Diversity in leadership: Forge your own success

"Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else." Maya Angelou's timeless words resonate deeply in today's workplace, especially when it comes to fostering DEI and prioritizing diversity in leadership positions.

In the corporate world, courage often begins with a few key steps: fighting fear, trusting your own voice, speaking up and knowing your worth. Real change happens when we can take that courage to also open doors and provide opportunities for deserving people from diverse backgrounds.

Eugina Jordan, a chief marketing officer in the telecom sector, change agent and now author, is on a mission to transform the professional world to be more diverse, equitable, inclusive and bold.

Jordan's book, Unlimited: The Seventeen Proven Laws for Success in a Workplace Not Designed for You, is a leadership book written for women, immigrants and people of color who want to evolve into corporate leaders. We met virtually to discuss Unlimited, bond as Gen X and millennial working mothers, and share a laugh. Here's a recap of our discussion.

Editor's note: The following was edited for length and clarity.

Every book has a backstory. What led you to write this book?

Click on the book
cover to learn more
about 'Unlimited.'

Eugina Jordan: I always wanted to write a book, and I never had the time until COVID happened. I wasn't traveling, so I had so much time on my hands. I started to read, and I was reading literature book after literature book, self-Improvement book after self-Improvement book. When I finished reading maybe 30 or 40 -- we were stuck at home, couldn't go anywhere -- I realized that the majority of the books I read were written by men -- most importantly, by white men for white men.

Don't get me wrong, I reference those books in my book. They're classics; they're leadership classics. I enjoyed them very much. But those authors don't know how it is to be the first one in the room that doesn't look like, doesn't sound like or is not the same gender as the rest of the room; how to be the only one in the room; and how to network or grow the way that feels authentic to you because you're not like majority of the leaders and executives out there. I wanted to write the book for me 20 years ago.

In Unlimited, you discuss 17 'laws' for succeeding in the workplace. How did you decide that these were the most meaningful concepts to share?

Jordan: My philosophy is that we control our own destiny. I believe that I'm as talented, gifted and deserving as any white man out there. It doesn't matter that I was born in Russia; it doesn't matter that I was a single mom. The list goes on.

That's why the majority of my book, which has three parts, teaches individuals how to control their own thoughts, develop self-awareness and talk about their accomplishments. As underrepresented women and immigrants, we're taught that it's not proper to talk about our accomplishments and that the work will speak for itself. But it doesn't.

It's all about making ourselves understand and feel confident that we deserve our place. Don't feel like a victim. If someone steals your work, call them out. If you're afraid to do it alone, find people who can help you -- people who are on your side. It starts with us.

The second part of the book talks about building your village -- finding mentors and sponsors.

The last part goes back to how our conversation started. I'm in my '50s now, and I still want to be a CEO someday. Maybe I'll be my own CEO. But now my mission is to give back. I've found my purpose, and it's giving back, opening more doors and building more tables. If someone tries to close a door, I'm going to push them away. I'll kick the door open if I have to, because that's my mission: Don't close the doors. The ones I've opened let people like me come in behind me.

What are the top reasons why you think it's still so hard for women, immigrants and people of color to become corporate leaders?

Jordan: That's a good question, and I'm going to go back to this: It's on us. We need to fight. If the door closes, we need to climb through the window. I know it's not easy because it took me a long time to become a chief marketing officer with my previous company. Every single man on the team was a chief or executive vice president, and I deserved the title. I kept asking for it.

But now my mission is to give back. I've found my purpose, and it's giving back, opening more doors and building more tables.

You need to find ways. The way I found was to say, 'OK, let's set milestones. I understand I need to work for the milestone. Once I reach those milestones, then let's discuss the title.' My boss, who was a wonderful man, said yes, and we set out on that path.

It all comes down to us. You smart ladies, you deserve a seat at the table. Once you change your mindset, unfortunately, yes, you will have to work double. You're doing it not just for yourself. You're doing it for ladies, people of color and immigrants that come after you. Find bosses like I did. Show them the value and then work on it. I know it's hard, and I'm not taking away from the fact that it's not fair or right. But once you change your mindset and say, 'Yep, I deserve it,' you're going to appear confident, and you will be recognized as a confident leader with executive presence.

No one looks at me differently when I show up in my pink blazer. It's how you carry yourself. People tell me, 'Oh my God, you're so confident.' It took years to build. Write those affirmation sticky notes. Put them in the bathroom. Write in your morning journal how awesome you are. Eventually, what you think, you're going to believe.

If readers could walk away with one key message from your book, what would it be?

Jordan: Sometimes you might lose a battle or two. Don't dwell on those battles because you want to win the war. Find out what that war is and what your purpose is, and don't worry about being knocked down or losing a battle. The goal is not the battle itself.

Natasha Carter is the director of partnerships and event content at TechTarget. Prior, she served as the director of audience development at TechTarget. Carter also co-leads diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the organization.