STRATEGY 2

Obtain Broad Exposure

We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.

—T. S. Eliot

DRAW A CIRCLE on a piece of paper. Within that circle write “Comfort Zone.” This first circle represents your reality today. It represents all of the things you do now; the things to which you are accustomed and the things you are comfortable doing.

Now draw a larger circle around the first circle and in the space between the two circles write “Growth Zone.” This space between the two circles represents possibilities. It represents opportunities for growth and positive change. Finally, draw a line with an arrow that begins on the first circle and ends anywhere on the second circle, and just above the line write “Discomfort.”

This is a visual depiction of growth and development—both personal and professional (see Figure 2–2). And as the picture implies, any time you move beyond your comfort zone you are likely to experience some kind of discomfort. You cannot do the same things and expect a different outcome. Or, stated differently, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you will keep getting what you’re getting.

Figure 2–1. The path to greatness (Strategy 2).

Discomfort can have multiple interpretations. There’s emotional discomfort, which manifests itself in the form of anxiety, disappointment, or fear. For example, it is not uncommon to feel a sense of anxiety right before giving your first public speech. (In fact, it is not uncommon to feel anxiety anytime you have to give a public speech!) You might experience physical discomfort, such as a pain, shortness of breath, or fatigue. Athletic training is the perfect example here. You could feel discomfort in the form of frustration, unhappiness, or dissatisfaction when you are trying to forgo or discontinue certain behaviors, such as when you are trying to cut down on some of your favorite foods in order to eat healthier. But, regardless of the type of discomfort, what is common across all of these examples is the likelihood of growth as a result of each experience. The anxiety you experience before a speech is necessary for you to develop as a public speaker. The pain you feel during intense sports training is necessary for you to improve as an athlete. And the dissatisfaction you may experience by cutting down on certain foods is necessary for you to live a healthier lifestyle.

Your Comfort Zone and Growth Zone

You have a comfort zone that is reflected in your daily experiences and the things to which you are typically exposed: the people with whom you regularly spend time; places you are accustomed to going; even traditional ways of thinking. But you also probably have had moments that you look back upon and say, “I’ll never forget when I did X,” or, “That was a time in my life I will always remember.” What may have been a typical or straightforward experience for others was a transformative experience for you. It could have been something as seemingly mundane as a trip outside of your neighborhood or something as elaborate as a tour of multiple foreign countries. These experiences took you beyond your comfort zone and into your growth zone.

Figure 2–2. Outside your comfort zone lies your growth zone.

It is only when we seek experiences that bring about a healthy level of discomfort—those experiences that challenge us to do things we normally would not do—and when we are exposed to differences—perspectives, places, people, and possibilities that are dissimilar from the ones we are accustomed to—that we grow and develop. The fundamental premise of Strategy 2 is that when we actively seek the broadest possible exposure and the widest diversity in experiences it not only makes us a better person, it also makes us better prepared and better equipped to redefine the game and reshape America. But it does not happen naturally because oftentimes we confine ourselves to our comfort zones. Broad exposure and diverse experiences that push you further into your growth zone must happen deliberately, because they are key to your future success.

Top performers are not just comfortable with discomfort—they actively seek discomfort. They are constantly in search of ways to grow and improve upon their abilities. When it is time to perform—when it is “game time”—they draw upon the skills they have developed (we will revisit this idea in Strategy 3: Demonstrate Excellence). Similarly, you should actively seek opportunities to obtain broad exposure. Your ability to redefine the game is significantly bolstered by your ability to draw upon diverse experiences and varied perspectives. Or, as stated by Jean Riboud, a French billionaire credited with building the world’s leading oilfield testing company, Schlumberger Ltd.: “If you want to innovate, to change an enterprise of society, it takes people willing to do what is not expected.” Redefining the game requires that we all do something that is not expected—something that takes us beyond our collective comfort zone and into our growth zone.

Look at Figure 2–2 again. The beauty of the diagram is that there is always the possibility of drawing additional circles. As your comfort zone becomes larger, your growth zone can also become larger. The possibilities—for you and our society—are endless.

Why Moving Beyond Your Comfort Zone Is Important

Moving beyond our comfort zone was an important aspect of our personal development. Some of this was by default, because it was inherent to our experience growing up as Black Faces in White Places. However, there were also points in our early years that our parents deliberately exposed us to other cultures, activities, circumstances, and people, all of which expanded what we thought the world was or what we thought was possible. All of these experiences helped us develop as individuals.

