Janice Bryant Howroyd - Acting Up: Winning in Business and Life Using Down-Home Wisdom

The jumbo jet lumbered slowly down the taxiway at Los Angeles International Airport. It turned left and then left again onto the runway. The roar of four engines rose to full thrust, accelerating the wide- body airplane down the runway faster and faster. The nose came up, and I heard the rumble of the wheels clearing the tarmac and retracting into the bay behind my seat. I craned my neck to look out of the window at the Pacific Ocean sparkling two thousand feet below. Gently, the plane banked right. We had arrivedfirst class from LA to Monte Carlo.

I was the CEO of a successful and growing business. But this was the first time I had ever flown first class. An organization that was honoring the top fifty female entrepreneurs in the world was bringing us all to Europe, and their awards committee had selected me as an honoree. Now, Trish and I were on our way to a luxurious dinner on the Mediterranean coast.

Trish is more than my sistershe is one of my closest friends. I was thrilled to share this experience with her. As the plane thundered through the darkening sky, we truly did enjoy the fine food, comfy reclining seats, and fantastic service of first class. Our cabin made for an idyllic setting, and I should have felt relaxed. I was, literally, on top of the world.

But I wasnt relaxed. Something was bothering me.

Anyone who works with me will tell you I am a supremely confident woman. I am a successful founder and CEO. More than two thousand employees work in my organization over a span of over twenty countries. We process more than two million W -2s each year, and we did billions in revenue last year. I have given hundreds of speeches, and I routinely meet with other CEOs and entrepreneurs. I have even counseled three presidents of the United States.

Yet I was nervous about this awards dinner.

During the flight to Monaco, I examined the list and read the bios of the other forty - nine honorees. These were international superstars. Some were billionaire CEOs. Many ran global brands; they were household names. They graced the covers of Forbes , Fortune , Inc ., and Fast Company . One woman was the head of a global liquor and spirits empire; another was instrumental in Australias most famous pearl dynasty. These women were celebrities of the business world.

But I was justwell, I was just me . A neighborhood kid from Tarboro, North Carolina, who grew up in the segregated South. While I had fought racism, sexism, and a lot of other isms to succeed in business, I didnt feel like anyone who belonged at an event like this one. I hadnt even ridden in a car until I was fourteen years old, never mind flying first class to Monaco. I was worried. Weve got a lot of work to do for black women , I thought, if Im the one they invited.

Oh my God, girl, I said to Trish, suddenly a little panicked. My palms were sweaty and my heart was beating fast. How did we get here? What if they didnt really mean to invite us? What if its a mistake?

Trish could see I was only half joking. Girl, she replied, theyre going to have a lot of explaining to do if they invited us over and were not supposed to be here.

My sisters a funny and pragmatic woman, and she always knows just what I need to hear. She looked into my eyes. Well, she said, the plane tickets worked, so thats a good sign.

That cracked both of us up. Were gonna party hard, she continued, and embarrass them if they try to send us away. By that time, we were making a scene, laughing so hard. We made a pact: no more worrying. We were really going to enjoy this experience.

After we deplaned and passed through customs, a wonderful team of people greeted us. They held signs with our names printed on them and whisked us to a chauffeured limousine that took us to our hotel. In our room, beautiful gifts awaited us. In fact, every evening when we returned to the hotel, we found fabulous new gifts and fresh flowers waiting for us.

These people are gonna have me breaking my damn teeth, Trish said after opening one of the gift bags.

What are you talking about? I said, as I looked over and saw her rubbing natural pearls on her teeth to see if they were real. They were.

Our hosts really treated us like royalty. At that point in my career, I was not accustomed to star treatment. I still worried that I didnt belongthat I wouldnt be accepted. Jan, cant you get out of that mode? Trish said, trying to lift me up. This is you! Look at this card. Thats your name on it, right? This is you! You deserve to be here. Youve earned it.

The big event was a fancy gala dinner at the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium, made famous by French conservationist Jacques Cousteau. The museum was incredible, built in Baroque Revival architecture style and set high on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. Princess Caroline of Monaco greeted us as we arrived.

The dinner was a big deal, prepared by a five - star chef. Everyone around us was saying that the ratings for chefs only go up to four stars, so this chef must be all that and more. But Trish was concernedand for good reason, as it turned out.

When the waiters brought out the first course, Trish leaned her nose near the plate. She was sniffing it. What are you doing? I hissed. Stop that.

Im trying to smell this to see if its really what it looks like it is.

It was allegedly some kind of fancy pt, and Im sure it cost a fortune.

It looks like two turds on a plate, she whispered.

We roared with laughter. Everyone stared at us, but we couldnt stop laughing. That was the highlight of the meal. It went downhill from there. I forget how many courses they served, but between the two of us, we barely ate anything. The food was too fancy. And it wasnt filling.

Girl, I couldnt eat any of that, and if I keep sitting up in here without eating something, Ill get drunk, Trish confided as the waiters topped off her drink.

Trish, I said, dont drink the champagne! Dont drink the champagne!

After it was all over, we were still hungry. Luckily, wed made friends with our driver, Joelle. Where do you go to eat? Trish asked him as we climbed into the car. He was supposed to take us back to the hotel, but Trish had other ideas. Joelle listed a bunch of fancy fine - dining restaurants. Trish called him out.

Youre not eating there, though. Where do y ou go to eat when youre hungry?

Joelle tried to refuse Trish (not a good idea). Oh no, Madame, you do not want to go to the restaurants that we go to.

Yes, we do. Take us there.

Joelle hesitated, but we insisted. He made us promise we wouldnt tell anyone. Then he took us to a restaurant where the locals eat. He described it to us as a French peasant restaurant.

It is one of the best meals Ive eaten to this day.

Many years later, we still laugh about that experience: two turds on a plate prepared by a five - star chef, followed by a French peasant meal that was out - of - this - world delicious.