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Hello Friend! Welcome to episode 49 (Season 9) of Catapult Leaders podcast’s special edition of the powerful HOW I DID IT! series where successful Black executives share their hard-won learnings & wisdom, obstacles overcome, mountains climbed… (Listen to this Catapult Leaders PODCAST HERE.)  Revealing the true secrets of their professional success.Why? So that you can see the roadmap to your own super success.I’m Darryl Mobley. Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies.Why does Catapult Leaders focus on this mission? Because companies have come to us and told us that they have a very difficult time finding Black professionals for important roles. Basically, we are problem solvers.Today’s HOW I DID IT! guest is Cynthia D. Culbreath. Cynthia is the CEO/Chief Spark Plug of A Wonderful Change consulting firm.  She's also a “double jacket” graduate of Georgia Tech with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (with a Supply Chain Concentration).   Cynthia has years of experience in manufacturing, supply chain, and human resources at Procter & Gamble, as well as in non-profits.   She has had end-to-end supply chain roles including material supply management, distribution & warehouse, supply network design, and transportation.  From Owning Your Career to the Biggest Professional Mistake She Made, to her powerful advice for uplifting your career, to her amazing 5 Keys for Black Women to Achieve Professional Success, to how you can Handle the Pressure that comes from Being in a Fishbowl at Work, to her 15 Minute Rule, to the Connection between the Universe and a Made-Up Mind… and beyond – this podcast episode of HOW I DID IT! from Catapult Leaders featuring Cynthia Culbreath… will change your life!Lean in. Take notes. Let’s go! LISTEN to this Catapult Leaders PODCAST HERE. Reach out to us at CatapultLeaders.com or on LinkedIn if you wish to talk about career possibilities. Our company’s mission is to assist you to get that great, next job.From all of us at Catapult Leaders…The Best is Yet to Come.Enjoy Life!You can reach Cynthia Culbreath at... Website => https://www.awonderfulchange.com/ Instagram => https://www.instagram.com/a.wonderfulchange/ Facebook => https://www.facebook.com/A-Wonderful-Change-838423386509936  

Hello Friend! Welcome to episode 48 (Season 8, Episode 48) of Catapult Leaders podcast’s special edition of the powerful HOW I DID IT! series where successful Black executives share their hard-won learnings & wisdom, obstacles overcome, mountains climbed… Revealing the true secrets of their professional success. Why? So that you can see the roadmap to your own super success. I’m Darryl Mobley. Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies.Why does Catapult Leaders focus on this mission? Because companies have come to us and told us that they have a very difficult time finding Black professionals for important roles. Basically, we are problem solvers.Today’s HOW I DID IT! guest is Elisa Basnight. Elisa is Senior Vice President – Supply Chain, Biomedical Services at the American Red Cross.Elisa is a graduate of West Point – the United States Military Academy, Boston University in Brussels, Rutgers Law School, and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. From being Results Driven, to having a Meet & Greet Matrix, to Being Authentic, to the Keys that will Help Black Women succeed in the Supply Chain field, to Never Accepting “No!” … and beyond – this podcast episode of HOW I DID IT! from Catapult Leaders featuring Elisa Basnight… will change your life!Lean in. Take notes. Let’s go! LISTEN to this Catapult Leaders PODCAST HERE. Reach out to us at CatapultLeaders.com or on LinkedIn if you wish to talk about career possibilities. Our company’s mission is to assist you to get that great, next job.From all of us at Catapult Leaders…The Best is Yet to Come.Enjoy Life!

Hello Friends and welcome to episode 47 of the Catapult Leaders podcast. (Season 8, Episode 47.) Today I will share 5 super-fantastic, amazingly wonderful, secret ways to avoid bias in your firm’s hiring process.But first…Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively sources Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Why does Catapult Leaders focus on this mission? Because companies have come to us and told us that they have a very difficult time finding Black professionals for important roles. Basically, we are problem solvers.Now – about that HIRING BIAS PROBLEM.There are some things that you’d want a good friend to alert you to…like…•Your fly being down;•Food stuck between your front teeth;•Toilet paper sticking out of your shoe;•A rip in your stockings;•Lipstick on your front teeth; and…[Drumroll please]•BIAS IN YOUR HIRING PROCESS.These are all things that make you and your company look bad… or worse!So, consider me that good friend who’s going to point out the bias in your hiring process so that you can fix it and not look bad. Continued… LISTEN to this Catapult Leaders PODCAST HERE, or READ the entire article HERE. Help Catapult Leaders help your company attract outstanding talent. Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to find super talented Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles.Thanks for your time.Enjoy Life!

6 Top Secrets: When and How to Negotiate a Raise! Catapult Leaders. Episode 46/Season 8.by Susan MobleyThey say it never hurts to ask. It is one of many of life’s lessons we learn as we acquire the skills we need to thrive in an ultra-competitive workplace.  One of the things to ask about that does appear to hurt involves one of the most important aspects of our lives. That is, the money we earn at what we do for a living. Asking for a higher salary does not have to be painful. By following one or more of my "secret" tips, you can get the raise that you deserve, without writhing in pain. Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at  https://CatapultLeaders.com

7 THINGS You Must Have On Your LinkedIn Page To Help Executive Recruiters – like me! - Find You For Great Jobs. Catapult Leaders. Episode 45/Season 8.I have a confession to make. Before I became an Executive Recruiter, I did not know how helpful LinkedIn could be in a job search. I thought of it as a professional network to stay up-to-date with colleagues new and old as well as the latest business news.    LinkedIn is all of those things. But for a job seeker, it can be a whole lot more. With that in mind, listen in as I share the 7 things you must have on your LinkedIn page to help executive recruiters – again, like me! – find you for great jobs.   Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at  https://CatapultLeaders.com

4 Biggest Excuses (or Lies) Companies Tell Themselves about their Failure to Hire Black Managers. Catapult Leaders podcast. Episode 44.Excuses are like elbows: Everyone has a couple that they bend to get what they want or use to keep away what they do not want. When it comes to achieving diversity and hiring Black professionals in particular, far too many senior managers make excuses for their failures. In some cases, the excuses are outright falsehoods.   All lasting success begins with truth. Are you ready for the  4 Biggest Excuses (or Lies?) Company Senior Managers Tell Themselves about Their Failed Attempts to Hire & Develop Black Managers?Let's go!Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at  https://CatapultLeaders.com

6 No-Good, Very Bad, Horrible Things That Diverse Managers & Prospective Diverse Managers Think About Your Company that Make them NOT Want to Work at Your Company.  Episode 43.In my role with Catapult Leaders, I get the opportunity to speak via Zoom with 200 or more job seekers each week. Over the course of a year, I Zoom with thousands of Black job seekers. In fact, I might speak with more job seekers each year than anyone else! (Throat lozenges, anyone?) Those conversations have given me a window into what Black job seekers think about your company that makes them not want to start – or in some cases, continue – work at your company.  Some of their thoughts about your company are not so good!  Sorry Not Sorry. Are you ready for the 6 No-Good, Very Bad, Horrible Things That Diverse Managers & Prospective Diverse Managers Think About Your Company that Make them NOT Want to Work at Your Company? Let's go!Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at  https://CatapultLeaders.com

Susan Mobley here with the Catapult Leaders podcast.  Today I’ll share..   PRO-TIPS: The 7 WORST Things Job Seekers Do that Make Me NOT Want to Help them Get a Great Job.  I love my job at Catapult Leaders. I get to work with some of the most amazing professionals looking to take their careers to the next level.  Most are a pleasure to work with. Some… not so much.  Those who are NOT a pleasure to work with seem to want to self-sabotage by doing things that annoy me and would make any Executive Recruiter not want to help them get a great job. If you’re a job seeker, make sure you don’t do these 7 Worst Things Job Seekers Do that Make Me NOT Want to Help them Get a Great Job. Here they go!Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion. Contact us at  https://CatapultLeaders.com

30-60-90 Day Action Plan: Here are 8 Things Your Company Can Do Over the NEXT 90 DAYS to Create a Much More Diverse & Capable Management Pipeline – Fast! (Episode 41)In my work with Catapult Leaders, I have the opportunity to speak with great business leaders and change-agents from firms large and small, from every corner of this country. It is easily – one of the very best things about what I get to do. Because my conversations with these folks center around creating positive changes in the interviewing, hiring, and retention of Black professionals – which is an area where most companies really struggle – we often discuss what actually needs to happen so that the “problem” of too few Black professionals (and others) who’ve been traditionally locked out of the management pipeline – is fixed, once and for all. These conversations have really increased over the past few months to the point that I have developed a “30/60/90 Day Action Plan with the 8 Things Your Company Can Do Over the NEXT 90 DAYS to Create a Much More Diverse & Capable Management Pipeline – Fast!” Why a 30/60/90 Day Action Plan? Because this 30/60/90 Day Action Plan is a huge competitive advantage and is the right thing to do to fix a very flawed system that has crushed lives and opportunities for a very long time.  Let me share the 30/60/90 Day Action Plan with you now.  ProTip: This should be a conversation starter followed by Action!Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively sources Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.IF YOU'D LIKE THE TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE, REACH OUT TO DARRYL  L. MOBLEY ON LINKEDIN.https://CatapultLeaders.com

The One Most Important Thing You Must Have in Your Résumé to Get a Great Entry-Level Job After Graduation [Catapult Leaders - Season 6, Episode 40][This is a recording of a presentation to university students.]Today I am going to share what Catapult Leaders has discovered about résumés that leads to getting that great Entry-Level job after college graduation. We here at Catapult Leaders have reviewed more than 22,000 resumes. Overall – we’ve learned that the number one thing stopping talented graduates from getting great entry-level jobs is… drum roll please… that their résumés suck! And by “résumés suck,” I mean that the resume does NOT give the hiring manager what he or she needs to select the job applicant. Before I tell you "The One Most Important Thing You Must Have in Your Résumés to Get a Great Entry-Level Job After Graduation,” I want to share the… 3 Horrible Résumé Mistakes that Make You Look Bad![You will hear these 3 résumés mistakes on the podcast.]Let’s now talk about…"The One Most Important Thing You Must Have in Your Résumé to Get a Great Entry-Level Job After Graduation."I’m going to give you a countdown of the 14 things you need to have in your resume. The last of the 14 that I share is – based on our review of more than 20,000 resumes and job offers – the One Most Important Thing You Must Have in Your Résumé  to Get a Great Entry-Level Job After Graduation.Each of these elements, when combined and communicated properly, tell hiring managers that you can do the job for which you are applying. Crafting your résumé the right way leads to you getting more job offers and higher salary offers.[You will hear these 14 things you need on your résumé on the podcast.]From all of us here at Catapult Leaders… Enjoy Life! (And, we hope you get the job!)Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that exclusively matches outstanding Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Junior Military Officers, Early Career talent, and College Interns - with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing & Advertising roles at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion. CatapultLeaders.com

Welcome to the Catapult Leaders podcast (https://CatapultLeaders.com) – where we discuss winning with talent acquisition, talent retention, diversity, and inclusion. We’re all about Straight talk, No sugar-coating, and Progress.Listen to this episode of the Catapult Leaders podcast for the 12 Reasons why your company should work with an Executive Search Firm that specializes in Sourcing Diverse Talent so you really increase the number of diverse candidates you interview and fill your pipeline with diverse talent.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com/contact-us if you want Catapult Leaders to find super talented Black mid-to-senior level, early-career, or college interns for your organization.Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that sources Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion. 

Welcome to 90 Seconds with Catapult Leaders. This is Darryl Mobley. Why “90 Seconds”? Because it doesn’t take long to get it right. The great oilman, Jake Simmons, Jr., said, “One-tenth of the folks run the world. One-tenth watch them run it, and the other eighty percent don’t know what the hell’s going on.” Let’s talk about what your company’s LinkedIn page communicates to diverse candidates. 92% of diverse job applicants check out your company’s LinkedIn business page to get a feel for the company culture. Here is a good, a bad, and an ugly example of how company LinkedIn pages present themselves to diverse talent. Does one – or more – of these apply to your company? – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –  Click Here to get your free subscription to Future, the Newsletter from Catapult Leaders that’s all about winning with diversity & inclusion.  – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The Good: Visibly diverse employees in leadership positions Kudos to your company if your LinkedIn page shows diverse candidates who hold manager and executive positions. This shows the possibility for the diverse candidate to grow in his or her career. We only get one life and nobody wants to waste it with a company where there is little opportunity to move upward on merit. The Bad: Your Company’s Page shows only one type of diversity If this is your company page, you’re conveying to the diverse candidate that diversity and inclusion is not a core principle of your company’s culture. The Ugly: Lack of diversity in the “top leadership” jobs Your business might have a ton of diverse employees, but if every single one of them is in an entry-level position, it’s a giant red flag to talented, diverse candidates. This conveys that opportunities to grow are not equal within your workplace, and your company culture is not inclusive. Guilty of the bad and ugly? That means you have a great starting point from which to improve. Help Catapult Leaders help your company. Get your LinkedIn Company Page right because it is very difficult – and I speak from experience – for Catapult Leaders to convince outstanding diverse talent that your company is not what it shows itself to be on LinkedIn. An off-putting LinkedIn page does not scream meritocracy. That’s a system that needs to be fixed. Don’t want your sympathy. Understanding is a start. That’s it. 90 Seconds comes at you fast! Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com/contact-us if you want Catapult Leaders to find super talented Black mid-to-senior level, early-career, or college interns for your organization.Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that sources Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns for Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - with top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion. 

