How some of us may be guilty of doing the dirty work for them
The Good Ol’ Boy Network, a phrase that many of us have heard what can be imagined countless times after entering the professional workforce. What does it mean? Well you can scour the internet and find tons of articles and urban definitions but what it essentially seems to refer to is
an informal group of highly connected individuals [traditionally looked upon as men] who utilize their positions of influence to bring opportunity, connections, access to financial support, and ultimately offer power and advantage to a select few.
These networks could be on a grand scale and also on a micro-scale such as within different professional fields (i.e finance, scientific institutions, and academic institutions).
Next, you may ask, “well who are they”, “how can I gain access”, “how did they become a part of the network”, and “why am I not a part of it”? These are all burning questions which tons of articles online attempt to address and offer pathways to entry. I would include handy links, but not here, because it’s a distraction from the point I am trying to make.
Now I imagine that in each of these articles there probably is at least one useful piece of info that with the right strategy, may in fact work to get you in. And that’s great, but what they likely will NOT tell you, is how you may not just get blocked from the Good ol’ Boy Network, but from opportunities inside or in direct competition with the industries in which they run.
Even more troubling, is how the average, above-average, and even the exceptional professional may in fact be the ones standing both in the way of success and to access to the exclusive network.
So who is a victim, responsible, or subject to a role in both circumstances? Check out PART 2 of the Blocked from the Good ol' Boy Network five part series.
I'm here for it.
- Dr. Queen
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