MARTHA BEJAR

INDEPENDENT BOARD DIRECTOR FOR: QUADIENT, SPORTSMAN’S WAREHOUSE, COMMVAULT & LUMEN TECHNOLOGIES.

“JUST KEEP TRYING”

THIS QUESTION lays bare my life as an American that comes from a courageous and proud Cuban family. I have grown in business and have earned positions where I have an opportunity to influence and lead, I was raised to be bold, unafraid, and proud of my choices – a golden thread of consistency in my career. I have always focused on moving quickly past individual successes and working hard to change the root cause of biases and inequities.

When the institutional informal network is way more powerful and complicated than my initial assessment, I devise a way out of that tight box and I make sure to flatten the sides and allow for greater acceptance of a broader and inclusive perspective. Not always easy, and yes, I have had setbacks.  But I simply believe that if I (we) are being blocked or minimized, for irresponsible reasons such as ignorance or biases, and I cannot break through those barriers initially, then just like a failed experiment, the best tactic is to regroup, and reassess – find another angle. Don’t get stuck and waste time on an outcome that has come and gone. Prepare better for the next round and build on learnings that continues to flatten the box. I will finish my reflection with this:  we have a lot of work to do in America for our people, and those of us that have leadership roles, need to pay it forward – and make a difference in a life or many lives.