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“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” — Shirley Chisholm
Every Black woman in corporate America reaches a crossroads. It’s that moment when you realize that despite your qualifications, dedication, and results, the path to advancement remains frustratingly unclear. You’ve navigated the microaggressions, managed up with precision, and delivered exceptional performance. Yet the question persists: Is it time to keep fighting for a seat at their table, or should you build your own?
After two decades of transforming organizational cultures and watching countless talented Black women make this pivotal decision, I’ve learned that the answer isn’t simple. It requires strategic thinking, honest self-assessment, and a clear understanding of what success means to you—not what others have defined it to be.
The career pivot for Black women is unique. We’re not just changing jobs or industries; we’re often choosing between conforming to systems that weren’t designed for us or creating new systems that reflect our values and vision. This decision carries weight that extends beyond individual advancement—it impacts our families, our communities, and the Black women who follow in our footsteps.
The Corporate Reality Check
Before exploring when to pivot, we must acknowledge the environment that creates the need for this decision. Research from McKinsey & Company’s “Women in the Workplace” study reveals that Black women face a “broken rung” at the first step to management—for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 58 Black women receive the same opportunity.
This isn’t about lacking qualifications or ambition. Black women are more likely than white women to report wanting to be promoted and to take concrete steps toward advancement. Yet we consistently face barriers that include:
The Likability Penalty: Research shows that Black women are penalized for displaying the same assertive behaviors that advance white men and women.
The Competency Questioning: Our expertise is routinely challenged in ways that our counterparts don’t experience, requiring us to repeatedly prove our capabilities.
The Isolation Factor: Being “the only one” or one of very few creates additional pressure and limits our ability to build authentic relationships.
The Cultural Taxation: We’re often asked to take on additional responsibilities related to diversity and inclusion without additional compensation or recognition.
These systemic barriers create a unique decision-making framework. Unlike other professionals who might consider a career change for growth or fulfillment, Black women often evaluate whether to stay in environments that may never fully recognize or reward our contributions.
The Stay vs. Go Framework
In “High-Value Leadership: Transforming Organizations Through Purposeful Culture,” I emphasize that every leadership decision should align with your values, vision, and desired impact. When considering whether to stay in corporate environments or create your own path, this alignment becomes critical.
The PIVOT Assessment Framework
I’ve developed the PIVOT framework to help Black women make strategic career decisions that honor both their ambitions and their authenticity:
P – Purpose Alignment Does your current role allow you to fulfill your larger purpose, or are you constantly compromising your values to fit organizational expectations?
I – Impact Potential Can you create the level of impact you desire within existing structures, or are systemic barriers limiting your ability to make meaningful change?
V – Value Recognition Are your contributions appropriately recognized and compensated, or do you consistently feel undervalued despite strong performance?
O – Opportunity Trajectory Do you see clear pathways for advancement that don’t require abandoning your authentic self, or have you hit an invisible ceiling?
T – Transformation Possibility Can you influence positive change within your organization, or have you exhausted your ability to create the culture you want to see?
Let’s examine each element in detail.
Purpose Alignment: Staying True to Your Why
Maya Angelou said, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” For Black women in corporate spaces, this alignment often becomes complicated by the need to code-switch, minimize parts of our identity, or pursue goals that don’t reflect our authentic values.
Case Study: The Values Conflict Keisha, a senior marketing executive at a Fortune 500 company, found herself increasingly uncomfortable with her organization’s approach to diversity marketing. Despite her success in driving revenue growth, she felt complicit in campaigns that she believed exploited rather than celebrated Black culture. Her purpose—to create authentic representation in media—was consistently at odds with her organization’s profit-first approach.
After using the PIVOT framework, Keisha recognized that her values were fundamentally misaligned with her organization’s priorities. She transitioned to launching her own marketing consultancy focused on authentic cultural representation, ultimately creating more impact and fulfillment than she had experienced in corporate America.
When Purpose Alignment Suggests Staying:
- Your organization’s mission genuinely resonates with your personal values
- You can pursue meaningful work that reflects your authentic interests
- Your role allows you to influence positive change for communities you care about
- The culture supports your whole self, not just your professional persona
When Purpose Misalignment Suggests Pivoting:
- You consistently feel like you’re compromising your integrity
- Your work conflicts with your personal values or community interests
- You’re required to represent or promote initiatives that feel inauthentic
- The organizational culture demands that you suppress important parts of your identity
Impact Potential: Measuring Your Ability to Create Change
In “Mastering a High-Value Company Culture,” I discuss how transformative leaders create environments where positive change can flourish. The question for Black women becomes: Can you create that change within existing systems, or do those systems inherently limit your impact?
The Change Agent Test: Evaluate your ability to create positive change by asking:
- Do decision-makers genuinely consider and implement your ideas?
- Can you influence policies and practices that affect other underrepresented employees?
