Colin Powell has been quoted as saying, “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” While this might be true, I have found additional success strategies to apply to African American and perhaps other women as well.
So, what it might take to be successful as a man might require a little bit of extra effort for a professional woman. Following in an overview of the strategies I have found in the literature that applies to African American women in particular.
• Knowledge of self and the organization.
- The literature noted that successful African American women were knowledgeable of themselves, their strengths, weaknesses and development areas. They were also knowledgeable of their organizational culture and politics.
• Education
- Most African American women obtained an advanced or professional degree as a success strategy. They also were very knowledgeable of their profession and industry.
• Competence – technical, bicultural, persistence/tenacity, career planning
- Successful African American women in the literature were very competent in their technical abilities and their interpersonal relationships. They also worked very hard and were persistent in pursuing their next career opportunities. Finally, although not entirely explicit (written down and monitored), some women in the literature used career planning as a strategy to achieve their goals.
• Having a support system, network and mentors
- A network of colleagues, mentors as well as a personal support system also characterized the lives of successful African American women in the literature.
In subsequent blogs, I will address each strategy in detail. I would love to hear if others have found theses strategies to be helpful.
Blogs By Black Women
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