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Inviting Yourself to the Table
Video

Inviting Yourself to the Table

99U, 2016

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Designer Kristy Tillman once believed her career was destined to stagnate. She felt higher-ups overlooked her and her ideas. Once she realized that she needed to take charge of her career path, she turned her life around. Tillman’s career lessons are broadly applicable, though introverts may dread sampling her self-assertive ideas. getAbstract recommends Tillman’s talk to everyone who feels invisible and who is ready to make a positive change.

Summary

Most people feel overlooked at some point in life. For some, this inclination determines the trajectory of their careers. Kristy Tillman often felt that her ideas went unnoticed at work. As a black woman working in design, a field dominated by white men, Tillman often felt ostracized. She waited for an invitation to contribute. She eventually realized that no such invitation was forthcoming and that if she wanted to be heard, she would have to “invite herself to the table.” No one will seek your views unless you make it known that you have something valuable to share. Alas, many people don’t broadcast their...

About the Speaker

Kristy Tillman is director of design at the Society of Grownups, a Boston-based start-up that aims to democratize financial literacy among young adults.


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