- Are you able to build diverse teams and inclusive practices within your sphere of influence?
- Does your organization invest resources in initiatives you champion?
Case Study: The System Transformer Dr. Angela Williams, Chief Diversity Officer at a major healthcare system, initially considered leaving corporate America after facing resistance to her inclusion initiatives. However, she recognized that her position gave her unique leverage to transform hiring practices, leadership development, and patient care approaches. By staying and strategically building alliances, she created systemic changes that improved outcomes for thousands of employees and patients.
Her decision to stay was validated by her ability to create measurable impact: a 40% increase in diverse leadership hires, implementation of bias-free recruiting processes, and development of cultural competency training that became an industry model.
When High Impact Potential Suggests Staying:
- You can influence meaningful policy and practice changes
- Your ideas are implemented and supported with resources
- You’re able to mentor and develop other underrepresented professionals
- Your role creates ripple effects that benefit broader communities
When Limited Impact Suggests Pivoting:
- Your ideas are consistently dismissed or minimized
- You lack the authority or resources to implement meaningful changes
- Systemic barriers prevent you from creating the impact you envision
- Your energy is consumed by fighting the system rather than changing it
Value Recognition: Ensuring Fair Compensation and Credit
The wage gap for Black women is well-documented—we earn 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men. But value recognition extends beyond salary to include credit for ideas, inclusion in key decisions, and acknowledgment of contributions.
The Recognition Audit: Assess your current value recognition by examining:
- Compensation Equity: Is your salary competitive with peers who have similar experience and performance?
- Credit Attribution: Do you receive appropriate recognition for your ideas and achievements?
- Decision Inclusion: Are you included in strategic discussions and high-level meetings?
- Growth Investment: Does your organization invest in your professional development and advancement?
Case Study: The Undervalued Expert Lisa, a cybersecurity expert with 15 years of experience, consistently found her recommendations questioned while less experienced male colleagues were immediately trusted. Despite leading successful security implementations that saved her company millions, she was passed over for promotions twice. When she discovered that newly hired male peers were earning 20% more than her, she realized her value wasn’t being recognized or compensated fairly.
Lisa leveraged her expertise to launch an independent cybersecurity consultancy. Within two years, she was earning triple her corporate salary while working with clients who valued and implemented her recommendations immediately.
When Strong Value Recognition Suggests Staying:
- Your compensation reflects your contributions and market value
- You receive appropriate credit for your work and ideas
- Leadership seeks your input on important decisions
- Your organization invests in your continued growth and development
When Poor Value Recognition Suggests Pivoting:
- You’re consistently underpaid compared to peers with similar qualifications
- Your contributions are minimized or attributed to others
- You’re excluded from key meetings and strategic decisions
- Professional development opportunities are limited or nonexistent
Opportunity Trajectory: Mapping Your Path Forward
Traditional career advice suggests looking for clear advancement pathways within organizations. For Black women, these pathways are often obscured by invisible barriers, shifting standards, and limited role models in senior positions.
The Pathway Analysis: Evaluate your advancement opportunities by considering:
- Visible Role Models: Are there Black women in senior roles who can serve as examples of possible advancement?
- Sponsor Availability: Do you have access to influential advocates who actively support your advancement?
- Skill Development: Can you acquire the experiences and skills needed for your next level within your current organization?
- Timeline Realism: Given current organizational dynamics, is advancement likely within your desired timeframe?
Case Study: The Plateau Breaker Monica, an operations director, had been “being prepared for promotion” for three years. Despite exceeding performance targets and completing an executive MBA program, the promotion never materialized. Each time, she was told she needed “just a bit more experience” while watching less qualified candidates advance.
Monica’s turning point came when she realized that her organization’s definition of “ready” would continue to evolve to exclude her. She transitioned to a smaller company where she immediately became VP of Operations, doubling her salary and gaining equity in a rapidly growing business.
When Clear Trajectory Suggests Staying:
- You can identify realistic pathways to your desired level
- Role models exist who have successfully navigated similar paths
- You have sponsors who actively advocate for your advancement
- The organization has demonstrated commitment to promoting Black women
When Limited Trajectory Suggests Pivoting:
- Advancement requirements seem to shift each time you meet them
- Few or no Black women hold senior positions in your organization
- Sponsorship is unavailable or ineffective
- The timeline for advancement doesn’t align with your career goals
Transformation Possibility: Your Ability to Change the Culture
Some Black women find deep fulfillment in transforming organizations from within, becoming the change they want to see. Others discover that their energy is better invested in creating new environments rather than trying to fix existing ones.
The Culture Change Assessment: Evaluate your transformation potential by examining:
- Leadership Receptivity: Are organizational leaders genuinely open to cultural transformation?
- Resource Availability: Will the organization invest the time, money, and effort needed for meaningful change?
