Cheryl L. Bevelle-Orange - The Courage to Continue: Navigating Your Corporate Journey

THE
COURAGE
TO
CONTINUE

NAVIGATING YOUR
CORPORATE JOURNEY

CHERYL L. BEVELLE-ORANGE

Copyright 2022 Cheryl Orange.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the
written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or
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ISBN: 979-8-7652-2586-8 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-2587-5 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 10/27/2022

CONTENTS

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO:

~The 21-year-old, young, Black woman who resembles the 21-year-old version of myself as she embarks upon a journey into the corporate world.

~To the young woman who is afraid of being far away from the comforts of home, fearful of failure, and terrified of being alone, navigating what society and circumstances has created for her.

~To the young woman who is sitting in her undecorated work cubicle wondering, W hat do I do now ? Who can help me? Am I enough? Do I belong? Did I make the right deci sion?

~To all of the women above the older, wiser version of me will tell you to do everything you have dreamt of doing, talk to everyone in order to build a viable network, and take breaks when you need to replenish so you have the stamina to keep moving forward.

~And yes, YOU ARE ENOUGH! You made the right decision. Your parents and village are prouder than you can imagine. Stay focused and keep pressing on. If not for yourself, keep going for the next generation of young ladies who will stand on your shoulders and follow in your footsteps.

~Che ryl~

My Personal Jou rney

It was the summer of 1990. I was young, bright-eyed, excited, and, like most 21-year-olds with a brand spanking new college degree under their belt, I was ready to explore and conquer the world!

As my 13-year-old brother, Michael, and I set off on a 35-hour, cross-country trek with our paper roadmap, in my Chevy Cavalier, driving from Bessemer, Alabama to Fairfield, California gave me mixed emotions churning in the pit of my stomach. I was excited and hopeful about my future, yet anxious and fearful of failure. I remember the faces of my parents and the sound of my mother, as she choked back tears, trying her best to utter the words goodbye, not sure when she would see her baby girl again. The image of my parents and neighbors who had become my extended family and village is one forever ingrained in my psyche. Why? Because, for me, it marked the beginning of an era of becoming.

Prior to that, the only other place I had ever ventured, outside of Alabama, was Detroit, Michigan, where we typically traveled for vacations, funerals, and family reunions. So imagine a young, naive, inexperienced, and impressionable Black girl relocating to the sunshine, blue skies, unpredictable, and fast-paced living the golden state of California offered. I was determined to be successful equipped with a multitude of prayers, full tank of gas, $1,000 (from graduation gifts and savings), and the promise of a job paying $800 a week to carry me to my next step whatever that was.

One of the seemingly trillion and one job applications I completed since earning my dual degrees, a B.A. in Marketing, and a B.S. in Computer Science from Jacksonville State University, landed me my first real corporate job. And while I had no real experience outside of working at Krystals taking orders and being a hostess at a local restaurant, the job was ideal for my basic credentials and interests. I had hopes of exploring places other than Alabama and Detroit by traveling the world, someday.

Albeit far from what I now consider a corporate position, my first real job was as a Base Exchange Manager for the Army and Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES), also known as the BX. This position put me on the path to corporate success, prepared with some foundational lessons it taught me.

Fast forward, almost 30 years later, I am now Managing Director of Information Technology at a Fortune 500 transportation company and a leader in my industry. Through my career path spanning decades, Ive gained experience in the areas of leadership, marketing, project/program management, strategy development and IT operations and governance.

My playbook of experience in breaking down barriers and climbing the countless steps on my personal ladder to success, inspired me to start documenting my journey nearly 25 years ago. As I prepared to publish my first book, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, which added an additional layer of knowledge to my databank. I gained a fresh, new perspective on how to thrive in the workplace. And while work as we know it has clearly changed, some of the fundamental aspects will always remain the same.

I am sharing lessons learned from situations Ive experienced, encountered and studied so your task of traveling the corporate path wont be as daunting as it was for me. When I first started out, I had no idea how a corporate environment operated. The concepts I will outline in this book have been tested, tweaked and validated as Ive mentored hundreds throughout my career and seen, firsthand, the results.

I can honestly say that writing this book has been a labor of love and cathartic for me as it allowed me to release my thoughts into a space where I initially had no one to talk to. It is lonely being the ONLY. Many times I was either the only person of color, the only woman, or sometimes both. Through writing, I was able to debrief my experiences, reflect on certain scenarios and situations, and sometimes cry during moments of reflection.

My initial goal for documenting my journey was to ensure I equipped my two children with insight and ideas that would help them when they began their professional careers. My children are now all grown up, complete with college degrees and jobs. Unbeknownst to them, they were actual test studies on many of my concepts. My goal now is to support first-time corporate personnel by offering this guide to help them surf the potential rough waters of their careers more smoothly.

Complete with strategies and information, my hope is this book will provide valuable insight so you are not oblivious, naive, and unaware when navigating the structure of the corporate workplace. I encourage you, as a reader, to take this guide, study the contents and journal your thoughts, along the way. Documenting these will undoubtedly help you discover how to apply the tips, practices and tools outlined in this publication.