Race is often a difficult subject to address. It is the elephant in the room no-one wants to confront. We attempt to demonstrate consciousness by organizing diversity and inclusion training that is very quickly forgotten as soon as the meeting is over. As a black woman attempting to navigate the halls of corporate leadership, I was encouraged by an article in the March/April edition of the Harvard Business Review. A senior executive of a fortune 50 financial services firm puts it this way: "I think the experience of being black in America creates resilience - a steady steadiness. And it creates courage and pride. Not pride in a boastful way, but being proud, as you need to be in moments when you feel completely rejected, completely ignored, overlooked, sidelined."

I could totally relate as I rely heavily on resilience because of the inevitable obstacles (self-doubt and excessive scrutiny) and setbacks that are part of the territory. Being told that you'd need to be smarter, run faster or jump higher or be better than anyone else around you just to stay in the game becomes an orientation you show up with every single day. But my ultimate goal is to take these things in stride and turn them into opportunities to learn, grow and exceed expectations.