Ask The Corporate Latina

Hello corporate women!

I am a Latina whose passion is to help other Latinas and women of color unlock the door to the corporate suite.  I want to share my knowledge and experience with you, the ”ins and outs” of corporate America, how to navigate the corporate landscape successfully and to understand that in corporate America good is never enough and that it takes much more to succeed in climbing the corporate ladder than being a good worker. Please visit my official website where you can find more information on my speaking and coaching career.

I have 20 years as a corporate executive at senior levels in several Fortune 100 c0mpanies. I have also been an entrepreneur. I can confidently say that both career paths are quite challenging in their respective ways- however, I have a special place in my heart and mind for my fellow Latinas and women of color who choose the executive path.  It is an entirely rewarding career path, heck- I did it for 20 years!  But, the landscape is difficult, fraught with challenges, and mysterious to most of us. Combine that with the fact that demographically, Latinas in upper executive roles are almost non-existing. In fact, women as a whole comprise about 3% of corporate America’s CEOs according to research.  We have a long way to go, baby! I am confident that despite the staggering statistics and the derth of role models in executive roles,  Latinas and other minority women will succeed in assuming key executive roles. What we need are resources that we can tap to in times of need and confusion, a person to talk to when we have a question, a book to read on a subject of career interest, access to other mentors and role models and a community where we can go and share our thoughts and concerns.

I will be posting blogs sharing my thoughts on these and other topics, however, I believe that it would be helpful if I provide answers to specific questions submitted by you the reader. My idea is to post my answer via a video link and that way you can see my response and be able to forward it to others who might benefit. You can also comment on my responses and agree or disagree.

If you want to submit a career question or need advice on how to deal with a particular work challenge, submit your question to my inbox at wilka@wilkatoppins.com. I will review your question and post a VIDEO answer.

Per the plan- here is my first video response to a reader question- Marisol from Houston aked how to handle an upcoming performance review. Listen in!Performance Reviews