As I previously stated, I am profoundly aware that race, ethnicity and even gender are commonly used in the workplace when it comes to hiring decisions, promotions, supplier relationships, etc. Anyone who would dispute this is either living in a bubble or is in complete denial.
Whether maliciously intended or not, hiring managers will say things like, “We didn’t feel that she or he would feel comfortable here” or “not a good fit.” As it pertains to supplier selection, they will say, “Their products don’t appeal to a broad market” or “not sure if the two organizations are a good match.”
Those kinds of comments are generally nothing more than an excuse to hire or to do business with those they choose to hire or do business with. What it boils down to is who they feel comfortable with, who they trust, who they like, who they don’t like, and ultimately, who they refuse to do business with based on their own personal preferences, perceptions, and beliefs.
We also live in a hyper-litigious society, so hiring managers are extremely guarded about hiring and working with those who fall under any protected class or minority classification. Managers are mindful that these protected employees hold a trump card that can be projected at them if one feels that they are being treated unfairly. I actually once heard a white director at Kodak say to an African-American, “There you go, playing the race card.” And whether that was the case or not, the reality is that many hiring managers feel that hiring someone in a protected class is like sitting in a room with a ticking time bomb.
All that said, I would be especially one-sided if I did not acknowledge that I have actually benefitted in the workplace because I am African-American. As you continue reading, I’ll explain this and the unique twist in the story that I’m certain will be a complete surprise to you.
First, recall the CFO/COO who transferred to our local Kodak office in the SF Bay Area from Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY. Within several months of his arrival he offered me a promotion and salary increase. He said that he had received positive feedback about my work around cost savings and supplier management so, as he put it, he wanted to give me an opportunity to showcase my skills on a broader stage.
I was very excited about the opportunity and quickly accepted the offer. My new role would include developing a focused strategy to control spending primarily within the marketing and IT groups, where bad deals were constructed with suppliers with no procurement personnel involvement, resulting in millions of dollars being recklessly spent each month.
It would be a tall task, as many of these Kodak employees and suppliers did not like the idea of procurement stepping in. The reason is that many employees saw procurement as a bottleneck to swift products and services, while suppliers realized that it meant that they would now need to be more transparent about costs and open to negotiation, or risk losing the business, as the product or services they provided would now be subject to competitive bidding. In short, there was a new sheriff in town.
Not long after my promotion the new CFO/COO also appointed me chairperson of the company’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, under his governance. I was eager to take on these new challenges, but I also have to admit that I was somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of confidence the new CFO/COO showed in me. After all, he reported directly to Antonio Perez, so I assumed his expectations of me might have been way too high.
My other boss, a white male, approximate age 60, who now also reported to our new CFO/COO, actually mentioned a possible promotion for me numerous times for nearly two years before the new CFO/COO arrived. Yet he never did. Like the proverbial phrase, it seemed that he was dangling the carrot.
The new CFO/COO mentioned to me that one of his responsibilities was to identify and develop talent within the organization, so that is exactly what he did. Perhaps the icing on the cake, and likely reason he moved on his decision with speed and potency, was because I am African-American. The CFO/COO was well aware of Kodak’s history of stunting the development of certain individuals – a simple microcosm of our society and countless other organizations.
My other boss had the same responsibility and opportunity to promote me, however; obviously he did not. But why not? My work spoke for itself, my performance reviews were superb, including those that would later come from him, and my promotion by the new CFO/CFO would almost certainly not have happened without positive feedback from him. So why didn’t he promote me? I think it is certainly logical to surmise, here again, that it is because I am African-American.
And here is the clincher: the CFO/COO is also African-American. This is the reason I believe he was at ease with promoting me. I had clearly earned it, and he didn’t let anything stop him from carrying out his duty to identify, develop and promote talent.
Because we were of the same ethnicity, there was a familiarity and perhaps an inherent trust. And with my track record of outstanding performance, why not give me the opportunity when my skills were exactly what the company so desperately needed?
The CFO/COO may have also realized through his own experience that his well-publicized and high-profile appointment at Eastman Kodak may also have been because he is African-American.
He is well-educated and had a number of outstanding accomplishments and qualifications. However, equally, or perhaps more important to Kodak, was an opportunity to refute all those who might think otherwise of the company. He would be much more than his job title would suggest; he would also be the face to symbolize a reformed Kodak.
I believe that the CFO/COO understood many things about his role at Kodak. Foremost, perhaps, was that when one is given an opportunity, we must also extend opportunities to those who deserve it, regardless of race or gender.
Not until President Barack Obama have we seen such a diverse cabinet. A reported fourteen of the current 22 cabinet and cabinet-level positions are held by women or minorities. Do you think this would have happened if he wasn’t African-American? Not even former President Bill Clinton, aka “white chocolate", himself came close to the 70 percent of President Obama’s judicial nominees who were “non-traditional", or nominees who were not white males. Clinton was at roughly 48 percent.
It is about rewarding those who deserve to be rewarded and recognizing those who have been denied and righting an injustice. And it should not have to be from someone who looks like you, or is the same gender.