REPURPOSING CODE-SWITCHING HABITS AS CAREER ASSETS FOR BLACK PROFESSIONALS
Repurposing Code-Switching Habits as Career Assets for Black Professionals by Lee V. Pham, Esq. Black professionals who code-switch are wired to be great executives. Code-switching and interdisciplinary behavior share a common point of origin in the human brain. Because of this shared neurobiological foundation, Black professionals’ tendency to code-switch can serve as a proxy for identifying interdisciplinary corporate leaders among their ranks, presenting an unexpected gateway for Black professionals to excel as 21st century executives. This opportunity rests on three distinct but related propositions: ■ Proposition 1: Interdisciplinary Leadership Is Required for 21st century Corporate Competitiveness ■ Proposition 2: Code-Switching and Interdisciplinary Leadership Ability are Enabled by Common Neurobiological Processes ■ Proposition 3: Black Professionals May Generally Possess a Heightened Capacity to Lead in the Modern C-Suite as an Unintended Consequence of Code-Switching Habits.
LEE PHAM – is an experienced business leader with interdisciplinary expertise in strategy, finance, law, and engineering. He holds a distinct competency in intellectual property as a patent attorney.
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CORPORATE LEADERSHIP in the 21st century requires an interdisciplinary repertoire of skills.1 Research indicates that people connected across groups are more familiar with alternative ways of thinking and behaving, thereby driving innovation.2 Being interdisciplinary involves communicating across boundaries, as does the practice of code-switching relied upon by Black people.3
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