Black MBA - Summer 2008 - (Page 5)

Black MBA Magazine Summer 2008 “Passion, Purpose and Power” From the President & CEO | Barbara L. Thomas A s you may have read in past issues of Black MBA, I rely on my “Three-P” approach when making tough choices and decisions. I measure my level of passion about the topic, look for the connection to a greater purpose and try to determine what impact or power I can bring to the table. I have shared with you how to use the Three-P approach (passion, purpose and power) to gain fulfillment and success. In this edition, I want to talk about the big “P” – power. and beyond, in Washington, D.C., for a dialogue on the disappearing middle class and the effect it has on the Black community. We are drawing on the powerful diversity within our own community to begin addressing the challenges today and ahead. This is critical work, given that the Black middle class includes most of us, if not our employees, our customers, our friends and our families. The outcome of this dialogue will be published in our September 2008 edition. Starting today, challenge yourself to dig inside and determine what it is that you can do as a corporate leader, a manager within your business, a parent or as a volunteer in your community to be that catalyst for change who applies the Three P’s to make a difference. Some of you I will see in August. I hope to see all of you at our National Conference & Exposition, Sept. 17-20, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center. mba If, as Rev. Jesse Jackson says, when America gets a head cold, Black America gets pneumonia, what’s the diagnosis in this difficult economy? Black MBAs are a critical link between corporate America and the Black community, so are we part of the disease or the cure? For years now, CNN commentator Lou Dobbs has been challenging us to admit that when tough times batter the American economy, the middle class usually takes the sucker punch. Based on Rev. Jackson’s logic, what kind of beat down is the Black middle class sustaining? Many of us have a strong connection to the middle class. For the most part, we are still a generation of “first in the family” people – we either just got in, or just got out. It goes without saying that any impact on the American economy can have a devastating effect on us individually and collectively. The short answer as to how we should confront the present uncertainty might be to rally around one presidential candidate or the other. But what if the other guy wins? What if the dollar slides again against the euro? What if war doesn’t end? What if oil keeps going up? Families and individuals facing issues like shrinking retirement plans, job loss, high gas prices and foreclosure easily get passionate and purposeful about change. But it seems too easy for these same people to feel powerless. With our power as Black MBAs – our intellectual capital, spending power, the power of our position within corporate America and the entrepreneurial realm and our demographics – how do we become the catalysts for change rather than the victims of it? Our national body is setting the example in August by convening thinkers from every sector of Black leadership, including business, education, politics, faith, social service BlackMBA • Summer 2008 5

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Black MBA - Summer 2008

Black MBA- Summer 2008 Contents Mailbag Up Front From the President & CEO Politics of Change Catalyst for Change: Results of our 2008 Political Poll Know Whose Shoulders You Stand On: The Legacy of H. Naylor Fitzhugh Howard University: Changing With the Times Straight Talk: CEO to CEO Creating Your Own Sandbox Dual Threats Avoiding the Faux Pa Invest in Your MBA Everything You Need to Know About...Estate Planning On Campus Plan Ahead The Big Show What's in a Name? On the Move Market Forecast Jeff Friday Keith Wyche Life Lessons On the Ground Real Biz A Golden Opportunity Entrepreneurial Institute Tech Tools Read for Success Stacey Tisdale Advertiser Index

Black MBA - Summer 2008

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