We all experience fits and starts as we make efforts to achieve our goals. Sometimes the jerkiness of our movements are imperceptible and other times, they seem so noticeable that we wonder how we’re ever going to get from point A to point b. How does one stay focused when she is pulled in so many different directions – her children need her, her husband requests her time, her community wants a piece of her and her career is often so demanding? It helps if the professional woman is clear about her purpose.
While studying successful African American women’s career
barriers and success strategies, I found that the women in my study shared nine
strategies that enabled their success. The criteria for them to participate in the
study were 1) they had to be in a decision-making role within their organization
– typically director level and above, and 2) they had to make over $75,000 a
year or more in salary. I chose those two criteria because according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, very few African American women are in decision
making roles in their organizations and even fewer (roughly about 3%) make over
$75,000 per year.
Over time I will detail each of the participants’ success
strategies but in this article, I’ll briefly discuss the principle of Living on
Purpose!
The 10 women of my study all understood they had a purpose –
something that was bigger than any position they could ever fill. The roles they played in their careers did not
define who they were – their purpose did. It was through that purpose that they
were able to reach the heights that they did in their careers and it was because
of their understanding of their purpose that they were able to endure some of
the experiences of racism and sexism – often being able to discern between the
two. Further, it was because of their understanding of their greater purpose why
they participated in the study – in hopes that other women could be helped and
inspired by their stories.
The implication of this strategy is that our stories – your story,
no matter where you are in your career development – is significant. We are
each an inspiration to someone. As women, it is important to tell our stories
because through the collective sharing of our life experiences we are able to
motivate, encourage and inspire others to achieve success as well.
Until next time…
j
Blogs By Black Women
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