June 1, 2023
Black Women: Here’s Why You Need to Seek Feedback More Often
Written By Nneka Enurah
It’s no secret that women of color sit at the intersection of multiple barriers along their career journey. From a lack of representation at the top, limited mentorship, and allyship to the realities of corporate culture often being at odds with the ways in which diverse communities naturally engage with one another to feeling a palpable lack of support even while ascending the ranks—there’s no shortage of challenges to navigate.
As a corporate executive who also coaches women and underrepresented professionals, I’ve heard story after story about incredibly accomplished and well-liked women in the workplace who have been blindsided by a missed promotion, termination, or poor performance review.
So how do you get ahead with so much working against you?
An often underutilized but incredibly powerful tactic is to solicit feedback from your manager every 60 days. This is something that’s important for any professional in the workplace today but can prove extremely valuable for women of color. Here’s why:
1. Your supervisors are probably wary about giving you candid feedback.
It’s a manager’s job to provide their teams with feedback on an ongoing basis, right? Sure. But let’s be real: today’s managers are often hesitant to give constructive feedback to women of color for fear of being accused of discrimination or harassment. This fear may be amplified if the manager is not from the same racial or ethnic background as the employee. Additionally, the mere possibility of facing backlash or being “canceled” on social media can be another deterrent for managers to have difficult-but-necessary conversations with underrepresented employees. As a result, women of color may not receive the feedback they need to improve their performance or advance in their careers. Also, giving people honest feedback without being prompted to do it as part of a more formal review process is almost always awkward no matter the circumstances, so being proactive about it takes the pressure off your manager to be the one to start the conversation and can help open the door for a candid dialogue.
2. Waiting until your formal review puts you at a significant disadvantage.
In today’s remote-driven work environment, waiting until your formal review is likely impeding your professional progress. First, it limits opportunities to improve your performance in real-time. Without consistent feedback, you may continue making the same mistakes, failing to build the right relationships, or missing opportunities to develop your skills. Second, when you wait until your formal review to seek feedback, you’ve likely missed critical moments to demonstrate your strengths and contributions, making it harder for your manager to give you a positive evaluation. Finally, if you wait until your formal review to address any issues or concerns, it may be too late to make improvements which can cause you to miss out on opportunities for growth and development.
3. Being “liked” by your colleagues isn’t enough.
While it is essential to establish positive relationships with your colleagues, it is equally important to prioritize your professional development and performance. Being well-liked may create a pleasant work environment, but it doesn’t guarantee that you are delivering the results your company needs. Advancing in your career requires more than just being well-liked; it requires a combination of skills, knowledge, experience, an ongoing track record of achieving results—and an ability to understand how to navigate your company’s culture. A music industry client who thought her promotion was in the bag due to her strong rapport with her manager and team was caught by surprise during her latest review cycle. Unfortunately, because rapport was not a metric that she was being evaluated on she ultimately did not get the promotion that she felt she deserved. She wasn’t on the same page with her supervisor and missed key performance indicators for her role level.
4. It empowers you and holds your manager accountable.
Initiating conversations about your performance on an ongoing basis allows both you and your supervisor to address any performance gaps or skill deficiencies and empowers you to make the necessary improvements to achieve your goals. Feedback also provides a valuable opportunity for you to showcase your strengths and contributions to the organization—which will likely be fresher in your memory vs. having to think about what you did months ago. When requesting feedback, be sure to schedule time with your manager in advance and explain the specific areas you’d like to focus on. Above all, be receptive and discuss action steps if gaps are identified.
Ultimately, requesting feedback from your manager on an ongoing basis is crucial for women of color who are looking to take ownership of their professional development and advance their careers. By seeking feedback ahead of the typical review cycle, you can ensure that you’re one step ahead of the game.
Nneka Enurah is an award-winning producer, speaker, and creative executive with over a decade of experience in entertainment and is the founder of Celebrate & Elevate—an inclusive online community and network advancing women of color and allies in tech, media, and business. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.