Black History Month panel discussion: Achieving success in business
In February, to celebrate Black History Month, and drive open and meaningful conversations around race, our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion team partnered with our Americas Black employee resource group, BeBOLD, to host a virtual panel. The discussion focused on the panelists鈥� experience navigating the corporate environment and career advice for the audience.
Our panelists included, from left to right:
- Drew Jeter, global business line chief executive, Project Management
- Belinda Butler, safety director, 91影视 Tishman
- Bridget Ssamula, senior director, Strategic Pursuits
- Donnie Seward, Jr., vice president, U.S. East regional practice leader, Environment
Below are three takeaways that resonated with participants.
Have conviction and clarity in your purpose
Belinda shared that in her career she has experienced many highs and lows鈥攁nd managing them had to come from within. 鈥淚f you have not established what your purpose is, when you go out and you鈥檙e met with challenges, then you are easily discouraged,鈥� she said.
Being a Black woman in construction in New York City, she has navigated challenges over the course of her career such as being told no, being passed up for promotion, and not being acknowledged for her hard work ethic. But having a clear purpose of what she wanted to achieve kept her from being dismayed or deterred by the lows and negativity. She said, 鈥淥nce I committed to my purpose, I was able to stand on that and say, this is what I鈥檝e decided to do and I鈥檓 going to see it through.鈥�
Be your authentic, true self
Donnie reflected on moments in his career when he felt he needed to pause and reconsider his approach when expressing his opinions in professional settings in order to be accepted. Over time, he realized that he and those around him benefitted the most from his authentic self because that was his unique, individual contribution to give.
Overcoming that barrier mentally and socially has empowered him to be the effective leader he aspired to be when he started with 91影视 nearly 22 years ago. Now, he strives to create the type of team environment where being your true self is supported and encouraged because you care about those around you and want them to recognize their contributions are valuable.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 care how much you know until they know how much you care,鈥� Donnie said.
To grow, you must engage others
Drew shared the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will give you genuine, honest feedback. 鈥淲e tend to be more in touch with our strengths than our weaknesses,鈥� he explained, 鈥淪o it鈥檚 good to have folks in your life who can be honest with you.鈥� Being aware of how you can improve and then putting that knowledge into action is how you grow in those areas.
鈥淲e need to be able to identify the people in your career who can train and mentor us,鈥� Bridget added. 鈥淵ou have to map these people because they鈥檒l help you along the way. They will mentor you. They see you 鈥� more than just your skin color. They see your聽work ethic, they see your competence, they see your potential.鈥�
Bridget said that one of the obstacles she had to face was to identify those she could trust with her career journey. 鈥淲e also have to be honest and steer clear of those who cannot look past their unconscious bias,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 need to be able to get into an environment where I will be able to shine. And when you shine for [your mentors], they will walk with you.鈥�
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