Photo credit: istockphoto.com
Advita Patel (she/her) and Priya Bates (she/her) each share their top tips on how people, especially women* of colour, can make themselves more visible in their August 2021 NEST webinar.
Advita
Be intentional to achieve your goals, whether you work in-house or run your own business.
- Start the conversation: Don’t expect someone to knock on your door, place yourself in their path instead. For example, at networking events and conferences, thank event organizers and connect and communicate your areas of expertise with their needs to make a lasting impression.
- Build your community: Being intentional leads to stronger community building. Find sponsors and senior practitioners that will champion you and have your back in rooms you may not have access to.
- Define your UVP: As you progress, define your unique value proposition (UVP) and think about characteristics that set you apart. Is it your sense of humour? Listening skills? Answer clearly.
- Ask for help: Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you want it. This also relates to community building. If you want someone you know to introduce you to someone new: ask. The worst answer you could receive is ‘no’.
Priya
Be your biggest advocate and cheerleader.
- Know what you want to be known for: When establishing Inner Strength Communication, Priya knew she wanted to focus on areas of internal communication, employee engagement and change management. For A Leader Like Me, the DEI/EDI inspiration stemmed from strong in-house understanding and appreciation of sentiment.
- Learn to brag: While having others advocate for you is great, learn to brag and be your own advocate too. Some leaders get promoted quickly because they are great at discussing their work, regardless of actual contributions.
- Know your audience: This will help you tailor, prioritize, hone in and hit the right notes. Build and maintain relationships with your audiences on a regular basis. Conversations you have will influence the influencers in your organizations and get you noticed.
All the little bits and pieces count, so check-in often. Simple touch bases, status updates and social media engagements foster progress and can keep you top-of-mind in other people’s networks.
A Leader Like Me is an empowered community that supports underrepresented people to build courage and confidence in their work so they can continue to thrive. Our Nest Community is a safe and supportive environment for women* of colour. It includes monthly Insight Sessions to provide information and inspiration while our monthly Group Coaching creates a needed space for members to share their challenges and opportunities, failures and success authentically with leaders like them who share their workplace experience.
For more about us, visit: https://aleaderlikeme.com/
*We welcome non-binary and transgender people of colour who can relate to and benefit from the women-of-colour experience.