Having a broad set of experiences will allow you to:

Cultivate a greater appreciation of yourself and others. To develop a strong identity and purpose (as discussed in Strategy 1), it is important to understand the links between who you are and where you are going, and their historical and cultural context. African Americans are linked to the experiences of other people of African heritage spread around the world. This is called the African Diaspora, and exposure to other members of the Diaspora is invaluable. People of African descent live across the globe—in the United States but also in Brazil, England, Germany, the Caribbean, and the African continent, of course. Exposure to the experiences and history of people from these places not only situates your own African-ness in a global context, but also places your life experiences in perspective.

Expand your worldview. Limited experiences can lead to a limited worldview. If we do not experience a diversity of ideas in our lives, we sell ourselves short in this regard. In an increasingly global economy and interconnected world, it is a disadvantage not to know about global issues and concerns. Generally speaking, Americans have used our relative affluence and geography to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. For example, in many countries, people speak more than one language, but most U.S. citizens only speak English. Broader experiences can help you develop an understanding and appreciation of other perspectives. This is a valuable tool in your toolbox, one that allows you to better understand the people you encounter in business, academia, and other settings. With this tool, you will be able to recognize and evaluate opportunities in a global context—which is important as our world grows more interconnected.

Build cultural capital. “Cultural capital” is a term used to describe the resources that shape how you think and act in a local and global context. This set of resources (i.e., connections, experiences, and insights) is acquired and cultivated. Attending cultural events, learning languages, and engaging in activities related to your culture are examples of building cultural capital. These experiences make the connection between the present and history; they help you understand how culture and society are interconnected. There are many nuances you can learn from being immersed in your own or other cultures. Exposure to ideas and cultures, people and places, is a valuable asset that should be developed throughout your life.

Broaden your horizons and sense of limitless possibilities. Broad exposure allows you to see the world beyond your immediate surroundings and instills a sense of limitless possibilities. For example, exposure to the life stories of successful African Americans motivates us to see new possibilities for ourselves. Familiarity with Black Wall Street, one of the wealthiest African-American communities of the early 1900s in Tulsa, Oklahoma (which was eventually devastated by a race riot), empowers us to see new possibilities for our communities. Knowledge of our history in America from the slave house to the White House renews our sense of possibilities for our country and our global society.

As we meet people, travel to and from places, and learn about new possibilities on a daily basis, we expand our perspective and add more tools to our tool belts. These tools empower us to think creatively, innovatively, and differently about how to overcome challenges and seize opportunities. It was early exposure that significantly shaped our careers as engineers and business owners.

Randal’s relationship with Wayne Abbott began, as we mentioned in Chapter 1, as children growing up in New Jersey. The Abbott family was from St. Thomas and had moved to Twin Rivers—just a few miles from East Windsor—at around the same time as the Pinketts. Growing up, Randal and his brother Dan spent a lot of time with Wayne at each other’s homes and were all part of the “Our Kids” group.

Years later, Wayne helped ease the transition into life at Rutgers for both of us. It was Wayne who made sure we knew about that first NSBE meeting where we met and connected with other Black students with similar interests. Wayne was that guy on campus who tried to connect students with opportunities and information—and in that vein he invited Randy to Black Expo in 1993.

R.P. I had never really witnessed, in person, Black business owners. I had known of a few and heard of a few, but I can’t say that I had ever really touched one, unlike, say, a doctor. So going to Black Expo, where you had Black business owners lined up in a huge convention center for as far as the eye could see, was jaw-dropping. I was like, “Wow. Not only are Black folk running companies, we are doing it in numbers.” I walked up and down the convention center just to look at people who had all kinds of businesses. Wayne almost had to drag me out of that Expo by my ankles because I could’ve stayed there for the rest of my life.

Similarly, the genesis of Jeffrey’s decision to pursue engineering came from what some might consider an unlikely source. J.R.’s dad never went to college and worked as electrician, but he deliberately exposed JR to the possibility of being an engineer by taking him to electrical trade shows.

J.R. One time, my father saw this guy from PSE&G that he knew, and he said, “That’s a Black engineer.” That was a big deal to my dad because this was the guy who designed the systems that my dad would eventually install. His name was Mel Hinton, and he was the man who used to talk to me about going to Rutgers. He’d say, “You should think about going to Rutgers to be an engineer.” My dad wasn’t sure I was going into engineering, but he wanted to show me what other people did. It made an impression on me.

Wayne Abbott provided a vision for Randal and others for becoming an entrepreneur. New York’s Black Expo blew Randal away; his first experience attending the National Society of Black Engineers convention had a similar effect in terms of his view of African Americans pursuing careers in technology. Similarly, J.R.’s dad, himself not a college graduate, deliberately exposed J.R. to people and information that ultimately inspired him. This is the power of getting out and exposing yourself to something different—and being open about where that exposure may come from.

