Minorities in Executive Leadership

Understanding Where the Race is Headed
Bramwell Osula, Ph.D.

As more minorities move into leadership positions organizations are able to draw on a larger pool of talent when addressing problems such as shrinking budgets, corporate downsizing, membership renewal and the challenge of globalization. Uncovering strategies for encouraging greater participation of minorities begins with a mapping of opportunities and challenges.

OPPORTUNITIES

A Broader Understanding

A good place to begin is perhaps with the obvious recognition that all minorities are not the same. This is an important point to bear in mind as we go in search of new leadership pathways. Rejecting a "one-size-fits all" approach denotes appreciation of the breadth of value found in diversity.

Added Value

Minorities bring a depth to leadership that transcends narrowly circumscribed cultural categories. New and subtle layers of knowledge, experience and meaning combined with concrete skills in a variety of technical, administrative and service disciplines add incredible value to any leadership team. The scale of the problems now visible on the horizon requires organizations to put their best foot forward. Making the most of different ways of seeing and leading is also an exciting synergistic proposition.

Making the most of learning opportunities

Leadership renewal implies motion. A good deal of the traction necessary for effective leadership will come from investments in training and human resource development. While a majority of entrants to leadership positions are already qualified by their credentials, experience and heart commitments, there is always room for improvement. Every challenge becomes a unique learning opportunity. The sometimes dull routine associated with chairing meetings, problem solving, financial management and strategic planning are easily turned to training advantage. What is good for the individual can also benefit the wider community. As role models minorities increase the multiplier effect of training and other resource development initiatives.

Builders for eternity

A commitment to learning has produced professionally minded leaders. Increasingly, the language of leadership seems to reflect measurement imperatives. Buried beneath a pile of assessment charts and "hard" measures it can take great effort to recapture the meaning of mission statements and translate value propositions into service delivery. Minorities have a vital role to play in this recovery effort. What is begun on earth in our boardrooms is useful preparation for Kingdom living. Even though organizations are more likely these days to speak of cultural reshaping, organizational restructuring, or the realignment of structure with strategy, what is really at stake is the quality of their Christian commitment. In these turbulent times, the captivating question could be: Who is willing to lead like Jesus? An affirmative response is the message of Blanchard and Hodges in their Lead like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time.

CHALLENGES

However, leading like Jesus is not without its challenges.

The walls of separation

Acknowledging we have still some way to go in addressing problems concerning minorities in leadership is a first step to finding solutions. Sometimes the walls that divide and separate are thicker than we know or are prepared to accept. Memories and established ways of doing things are not so easily forgotten or abandoned. Physical and emotional hurdles, if they are not carefully negotiated, lead to petty resentments and leadership battles. Breaking down the walls of division takes work and a gentle willingness to claim a joint inheritance.

Bridging the gap

Quite often fear and resentment are the visible faces of division. At one level, fear and resentment reflect a legacy of fractured histories and an assortment of cultural turf wars. Waking up to the presence of these conflicts within our organizations can be a shock or reality check. Fear and resentment are frequently located in ignorance, the convenience of stereotypes and genuine misunderstanding. Recognizing the cultural baggage each of us brings to the leadership table ought to increase the stock of our shared responses. In the final analysis, fear and resentment crimp our collective spirits and reduce prospects for bridge building.

A team of insiders

"Old boy networks" get in the way of serious efforts to establish a team of leadership insiders. Doing away with the self-perpetuating insider groups and cliques paves the way for a more inclusive organization. Unless they are specifically guarded against exclusive social groups will take root in organizational life, redefining agendas in favor of the few. The water cooler is a popular metaphor for the informal hub of communication. Nowadays, the water cooler is more likely to be the golf course, a church picnic, Little League baseball game, or personal e-mail connection. Familiarity fosters friendships and should be encouraged. It also breeds contempt when otherwise innocent friendships morph into self-serving leadership sub groups. Members trade on the benefits of insider information, their assignment to special tasks, or easy access to a President, CEO or Founder. The privilege afforded a few works to the detriment of the many by creating a two-tier system. Because they are more likely to be newcomers to senior leadership, old-boy networks pose a special threat to minorities.

Qualifications and continuous learning

An open environment will often suggest a greater degree of professionalism and concomitant integrity. Balancing instrumental and expressive, or functional with emotional needs is a common organizational dilemma. Leaders must be both qualified and relational. Loving others as the Bible commands can test the patience of even the most saintly. However, whether we examine data on women, Hispanic or African-Americans in leadership the conclusions are the same. Time devoted to answering questions about ones qualification or competency takes away from a focus on more critical matters.

As minorities move into leadership positions rumblings about their qualification or lack thereof will unfortunately be heard. Board members have a duty to address these questions squarely while remaining alert to hints of bias that may lurk behind a complaint. Leadership is a journey not a destination. Continuous learning dictates that none, whether classified as minority or majority, should rest on their laurels. This is not the way of excellence. Companies seeking to balance qualification with opportunity should design meaningful orientation procedures and attach these to innovative coaching and mentoring programs.