Nobody Leaves Heaven: Everybody Tries to Leave Hell (How to Make Your Company More Inclusive) - a Catapult Leaders Podcast hosted by Darryl L. Mobley, with special guests Morgan Brewton-Johnson and Jasmine S. Mobley. - (Season 5, Episode 37)In this episode of the Catapult Leaders Podcast, Darryl interviews young high-achieving professionals Morgan Brewton-Johnson and Jasmine Mobley, who bring fresh ideas that reveal how your company can become more inclusive and welcoming to Black employees. Topics include:   1. What Company Leaders Should Do To Make Their Companies More Inclusive and Welcoming to Black Employees. 2. Specific action steps Black Employees Must Take in Order to Make Their Company More Inclusive and Welcoming.3. Why the CEO is often lied to on these topics.4. Why the "lowered curb" makes the company better for everyone.5. The relationship between great bosses and accountability.6. The importance of being authentic at work.7. Actual examples of how bias impacts hiring and retention.8. The two choices you have if you find yourself at a company where you cannot be authentic.9. Why you must have soft and hard personal boundaries. 10. Much, much more!Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion. Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.

Are There Racists in Your Office? That may explain your lack of success recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and advancing Black professionals.  Hey company leaders! What are the numbers of talented Black professionals that you’ve recruited, interviewed, hired, developed, and promoted? That’s it. That’s all that matters.  It’s not that you can’t find them. It’s not that they aren’t qualified. If your numbers in the pipeline of Black professionals are woefully low, perhaps you have conscious or unconscious racists among you.Strong words? Perhaps. How did I get here? Listen up to get the inside info.Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.

No more dirty, stinking, rotten, no-good, filthy, smelly Résumés!You need a fantastic resume. Why? Because our experience here at Catapult Leaders tells us that the best resume wins. How important are our clients’ resumes to Catapult Leaders?  We assign one of our expert resume writing consultants to each resume we get from the clients who we are helping get that great next job.  We make sure the resumes are great and best impact the hiring folks at the companies we work with who want to hire the talented folks we connect to them.  It's that important. Here’s how your resume works in the hiring process: Like many, you might submit your resume to an online system that collects your resume, and hundreds – sometimes thousands – even tens of thousands - of others.That's where it gets dicey. Listen up to get the inside info.Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.

Hurdle:  Recruiting "People of Color" is a mask that leads to corporations not hiring, developing, or promoting Black talent.If you doubt me, check out the Black hiring & retention statistics over the past 5 years for those companies that trumpet their People of Color numbers without revealing their Black hiring & retention numbers. Unilever has the correct approach. Welcome to 90 Seconds with Catapult Leaders. (https://bit.ly/cleaders​) Why “90 Seconds”? Because it doesn’t take long to get it right. Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.

Catapult Leaders (CatapultLeaders.com) Diversity Wins! Podcast. Today’s topic: Why CEOs Don’t Hire Black Managers.Catapult Leaders CEO Darryl L. Mobley and guest Stefanie K. Johnson, Ph.D. cover "Why CEOs Don’t Hire Black Managers," and answer a ton of other questions, including…1. Why aren’t there more Black Americans in entry-level professional positions and throughout the management pipeline – from entry level up through senior management? 2. Why have so many companies done a much better job increasing representation of females in management – while doing a very poor job gaining meaningful representation of Black managers?   3. What are the biases held by CEOs and senior managers that are holding back equity-of-opportunities for Black managers? 4. What are some of the traits of a person who is a great manager of diverse employees? 5. What are some of the biggest mistakes made by companies when it comes to onboarding Black talent into entry-level professional positions? 6. What is the one most important thing you would do to increase diverse talent at entry-level manager positions? 7. Why do CEOs think that they’ve been unsuccessful at meaningfully increasing their number of Black management hires?We also discuss what People of Color and women need to "get over" in order to seize opportunities, and what you can do to make the world a better, more equitable place.Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.  Season 5. Episode 33.

The great Frederick Douglass (google him) inspired this thought: "Those companies and individuals who profess to favor equal opportunity for those they have avoided hiring, and yet deprecate true change of their own behavior and results, are phonies who say they want to share power, without giving up their power."Join Darryl Mobley in this powerful 90 Seconds with Catapult Leaders as he explores what's really causing the lack of hiring progress as it regards Black entry-level employees.  Got questions, or solutions? Share your solutions for those facing this hurdle and for the system that creates this environment at CatapultLeaders.com/hurdle. If I select your solution, you get a shirt with the Diversity Unplugged logo. Don’t want your sympathy. Understanding is a start.  That’s it. 90 Seconds comes at you fast!With your input, The Best is Yet to Come! Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.  Season 4. Episode 32. #7 of 28 in special series on hurdles.

