PODCAST EPISODES

If you’re a woman of color, you have more than likely experienced being the “only” in a professional setting. Perhaps, you were the only woman in a male-dominated boardroom or the only person of color on your company’s professional staff. In today’s episode, Latisha Roberson, a Human Resources Executive with over 18 years of experience developing and implementing talent programs for non-profit organizations and Fortune 500 companies, chats about some of the unique challenges of being an only in the workplace and how she has leveraged her status as an only to her advantage. Latisha is also the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Lead with Latisha LLC, which empowers women to navigate and ascend in their careers with confidence. 

Topics Covered: 

• Latisha’s experience being the “only” in the workplace 
• Finding and building a supportive professional network and community
• Building camaraderie within the workspace
• Responding to offensive conduct and microaggressions in the workplace
• Managing when or whether to call out microaggressions
• Setting boundaries at work
• How to decline participating in workplace diversity initiatives when they detract from your professional responsibilities
• Navigating internal and external pressures of being the only in the workplace
• The value of having a business mentor or sponsor 
• Leveraging your status as the only in the workplace and using it to your advantage
• The impact Kamala Harris’s  Vice Presidency may have on how corporate America views Black women
• How companies can better incorporate diverse talent in the workplace
• Creating feelings of belonging in the workplace

Highlights:

• “Pick that one thing you’re really great at and be known for that.”
• “Be the only, not just for how you look, but also for what you’re bringing to the table. You want to have something unique that you are bringing as well.”

Connect with Latisha: 

On her website: www.leadwithlatisha.com

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latisharoberson/

On Instagram: @leadwithlatisha

On Twitter: @leadwithlatisha

Other References: 

• McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org, Women in the Workplace 2020.
• Break Concrete, Episode 33, Black Don’t Crack and Other Tales They Told Us with Dr. Daphne Watkins. 
• Mia Williams, How to Navigate Being the “Only” in the Room with Latisha Roberson, The Colors of Her Success, Nov. 13, 2020.
• Jessica Guynn and Charisse Jones, Kamala Harris may finally change how corporate America sees and treats Black women, USA Today, Nov. 13, 2020.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it! Leave a review and rating on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,  Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, or Audible. Reviews and ratings are really important to the ranking of the show. And feel free to send feedback and questions to breakconcrete@gmail.com.