22 Comments
User's avatar
Kevin Stuckey's avatar

So much wisdom here! 💡

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

🤍

Expand full comment
Sherisse's avatar

“You don’t need someone else to embody your possibility before you believe it’s possible for you.”

Whew! A bar. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

thank you for taking the time to read it.

Expand full comment
Dee's avatar

Thank you for perfectly encapsulating everything I’ve been thinking but couldn’t quite put into words.

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

this kind of comment is my love language. that’s always my hope. to put words to the feeling for somebody.

Expand full comment
Anikia's avatar

Wow. This is really good. Such a nuanced discussion. Thank you for telling the truth.

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

that was hope. nuance.

Expand full comment
Joia's avatar

Couldn’t have said it better, and this is more common of a story than most of us would like to believe.

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

thank you for taking the time to read

Expand full comment
Angela Benton's avatar

Excellent read and points.

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

thank you for reading.

Expand full comment
Tahajah Samuels's avatar

A nuanced piece, indeed. Thank you for this! ✨

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

appreciate you

Expand full comment
Staci Shelton's avatar

Thank you!

Expand full comment
Maya Watson's avatar

thank you for reading.

Expand full comment
MYLEIK.'s avatar

I had to sit with this because there's so much to digest. This is a careful and delicate dissection of the difference between looking like a leader and being one. The way you pulled apart image versus impact ... the reminder that influence without integrity is ... performance. It is uncomfortable in the BEST way, because your work consistently forces us to ask ourselves if we’re actually doing the work or curating the appearance of it.

Expand full comment
Courtney Bowden's avatar

“You don’t need someone else to embody your possibility before you believe it’s possible for you.” A word!

Expand full comment
Carriece Jefferson's avatar

Well stated. I attended an event 10 years ago and the business personality wasn't a people person. Just because someone has a good image/brand don't mean they're untouchable.

Expand full comment
Jasmine Smith's avatar

“Image is not leadership” should be a mandatory class for business majors and required for new managers in corporate settings. The “how you treat people” is a common missing thread among leaders.

Thank you for your gracious boldness. You articulated perfectly some of my own thoughts and feelings about quite a few black men and women who have strong social capital but are not pleasant humans or good leaders.

Expand full comment
Michael Corley's avatar

The love and care you used to deliver this poignant truth about Black Folk and our aspirations and the things we choose as our lodestars to follow is beautiful.

This couldn’t come sooner. Thank you.

May the Creator continue to use you as the wellspring needed for others to draw from when inspired to build something

Expand full comment
Vanessa Braxton's avatar

Amazing and well said 👏🏾. Thank you for what I've been saying for years .

Expand full comment