Next Generation Leadership

In the middle of a cold front sweeping across much of the U.S., I welcome a warm morning breeze, wearing a lovely linen robe Michael bought for me at a pop-up stand on the beach, reading glasses from a trip to Tokyo, and sipping coffee brought to us by friends from Colombia. My life is busy and hectic, but free from worries about where my next meal will come from, whether or not I can afford to...

New York Times International Edition, November 11, headline reads Business leaders tread lightly on Gaza war. It goes on to explain why it is so difficult for leaders to comment on the lack of knowledge about the history of the conflict, the inability to point to one, and only one, clear victim, fear of appearing either antisemitic or Islamophobic, and concern about negative financial...

I have such mixed feelings about being a “DEI practitioner.” The label is too small, too narrow for our work. These three letters are consistently misunderstood, undervalued, and often lack alignment with real strategic impact on organizations. People with real power to make ongoing investments view the work of inclusion as “optional,” lacking a clean and immediate “ROI,” and “in addition to our...

Managing group dynamics is part science, part art – and a lot of attention to detail for the facilitator. “Creating space,” “encouraging engagement,” and “being accountable” are all tall orders, especially for most group leaders, who aren’t trained facilitators but have responsibility for helping the groups they work with function effectively and inclusively.Norms are agreements established at...

1. Perspective-Taking When we take the perspective of another person, our brains engage what is described as the "mentalizing" network. This network is engaged when we search for new alternatives or deviate from routines, provoking selection of options we typically wouldn’t take into consideration. With this in mind, perspective-taking is the perfect way to begin examining, unpacking, and...

Cultural competence is a personal skill set. It is the capability to shift cultural perspective and adapt behavior in recognition of cultural commonalities and differences. This competency requires an adjustment in everything - from becoming aware, to developing skills and then modifying behavior. Cultural competence requires a deep cultural self-awareness that derives from continuous education,...

Earlier this week, I had the honor of delivering a keynote presentation at the MLK Day Celebration in Parkland, Florida. Parkland is the community I called home during my first three years in Florida before moving to Miami where I now live. Watch the video to hear the speech that I delivered (mostly).

This blog was originally published in collaboration with the Forbes Business Council. Workplace expectations for leaders and managers have changed. From my perspective, replacing traditional notions of power are more inclusive values of power sharing and creating space for new voices and access. Amidst these shifts, questions about how to have and use power persist.Consider Your PowerPower is not...