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UNCOVERING THE LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL OF BLACK  WOMEN IN AMERICA   Survey Finds Low Numbers of Black Professional  Women in Leadership Roles in U.S. Companies Affects Engagement and  Retention CHICAGO –  Because the lives of professional black women in America have been  understudied and their contributions as leaders often undervalued, The League  of Black Women (LBW) conducted its “LBW Having Our Say: Fostering  the Leadership Potential of Black Women in America Survey” to help  identify and eliminate the challenges black women face as they strive to  fulfill their leadership potential and achieve socio-economic parity for  themselves, their families and their communities. The report includes an assessment of the key  barriers to black women realizing their leadership potential; recommendations  for how corporations can remove those barriers and support retention; and  personal accounts of professional black women striving to rise to leadership  positions despite the odds. The data found only 20 percent of black women are  “very satisfied” with their overall lives, and respondents reported greater  and more pervasive degrees of frustration with advancing in their careers.     “The League of Black Women is committed to supporting and  developing leadership values and joyful living for the 21st century black  woman,” said Sandra Finley, president/CEO.  “With this report we provide  essential support and timely advice to corporations on specific methods and  recommendations to recruit, retain and empower black women as leaders. By  implementing our suggested strategies, we believe companies can improve their  efforts toward achieving greater workforce diversity.” The nationwide survey, conducted between 2005  and 2007 in partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton, was designed to gather  preliminary data on black women’s views about their leadership experiences and  satisfaction with their lives.  The report highlights three key findings  identified as critical factors that influence the level of satisfaction black  women obtain in their professional and personal lives. Among the factors  include Engagement, defined as institutions and people that have  the greatest impact on black women’s lives; Cohesion, the quality of  black women’s relationships with each other; and Bicultural Leadership,  used to describe circumstances in which black women lead or exude authority  over non-blacks in the workplace. Some specific factors of Engagement,  Cohesion and Bicultural Leadership that affect and hinder the overall  professional development, advancement and retention of black women in the  workplace include: Engagement Under-representation of black women within an  organization diminishes essential networking power Pressure to hide authentic personal style and  professional perspective results in exhaustion (affects  productivity)   Cohesion Limited professional options that impede black  women from having close relationships with each other in corporate  environments   Black  women are more committed to their organizations when they are able to form  close bonds with other black women Bicultural  Leadership Proven  leadership ability doesn’t reliably translate into promotion  opportunities   Underutilization of education and skill set  relegates black women to lower-level jobs Although black  women report they hope to reach their goal of rising to leadership positions,  they believe hard work and positive thinking are not enough to obtain the  opportunities they seek. To ensure black women have the tools needed to  advance, the report suggests corporations need to design distinctive and  targeted strategies to develop and advance black women with high potential.  Given the limited number of black women as contemporary role models, companies  must understand the real time experiences of black women who aspire to obtain  corporate leadership jobs and work to provide effective assistance.  To  combat and address these issues, The League of Black Women recommends  corporate leaders promote the concepts of Engagement, Cohesion and Bicultural  Leadership in the following ways to support development and  retention:   Engagement Foster  a culture of inclusion that addresses the needs of black women as defined by  black women   Implement policies and practices that respect  the need for communal support within and beyond the workplace Cohesion Create  coaching resources, mentoring programs, networking opportunities and  affinity groups for women of color   Appreciate cultural and style differences  without censure   Bicultural Leadership Provide early leadership coaching to help  black women successfully confront negative stereotypes   Recognize and develop black women’s  distinctive leadership skills    Identify and end business practices that steer  black women with high potential into dead-end jobs According to the study, black women  still see negative perceptions about race as a barrier keeping them from  reaching their career goals. As professionals, they believe that others’  negative views of them in the workplace hinder their ability to excel in  leadership roles.  Nearly 80 percent surveyed cited race bias as a hurdle  affecting their effectiveness as leaders, to some extent.  Respondents  said race bias affects interactions with individuals who potentially could  influence and advance their career track. Additionally, the report suggests,  black women find themselves stagnant in mid and lower level positions that are  threatened by corporate downsizing, mergers and acquisitions that cause  retention rates of black women to drop. But despite the overlapping obstacles black  women face on their climb up the corporate ladder, the League of Black Women  believes if corporations empower black women, their strengths and leadership  abilities can be leveraged to help increase company performance and expand  business growth. For more information on The League of Black  Women and the “Fostering the Leadership Potential of Black Women in America  Survey,” please visit www.leagueofblackwomen.org #   #   # About The League of Black  Women The League of Black Women (LBW), founded in 1970, is a  nonprofit organization that provides access to strategic support for  developing and sustaining leadership values and joyful living for black women.  LBW seeks to ensure that black women emerge as distinctive leaders who  contribute to the substantial and lasting improvements that shape our world.     Contact:   Miya A. Walker   LAGRANT  COMMUNICTIONS   323.469.8680  Ext. 247 miyawalker@lagrant.com

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