It can be challenging to find your footing as a new employee entering the Salesforce ecosystem. This is especially true for members of underrepresented communities of color, for whom historical gaps in representation translate into a lack of meaningful models for what success looks like. Finding someone who believes in you enough to give you that one crucial opportunity to grow – or finding a community of peers with whom you can evolve – can be an unbelievably empowering experience for professionals at all career stages.

In this episode of Sustainability @ Work, we’re looking at the impact mentorship and community efforts can have on helping members of underrepresented communities grow and succeed, creating a deeper, more inclusive workplace overall. In particular, we’re celebrating the ways in which Tiffany Spencer and Tech Forward Solutions have helped inspire young Black Trailblazers to dream bigger and aspire higher in their careers.

‍

Key Quotes

01:45: “‘How do I get to the next level? And what does it look like being one of very few Black people in the space? How do I navigate this space, and… what does the next step in my career look like?’”

04:25: “I realized that [students] had not been exposed to Salesforce as a platform and didn’t understand how platforms like it could be beneficial as they graduate and start to look for jobs.”

05:02: “I was inspired [to start Tech Forward] to create more diversity… and ensure our HBCU students and underrepresented communities were aware of this amazing ecosystem.”

11:20: “Sometimes you need to know that there isn't one prescribed way of doing things. And it's okay to bring your own flavor and your own experience to a role, and you're not expected to know everything.”

12:30: “I was really inspired to create a space where Black Salesforce professionals can come together and really celebrate each other, be seen, be visible, be uplifted.”

15:10: “Just that kind of spark of joy that came from the event that said, ‘You know what? I am excited about my career. And I want to keep on that journey.’”

18:35: “We've had individuals that have gone through our boot camps, and that have now at this point, gotten multiple certifications... they really get a bigger vision for this whole industry that they're part of."

19:21: “Sometimes we don't know what an employee's goals are in the short term. And if you can't speak to what they want to do in the next year or two? You can maybe only speak to what you need them to do in the next three to six months.”

20:48: “It's all about just opening the door to have that first conversation to take the first step and then figure it out from there.”