Underrepresentation in Leadership Limits Black Professionals’ Growth

In many organizations, seeking a promotion is about more than just meeting performance benchmarks—it’s about having the right advocates in leadership. So, being Black at work means facing an additional challenge: the lack of senior leaders who champion your readiness for promotion. This results in limited guidance on promotion criteria and fewer senior leaders who can vouch for their readiness when key decisions are being made. These organizational shortcomings reinforce systemic barriers that hinder career progression for Black professionals.

Problem: Lack of Advocacy Stifles Promotion Opportunities

The absence of Black leaders in senior positions contributes to a gap in advocacy, stifling promotion opportunities for Black professionals. Leadership often plays a key role in advocating for employees, offering mentorship, and influencing promotion decisions. However, only 3.2% of executive and senior-level managers are Black (SHRM, 2021), and this lack of representation in leadership trickles down to Black employees, who miss out on vital advocacy.

Being Black at work often means meeting promotion criteria but being overlooked because no one in leadership is championing their progress. The absence of sponsors or advocates means that their accomplishments are less visible, making it harder to gain access to critical projects and opportunities for advancement. These barriers are not individual failings but rather the result of structural inequities that prevent Black professionals from reaching leadership roles.

Opportunity: Increasing Advocacy Can Drive Career Advancement

Organizations have an opportunity to address these systemic gaps by actively fostering advocacy for Black professionals. Senior leaders who sponsor and mentor Black employees can help provide the guidance and advocacy many are currently missing. This can demystify promotion criteria, ensuring Black professionals are supported in their career growth. The result is a more inclusive, equitable promotion process that allows everyone an equal chance to succeed.

Addressing underrepresentation in leadership is not just about increasing diversity—it’s about creating pathways for Black professionals to have advocates who can help them navigate the often unwritten rules of career advancement.

Take Action: Strengthen Advocacy for Black Professionals

For Organizational Leaders:

• Establish sponsorship programs: Formalize mentorship and sponsorship opportunities that connect Black professionals with senior leaders who will actively advocate for their promotion. These programs help ensure that underrepresented talent isn’t left behind.
• Promote Black leadership: Commit to increasing Black representation at senior levels. When Black leaders are present in decision-making spaces, they can advocate for other Black employees and provide valuable mentorship.

For Allies in Leadership:

• Champion Black talent: Use your influence to actively vouch for the contributions and potential of Black employees in leadership discussions. When you see a colleague ready for promotion, speak up and ensure their achievements are recognized.

In the meantime, being Black at work means:

• Proactively seeking advocates: Don’t wait for advocacy to find you. Build relationships with potential mentors and sponsors who can provide guidance and visibility in leadership spaces. Reach out to senior leaders, both within and outside your organization, through networks like Black At Work, to foster connections that can help advance your career.

Close the Advocacy Gap Now

• As an organizational leader, you might feel sponsorship programs take too much time or resources. But the reality is that creating formal or informal mentorship opportunities is a small investment with huge returns, both in employee retention and the organization's long-term success.
• Being Black at work, you might feel like seeking sponsorship makes you look too aggressive or pushy. But self-advocacy isn’t about asking for favors—it’s about ensuring your work is seen and valued like your peers. By proactively seeking mentorship or sponsorship, you position yourself for growth.

We can create workplaces where Black professionals have strong advocates, mentors, and sponsors who guide them through career advancement. This fosters a culture of fairness, ensuring that talent is recognized and rewarded based on merit, not exclusion.

What’s Next?

Exclusion from leadership conversations and lack of advocacy should no longer be the norm for Black professionals. Whether you’re a leader building a more inclusive workplace, or someone seeking mentorship, the time to act is now.

• Have you ever experienced a lack of advocacy or guidance on promotions in your career?
• Have you handled this challenge in your organization or career? If so, how?