Virtue Signaling. You've seen it today, yesterday, the day before that... Virtue Signaling is a very colorful, often dramatic, empty, disingenuous act of support to show solidarity with a cause (such as hiring certain people who were previously not hired due to conscious or unconscious bias), all to boost an individual's or company's image and reputation - rather than do right by those who've been wronged for generations by actually taking powerful actions to fix the problem once and for all. Welcome to 90 Seconds with Catapult Leaders, with host, Darryl L. Mobley. Why “90 Seconds”? Because it doesn’t take long to get it right. This is the 6th of 28 episodes on hurdles some face – that others don’t. SlogansMulti-colored flags“Allies"Black squares on social mediaT-shirtsRaised fistsTearful actors“Love Us” on jerseysBeing “woke” Dumping ice water on your head, Announcing your pronouns… All are “virtue signaling.” For 30+ years, organizations have focused on this virtue signaling, because it distracts you from seeing the lack of tangible results. Nothing is so ineffectual as virtue-signaling masquerading as real change. Talk has always been cheap. A big hurdle faced by Black and other diverse managers as they seek to climb the corporate ladder is the distracting, unhelpful presence of virtue signaling. Declining sales, share loss, poor distribution… These problems are not solved by virtue signaling.  The low level of interviewing, hiring, and retention of Black managers will not be solved by virtue signaling.  When a CEO wants problems solved, she sets goals and assigns responsibilities. If those goals aren’t met, the responsible parties are shown the door. It should be the same with hiring diverse talent. Get it done, or get gone. Virtue signaling is a fake “crocodile tears” hurdle in hiring and advancement because it allows those in charge to not fix the problem, year after year. All things equal – the one NOT facing this hurdle will win the race up the corporate ladder.  That’s not meritocracy. That’s a system that needs to be fixed. Give your solutions for those facing this hurdle and for the system that creates this environment at CatapultLeaders.com/hurdle. If I select your solution, you get a shirt with the Diversity Unplugged logo. Don’t want your sympathy. Understanding is a start.  That’s it. 90 Seconds comes at you fast!With your input, The Best is Yet to Come! Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.  Season 4. Episode 31. #6 of 28 in special series on hurdles.

Employers often decide who to interview, hire... based on Brand Names. Brand Names are very effective hurdles in the hiring and advancement of diverse entry-level prospects. Join Darryl Mobley as he explains why & how Brand Names hurt diverse job applicants in this episode of 90 Seconds with Catapult Leaders. (Got ideas, questions, or solutions? Share them at https://CatapultLeaders.com/hurdle)Why “90 Seconds”? Because it doesn’t take long to get it right. This is the 5th of 28 episodes on hurdles some face – that others don’t. We love Brand Names. We make decisions on what to buy, the amount we pay, based on Brand Names. Employers are also influenced by Brand Names. Employers often decide who to interview, to hire, to promote, how much to pay - - based on Brand Names. By Brand Names, I mean things like the college you attended, the company you worked for, and bogus hiring requirements. Brand Names are a proxy for talent, except when they’re not. What if getting a Brand Name on your resume was largely a function of family income, or having the “complexion-to-make-the-connection”? People of color still find it difficult to get Brand Names on their resumes – not because they don’t have talent – but, because of a self-fulfilling system based on “like likes like.”  Brand Names are hurdles in hiring and advancement. All things equal – the one NOT facing this hurdle will win the race up the corporate ladder.  That’s not meritocracy. That’s a system that needs to be fixed. Give your solutions for those facing this hurdle and for the system that creates this environment at CatapultLeaders.com/hurdle. If I select your solution, you get a shirt with the Diversity Unplugged logo. Don’t want your sympathy. Understanding is a start.  That’s it. 90 Seconds comes at you fast! Catapult Leaders is America's leading executive search firm that matches Black Mid-to-Senior level managers, Early Career talent, and College Interns with Engineering, Supply Chain, Computer & Data Science, and Marketing roles - at top companies that value a diverse pipeline, equity, and inclusion.Contact us at CatapultLeaders.com if you want Catapult Leaders to help you get a great job, or you want Catapult Leaders to find outstanding Black talent for your organization’s jobs and internships.  Season 4. Episode 30. #5 of 28 in special series on hurdles.