Edith Cooper

It is obvious that times have changed for women since the stone age! Gone are the days where the kitchen is a woman’s only office to show off her skills! African-American Edith Cooper showed Goldman Sachs what she was made of, and became the Managing Director in 1998. This was after just two years working at the company. In the year 2000 she became a partner.

Reflection

What do you think Edith went through to achieve this corporate height of success? One thing we know is that she didn’t sit around moaning about the many obstacles she must have faced as a black female in an usually top white, male dominated environment. Being black has its challenge but being black and female also has its additional challenge.

Statistically, top corporate jobs are usually out of the reach to white females not to mention black females. There is still a lot of prejudice against women and their ability to give in the hours and dedication and commitment, usually because of concerns regarding family pressure that may impact on their ability to be sold out to their jobs. But Edith did it! Let’s learn from her, and I would advise to research more into what she did and how she did it, especially if her line of work and potential success relates to you.

Remember, the more we identify role models who have overcome what we are trying to achieve, the more we equip ourselves with the right type of information that shall positively influence us to go all out for our dreams. So, what are you waiting for? Get busy today, and to help you along, here are 3 action points

Action Points

1. Set a goal today on how you plan to achieve a specific milestone over the next 3 months in your potential journey. Remember, Edith achieved Managing Director status just 2 years after working at Goldman Sachs “ I am sure she must have had a short term plan, a strategy for attaining that level, that she regularly reviewed and progressed on.

2. Identify your biggest fear or obstacle “ think of 3 ways you can overcome this, maybe speak to someone who you look up to and possesses the right competence to help you out.

3. Is time to go back to college? Or maybe time to take a professional job. If you aim is to hit top managerial status, then you will need to back this up with the right experience, skills and attributes. So go and take that course if need be so as to position yourself for promotion.

Remember, life is not a rehearsal! Take daily actions in working out your potential!

Read up on more stories like this in the inspirational upcoming Beyond Being Black book - visit www.beyondbeingblack.com