I never thought I would have missed it, but on my first day at my new job, the beauty of wood-trimmed cubicle walls, the luminous fluorescent lights hanging overhead, and the feel of high pile carpet underneath my high heels was a sight for sore eyes. As I strolled down the hallway towards my new office, lyrics to a song bounced in my head, It’s a new dawn, it’s new a day, it’s new life for me, and I’m feeling good.

In my professional career, I have always been the type of person who worked diligently, produced good work, and excelled in my roles. I always assumed that by doing a great job I would automatically be rewarded, promoted, and given that coveted pat on the back. After all, weren’t we always taught – especially women – that good things come to those who wait? So why was it that individuals in the workplace, who were inept and inefficient at their jobs, somehow move up the corporate ladder and succeed time and time again? Believe me, I have experienced my share of this and have always had the same question pinging in my head. Does the leadership not see what seems so clear to me?

Navigating the Gray: Expert tips for communicating clearly and confidently and building stronger workplace relationships in pursuit of upward career mobility.

Part one of this interview with David Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer at CVS Health, focused on the company’s overall diversity strategy and talent development efforts with regards to the cultural demographic shift – one in which Hispanics are at the fore as the largest and fastest growing demographic group in the U.S.