Tameka V. Williams, Ph.D.’s Post

In 2021, white women held 32.6% of managerial positions in the U.S., while Black women held only 4.3%. This year, women run 52 Fortune 500 companies. Black women run just two of them. Despite modest female representation progress in senior leadership roles, Black women still face unique barriers to reaching the upper ranks, and their much slower promotion pace has led them to, on average, take more frequent career risks than their white counterparts. Researchers from Durham University Business School, Cambridge University Judge Business School, Cranfield School of Management, The University of Sydney Business School, and Charles Sturt University reviewed the speeches, backgrounds, and career paths of 757 women leaders of all races and over two centuries to understand their career challenges and how they overcame them. bit.ly/3KYq8IG

I’ve never said this before… But the truth is, I’m here because someone else believed in me… Someone gave me their vote of confidence and it got me the Director title. But not every black woman in the workplace will have the know-how to get the support that she needs to move ahead in her career. And while we want to tell ourselves that we’re making progress in getting more black women into leadership positions, the stats don’t lie… In the 2023 women in the workplace report: → women of colour represented 1 in 16 C-Suite leaders → For every 100 men that were promoted last year, only 54 black women were promoted → Only 7% of VPs and Senior VPs were women of colour That’s why my purpose has never been more clear to me: 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 🔥 And we’re here to make history this women’s history month with something that’s never done before. Stay tuned for a special announcement next week 🖤 Drop a 🔥 in the comments below, if you’re ready to make history with me this women’s month ________ #Leadershipdevelopment #careeradvancement #diversityandinclusion #womenleadership #elevatewithrebecca

I’ve never said this before… But the truth is, I’m here because someone else believed in me… Someone gave me their vote of confidence and it got me the Director title. But not every black woman in the workplace will have the know-how to get the support that she needs to move ahead in her career. And while we want to tell ourselves that we’re making progress in getting more black women into leadership positions, the stats don’t lie… In the 2023 women in the workplace report: → women of colour represented 1 in 16 C-Suite leaders → For every 100 men that were promoted last year, only 54 black women were promoted → Only 7% of VPs and Senior VPs were women of colour That’s why my purpose has never been more clear to me: 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 🔥 And we’re here to make history this women’s history month with something that’s never done before. Stay tuned for a special announcement next week 🖤 Drop a 🔥 in the comments below, if you’re ready to make history with me this women’s month ________ #Leadershipdevelopment #careeradvancement #diversityandinclusion #womenleadership #elevatewithrebecca

White Leaders What is your body count? Yes, you heard that right. We're done with mere intentions. We're tired of hearing promises without seeing real action. It's time for transparency and accountability. If you're a white leader claiming to champion black women in leadership, we want to know more than just your intentions. We want to see results. We want to know about the initiatives that have failed and, more importantly, the ones that have succeeded. It's not enough to talk about increasing representation of Black women in leadership or creating safe workspaces for racialised minorities. We need to see tangible outcomes. We want to see your impact in your current and previous roles. If all we hear is talk about intentions – "my intent," "our team's intent" – then it's just empty words. Let's move beyond rhetoric. Let's see real change. Share your successes, your failures, and the lessons learned. That's how we'll know you're genuinely committed to making a difference.

Every woman should be free to climb the career ladder, yet biases hinder Black women from reaching senior leadership roles. Systemic racism, like poisoned water, affects opportunities, limiting Black women's upward progression. At WRC, we envision a world where Black women flourish, unencumbered by prejudice, leading with grace and power. Introducing our initiative, led by and for Black women, dedicated to fostering unity, ambition, and leadership across the UK. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eW2cfW2Z

Every woman should be free to climb the career ladder, yet biases hinder Black women from reaching senior leadership roles. Systemic racism, like poisoned water, affects opportunities, limiting Black women's upward progression. At WRC, we envision a world where Black women flourish, unencumbered by prejudice, leading with grace and power. Introducing our initiative, led by and for Black women, dedicated to fostering unity, ambition, and leadership across the UK. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eqGpQ355

Mary Morten has interviewed Angelique Power and I on the topic of Black women in leadership for seven years now. Following our own leadership trajectories, this annual conversation has provided a longitudinal look at moving from mid-level to executive leadership, leading through crisis, and the unique opportunities and challenges Black women face when helming institutions today. If you get a chance to listen, let us know what you think.

As we honor Black History Month 📆 , it’s clear we've made strides toward #diversity, #equity and #inclusion —but the work isn’t done. Black ethnic professionals remain underrepresented in leadership roles, making up just 1.5% of senior positions in the UK. Representation matters. Diverse leadership inspires future generations and strengthens business strategy. So, how can we push for more progress? Read Gita Singham-Willis CMI ChMC from Cadence Innova, article on the powerful take on how we can build a more inclusive future. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ezgbjTvC #BlackHistoryMonth #DiversityInLeadership #InclusionMatters #DEI #LeadershipDevelopment #RepresentationMatters

🌟 Excited to share this thought-provoking article from Nonprofit Quarterly: "The Impossible Dilemma of Black Female Leadership: The Tragedy of Nobody Seeing Us, Even When Everybody's Watching." In this insightful piece, the author delves into the challenges faced by Black female leaders in navigating systems that often overlook their contributions and struggles. It sheds light on the complexities of intersectionality, representation, and the need for genuine recognition and support. As we continue to strive for equity and inclusivity in leadership spaces, it's crucial to amplify voices that highlight these important conversations. I highly recommend giving this article a read and reflecting on how we can all contribute to creating more inclusive environments. Read the full article here: #Leadership #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #BlackFemaleLeadership #NonprofitQuarterly #SocialJustice https://lnkd.in/ecXHNVQA

🌟 New Research: An Intersectional Leadership Advantage, published in Journal of Management. Read: https://lnkd.in/gtgYwHkv Alex Stajković and I examined leadership effectiveness during the Black Lives Matter protests of Summer of 2020. In this article, we conceptualize how leadership styles rooted in the experiences of racial injustice, community commitment, and risk-taking contribute to obtaining more peaceful outcomes during high-strength, mega-threat events, and we test our theory using data obtained from over 11,540 protests in 3,338 cities during Summer of 2020. 🔍 Key Findings: - Protests in cities with Black women as police chiefs were associated with significantly lower levels of violence (which was measured in three ways). - An Intersectional Leadership Advantage (ILA) framework is conceptualized, emphasizing the unique leadership qualities developed through the lived experiences of Black women, that go beyond a mere additive combination of being a woman and being Black. - The study bridges event system theory and intersectionality literature, offering new perspectives on effective leadership in times of social crisis, particularly during high-strength, mega-threat events. 💡 Why It Matters: It highlights the role of diversity in leadership and challenges us to rethink leadership effectiveness in high-stakes situations. Importantly, it underscores the need for organizations to foster and value diverse leadership styles, especially those shaped by the intersectionality of gender and race. #Leadership #DiversityAndInclusion #SocialJustice #BlackLivesMatter #WomenInLeadership University of California, Davis Wisconsin School of Business University of California, Davis - Graduate School of Management University of Wisconsin-Madison