LOOKING FORWARD

Building relationships, improving services and touching lives while growing an organization all fall within the remit of leadership. It comes as no surprise to discover that Jesus did not just go about doing good. He went about looking for and creating opportunities for promoting good. This is the demand of active leadership. A number of strategies are available to organizations.

The leadership embrace

Sometimes organizations are less inclusive than their rhetoric suggests. The widespread tendency to attach disparaging labels to others whom we regard as different should not be dismissed as natural. The bond of humanity is far stronger than our individual differences and ought to be articulated as a practical not just a theological point. A commitment to team building, collaborative leadership, and meaningful participation in the organizational process helps flesh out the meaning of inclusion. Are we really in the encouraging business? In reading the parable of The Prodigal Son there is a strong tendency to only see a profligate younger son who squanders his inheritance then returns home to a loving father and sulking older brother. The father's royal reception for his wanderlust son gives us all hope in Our Father's boundless capacity to forgive. But there is a deeper leadership lesson. Who do we mirror in our leadership efforts, the father or the resentful older brother? To welcome is passive while to embrace is active. Effective leaders actively work to encourage others, raising the ante of success by sharing and growing together.

Stumbling blocks and stepping stones

The first of Kouzes and Posner's 5 examples of exemplary leadership is to "model the way." Instead of being in competition, leaders need the self assurance (not to be confused with arrogance) to serve as role models. As more minorities enter senior leadership the demand for leaders who model the way will likely increase. A good question to ask is: Am I a facilitator or an obstacle? In the language of the 19th century poet R.L. Sharp, are you a stumbling block or stepping stone? What stepping stone opportunities are you creating for others?

Going in search of honesty, transparency and respect

Respect is one of those intangibles that can be a sore point in relationships. Like love it sits there, on the fence, somewhat unsteadily, waiting to be engaged. Understanding, empathy, encouragement, celebration, humility, and a willingness to learn from others are simple ways to unleash the power of respect. As leaders are transformed only then are they able to lead authentically. If respect is interpreted as caring then it is true; "people don't really care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Future orientation

A historical perspective helps us understand the demographic shifts in society and to contextualize the entry of minorities into leadership positions. This framework needs to be matched by a forward leaning examination of where we may all be headed. Looking beyond the issues of today to leadership scenarios five, ten, or fifteen years hence feeds into the conscious commitment reflected in earlier suggested strategies. It also makes good planning sense. Focusing on anything beyond next year's budget can be difficult. Fortunately, the claims of strategic forecasting are no longer automatically dismissed as ridiculous or bogus. As the latest entrants into positions of leadership, minorities have an opportunity to quite literally lead from the front through their embrace of cutting-edge foresight tools.

The power of creativity

Creativity means more than an ability to make do with less or devise an award winning ad campaign. Bringing the advantages of creativity to bear on leadership allow us to link such low tech ideas as scenario planning, community networking, and young leaders' mentoring initiatives to existing leadership efforts. In the new knowledge management economy, intelligence report briefings on pertinent leadership issues, talent gap analyses and the purposeful mining of specific cultural data for use in longitudinal analyses are all potentially useful strategies. Creativity begins with the belief that it is possible to do things differently and more effectively, usually by applying new ideas to old problems. The call therefore is not to re-invent the wheel or relegate to a footnote the significance of minorities in leadership. Rather, leveraging the power of creativity expands opportunities for growth and development.

The inadequacy of many popular theories and offerings on leadership alerts us to the need for leaders who model the right attitudes and behaviors. The challenge remains how we get organizations to move from where they are to where they need to be. A prayerful commitment to lead like Jesus gives profound purpose to the strategies offered in this article. I'm unsure who said it first but ultimately leadership isn't a race to see who will get there first. It's about understanding where the race is headed and seeking to guide others there.

References

Blanchard, Ken & Hodges, Phil (2006). Lead Like Jesus: Lessons From the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time. Thomas Nelson Publishers

Covey, Steven, (2004). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders: Powerful lessons in Personal Change. Free Press.

Kouzes, James M. & Posner, Barry Z., (2007). The Leadership Challenge. Jossey-Bass

NKJV Holy Bible. (1982). Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TN.

Sanders, E.S., and Thiagarajan, S. (2005). Performance intervention maps: 39 strategies for solving your organization's problems. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

Sharp, R. L. (1936). A Bag of Tools. In "Best Loved Poems of the American People" (selected by Hazel Felleman).

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The Author: Dr. Bramwell Osula is Assistant Professor of Leadership at the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Regent University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo in Canada and has lived and worked in Europe, Africa and North America for over 30 years. His interests span the fields of leadership diversity, higher education, coaching and mentoring, corporate governance and community development. He consults both locally and internationally with "for-profit" and charitable organizations.

Email: bramosu@regent.edu