While women face significant disparities in executive leadership—The New York Times recently reported that fewer big companies are run by women than by men named John—women of color are up against additional barriers.
In the midst of an ongoing conversation about working women, we’re hearing more from minority women, who find stereotypes like the angry black woman, the chatty, accented Latina, and the demure, smart Asian carry over into professional settings.
An article in Forbes
discussed how women of color have a “double hurdle of not being too
aggressive and proving, sometimes repeatedly, that we are intelligent
enough to warrant an audience for our ideas." About a third of them said
they feel the need to play down their ethnicity to succeed at work.
Yet these challenges, in part, have driven the small-business boom among women of color.
Rather than struggling to achieve leadership positions in traditional
workplaces, some are choosing to create their own. The Center for
Women’s Business Research named African American and Hispanic women the
fastest-growing groups of entrepreneurs in the country, more likely to
start businesses than their white counterparts.
After 15 years in leadership development for corporations and
government agencies, Julianne Cenac celebrates the recent trend and
believes understanding “core, God-given gifts and talents” is crucial
for any woman to be effective in her career.
Cenac holds a doctorate in organizational leadership and has worked to
shape the continuing education program at Regent University, where she
serves as an instructor at its new Women’s Leadership Institute.
A career woman and mom of two, she discusses the role of the church,
Scripture, and prayer for women seeking to start their own businesses.
How have you seen the marketplace for women leaders change throughout
your career? What trends do you see as the most encouraging?
I see less restrictive perceptions about women and their abilities.
Earlier in my career, it was common to see women passed over for
promotion or business travel opportunities because it was presumed that
they would not want to balance those opportunities with other possible
family priorities. However, women want to at least be considered or
asked and then given the responsibility to make career decisions for
themselves or in partnership with their own families.
Why do you think we have we seen so much growth among minority women in entrepreneurship?
Government contracts have long been a lucrative business source for
companies in the defense, transportation, and technology sectors. When
mechanisms were added for small businesses and minority-owned businesses
to compete for those opportunities, it created avenues for minority
women owners with stellar corporate credentials to emerge. Women are
also wired to think holistically and solve problems; and minority women
are no different. These are vital behaviors in entrepreneurship.
What do you see as the role of the church when it comes to working
women? How might we support and equip the entrepreneurs among us?
The church can play a tremendous role by modeling behaviors that
support rather than marginalize women who choose to work outside the
home. There remains a stigma within the body of Christ regarding working
women. I know a woman who holds a leadership role in a prominent
organization. She was recently confronted by a male church leader that
her leadership role outside the home was causing imbalance within her
home and her marriage.... She was troubled at the underlying implication
that somehow God would not condone her role.
The Scriptures are full of examples of women in leadership. More
importantly, for some women, working outside of the home, particularly
in entrepreneurial ventures, offers them greater flexibility and
opportunity to balance other roles of taking care of their homes, their
spouses, and their children.
What lessons from the Bible have you applied to your own work?
The Bible inspires my work daily through the Proverbs, which I [read]
each morning for wisdom. As a woman, I particularly apply principles
from Proverbs 31. The principles such as, “She arises while it is yet
night; she provides food for her family and portions for her maidens,”
teach me about the importance of time management when balancing family
responsibilities. In other words, like many women, I have my most
productive time to prepare myself and my responsibilities in the early
hours of the morning before anyone is even awake. This helps me organize
my day and be more effective.
What would your advice be for women who feel called to start their own business?
Pray; put their trust in God; get a healthy dose of confidence; and
realize that their success is dependent on tapping into the flow of
ideas and steps that God has ordered just for them. In other words, if a
woman feels called to start a business, then she just needs to step out
and do it.
Women tend to be thorough when it comes to market research, analysis,
and planning. The real challenge is getting them to step out from the
idea and conceptualization phase into the implementation and realization
phase. So, to borrow a phrase, “Just do it.”
Julianne Cenac, Ph.D. is a leadership consultant and instructor with
the T.D. Jakes School of Leadership at Regent University. She also
serves as president and chief visionary officer at iPEC, a professional
development services firm. Dr. Cenac may be reached at jcenac@infinitypec.org or via LinkedIn.
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