An African American woman had a wake up call she’d like to forget but clearly remembers:

Helen was an attorney in the legal department of a Fortune 100 company. She valued her work, her relationships with colleagues and the professional conduct of her company.

A year or so ago, the company’s human resources department organized a minority recruitment task force; its purpose to attract people of color to the corporation. They invited Helen to join.

True to their word, the HR team appeared eager to launch the recruitment drive. The membership was openly enthusiastic about the company’s resolve. There were a few minority members who voiced concern about retention. They described instances of recruiting employees who were touted as high potential, yet once hired, were not promoted nor encouraged to post for positions that would advance their careers. Instead, they were told, off the record, that although they were doing excellent work in their current positions, they’d have to leave the company to advance.

Helen had heard these stories before; that the effort to hire was there but the encouragement to stay was sadly lacking. She didn’t know the details; the who, when and why of the stories. She left it alone.

Helen asked the group to redirect its focus to its stated purpose: recruitment. She said she’d do her part by contacting former classmates and professors from her undergraduate and law school years, endorsing the company as a good place to work. Several minority colleagues pushed back, frustrated by her apparent lack of interest or involvement in what they believed to be important and disturbing issues. Helen felt they were overreaching and should get on with the job at hand, and said so.

Several months passed. Helen continued attending the sessions yet sat on the sidelines of discussion. The committee met with only limited success. There was a clear division between those who thought the company was making a concerted effort to recruit, and those who held that the recruitment strategy was a transparent effort that lacked integrity and long term commitment. They believed the company was failing to fulfill a basic ethic that assumes qualified individuals will be allowed to compete for bona fide positions, and if their track record merits, will advance within the organization that hires them. A growing number of committee members voiced growing concern that the HR department wasn’t acting in good faith by failing to investigate reports that minority promotions were non existent.

In the weeks that followed, Helen learned that her boss, the director of legal services, was leaving the company. Helen was a senior staffer who had often run the department in his absence. She had graduated from a top ten law school, had established a strong reputation in her field, and considered herself a good bet as his replacement, particularly since the company prided itself on promoting from within. To be on the safe side, she talked to her boss and asked for his take on her chances. Helen was stunned by his response.

He told her that she was his choice and would do an excellent job, but she wouldn’t get it. He suggested she not pursue it and instead apply for a director’s position with another company.

Helen was dumbfounded. She asked for an explanation and he said he wasn’t in a position to give one. She posted for the position, and was not asked to interview. The job went to someone from outside the company, with less experience and a less than stellar track record.

She applied for a director level position with three organizations, interviewed and received offers from two. She’s now working for a multinational company, leading a team of 9 attorneys. With strong support from her CEO, she’s instituted a company wide mentoring program that provides performance feedback to all employees of color who seek career challenge and promotional opportunity. Its purpose is to improve retention. Her purpose is to combine cautious optimism with realistic vigilance. She still shakes her head at her earlier “anyone but me” experience and doesn’t want another wake up call.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.joycerichman.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.