The corporate world is pretty homogeneous–basically everyone looks the same. Being black, this is something you notice. You’re always slightly aware of not only the melanin differences, but the differences in mentality as well.  That’s just the way it is. It’s not always a bad thing, it just correlates with the differences people have. However […]

When I graduated from college I was ready to tame the world. I was brimming with knowledge, and ready to show people how intelligent I was. I quickly learned that the book knowledge I had gathered was a great foundation but “experiential knowledge” is what propelled me forward along the skill set path. Most of […]

Career goals and 5- or 10-year plans are important to your development, but often times young professionals box themselves in too tightly based on plans they have before launching their careers. One of the beautiful things about the beginning of your career is the ability to occupy many different roles quickly to gain exposure to […]

All of us have heard the advice “Fail Fast, Fail Often”, with the guidance being there is valuable knowledge to be gained through failure that can lead to future successes. I agree with this advice, but I have always tried to add an extra layer – “fail fast and often early in your career by […]

  One of my favorite parts of high school was our lunch and “flex”, think recess for high schoolers. My friends and I would sit at the same table, in the same spots, everyday. Discussions ranged from our current crushes (about 80% of the conversation) to our latest athletic accomplishment, and how it was unequivocally […]

You never know which relationships will support you later in life and in your career.

  Often time’s people use their experiences to instruct others on common mistakes or missteps that they have made. Sometimes you will think that you are doing others a favor by not letting them make the same mistakes or fall into the same traps. This isn’t always well received. Sometimes when trying to teach younger […]

From the onset of my professional career, I was always looking for the corporate, stable job. I worked at a 1,000+ employee business to begin my career and then a company that had been in business for 50+ years. Both seemed to have good track records, obviously. I learned a lot at both of these […]

  I have learned many valuable lessons in my life through teaching, coaching and mentorship.  These came primarily from my upbringing and from my experience as an assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Division III lacrosse program in Lexington, Kentucky. As I have reflected on my life and how my life has lead me to this […]

  Whether it’s professional or personal, you need someone you can look up to, learn from and trust they have your best interest in mind. Professionally speaking, your everyday work can be very tough, demanding and overwhelming, especially for someone with less experience who is trying to grow and advance in their career. It may […]