Why I Banned Black… And Then Ate My Words

There were endless management strategies I hoped to implement once I finally got the chance to have a business of my own. I would do all those things former bosses didn’t do. And avoid the mistakes they made. I would do it differently. I would give opportunities to those who wanted them. I would let each employee shine in her or his own most radiant way. I would lavish my employees with praise. I would create flexible schedules for those with kids. I would really listen. And I would never let my own fears distort the way I dealt with others.

I thought I’d be pretty good at it; after all, at my last job, my staff (consisting of six unpaid interns) stayed with the company longer than 95 percent of the actual employees. Yet – it isn’t as easy as it looks.

I’m learning to choose my words more carefully. “Never feature a woman wearing a black suit in this magazine,” I remember saying. “We don’t feature ‘men in skirts.’ And furthermore,” I added, “I really don’t want to see any of us wearing black either!” I would eat my words the very next day. On day one of our recent conference series, most of the 750 women attending showed up wearing – you guessed it – black. All of our panelists (some of America’s most influential women in business) wore black head to toe. Almost my entire staff wore it too – including me! (To her credit, PINK Art Director Jennifer Tyson did not wear black. In the staff photo we took that day, you’ll see she stands out quite well in her white suit. Check out the “Meet the Team”.) As for the rest of the women in black, I should point out that not a single outfit resembled a man’s stilted attire. These threads had obvious feminine flair; there was lace and style – even a hint of cleavage.

It’s easy to get bogged down by things like negotiating contracts, dealing with high-demand clients, answering two ringing telephones at once, replying to 320 e-mails a day and so on. Your employees’ livelihoods (as well as your own house) are on the line. And the deal is – despite all the pressure, you aren’t allowed to be a stressed-out b—h!

But the pressure and responsibility come with opportunity. My higher self tells my sometimes stressed-out, scared self, “You are up to the task. You can do this. You can be a better leader, listener, mentor, patient collaborator.”

Part of my goal with PINK has been not just to create a magazine that empowers readers to have a beautiful career and a beautiful life, but also to create a company that reflects this same mission.

We try to live our values: Freedom, Courage and Beauty. To me this means the freedom to have the work and the life you choose, the courage to ask for what you want and need to create it, and the ability to live a beautiful life however you define it.

Whether it’s managing a $6 billion P&L or being one of many on a nonprofit team working out of a garage, we each have that chance – to relish a life filled with purpose, joy, meaning, passion, love and hope.

I’ll close with this thought for you: If you were in charge, what do you imagine you would do differently? Or, now that you are in charge, what’s the silliest thing you instituted and had to take back – or wish you could take back?

By Cynthia Good