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Your boss left you.

Damn!

And this was the brother who brought you into the company.

Well, here’s some insight on what that brother was going through when you showed up at that meeting with him and he let you know two months after bringing you into the company that he was moving on.

For a number of reasons, this brother may be moving on; however, he most likely wanted to stay to shepherd your success. His choice to leave most likely had nothing to do with you.

Behind the scenes, he was likely thinking about his work life, balance, his total compensation, and his opportunity to make an impact on the organization, and he simply prioritized those to move his career forward.

So for those guys who are upset, because this was the brother, the only Black man above you in senior leadership, who you could confide in about racial matters and truly understand the corporate culture, I want you to know that not all is lost and that you can still have a thriving experience at your current company.

To make sure that you have all the immediate support you need to win on the job…

Number one, you should get yourself a coach; number two, you should get a psychotherapist; number three, you should have a virtual assistant; number four, you need to find another executive sponsor; and number five, you absolutely should have a recruiter on your team because the best time to get a job is when you have a job.

Now, for the brothers who have to leave, you guys in senior leadership roles, who have walked the corporate tightrope and overcome the racial bias around elevating other Black people at the company, are trying not to be looked at sideways by non-Black executives who think you were playing favorites.

For you guys, we have a roster of one or many other Black employees, or employees of any background that have come underneath you, I want to let you know that it’s OK to leave.

It’s going to sound harsh, but you are not their father or caretaker, although you might be their mentor or executive sponsor. But ultimately, it is up to everybody to take charge of their own careers.

In addition, those staff members you were really close with, you can continue to guide them to a degree while taking on your new role at your new company.

For the guys that choose to go, know that it’s all right to go and that you’re not damaging the careers of those coming up behind you, and hopefully by that point, you’ve shown them how to build a network and introduced them to people at your former organization that can help pick up the baton from where you left off.

Staying focused on your next best values-aligned role, is what you are supposed to do. It’s good modeling for those coming up behind you because they will see you ideally move into a place of more happiness, more respect, more recognition, a larger total compensation package, and a better title. This is teaching them how to play the corporate game to win.

Jewel Edward Love, Jr., is the author of this newsletter. I am an executive coach for Black men in senior leadership roles. If you are a brother in an executive role (C-suite, svp, vp, senior director, or director) who would like to fully realize your professional potential, then reach out today for a consultation with me at the link below.

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