The power of representation
“You can’t be what you can’t see.”
Marian Wright EdelmanWednesday mattered.
In 17 years in media and advertising, I've worked for four agencies—holdco and independent, media-only and full-service—in Chicago, Austin, and Dallas. As a part of that, I've worked for so many truly outstanding managers. But there was one commonality: none of my managers looked like me. Not my manager's managers. Not my manager's manager's managers. Not a single one was a South Asian man.
However, I never considered it. I had excellent mentors to help me along my path.
Early in my career, my director told me Rishad Tobaccowala would help us with a client project. I never met or spoke with Rishad, but that's when I learned about him. I've "followed" his wisdom since then.
Rishad's book, Restoring the Soul of Business, has many great lessons, but one tale struck me. Rishad’s director told him, "“I am sorry to say that you are unlikely to be as successful as your skills and drive should ideally make you, because you are too different and people will not be comfortable with you.” The implication, of course, was that my dark skin and Indian ancestry would work against me as I attempted to move up the career ladder."
Reading this section of his book, I felt seen. I was seen by someone who had never met me. I was seen in a way that I feel no past manager of mine has ever seen me. It made me think back to all my past managers and realize I never had a manager who looked like me.
I feel incredibly lucky to be where I am in my career and often wonder how I even got here. I often remind myself that I am "just a guy," understanding that I am one person working with brilliant individuals to generate incredible solutions for our clients. I dread introducing myself by title. I tell people I learn a lot about someone by how they treat me without knowing my title or position. But what is unsaid is self-promotion is discouraged in my culture. The group means more than the individual. I battle with the fact that modesty and humility are ingrained in me, but in my field, self-promotion is required for advancement. Many cultures value humility, but it's nuanced, and I wish I had a mentor early in my career to help me navigate those nuances. When success required changing ingrained values, talking to someone like myself would have been good.
In the moments when I questioned if someone like me could make it in this industry, seeing Rishad’s success helped me push past the mental hurdles required to achieve my own. I recognize that Rishad’s strengths, struggles, and story are different than mine in so many ways – but the point is that each of us has pieces of ourselves that can inspire. When people are generous enough to spend their time and share their wisdom with a community they might never meet, it creates possibilities that might not otherwise be possible.
Never underestimate the extraordinary power of mentorship, representation, and generosity.
Wednesday was my first time seeing Rishad speak in person.