Does Your Team Need Business Or Leadership Coaching?

Leadership Coaching & Career Coaching Services For Your Company

I recently shared a statistic on my LinkedIn that I’m still thinking constantly about: Within the Fortune 100, only 16% of total C-suite positions are held by BIPOC executives (and only 4% are women of color). Even when we’re in the C-Suite, we’re in positions that have “lower potential for advancement.” 😒

“Only 16% of total C-suite positions are held by BIPOC executives (and only 4% are women of color).”

But women of color make up 38.4% of the US population according to the 2020 Census, and there will be a majority minority in the US by 2050. 

Why are we so often excluded and made to feel invisible in the workplace? We all deserve better…and we can’t wait 136 years until we close the gender gap or even longer before there’s true parity in leadership positions. 

Here’s a solution that can be implemented today: career coaching for staff and leaders of color. The focus on results-focused team coaching is growing—especially as staff become more diverse and inclusive. (Don’t just take my word for it; take Forbes’!)

As an all-BIPOC coaching team that has worked with hundreds of clients of color individually–and partnered with leadership in mission-driven companies–we understand exactly what it’s like to navigate rapidly changing workplaces as people of color and what it’s like to move a company forward in these volatile times.

Despite adversity, our clients garner professional success time and again. Their communication, leadership, and team-building skills improve–as does productivity, engagement, and likelihood of retention.

How can you tell if your staff needs career or executive coaching? Here are the most common indicators:

• You’re having trouble hiring, retaining, and supporting your employees, specifically BIPOC team members.

• You’re hearing from your ERGs or middle managers that staff isn’t happy, doesn’t feel invested in, or feels ignored. 

• What you may be hearing: “This doesn’t feel like an inclusive workplace,” “I don’t feel like I belong,” “Returning to the workplace feels triggering for me or is filled with microaggressions,” “I want to work remotely for as long as I can, so that I can focus on my actual job,” “They only want me for my labor, but don’t see me as a person with career potential and career goals.”

The good news is: All is not lost! We specifically work with BIPOC employees to provide them a safe space to open up and be heard. We work hard to build trust with them so that we can coach them to their professional goals–which means wins for the company and its bottom line (ahem, retention)–with tangible career resources that maximize employee engagement and retention. 

In addition to individual career and executive coaching, our all-BIPOC team also facilitates team-wide workshops and brown bag/lunch-and-learns (we’ve done this at LinkedIn, PayPal, General Assembly, to name a few) to move the needle in big ways.

Here’s a quick case study from one of our clients:

Over several months, we worked with a globally recognized law firm to support and retain their Black attorneys. We were able to share where the trust and disconnect was between Black Associates and the firm, identify four strategic areas to target moving forward, and offer anecdotal stories and insights on the Black Associates’ experience across the practice.

If career and executive coaching services aren’t in your budget just yet, that’s okay! We have a one-of-a-kind white paper on how to minimize company losses during the Great Resignation (or Great Reshuffle, whichever you prefer!). Download it for free today and take a look at our eight-step plan that companies with over 50 employees, especially, can implement to maximize retention.

“If you’re an employee reading the indicators above and thinking, ‘Um…that’s my workplace,’ remember that you don’t have to settle!”

Finally, if you’re an employee reading the indicators above and thinking, “Um…that’s my workplace,” remember that you don’t have to settle!

We’ve teamed up with countless women of color leaders to position them for executive roles, through one-on-one coaching (around, say, negotiation strategies for a new job, shifting industries, landing that promotion, or troubleshooting a problematic conversation) and our Leadership Accelerator program. 

What we do at Embrace Change isn’t just B2B team coaching or B2C executive coaching—it’s coaching for every part of the workplace. We’re not interested in band-aid solutions. We’re invested in co-creating and building lasting change through strategic, high-impact solutions. Because people of color don’t just deserve to survive, but thrive, too.