For too long you’ve asked,
How can we better support our Black & Brown talent?
Sure, your organization has done a lot of things right:
You have a Chief Diversity Officer.
You have a program designed to improve the retention and development of your Black and Brown professionals.
But let me ask you this…
If you can’t answer this, you’re in the right place.
Most organizations don’t know if their programs are making a difference or not.
See if your program gets results by answering 3 quick questions:
1.
Do you have a high turnover of Black and Brown employees?
2.
Do you lack Black and Brown employees in leadership roles?
3.
Have engagement surveys shown that Black and Brown employees are not as engaged as others in the organization?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it’s a sign your existing measures aren’t effective.
And your employees know it: 60% of professionals do not believe their companies provide effective diversity and inclusion support.
Corporate Alley Cat programs provide measurable, actionable results for organizations and teams.
You want to make a real difference, not just “check the box” with performative initiatives.
We have unique tools to support your Black and Brown talent that get measurable results.
This isn’t passive training, we walk you step-by-step through applying and executing so you see results on Day One.
We give Black and Brown professionals the skills to navigate the corporate environment that make a real difference in their career.
You’ll come away with qualitative and quantitative metrics so you can assess the effectiveness of the program and stay on track with your goals, like this:
Strengthen your organization as a whole
Organizations with inclusive cultures are:
As likely to meet or exceed financial targets
As likely to be high performing
More likely to achieve better business outcomes
The benefits of our program reach far beyond individual employees.
It’s great for the company too, on every level. Including the bottom line.
Here are just a few ways your organization will benefit from diversity, equity and inclusion:
Less
turnover
Better retain your valuable existing talent and reduce your turnover.
Diverse pipeline
There’s so much hidden talent within your organization. See how to identify and support your emerging talent and mid-level leaders.
Inclusive environment
Everyone has a voice and is comfortable contributing. Diverse organizations benefit from innovative solutions when employees feel valued and confident to bring their ideas to the table.
Engaged workforce
Organizations have stronger performance when employees feel valued and see the growth potential.
Improved reputation
DE&I is a key driver of reputation. Your organization will be sought out by top talent and customers who want to work with companies that prioritize diversity, equality and inclusion.
Despite the clear benefits, DE&I initiatives that get results are traditionally difficult to implement.
That’s why we’ve created a step-by-step process that breaks it down into doable steps.
Support your employees
How would it feel to have all the right professional certifications, degrees, and experience… and still be overlooked for promotions
This is the frustrating reality that Black and Brown professionals face throughout their career.
β of Black professionals say they have to work harder than their colleagues to advance their careers.
Despite having the right qualifications and commitment, many people of color find themselves wondering how to break through to the next level - feeling overlooked, unheard and undervalued.
We give employees the tools to break through the glass ceiling:
Our programs are proven and practical.
We’ve run our programs in a wide range of industries, and we know they get results. (We’ve got the data to show it!)
We offer our signature programs, the ability to tailor them with additional support, custom-built programs, and executive coaching.
And unlike most one-and-done leadership programs, we don’t leave people wondering “...now what?” after it’s done.
All our corporate programs come with extended support. Your employees get on-demand access to our best tools, training, resources, and templates so they can effectively implement what they’ve learned and advance their career.
Send us a message and we’ll quickly assess the best way for your organization to reach its DE&I goals.
1.
Identify and develop your diverse talent so you better recruit, develop, support and retain Black and Brown professionals
2.
Gain essential tools to support your Black and Brown professionals and the unique challenges they face
3.
Have a structured step-by-step practical process that gets measurable results
4.
Track the effectiveness of your initiative by knowing the key metrics to monitor
5.
Get extended support with our on-demand digital training platform where employees have instant access to courses, tools, resources and templates
See our signature programs
The Six Pillars of Corporate Confidence
This framework gives actionable strategies, resources and tools so your organization develops a strong, sustainable, diverse talent pipeline.
It was crafted using feedback gathered from thousands of professionals of color in the corporate arena.
We used this data to create actionable programming that helps Professionals of Color navigate the corporate environment and gives a clear path forward.