Pursuing Broad Exposure and Diverse Experiences

Strategy 1 expressed our belief that self-determination is an important asset for those who endeavor to redefine the game and reshape America. Having a strong identity and purpose provides the ever-so-important base from which you can springboard. There are also a number of game-changing benefits to having broad exposure and diverse experiences.

As African Americans, we are constantly aware of how our experiences are different from those around us. We not only see that difference as an asset, but we also see it as something that must be cultivated through broad exposure so that we become more effective change agents in a global society. Here are some reasons why:

Enhancing leadership and citizenship. Insight into others makes you a better leader and citizen. If leadership is about inspiring and influencing other people, then a leader with broad exposure is a leader who will be able to better relate to those he leads. Citizenship is an idea rooted in the concepts of community, democracy, and service. By deliberately pursuing experiences beyond our comfort zone, we are better able to relate to other communities, engage in democratic processes, and serve others.

Reducing prejudice. Actually, this is a two-way street. When you are exposed to different experiences, you learn about others and are more likely to move beyond the stereotypes that lead to prejudices. By stretching yourself and going into situations and events where Blacks may not be fully represented, you also give others a chance to learn about your life and experiences as an African American.

Promoting creativity and innovation in solving problems. When faced with challenges in life, the person who has had a diversity of experiences will have either: (1) a wellspring of options to choose from, or (2) a set of experiences to draw on to find a creative solution to a problem. Experts refer to the extremely valuable ability to analyze different situations from different perspectives using fancy phrases such as cognitive complexity and multidimensional thinking. Such thinking enables you to be more creative, more insightful, and more innovative in your approach to both personal and professional matters. It fosters an ability to effectively navigate inevitable situations that force you to move beyond your comfort zone. It gives you a broader set of tools to effect change.

Fostering compassion for others and, therefore, more effective service to others. Community service has been a part of our life experience since we were in elementary school. Our parents stressed the fact that some people were not as fortunate as we were and that it was important for us to help others in some way. “There, but by the grace of God, go I,” we learned.

We must always ask: For whom are we reshaping America? Why does the game need to be redefined? It is one thing to ask these hypothetical questions, but it is quite another to have answers based on intimate knowledge of the circumstances other people face. Such knowledge ultimately helps you to be more effective in your service to others. When your experiences move you from being self-centered to other-centered, you become aware of the things that need to be changed and are better equipped to actually make the changes. Naturally, we will revisit this theme in Strategy 10: Give Back Generously.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Strategy 2 is interlinked with both Strategies 1 and 3. The relationship is shown in Figure 2–3.

Looking back to Strategy 1, one of the most effective ways to help establish a strong identity and purpose is to gain broad exposure and diverse experiences. As you endeavor to define who you are and where you are going, it is exposure to people, places, possibilities, and the like that expands your horizons. Equally, a strong identity and a well-defined purpose help frame the kinds of exposure that can best serve you.

Experiences that do not reflect your identity (i.e., an American traveling abroad) or your purpose (i.e., a business person meeting with a community activist) are experiences that often take you into your growth zone. What is even more powerful is that, as a result of growth experiences, you may reexamine or reshape your identity and purpose in very transformative ways. The American traveling abroad may have a greater appreciation and sense of pride of what it means to live in the United States after returning home. The business person meeting with an activist may change her behavior to become more involved in the community. To the extent that identity and purpose are like a burning fire that evolves over time, experience and exposure provide the fuel to the fire.

Figure 2–3. Learning the game: relationship between Strategies 1, 2, and 3.

You may wonder, “Are my identity and purpose limited by my experiences?” The answer is, “No.” In the words of Aldous Huxley, “Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do [emphasis ours] with what happens to you.” Your identity and purpose are only limited by your interpretation of your experiences. Self-determination is informed but not defined by what you are exposed to—we believe it is up to you to choose your own path. (We believe it is ultimately in God’s hands.)

Broad exposure and diverse experiences naturally lead to opportunities for experimentation and exploration. You must be willing to step out of your comfort zone and allow life’s journey and your natural curiosity to lead you down new and different pathways. The journey will help you identify your passion—those activities you are naturally drawn to—and your gifts—those abilities you are naturally blessed with.

Looking ahead to Strategy 3, passion and gifts represent two of the four facets of excellence, as it is defined in the next chapter. Strategy 2 allows you to pinpoint the areas where you can, and must, demonstrate excellence.