No. 4 - "THERE IS NO COMPARISON"

“…THERE IS NO COMPARISON”

February 5, 2025 • Issue No. 4

Oof. It’s been a tough news week. And we’re going to talk about it.

This is not the kind of newsletter that likes to pretend that work (or coaching) happens in a bubble. It’s inhumane to believe that when you walk into the office you can leave “all of the personal stuff” on the other side of the door. This isn’t that TV show, Severance, where your work memories and non-work memories are kept separate. If you’ve ever gone to work after a breakup or the loss of a loved one, you know that that “stuff” comes on the job with you and gets comfy in your rolling chair.

I know from speaking with my clients, my friends, and my graduate students this week that we have a lot of questions about the state of our country. We’re scared and we have every right to be. I’ve been spending my energy doing what I can to help: letting my grad students know that they’re safe on campus, and calling my congressperson (Adriano Espaillat) to urge him to take action. (If you’re interested in also calling your electeds, 5calls.org is a helpful place to start.) I’m also staying as informed as I can without losing my mind and that’s how I came across this clip of Rep. Jasmine Crockett on CNN sharing her take on the Trump Administration’s DEI rollbacks and erasure.

Representative Crockett is clear on the third one of our 5C’s: carat. (You can read my e-book, Finding Your Sparkle At Work, to read about each of the 5C’s.)

Carat (not to be confused with karat) is a unit of weight used to communicate the value of a gem. Ms. Crockett is clear on her value even in a room full of people who would much rather she pipe down. An attorney, she passed the bar in 2006, worked as a public defender, served in the Texas House of Representatives, and then ran a winning campaign for Texas’s 30th congressional district. Jasmine put in the work and this is the truth she returns to when self-doubt looms.

I love to see a Black woman stand on business. And I want you stand on it, too.

There’s a lot of finger pointing right now around the idea of DEI hires, and — while I pray you’re in a job where people trust you, value you, and pay you what you’re worth (!!!) — you may find yourself in the cross hairs. Jasmine Crockett gifted us two gems:

• 💎 “If you are competent, you are not concerned.” If you’re not sure this statement applies to you, do a quick look back. Pull up your performance review. Scroll through your LinkedIn profile. Make a short list of your metrics on a sticky note and stick them somewhere you can see them. If your list feels short, make a plan to add to it. Register for a training, join a committee, or take the lead on an upcoming project.

• 💎 “There is no comparison.” If you are a woman of color — I’m going to hold your hand as I say this — the odds were already stacked against you, sis. Every time they repeat that study where researchers send out identical resumes with different names at the top, the results come back the same: white-sounding names get more callbacks. Chances are strong that you had to be better just to get in the door in the first place and look at you! You made it through then and you will do it again if needed.

The dominant narrative only wins when we submit to it. Instead, remind yourself who you are. Remind yourself what you’re capable of. Remind yourself of the obstacles you’ve already overcome and the ways in which your community had your back.

We are concerned about humanity, safety, and the state of our country - but we are not concerned about our competence. We are keeping our heads held high because we know: there is no comparison.