A major opportunity for positive change

摘要

It was about 15 years ago that I made the transition from middle management recruitment in local government into executive level positions. I remember meeting a corporate director, who happened to be female and from a BAME background, and almost being starstruck about her list of achievements back then. The reason for meeting her was so that I could give her some feedback on an interview she had participated in at a local authority. Apparently she had presented well, and they were impressed with her achievements, but ultimately they felt she wouldn't 'fit' their culture as well as some of the other applicants would. I watched as a senior colleague of mine told her that she should not waste time going for local authority chief executive positions and focus on director level roles because that is where her skills and lived experiences will be most relevant. I'll never forget the smile she gave me that day on receiving that feedback. It was gentle, graceful and spoke a thousand words, which at the time I did not fully understand.