You know when you meet someone and you're immediately impressed with them? That was the case when I first met Myra Herring, and it has held true every day since. Myra is the Director of Events and Programming for ITSMF - Information Technology Senior Management Forum - which is a national leadership association for Black technology leaders. She is also the founder of Capri Brand - a personal branding and coaching practice for women, as well as the co-founder of the “Inspire Her” annual women's leadership conference. At her core, Myra puts all her efforts toward helping people grow and she shared some great insights to share with us.

Myra shared the highlight film of her career and how both her coaching practice, Capri Brand, and her annual women’s leadership conference “Inspire Her” are focused on helping people see themselves more clearly. Myra has always derived joy from helping people. She highlighted how personal branding impacts our confidence whether we’re interviewing or simply networking. Myra also gave three tips – both provocative and practical - for our listeners that are appropriate for every level of leadership. 

Myra highlighted ITSMF – Information Technology Senior Management Forum – and what a fantastic network it is for individuals and organizations looking to augment their diversity ranks. ITSMF (aka It’s My Family) is an association for Black technology professionals and leaders that is focused on increasing representation of Black/African American people at leadership levels through cultivating their mind, body, and spirit. They build community and leaders. They offer three academies that develop mid-career through to senior executive level leaders. They have national events and virtual events that serve to foster community as well as networking opportunities.  They also have a job board where corporations can post their opportunities. 

Myra and I discussed how companies can choose key roles to remain remote and what an opportunity that is to augment their diversity by bringing roles to the talent instead of demanding talent work in your office. ITSMF also partners with corporations on specific initiatives and surveys to explore key areas. Myra mentioned that corporations may want to host or sponsor an ITSMF event as a means of gaining visibility inside the organization. There are lots of options on the table! 

We talked about the importance of community and how each of us have a personal accountability when it comes to building diverse teams – it’s not just the company’s responsibility – it’s each hiring manager’s responsibility. If we each do one small thing, we will all rise, and our organizations will be far more effective and resilient! 

To Learn More

Myra’s Favorite song: “Sweetest Thing” by Lauryn Hill - https://bit.ly/MyrasFaveSong

Myra via Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myra-herring-mba/

ITSMF – IT Senior Management Forum: https://itsmfonline.org/

NSBE – National Society of Black Engineers: https://www.nsbe.org/

Per Scholas – tuition-free IT training: https://perscholas.org/

Diverse Tech Leaders Podcast

Podcast “Show Notes” at: www.DiverseTechLeaders.com

Twitter: @DiverseTechLdrs

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