Omole Imosemi, current SIE student ambassador, attended an alumni panel,“From the Glass Ceiling to Glass Cliff: Navigating Biases Through the Eyes of Minority Female Leaders” hosted by the Department of Management (DoM). This panel featured two DoM black female alumni, Joy David and Anuoluwapo Adenuga who shared insights and tips from their practical experiences working in the UK post-LSE. In this blog piece she reflects on what she learnt from attending this panel, as well as the other Black History Month (BHM) celebrations across LSE.

Of course, there were many lessons from this session, however I will be sharing my three key takeaways, which I have summed up in three C’s: Converse, Conform and Confront.

Converse: 

“Was that me?”, “Did I do it right?”, “Maybe it was something I said?”. These are questions you sometimes ask yourself when in doubt, especially when you are in an unfamiliar corporate environment with a different workplace style and culture. Questions like these leave you with self-doubt and anxiety which ultimately impact your confidence and performance.

How to deal with this? Simple. Ask others. Have a conversation with friends who have similar backgrounds as you and have experienced the UK workplace. Such discussions provide a clearer frame of reference for your doubts, and help you understand the context better. Quickly arrest all self-sabotage by talking to someone.

With useful feedback and clarification, you are empowered to take the necessary next steps. For all you know, you could be worrying about absolutely nothing.

Conform:

This is by no means a call to accept bias as a status quo; rather it is about understanding, appreciating and accepting the diversity of a multicultural workplace, particularly in a city like London. Just like family, you can hardly choose who you work with, and expecting everybody to adapt to you is unrealistic. The answer to that knotty issue in the workplace might stem from your unwillingness to conform to different personalities and unfamiliar culture.

Conforming, in this context, comes with a high level of emotional intelligence and, frankly, could be exhausting. But that is because emotional intelligence is a skill and just like every skill, proficiency comes with practice. The better we are at it, the more enjoyable our work experiences.

Confront:

Black minority leaders experience workplace bias in the form of gender discrimination, racial bias and stereotypes. It is crucial that these situations be addressed. How? Document instances of bias. This documentation can be essential to address the issue formally. Then confront bias or discrimination calmly and assertively with the person involved, or report to appropriate authorities by leveraging the channels of escalation and redress.

Also, build healthy communities in the workplace. Seek mentors and allies within the organisation who can offer support and guidance in navigating these challenges.

Finally, recognize your worth, skills and the unique perspective you contribute to your organisation.

Keep up to date with more alumni activities and stories.

Find out more about the student ambassador programme.