It’s been a bitter-sweet couple of weeks for me. Sweet because my career is on the ascendancy. I resumed in my dream job in the second line of defence within the United Kingdom’s financial services industry. I took a substantial pay cut to be here. Which is a very bold move considering the current cost-of-living crisis. In fairness, there is no price too high to pay in the pursuit of greatness. Bitter because my exit was a bitter pill to swallow for my ex-employer. Losing an exemplary staff member at short notice embittered them.
I have always been an apostle of developing excellence as a workplace culture, and I have written and spoken about this extensively. I’m delighted at this career leap, because I know the huddles and barriers black people face in the workplace which I have experienced first-hand. Where we have been given a seat at the table, we have proven with no doubt we are top-tier and can deliver outstanding outcomes for all stakeholders.
Today, I toast to black excellence, as I’ve always envisioned and spoken about being where I am now. It’s always being a habit for me to envision the future, create a picture of where I want to be in the next five-, and ten-years career wise. My encouragement to those who aspire to make the leap, identify the areas of expertise where you believe your skills would be most relevant. Enhance yourself by adding relevant qualifications to your resume. Continuous education and learning must be the key to get us to our destination.
It’s always difficult to argue against facts and figures. In my correspondences to the agency and the umbrella company where I worked previously when they tried to raise a storm upon my exit. I could boldly emphasize on my record of service over two stints spanning less than two years. A record of outstanding quality and productivity outcomes for all stakeholders. This is the spirit of black excellence, putting your best foot forward irrespective of the challenges and encumbrances on the way. To be honest, if my record had been below par, the moment I sent in my notice of resignation, they would have eased me out of the door with alacrity.
Black excellence means you’re too valuable to be discarded. I remember a few years ago, working for a global investment bank and the directors who we collaborated on project outcomes had words of praise for me upon my exit. I have always referred to my record of outstanding service in subsequent job interviews and work roles.
Black excellence is my ammunition to fight my way to the top of my career.
Let’s all raise a glass for black excellence as we celebrate another Black History Month.
We will never forget our history!
Photo by Keenan Beasley on Unsplash