What Do We Owe Each Other?

It’s a question I’ve been carrying lately. Whispering to myself in quiet moments, wrestling with it when the world feels particularly harsh.
Leadership as Ancestral Work

There are days when I can feel them. Not in a ghostly way, but in my bones. The people who came before me.
Hope as a Discipline, Not a Feeling

We are living in a time when despair can feel like the most honest response. The headlines are relentless. The losses, personal and global, compound. For many of us, especially those whose work is rooted in justice, equity, and community, there is a heaviness that sits just beneath the surface—persistent, exhausting, and familiar.
Grieving for Other People’s Children

I am writing this within hours of returning from the ceremony, remembering and praying for the lives of the two boys and their families. My son's classmates. They were two of five teenagers in the car, involved in a tragic accident. The living will never unsee, never forget how they felt in those moments.
What if This is the Leadership Test We Were Made For?

It’s hard to find anyone who isn’t feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world right now. Political division is running deep. Civil unrest continues to flare. Institutions we once trusted are under scrutiny. Employees are burned out. And leaders—especially those with a deep sense of responsibility—are exhausted, disillusioned, and wondering whether they’re up to the task of leading in such a...
The Best Managers Don’t Wait Until They’re Stuck

Too many managers wait until something breaks to start growing.
Legacy Isn’t a Dream—It’s a Decision

My father’s family is from a little town in Arkansas called Marianna, about 30 minutes from Memphis. It’s so small. The roads are intermittently paved. The church has no signage, no decadence, holds about 30 people. There are no easily identifiable street names. To visit family I know to look for Clifford’s place (that’s my cousin’s house frame that he intends to build a proper juke joint on),...
When the World Is on Fire, Your Culture Should Be Your Refuge — Not Another Battleground

Whenever there is social unrest—mass protests, political turmoil, threats to civil rights—we tend to draw a clear line between “what’s happening out there” and what happens within the four walls of our organizations. But that line is imaginary. Our employees don’t leave their values, lived experiences, or fears at the door. And in times of crisis, those emotions become stronger and louder than...
Leadership That Lasts: Reflecting on the ARL Leadership and Career Development Program

Dr. Jerome Offord, Jr, CDO, Harvard Library, Risë Nelson, Director, DEIA, Yale Library & Collections,Yale Library, Dr. Ufuoma Abiola, Executive Head and Associate University Librarian for DEI, Princeton University Library, and DeEtta Jones Whenever I'm asked about the career accomplishment of which I am most proud, I say the same thing without hesitation: the Leadership and Career Development...
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About Us
DeEtta Jones & Associates (DJA) guides leaders and organizations on a journey that builds capacity, strengthens innovation, and increases organizational performance by creating a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment.