So frequently one's decisions and responses to situations that come to bear upon a person dictates the reactions that are received.
On Monday of this week an e-mail went out from an account team for a large customer that all of you would know if I told you. They were desperately looking for a speaker to lead a particular segment of a day long briefing session that the executive management for the customer will be treated to in our national customer briefing center.
The person that was recommended for the piece is my peer. He lives closest to the briefing center and to the customer, thus making it his account. He is very well regarded and is known to be very knowledgeable on the subject at hand. He, unfortunately is on vacation and out of the country next week and thus they had to scramble for a replacement.
The e-mail that went out requested a "VP level" speaker since the individuals from the company are key decision makes for this customer. Of course the first thing I thought was - "If my peer is not a VP, why now do you seek a VP as a replacement"?
I responded, telling the account team that I was available.
A few hours later an e-mail was sent out to everyone on the list that the assist-VP to which the account team reports to would do the speech. Everything was taken care of.
This morning I received an e-mail from the sales director to give her a call. Another person on the team told me in advance that they needed me to deliver the presentation to the customer. No one said exactly what happened with the original plans but the bottom line is - it didn't work out and now they are requesting that I go.
I have been in the corporate environment for many years. Bottom line - you win some and you lose some.
Those who place a racial filter on every single thing that happens to them are bound to FIND IT on occasion but also are bound to go crazy in the process of looking as such.
My goal at this point is to do the background research on the subject in order to "go deep" in response to any questions that these executives might have while I have the microphone in hand. I often think in the inverse of what a typical "racial chaser" does. My time spent at the podium - a Black man (often the only Black in the room but increasingly seeing more Indian/Pakistanis that have skin the color of mine) delivering the information to the customer, just like the White person who might be drawn from the same bench of resources.
The last time that I presented at the corporate briefing center that particular customer gave me a 4.8 out of 5 average rating across a number of different points of appraisal.
The last time that I presented at the corporate briefing center that particular customer gave me a 4.8 out of 5 average rating across a number of different points of appraisal.
The account team is not going to put someone in front of their customer that does damage to the sales prospects. My job is to make sure that I am a "value ad" and not an anchor. I am employed at the behest of my customer - these account teams that I work as a business-technology consultant for. If I do something to compromise the relationship with these multi-million dollar accounts that we all service - I am out of a job and it won't just be because I am Black.
With this in mind I focus upon the content of my knowledge and my presentation skins because this is more important than is the color of my skin.
(Side note - A good friend of mine who is from India recently got promoted to a high profile assignment. His skills were in line with what this other team of consultants were looking for in the context of the major transition that is being experienced in the mobility applications space. His combination of being a subject matter expert and the ability to communicate - giving the impression to the customer that they are learning something as one speaks is the most valuable combination of skills that one can have in this industry. He has them both. Others recognize it. He has as much melanin in his skin as I do.)
0 comments:
Post a Comment