Imagine that you are at work and you hear about an exciting opportunity where your peers and colleagues will get to travel abroad and attend internal meetings and conferences specifically for your wider department.
So far you haven’t been invited to attend and the event date is fast approaching. What would you do?
Here are 3 options for you to choose from:
Do nothing, you miss out on the event and that’s that.
Do nothing and resent the company or your boss for not being inclusive and leaving you out of an event that is for staff of your calibre.
Speak up and ask your boss about the event explaining why you should attend and find yourself learning and networking at the said event and experiencing the benefits of self advocacy.
Your boss may not always have you in mind when opportunities come up but you know the type of opportunities that will boost your profile internally at work. You need to be in those coveted rooms to garner the respect and get the exposure you need to position yourself as a leader. Being in those rooms and taking part in networking sessions gains you access to career advancement opportunities that you would otherwise miss.
As such option 3 on self advocacy should be your default modus operandi, especially as a Black corporate professional.
Doing nothing and missing out without further thought equates to not caring much about your career. Doing this places you in dangerous waters of being stuck in your comfort zone with no progress, just adhering to the status quo that can be damaging for your career development.
There is also no use in resenting others if you choose to sit on the sidelines, passively waiting for the table to be served. Being in your feelings and revelling in a victim mentality will slowly eat you up and make you bitter. This is not the energy you are going for on your career.
Exercising your voice and asking for what you want is a great way to train those self advocacy muscles. Using your voice will transform you into a go getter claiming all of what you deserve proactively. Besides, who would you rather be in charge of your career journey? A boss that is likely to only be a temporary part of your journey and cannot fully know or understand your ambition and aspirations or yourself?
Using my voice has seen me fly to Chicago and Houston recently precisely to attend conferences and networking sessions that were enlightening and a great experience.
What would using your voice give you access to? Make the decision to no longer shy away from opportunities and choose self advocacy instead.
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