How do you feel about your success?

Have you ever been in a situation where you are so happy or excited about something? Then someone comes along and says something that makes you doubt everything you are doing and thinking? This has happened to me, and in many instances, I allowed other people’s opinion to control my life to a certain degree. I wouldn’t let myself get excited, even about the smaller successes such as working on a big account for example, thinking ‘well it’s nothing to shout about everyone else has already been doing so.”

 

Now, I fully understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and everyone’s career path – even if they are in the exact same field as you, are different. I CHOOSE whether opinions affect me or not and I KNOW now, that we don’t all have to use the same route to get to our destination. For that reason, I celebrate every milestone of my career journey, big or small. Whether is securing big opportunities for clients or a promotion, my hard work is worth every celebration.

 

What’s the biggest challenge that you face in your professional life?

I would say ‘being heard’ has at times been a challenge for me. I’m a petite woman, 4ft 11 to be exact, and quite soft spoken. I find that at times when I first meet clients or senior members of an organisation, they assume that I’m young and inexperienced which shows through their lack of interaction with me. I’ve had to learn to be more assertive in certain situations and let my knowledge and work speak for me. As I’m not getting taller, I’m going to have to continue doing this, just in case!

 

Are role models important to you?

As you will hear us echo the words ‘representation matters’ more times that you will probably realise, representation does matter. Most of us in the ethnic minority community grow up being told that the odds will always be stacked against us as a minority, and so there is power in seeing someone who looks like you achieve great things in their career.

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My sense of what is possible in my career is influenced by what has gone before me, how I interpret that history, and how I draw inspiration and learning from leaders past and present in my own development. I think this is true for many, and that alone highlights the importance of role models.

 

What advice would you give to young people who are still starting off in their career?

Never be afraid to ask ‘dumb’ questions because there’s usually someone else in the room who wants to know the answer. As you are starting out, no-one expects you to know everything. Even the most educated and experienced people ask questions too, so why can’t you.

 

If you want to get to the top (whatever that means in your career), find a role model within your field who you can learn from. While it seems that things have been on the up for the ethnic minority community recently following many firsts such as Barack Obama being the first black president of the free world, or the winners of FIVE internationally-recognised Beauty and Talent Pageants being all black in the same cycle, the best is still yet to come. In December 2019, HR Magazine reported that “The number of directors at Britain’s biggest companies from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds is falling…”, which is worrying as we need more role models at the top. Work hard so that role model at the top can one day be you!