- Historical Progress: Has the organization demonstrated ability to evolve its culture?
- Personal Sustainability: Can you maintain your well-being while driving cultural change?
Case Study: The Culture Creator After years of trying to change her law firm’s exclusionary culture, partner Jasmine Roberts made a different choice. Instead of continuing to fight an uphill battle, she left to co-found a law firm built on principles of inclusion, mentorship, and shared success. Her firm now employs more diverse attorneys than her previous firm’s entire partnership and has become a model for the legal industry.
Jasmine’s decision to create rather than transform allowed her to build the culture she envisioned from the ground up, ultimately having greater impact than her internal change efforts could have achieved.
The Entrepreneurship Alternative: Creating Your Own Table
Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in America, and our business creation isn’t just about following dreams—it’s often about creating the opportunities that corporate America doesn’t provide.
The Entrepreneurship Readiness Assessment: Consider these factors when evaluating the entrepreneurship path:
Market Opportunity: Is there demand for your skills or solutions in the marketplace?
Financial Preparation: Do you have the resources or access to capital needed to launch and sustain a business?
Risk Tolerance: Are you prepared for the uncertainty and challenges of entrepreneurship?
Support Network: Do you have mentors, advisors, and supporters who can guide your journey?
Passion Alignment: Does entrepreneurship align with your values and long-term vision?
In “Rise & Thrive: The Black Woman’s Blueprint for Leadership Excellence,” I discuss how entrepreneurship can be a powerful vehicle for creating the leadership opportunities that traditional employment may not provide. However, it’s not the right path for everyone, and timing matters.
The Hybrid Approach: Portfolio Careers
Many successful Black women have discovered that the binary choice between corporate employment and entrepreneurship doesn’t capture all possibilities. Portfolio careers—combining employment with consulting, board positions, speaking, or business ownership—allow for diversified income, reduced risk, and multiple avenues for impact.
Case Study: The Portfolio Pioneer Carmen maintained her role as a pharmaceutical executive while building a leadership coaching practice on the side. Over three years, her coaching revenue grew to match her corporate salary. This financial security allowed her to negotiate a more flexible arrangement with her employer, eventually transitioning to a consulting relationship that gave her the stability of ongoing corporate income while building her independent practice.
Her portfolio approach provided the best of both worlds: corporate benefits and income stability while building entrepreneurial skills and client relationships.
Making the Decision: A Strategic Process
The decision to stay or pivot shouldn’t be made in moments of frustration or after particularly difficult experiences. It requires strategic thinking and careful planning.
The 90-Day Decision Process
Days 1-30: Assessment and Data Gathering
- Complete the PIVOT framework assessment
- Gather salary and advancement data for your role and industry
- Document recent experiences, both positive and negative
- Seek feedback from trusted mentors and advisors
Days 31-60: Option Exploration
- Research alternative opportunities within your current organization
- Explore potential roles at other companies
- Investigate entrepreneurship opportunities in your field
- Consider hybrid approaches that might meet your needs
Days 61-90: Decision and Planning
- Make your decision based on data and strategic thinking, not emotion
- Develop a detailed implementation plan
- Build your support network for the transition
- Set success metrics for your chosen path
The Transition Strategy: Making Your Move
Whether you decide to stay and transform or pivot to create your own opportunities, the transition requires careful planning and execution.
For Those Who Choose to Stay
Recommit with Conditions: If you decide to stay, do so strategically with clear conditions and timelines for the changes you need to see.
Build Internal Alliances: Strengthen relationships with allies who support your advancement and cultural transformation goals.
Create External Options: Even if you stay, build external networks and opportunities that provide leverage and alternatives.
Document Everything: Keep detailed records of your contributions, the support you receive, and the progress toward your goals.
For Those Who Choose to Pivot
Financial Planning: Ensure you have adequate financial resources for your transition period, whether that’s job searching or launching a business.
Network Activation: Leverage your professional relationships to identify opportunities and gather support for your new direction.
Skill Development: Acquire any additional skills or credentials needed for your new path.
Brand Building: Develop your professional brand and thought leadership in your chosen direction.
Success Stories: Black Women Who Made Strategic Pivots
The Corporate Transformer
After 15 years in banking, Vice President Denise Johnson was recruited to lead diversity and inclusion at a progressive financial services firm. Her decision to stay in corporate America was strategic—she could create greater systemic change from within than she could as an external consultant. Under her leadership, the firm became an industry leader in diverse hiring and inclusive culture.
The Serial Entrepreneur
Marketing executive Tasha Williams left her Fortune 500 role to launch her first business, a digital marketing agency focused on Black-owned businesses. After successfully exiting that business, she launched a second company, then became an angel investor. Her entrepreneurial path created wealth and impact that corporate advancement couldn’t match.
