How Native American Success and Leadership is Cultivated at the Corporate Level
A Native American Employee Perspective
By Sandra One Feather

IBM Boulder Native Diversity Network members pose for a photo opportunity during the 2002 IBM Native American Leadership Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Many Native American students go through business, engineering and science programs each year and learn about the latest theories and techniques. However, sometimes the real world and the theories learned in school are worlds apart. For Native American employees in corporations, the challenge becomes especially daunting as the corporate culture can be difficult to understand. The values instilled in someone from an American Indian background can be quite different from the values of a corporate environment. However, Native American professionals can help others learn how to cultivate their individual success and leadership skills. These professionals pave students' road to success.

Rob Firmature, a Chippewa-Cree from Montana, is a staff development engineer for IBM's Printing Systems Division in Boulder, Colorado. His current assignment involves development and customer support work for printers within IBM's industrial printer segment. In 2001, Rob was recognized by former IBM Chief Executive Officer Lou Gerstner as an outstanding National Engineer's Week volunteer. Prior to joining IBM, Rob attended the University of Iowa where he received his master's and bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering, as well as a minor in psychology. Rob recently conducted a presentation on "Excelling at the Next Level" for new Native American professionals at the National AISES Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A firm believer in giving back to the Native American community, Rob helps educate others on how to be successful employees and leaders in corporate America.

Rob asserts that any young student can try to understand the corporate environment in which they will be working. He explains, "There are some cultural issues that are very different when one is coming from a Native American background into a corporation." For example, traditional Native American values include: patience, nonverbal communication, indirect criticism, modesty, and emphasis on the group. In contrast, traditional European industrial values include: aggressiveness, verbal communication, direct criticism, self-attention, and emphasis on the individual. As a result of the differences in values, many Native American employees find themselves struggling in the corporate world.

Robert Firmature urges new Native hires to learn about corporate expectations.

Rob contends that new corporate hires can also attain awareness, "to realize that there are differences, understand what they are, and accept that differences are a part of working in any group setting." Learning about these differences doesn't so much change one's actions, but rather allows a better idea of what to expect, thereby easing the transition to the new setting. Having this knowledge will help in understanding the behavior that takes place in the corporate environment. For example, when working in teams one will come across differences in opinion as to how the team can best achieve its goals and the role its individual members will play. According to Rob, "Talking and understanding people's differences and learning styles will help ensure the success of the team." He adds that by understanding one's team members, one communicates more effectively and better shares work responsibilities, which in turn lead to honing one's leadership skills.

Business Etiquette
Expectations also play a large role in the corporate work environment. Some of the obvious expectations include attending meetings on time and getting the job done. Rob suggests, "There are many unwritten expectations in the workplace." In order to help others understand these expectations, he recommends the book, "Essential Business Etiquette" by Lou Kennedy. The book covers useful topics such as attitude, appropriate dress, office protocol, interpersonal communication etiquette, electronic communication etiquette, business travel and international travel tips. Rob finds the book very useful because it can help level the playing field for individuals who have little or no experience with business interactions. He offers, "The book is such a great resource because it covers topics that people either assume you know or are too scared to bring up with you because they think they'll offend you."

The Role of Mentors
Utilizing mentors can also help one understand business interactions and the dynamics of the workplace. Rob defines a mentoring relationship as two people working together to achieve specific goals for skills, development and growth. He explains, "The mentor has the skills, knowledge and experience that the protégé wants to acquire, while the protÈgÈ benefits by learning about the company's culture, expanding their professional network, and developing their skills sets." Tips for protÈgÈs include: asking the mentor lots of questions, bouncing ideas off the mentor, seeking out mentors with similar interests, and not being afraid to ask someone to be one's mentor.

Having more than one mentor can also be helpful in the workplace. Rob currently has two mentors: a technical mentor and a workplace mentor. He says his technical mentor "is an engineering mentor who is able to explain processes and systems directly related to my job while my workplace mentor is someone who understands the politics and dynamics of the company." For example, Rob says "Reorganization notices go out when different parts of the company are being restructured and it's helpful to be able to ask someone what the reorganization means and how it may affect my job and workload." In addition, choosing a mentor with proven leadership skills can also help in developing one's own leadership capabilities.

IBM Native Diversity Network members: John Hale, Terry Battiest and Rob Firmature at the AISES National 2002 Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Peers can also play a large role in helping one acclimate to the corporate environment and to one's life as a Native American professional, role model, and leader. Rob is co-chair of the IBM's Native Diversity Network (INDN) employee group at IBM in Boulder. He explains, "This group is specific to the goals of the American Indian constituency and its members provide different points of view from different areas of the company." He found learning the history of INDN invaluable to understanding its activities and needs as well as why certain approaches may or may not have worked in the past. More importantly he says, "The members of INDN have a range of years of experience with the company and can help each other better understand the company's environment and how they have handled personal, cultural, and professional issues in the past." In addition, many INDN Boulder members serve as great role models since they have held leadership positions in the Native American community, including AISES, and are able to give guidance and advice on how best to achieve goals both inside and outside of IBM.

Peers and mentors can also help one better understand the various career development programs offered by a company and the importance of such programs. Rob emphasizes that one must first understand that in the corporate world, one is in charge of his or her own career path. While a company may offer different career development programs, the individual employee is responsible for effectively utilizing those career resources. According to Rob, typical career programs could include a yearly business commitments program including a formal performance appraisal, mentoring, or the opportunity to document an individual development plan. Rob adds "Individual development plans can be used to define career goals, identify skill gaps, and create an educational plan that will close the gaps and help you achieve your stated goals." Many corporations now offer online or onsite courses which employees can take to increase their skill sets.

The Benefits of the Corporate World
Learning about the corporate environment also means educating oneself about the benefits offered by one's company. Rob acknowledges, "If you aren't taking advantage of all the benefits that your company provides to you, you are basically giving back part of your paycheck." In addition to understanding the basic benefits a company offers, such as health care, retirement plans, vacation, and insurance, one should understand the company's entire benefits package since there are some great, often overlooked opportunities an employee may want explore. Benefits may include: life planning accounts where companies may reimburse for eligible health programs or selected financial planning services; dependent care plans for employees with children or older relatives in paid care, sometime allowing employees to pay for eligible work-related dependent care expenses with pretax dollars; and matching grant programs where companies match employee donations to allowable schools or charities. Rob urges, "If your company offers a 401K program and does any sort of matching, make sure you are taking full advantage of the amount they'll match. Otherwise you are saying ëno thanks' to free money." In addition, a company may offer a stock purchase plan which may allow employees to buy company stock at a discount (with a few limitations). Many companies now list most of their benefits on their human resources Web pages.

The learning never ends in the corporate world, and one's personal attitude can facilitate success or failure. Rob encourages new hires to seek out relevant information for both work and home life. He finds reading to be one of the best ways to learn about the corporate environment. Technology is another way to learn about one's company. Most corporations have Web sites that list their mission, priorities, values, and goals. Articles on company products, research, and market share are available on-line.

Sandra One Feather, Oglala Lakota/DinÈ, is a con-tributing editor to Winds of Change.