COVER STORY

THE COLLECTIVE

By Katavia Larry , MBA, PHR

We would like to take this time and introduce you to The Collective. Black in HR’s newest venture. The Collective serves as a space where professionals in and out of HR can connect, build relationships, and maybe even hire each other! For this issue we sat down with Advisory Board Member Alan Campbell for a candid discussion on who he is and the value he brings as a member of The Collective.

Tell us about yourself.

With over 22 years of managerial experience from working in retail at AT&T, to now holding a leadership position at Cox Automotive, the largest, most disruptive automotive company over the past 75 years, to distributing over $25,000 in grants through my nonprofit organization Nolij Foundation, I am passionate about empowering others to build generational wealth that lives beyond my own personal achievements. Influenced by the leadership qualities of historic icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Myles Munroe, and Bryan Stevenson, I live by my one of my favorite quotes “incline my ears and decline my fears” as a reminder to listen more intentionally.

My leadership practice stems from the methodology of transformational leadership where I strategically work with my team and youth to identify their own personal values to create positive change and enable the leader within. By practicing

transformational leadership, I focus on education as the primary tool to inspire and elevate. My approach to education is synonymous to how a tree grows - although rooted in one singular place, a tree’s branches and roots are far-reaching. I seek to spread my expertise to make topics like psychology, finance, marketing, and technology digestible and accessible.

I am a graduate of Columbus State University and Ashford University in San Diego. I obtained three bachelor’s degrees in Marketing, Finance and Information Systems. I received my Master’s in Business

Administration from Kennesaw State University. I am also a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, the New Leaders Council, and The American Marketing Association.

What is your current role? How did you get your start? Talk to us about your career matriculation.

I’ve been asked this question a number of times, and initially I struggled because I felt the answer was too complex. It has taken some time for me to realize that my ascendancy is cumulative of my past experiences. I like to think that I grew up in corporate America as I started working for Cingular wireless (which was absorbed by AT&T) at the age of 18. Working at AT&T really gave me a jump start on being responsible for large teams, assets, and leading through change management. Reminiscing on those times I now see how important and rigorous the work was, but it was necessary for my personal and professional growth. After 9 years, I made the decision to shift careers and I found myself at Cox automotive under Manheim as a territory manager of executive clients. This position afforded me the insight to a wide spectrum of knowledge within the company that led me to managing the department and winning presidents club. In the years following I pivoted that management role externally and began to train third party vendors on how to service our clients. The last 3 years of my career have been transformative as I’ve focused more on operations across our 70+ locations surrounding EV (electric vehicle) preparation, off-site solutions for our clients, and contact negotiations with our commercial clients.

What do you currently do in Black in HR?

I currently serve as an advisory board member for Black in HR where I focus primarily on marketing, sales development, and how to connect with our growing member base. We have this unique opportunity to do great things with our members and we don’t take it for granted. It’s exciting to witness!

What other ventures do you have outside of your day job and Black in HR?

I’m the Executive Director and founder of Nolij Foundation, a non-profit organization that awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors in pursuit of higher academia. In addition to scholarships, I see the future for Nolij centering around community and corporate partnerships. We aim to create a sustainable organic pathway from high school, to college and into corporate America. This is vital work in the state of Georgia where I live, because people often associate Atlanta as a representation for the rest of the state and that is not accurate. This initiative will help serve those rural cities who have talented young men and women who often succumb to the lack of resources and opportunities in their communities. This vision was sharpened after I was recently awarded a Microsoft surface upgrade, where a team spent several days recording and interviewing me and the Nolij staff on how we can connect better. The curiosity in those conversations affirmed everything that we have been working towards.

Alan Campbell, EMBA Marketing and Sales Leader

Photography credited to CJ Nurse

Tell us about The Collective. What made you want to be a part of it? How do you think it will help others?

The Collective was something that the board discussed in the early stages of Black in HR. I’m a primary example of what the collective embodies as I don’t have a background in HR, but I have transferable skills that can help our evolving network. It’s all about synergy, so when the board voted on bringing this idea to fruition I couldn’t resist raising my hand to assist. It’s been a rewarding experience so far. I’m excited for what the future holds in this space and most importantly how many lives it will change for the better.

How do you feel The Collective could be used to assist Black employees in their workplaces?

The collective will be a place where synergy, brain-trust and elevation will coexist. One thing that our members always discuss is how congenial the space is. You have natural curiosity in the chat, resourceful documents that help proficiency, and camaraderie that feels genuine. It’s becoming a place to centralize and connect with like-minded individuals to improve self and work environments. I believe the work that will evolve from the collective will be immeasurable to our members and their employers!

What unique challenges have you faced being a Black man in corporate America? Any tips and lessons learned?

This is a great question, especially in the industry that I’m in because I’m facing two challenges, age and being an African American leader. I’ve learned the importance of advocates who will speak life in rooms that you aren’t in, and to let your intellect and work ethic speak for you. That will open doors, rooms and raise ceilings quicker than anything. Now, that being said, I feel an obligation to leave things better than I found them and that includes breaking stigmas and barriers surrounding the ambiguity around executive presence and showing up authentically at work. That’s why I’ve raised my hand to lead an ERG (employee resource group) at Cox Enterprise because culture isn’t defined and curated by a hand full, it takes all of us to understand the bigger picture so that the next generation can flourish.

How do you show up as your authentic self in your work space?

I show up bald, bearded and bestowed for the environment I’m facing there every day. It’s so important for me and I believe this new generation of leaders, to feel that they can be themselves at work and at home. We are employed for our diversity in thought and I think that our employers have to understand that thoughts derive from environment, experiences, and culture that the individual has undergone. Fortunately, not unfortunately, this varies from person to person and it makes companies and communities better. This was amplified when 2020 forced us to work from home; the lines of personal and work blurred

quite literally. We saw children, pets and partners on virtual calls and even though it may have been challenging to navigate at times, we learned a lot about each other. and personal career. I can’t advocate enough the benefits of having a qualified therapist, and what that can do for your personal growth in all aspects. It’s helped me understand this concept of “time management is pain management.” This concept centers the individual understanding that you will mismanage your time and efficiency if you don’t settle or become at peace with the nuances in your life. Those small thoughts of imposter syndrome will hinder you and ultimately make you less productive, which impacts your work life balance.

In reflection on Father’s Day last month, what are your thoughts on fatherhood? Specifically Black fatherhood?

“We have this unique opportunity to do great things with our members and we don’t take it for granted. It’s exciting to witness!”

How do you maintain your mental health? In what ways have you communicated your mental health as a priority to your organization and employees? How do you achieve work-life balance?

Prior to 2020, I never considered that I needed to maintain or have an outlet for positive mental health. The pandemic years have impacted us all in different ways and in my lowest moments I turned to boxing as an outlet. I’ve been boxing now for 2 1/2 years and I absolutely love the mental and physical stimulation it provides. In discovering the clarity that the sport has given me, I began to explore what therapy could do for my professional

Fatherhood is one of those things that I didn’t know I needed until it happened. I think what I love most about it is that it’s a perpetual cycle of learning because it’s impossible to be the “best” father. More specifically, being a Black father is a badge of honor for me, due to the many challenges within and outside our community that can deviate from the joys that it brings. In my circle, we often speak candidly on how informed and alert we have to be to raise our young men and women. We stress the importance of exposure to new environments and how showing up and being involved in our children’s’ lives is half the battle. I’ve been fortunate to have a strong mother and amazing role models throughout my life post my father Wallace Campbell passing that has helped shape the man I am today. As the saying goes fatherhood is the best hood!