Are There Racists in Your Office? - Catapult Leaders Podcast - Season 4 / Episode 36

Are There Racists in Your Office? That may explain your lack of success recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and advancing Black professionals. 

Hey company leaders! What are the numbers of talented Black professionals that you’ve recruited, interviewed, hired, developed, and promoted? That’s it. That’s all that matters. 

It’s not that you can’t find them. It’s not that they aren’t qualified.

If your numbers in the pipeline of Black professionals are woefully low, perhaps you have conscious or unconscious racists among you.

Strong words? Perhaps. How did I get here? Listen up to get the inside info.

Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.

Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.

Transcript

Welcome to Catapult Leaders.

This is Darryl Mobley.

Let’s talk about conscious and unconscious racists. But first…

Catapult Leaders finds, prepares and matches outstanding Black college students, recent grads, and experienced managers with the precise job and internship talent needs of top companies that value a diverse entry-level pipeline, equity, and inclusion.

About Conscious & Unconscious Racists.

Ten or so years ago a sales representative for a well-known supplier called my office to pitch me on buying his company’s services. I did not know the company or the sales rep. We had not worked with this supplier before. I wasn’t in the office for the call so the rep was routed through to my voicemail. 

While waiting for the beep signaling that he could leave his message, this sales representative proceeded to talk about me in vile terms that could only be described as racist.  

The words he used. The terms. What he said about me – even though he did not know me – were repulsive and clearly signaled him as a racist.

How do I know he said these things before the beep? Because our voicemail recording system actually starts recording before the beep sounds. So, what he said about me and my ethnicity before leaving his message pitching his company’s services was recorded on tape. He had no idea he was being recorded before the beep. And no – he was not joking.

After the beep, he left his very nicely worded pitch message with his name and number. What was also on tape was the background noise of his co-workers chatting with each other as he was saying foul things about me and people like me. He was not whispering and it seemed as if his co-workers were situated close to his desk. It is difficult to believe he was not heard by his co-workers. 

I called his company’s president after listening to the recording. I explained everything. The president sounded mortified and agreed with me that this should not happen and cannot be tolerated. He assured me that the sales rep would be fired quickly. 

It’s been a few years since that message was left for me. I know from checking LinkedIn that the president is still with the company, the sales rep is still with the company, and the company is still selling services. So, I am left to assert that they are all racists – the sales rep, the president, and the entirety of the company.

Here’s my point – This experience is one reason why I have no time for virtue signaling. Back where I’m from, the word we have for the fakery that is virtue signaling is the “old okey doke.” I’m sure this company has flags, tearful proclamations, and a host of other things that don’t fix the problem of discrimination against Black professionals in employment and in being promoted.

All I care about are results.

Hey company leaders! What are the numbers of talented Black professionals that you’ve recruited, interviewed, hired, developed, and promoted? That’s it. That’s all that matters. 

If your numbers are woefully low, perhaps you have conscious or unconscious racists among you.

By the way – I still have the tape of that sales rep’s message sitting in my desk at the office. Perhaps one day I will name names. For now, I’m just focused on results.

Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you are a company leader and you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.

They are out there. And, they are very qualified.