Lack of knowledge in these key areas often results in unintentional career derailment, causing organizations to lose valuable existing talent.
By addressing these 6 core needs your organization will retain, support and develop your Black and Brown professionals.
This is the playbook your employees have been waiting for.
The Six Pillars cover:
Organizational savvy
Understand how things get done in an organization.
What experiences do employees need to get to the next level? Who are the key decision makers - including people who don’t have that title? What are the written and unwritten rules? Understanding this gives a clear path forward.
Strategic Relationships
Identify, build and leverage key relationships in the organization.
Managing Feedback
Embrace and manage feedback. Employees will understand how to effectively respond to both positive and negative feedback while strengthening their partnership with their managers.
Branding and Positioning
Employees will identify their brand, understand its impact on their career, and leverage it to position themselves for future opportunities.
Exposure and Visibility
How can employees get in front of the right people who can help advance their careers? We walk them through how to create opportunities and how to attain them.
Negotiation
This goes way beyond salary negotiations. Everyday interactions and negotiations can make or break careers. Daily interactions are just as important as the big projects.
Want to support your Black and Brown talent in the 6 key areas they need it most?
Mentor in 30 Days
Connecting your Black and Brown employees with mentors and advocates is one of the best ways you can support them and propel their careers.
They feel their mentor won’t understand the invisible barriers to advancement that they face daily.
Our program addresses that head-on. We share how to build and leverage career-advancing relationships with mentors and advocates from diverse backgrounds.
IDENTIFY
BUILD
LEVERAGE
Mentor in 30 Days covers:
β How to identify a mentor
β How to build a relationship with them
β How to leverage that relationship
Employees will understand how to find and use mentors who advocate for them when they’re not in the room.
It gets career-defining results:
- “I identified 3 mentors and created a strategic plan to communicate my needs to each”
- “I connected with an Executive Level Sponsor for mentorship on a monthly cadence”
- “I joined the DE&I team which has for VPs on it”
- “I made the decision to not be a best-kept secret”
- “I was selected to be part of a national initiative with Takeda that would allow me to be a voice for DE&I and be a part of building the future of this important task”
Why The Corporate Alley Cat is right for you
I’m Deborah T. Owens, founder and CEO of The Corporate Alley Cat.
You probably want to hear about how I have 20+ years of experience working with Fortune 100 companies.
But this isn’t just about my professional experience - it’s about my personal experience in the workplace.
Let me take you back…
I got an email from my boss. As I read, my body tenses up. My heart beats faster. My chest tightens.
It was hard to believe I was dealing with discrimination - after all, it’s the 21st century!
But even though I was performing at a high level according to all metrics and standards used by my organization, here I was facing:
- Negative feedback without any coaching or suggestions for improvement,
- Undermined authority,
- Colleagues and team members inappropriately copied on emails,
- Ignored emails and requests,
- Sexist statements
- And being treated differently.
It was physically, emotionally and mentally draining.
Going to work each day and pretending that everything was, “Ok!” and “Going great!” was exhausting.
I lost sleep, 20 pounds, and the stress was killing me.
After 8 months I’d had enough. I pulled together my documentation and sent a letter to the highest level of my organization.
I clearly and firmly requested an immediate resolution to this situation.
One week later, the president of my company called me: “Deborah, I want to apologize. We should have intervened sooner.”
I hung up the phone and I felt relief wash over me - and along with it, sadness, frustration and grief.
But also, determination: I never, ever wanted anyone else to experience this alone.
Through Corporate Alley Cat programs, I’ve reached thousands of professionals and equipped them to handle the opportunities and challenges that people of color face in the corporate arena.
Now I’m here to support your organization.
What corporate partners say
“Amway participants LOVE The Alley and the wealth of resources available, stating that the resources access helped them get back on track with planning, managing, and/or advancing their career.”
Lynnette Collins
Former Director Diversity & Inclusion, Culture And Talent Acquisition
Amway
It’s time to support your organization and your employees.
Corporate Alley Cat programs have a lasting impact in your organization, far beyond what a conference or a 1-day training can provide.
