I plainly said. "So you had him before you started working?" she inquired. "Yes, his father & I separated when I was living here before. I've lived in IA before. That was actually the summer before the divorcec was final, so when I moved to New Orleans and started working full time, I had to figure out child care while working nights, 15 hour shutdowns, and travelling for business. This is nothing new for me," I said with no fear in my voice. I'd like to say that she seemed impressed with my creative child care management skills.
I then went through a series of meetings with various high level HR folks my mentor recommended I talk to. Each of them gave me a different perspective on what my career path may look like as I pursue the vice presidency in 20 years. Each was patient with me and gave me advice I hadn't thought of before. I can sum it up with, "Don't get tunnel vision as you pursue your purpose."
I had lunch with the cuban I dated when we were co-workers & neighbors in New Orleans. We caught up with each other on our careers & our love lives. He's on the fast track with his career (with a knod to me for introducing him to my first love who connected & recommended him to his current supervisor) as well as trying to fast track his love life as he searches for his next wife. I shared my purpose for my visit to corporate with him as I sort out my next move in my career & caught him up on my love life (I'd told him about TRS when we talked on the 4th of July). He gave me good advice and was supportive of my career planning visit, but was skeptical of my potential in this long distance relationship with TRS. "I want you with someone local who you'll spend every weekend with and who'll spend time with you during the week!" he sweetly said. I found it comforting that we can talk as openly about our personal lives as we can about our careers.
In the afternoon, I finally got a chance to meet with my mentor who'd flown in from Switzerland. While I waited for her to be free, the CEO, CFO, CIO, and a member of the board of directors for the company walked by. I was quickly reminded of how significant her willingness to meet with me was given we'd only spoken on the phone once after I sent her an email referencing the recommendation of my mentor who invited me to Scotland just months before! We had a great visit and I felt like I was meeting with a rich and powerful aunt I'd never met before. I shared my personal and professional background with her and she gave me great advice moving forward (i.e. "Don't get tunnel vision when you plan your career as you pursue your purpose!"). At the end of the hour she said, "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you!" Now that's what I call connections!
"Although it was challenging coming into a group with virtually no leadership for the first two months, taking on a project that was 2 months behind schedule, adjusting to living and working in a totally different culture, and being only 1 of 6 brown faces I saw at work on a regular basis...it's been good. I actually wish I'd done it sooner," I honestly shared.
He asked me about my work group & I shared that it's been difficult since I'm the only minority (never mind being african-american) and the only female in a group of competitive white men who view me as a threat since they think I've been annointed by corporate. My sponsor said, "You've got to earn their respect if you're going to be successful." I took his advice to heart and asked for suggestions on how to do that. "You have to focus on your technical development and don't think so much on where you want to go next," he plainly said and hinted that my stay in IA is going to be closer to 3 years instead of the 2 I was hoping for. I thanked him for his time and moved on to my next meeting with the current V.P. of ES&H.
My meeting with her went basically the same way, except she asked how I was handling child care for Shorty during this trip to corporate. "I worked something out with the neighbors. I patched together child care between a couple of them, so I'm good for this trip and any other I may need to take. I've been doing this for years, my entire career actually," I plainly said. "So you had him before you started working?" she inquired. "Yes, his father & I separated when I was living here before. I've lived in IA before. That was actually the summer before the divorcec was final, so when I moved to New Orleans and started working full time, I had to figure out child care while working nights, 15 hour shutdowns, and travelling for business. This is nothing new for me," I said with no fear in my voice. I'd like to say that she seemed impressed with my creative child care management skills.
I then went through a series of meetings with various high level HR folks my mentor recommended I talk to. Each of them gave me a different perspective on what my career path may look like as I pursue the vice presidency in 20 years. Each was patient with me and gave me advice I hadn't thought of before. I can sum it up with, "Don't get tunnel vision as you pursue your purpose."
I had lunch with the cuban I dated when we were co-workers & neighbors in New Orleans. We caught up with each other on our careers & our love lives. He's on the fast track with his career (with a knod to me for introducing him to my first love who connected & recommended him to his current supervisor) as well as trying to fast track his love life as he searches for his next wife. I shared my purpose for my visit to corporate with him as I sort out my next move in my career & caught him up on my love life (I'd told him about TRS when we talked on the 4th of July). He gave me good advice and was supportive of my career planning visit, but was skeptical of my potential in this long distance relationship with TRS. "I want you with someone local who you'll spend every weekend with and who'll spend time with you during the week!" he sweetly said. I found it comforting that we can talk as openly about our personal lives as we can about our careers.
In the afternoon, I finally got a chance to meet with my mentor who'd flown in from Switzerland. While I waited for her to be free, the CEO, CFO, CIO, and a member of the board of directors for the company walked by. I was quickly reminded of how significant her willingness to meet with me was given we'd only spoken on the phone once after I sent her an email referencing the recommendation of my mentor who invited me to Scotland just months before! We had a great visit and I felt like I was meeting with a rich and powerful aunt I'd never met before. I shared my personal and professional background with her and she gave me great advice moving forward (i.e. "Don't get tunnel vision when you plan your career as you pursue your purpose!"). At the end of the hour she said, "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you!" Now that's what I call connections!
posted by N'j at 7:51 PM
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