‘I was exhausted, and there was no break at all’: how Black women leadership coaches understood and navigated workplace tensions after the racial reckoning

Abstract

The racial reckoning that occurred after the murder of George Floyd and the remote workplace dynamics created by the pandemic contributed to the tension that many Black professionals felt. Despite the efforts to maintain professionalism and collegiality, organisations did little to assuage the racial reckoning beyond pledges to initiate social justice and racial equity organisational change. This paper aims to help build a body of literature that acknowledges the unique vantage point of those with overlapping marginalised identities and, in particular, we examine the ways in which seven Black women leadership coaches understood and navigated workplace tensions after the racial reckoning. Through their coaching, these leadership coaches were able to help Black leaders build their capacities and improve their performance. Using armouring, they were also able to facilitate conversations about race within their organisations toward developing policies and practices that would help them move toward racial equity.