PINK’s 17th Annual Fall Women’s Empowerment Event on October 18th, 2021

CLICK HERE FOR PINK EVENT DETAILS. 

How? “Review, Recharge and Reattack,” says power-house speaker and leader, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour. America’s first Black female combat pilot shared her success secrets on Pink’s recent Zoominar exclusively for Pink Power Alliance members and companies dedicated to advancing diversity. The Alliance gathered to connect, share and learn how to break through entrenched race, gender and age barriers that may hold us back. 

FlyGirl told the group her path to achievement didn’t happen immediately. Rejected three times for a job, she refined the art of trying again and again and again. “Have the guts to reattack.” At the onset of Pink’s program, 57% of the emerging leaders attending said they were somewhat optimistic about breaking barriers. 38% said they want to advance in order to empower others and 19% said they want to break through to be promoted; another 19% to work better with colleagues. By the end of the hour, several indicated in the chat they felt more empowered by the conversation and tools shared—and ready to excel despite obstacles.

Career Development Coach, Stephanie Heath, emphasized the importance of having allies who can speak on your behalf. She urged attendees to, “keep an eye out for people you can communicate with easily. Set an intention, that this week or this month I’m going to put myself in place to find someone who can be my advocate.” Lean In Chair, and Key Account Director, IHG Global Sales, Carmen McCloud Whitaker, kicked off the conversation by sharing how she broke through. She credited her upbringing and belief in possibility, along with “tenacity and taking feedback” as keys. Pink’s team of thought leaders agreed keeping your head down and merely doing the hard work isn’t enough. Said Carmen, “What do you see when you look down? Only your shoes.” She added, “You’re an African American female queen. You are the woman for the job and they need to know you want it.” And Vernice reminded everyone to think about “what it can look like if you step up.” And she emphasized, “It’s never too late to reattack or to rechoose your direction. 

10 Take-Aways to Do Now

A few other highlights from Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour:

1. Transform fear into fuel.
2. Create a flight plan –where you want to go and talk to your manager about options for promotion.
3. Understand what it will take to get there—AKA take feedback.
4. Take off. Execute. Navigate obstacles.
5. Review so you know why you succeeded.
6. Recharge and Reattack.

Other highlights from the experts:

7. Acknowledge the obstacles without giving them power.
8. Speak up. Vernice showed off her t-shirt which read: “A Closed Mouth Doesn’t Get Fed.”
9. Make sure others speak out on your behalf.
10. Network with a purpose.

WHAT’S NEXT?
PINK’s 17th Annual Fall Empowerment Event on October 18th, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
Click here for more details.

Reimagining Women @ Work – Post Pandemic

Whether in person or a virtual broadcast in your home or office, join PINK for networking, lunch, and a high-powered panel discussion sure to inspire and connect you with like-minded professionals. Join us in person and enjoy a host of vendors and a lovely lunch. Due to COVID event restrictions, we have limited seats available for this event.

Featuring

Donna Morris, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer for Walmart Inc.

Jay Caiafa, Chief Operating Officer, Americas Intercontinental Hotels Group

Kavitha Prabhakar, Chief Diversity Officer, Deloitte

DON’T MISS THE UPCOMING, EXCLUSIVE PINK POWER ALLIANCE ZOOMINARS. DETAILS BELOW. Sign up here. 

When joining the PINK Power Alliance, members enjoy a complimentary session with one of the following extraordinary coaches. Coaches share their expertise on Power Alliance monthly Zoominars.

Want More? Here are some resources from the Career Coach: 

Post-Pandemic Black Women Behind in Pay Gap

“The Costs of Code-Switching” via the Harvard Business Review

22 Corporate Women Share What Wearing Their Natural Hair to Work Means

Why FB Groups are a Goldmine for Networking via MadameNoire

Find Your Tribe