Powerhouse Black Women Execs Share The Secrets to Finding The Career Path That’s Right For You

BLACK ENTERPRISE kicked off the first full day of the 2023 Women of Power Summit with a panel discussion aimed at helping women fine-tune their career paths.

Not everyone’s professional trajectory looks the same, and it can take years before serving in a role that fuels your passions. That’s why BE brought together four powerhouse women in business to speak candidly for our session, “The Career Path That’s Right for You,” hosted by Accenture.

The discussion was moderated by Traci Otey Blunt, founder & principal of Blunt Group Strategies, with speakers Cleo V. Belmonte, managing vice president, chief counsel – Governance & Securities at CapitalOne, Tamara Fields, Austin Office managing director, South Market Unit Chief Operating Officer at Accenture, and Nicole Monson, senior vice president, Equity and Engagement at The Estée Lauder Companies.

The panel of Black women executives shared how attendees can navigate career breaks, transitions, or even 180-degree pivots to get where they want to go.

Yolanda Friend, Inclusion & Diversity managing director at Accenture, North America, gave the opening remarks where she explained the concept of “PIE” in the workforce. It’s a model that focuses on a worker’s Performance, Image, and Exposure to the company.

According to the PIE model, only 10% of career success is tied to performance, 30% to your image, and 60% to your company exposure. Meaning, “it’s not enough to just put your head down and do the job,” Friend declared. You have to be ready and willing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable as you work to stand out in all the right ways.

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right,” Friend said.

Belmonte, Fields, and Monson shared their journey to getting into the executive-level positions they currently hold, which include tales of facing life crises, learning the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, and knowing how to handle pivotal moments in your career.

“I made choices in my career by running to something instead of from something,” Monson shared.

She also shared the three key ingredients to finding a career path that’s right for you:

• Learn who you are.
• Learn what is important to you at different stages in your life (because it most likely will change over time.)
• Pursue number 2 un-relentlessly. Get to a place where you can pursue the things that are important to you.

“I have taken pay cuts in the pursuit of peace and happiness,” she admitted.

Attendees asked the speakers questions to gain industry insight and guidance for their professional journeys. The empowering discussion was just one of many at this year’s Women of Power Summit.