In 2012, Simone Ross landed her first C-suite position.
One morning, she got ready for work, selecting a stylish orange dress, pairing it with orange lipstick and leaving her natural curls down. She felt confident and ready to take on the day. But then, she wavered.
Her daring fashion style reflected her character, but not that of an executive. She looked far from the demure, composed executives that she knew. So, she traded in her dress for a black suit, wrangled her curls up and left for work, leaving behind the pieces that made her authentic and unique.
That was just one instance when Ross felt boxed in. As a Black woman, her journey in the corporate health care industry was turbulent, as she was often criticized and attacked because of her race. As the microaggressions mounted, she became tired of it. Something needed to change—and it wasn’t going to be her. Upon leaving her executive role, Ross decided to shift her career path and pursue consulting with a new goal: to address and demolish systemic issues in corporations that women of color face.
Fast forward to the present day, Ross is the CEO of Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce as well as the founder of her own consulting company, Simone Ross LLC. She’s spent the past decade resolving economic inequity issues affecting women and advising corporate leaders on strategies for eliminating microaggressions and racial bias. But on her road to success, she has fought an uphill battle.
The truth behind being a black woman in the C-suite
Ross had always dreamed of working in health care administration, knowing the impact she could make. Her hard work paid off as she climbed the corporate ladder, establishing herself as an executive at notable healthcare companies such as Kaiser Permenante, SCL Health, The Riveter and more.
Despite her incredible career, she faced disconcerting setbacks that deflated her dream, leaving her to wonder: What changed? “I have a heart for women and women of color, and because I was working in executive roles, I experienced so much disproportionate-ism, whether it was ageism, sexism or racism. I experienced that in work day-to-day,” she says.
Being a Black woman in the C-suite was never easy. Ross’ appearance, work ethic and character were constantly scrutinized, all of which gradually escalated into workplace harassment, creating a distressing environment for her. “You know, at the point that your hair is picked apart. Your clothing is picked apart, [and] your nonverbal communication is picked apart. Whether you’re smiling or not smiling… then your education is invalidated. You’re not called on in meetings, or when you are speaking, you say something and then the person next to you says the exact same thing… it’s like, OK, something’s gotta give and I don’t think I’m the problem,” she recalls.
The turning point came when she noticed her identity wasn’t who she wanted to be. “I think at a point, you kind of look in the mirror and you’re like, ‘Whose clothes are these? Whose hairstyle is this? What is this?’ And I think it was actually kind of early in my career. I remember looking up and just saying, ‘I don’t even look like the person that I want to be, and like, why is that?’” she says.
Her appearance and her demeanor had been shaped by the need to fit in the boardroom. Simone had the knowledge, the black suit and she even damaged her natural hair to fit the standard, and yet it still wasn’t enough. She repeatedly searched for the missing puzzle piece, only to realize there wasn’t one. The problem wasn’t her. Years of molding herself to fit in had taken their toll and revealed the truth. She couldn’t be an authentic Black woman and be an executive. So Ross quit her C-suite position.
Black women in leadership
Upon leaving her executive position, she delved deeper into the systemic issues she had faced and considered how she could help eliminate them for future women entering high positions. Her vision shifted; she no longer wanted to work in health care administration. However, one thing remained the same: She still wanted to make an impact.
“[I wanted to] do consulting work that really tackled those systemic issues in a company, and there are things that we do systemically in corporate that prevent women and women of color from having opportunities,” she says.
She founded her own consulting business, focusing on how inequity stifles women, especially Black women, in high leadership roles. Her work dives into spotting and identifying patterns of oppression, from how job descriptions are written to the immediate bias toward women and even how job interviews are conducted. Simone’s work also addresses why burnout rates are high among Black women, why access is limited for women in leadership and how these issues need to change.
She asserts that one significant problem leaders have is not knowing themselves. Recognizing their own dislikes and instinctual behavior patterns affects their leadership skills and leads to biased decisions, making their leadership a reflection of themselves. Ross instructs leaders to discern what things trigger them at work and what triggers them with regard to other people.
She also suggests involving personal preference: If a leader has a strong need for organization, disorganization in the workplace can be a trigger. For example, when an employee is disorganized, how a manager addresses the employee’s organizational methods ultimately shapes their leadership in this situation. “You have got to understand your triggers. You have to know what some of your implicit and explicit biases might be,” she says. The important part, Ross emphasizes, is acknowledging these biases instead of hiding them. These nuances enable leaders to recognize and dismantle systemic biases.
Looking forward
Ross has a busy future. In addition to consulting, she is leading the CWCC to great success as CEO. They’ve helped reduce the gender pay gap in Colorado by three times and are continuing to advocate for laws that increase the percentage of women homeowners. They’re also encouraging corporations to review their performance evaluation process and assisting women in advancing in male-dominated fields. These efforts aim to achieve economic fairness for women.
For women progressing forward, especially Black women in leadership positions, Ross advises them to “take up space, lean in, speak up and dream big.” She believes in John Lewis’ words: “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
Photo courtesy of Simone Ross