The Portfolio Professional
Former pharmaceutical executive Dr. Kimberly Davis created a portfolio career combining part-time consulting with her former employer, board positions with healthcare startups, speaking engagements, and executive coaching. Her diversified approach provides financial security while allowing her to pursue multiple passions and create broad impact.
The Ripple Effect of Your Decision
Remember that your career pivot isn’t just about you. The path you choose creates ripple effects that impact other Black women, your family, and your community.
When You Stay and Transform:
- You create pathways for other Black women within your organization
- You model how to navigate and influence corporate systems
- You build bridges between corporate success and community impact
When You Create Your Own Table:
- You demonstrate alternative pathways to success and fulfillment
- You create opportunities for other Black women through hiring and partnerships
- You build generational wealth and independence
Both choices are valuable. Both require courage. Both contribute to the larger movement of Black women’s advancement.
The Support System You Need
Regardless of which path you choose, you need a robust support system that includes:
Strategic Advisors: People who can help you think through complex decisions and see blind spots.
Emotional Support: Friends, family, or counselors who can help you process the challenges and celebrate the victories.
Practical Resources: Access to capital, legal advice, career coaching, or other resources needed for your transition.
Professional Network: Connections who can provide opportunities, referrals, and collaboration.
Role Models: Examples of Black women who have successfully navigated similar transitions.
Measuring Success on Your Own Terms
One of the most important aspects of making a strategic career pivot is defining success for yourself rather than accepting others’ definitions.
Traditional metrics of success—salary, title, company size—may not capture what matters most to you. Consider alternative success measures:
Impact Metrics: How many people do you influence positively? What changes do you create?
Fulfillment Measures: How aligned is your work with your values and passions?
Freedom Indicators: How much control do you have over your time, decisions, and priorities?
Growth Tracking: How much are you learning and developing personally and professionally?
Legacy Building: What foundation are you creating for future generations?
The Future of Black Women’s Leadership
As we look toward the future, the traditional model of climbing corporate ladders is evolving. Black women are increasingly creating new models of leadership that combine corporate success with entrepreneurship, social impact with personal fulfillment, and individual advancement with collective progress.
This evolution reflects broader changes in work itself—the rise of remote work, the gig economy, and project-based careers. Black women who master the art of strategic career pivoting will be best positioned to thrive in this changing landscape.
Your Pivot Action Plan
Step 1: Complete Your PIVOT Assessment (Week 1)
Work through each element systematically, gathering data and honest self-reflection.
Step 2: Explore Your Options (Weeks 2-4)
Research specific opportunities in each potential direction—staying, moving to another organization, or creating your own path.
Step 3: Build Your Support Network (Weeks 5-6)
Identify and connect with people who can advise, support, and potentially collaborate with you.
Step 4: Create Your Strategic Plan (Weeks 7-8)
Develop a detailed plan for your chosen direction, including timelines, resources needed, and success metrics.
Step 5: Execute Your Transition (Ongoing)
Implement your plan while remaining flexible enough to adjust as circumstances evolve.
Discussion Questions for Reflection
- What elements of the PIVOT framework resonate most with your current situation?
- How do you define success for yourself, independent of external expectations?
- What fears or concerns do you have about staying versus pivoting?
- What support do you need to make a strategic career decision?
- How might your decision impact other Black women in your sphere of influence?
- What legacy do you want to create through your career choices?
Your Strategic Pivot Partner
Making strategic career decisions requires more than good intentions—it demands clear thinking, honest assessment, and the courage to choose paths that align with your authentic vision of success. You don’t have to navigate this journey alone.
At Che’ Blackmon Consulting, I specialize in empowering Black women and other overlooked talent to make strategic career decisions that honor both their ambitions and their authenticity. My mission is to create sustainable pathways for authentic growth and breakthrough performance, whether that’s within existing organizations or through creating new opportunities.
Whether you’re evaluating your current situation, planning a strategic pivot, or building the support systems needed for your transition, I provide the insights, tools, and guidance needed to make decisions that align with your values and advance your vision.
Ready to evaluate your career path strategically and make decisions that align with your authentic vision of success? Contact me to discuss customized coaching programs, strategic planning sessions, or organizational culture transformation initiatives that create environments where Black women can thrive authentically.
Together, we can ensure that your career pivot—whether staying to transform or creating your own table—positions you for success, fulfillment, and maximum impact.
Your seat at the table isn’t a gift to be granted—it’s a position to be claimed, whether at existing tables or ones you create yourself.
Che’ Blackmon is the author of “Mastering a High-Value Company Culture,” “High-Value Leadership: Transforming Organizations Through Purposeful Culture,” and “Rise & Thrive: The Black Woman’s Blueprint for Leadership Excellence.” With over 20 years of experience transforming organizational cultures, she helps leaders make strategic career decisions that align with their authentic vision while creating pathways for others to thrive.
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