Lessons for Leaders of Color

I have had the privilege of serving in CEO roles for most of my career. This includes leading four destination marketing organizations. Additionally, I have served in volunteer leadership as an executive committee member or chair of various nonprofit organizations.

Along my journey - and leadership development is a journey - leaders of quite diverse backgrounds have proactively counseled, corrected, or even corralled me when it was necessary. Some of these leaders are well-known industry hall of fame members who saw fit to take an interest in my career growth. Others have been episodic or untitled leaders who provided equally valuable counsel and correction. I have absolutely no idea why I was the fortunate recipient of such attention over the course of my career. Regardless of the type of guidance these leaders provided, they saw that I needed it, took the initiative to provide it, and I thank them all. I have always tried to accept counsel with humility and even submission. These are both leadership principles I endeavor to espouse and model.

As I reflect on my nearly four decades as a leader of color in an industry that has a deficit of cultural and racial diversity, numerous colleagues have suggested that I share some of the lessons I have learned. I have offered advice informally when individuals have come to me. I am gratified that a new or experienced leader would believe I have something relevant to share. This is related to another one of my most cherished principles of leadership, which is stewardship. If we have been blessed with an opportunity or gift – and we all have been – it is incumbent upon each of us to use that gift or opportunity to its fullest extent, including sharing it freely with others.

So, I have been led to capture some of those lessons in periodic essays that I will share in hopes of lighting the path for leaders of color and for others who are on their leadership journey. Leadership is a journey, not a destination and everyone’s journey and destination are different.

Leadership is like other pursuits in life. It is not one size fits all. This is particularly true for leaders of color. As an African American leader, I cannot even speak globally on behalf of my own race and by no means can I necessarily speak for leaders of color of other backgrounds.

But without question, journeys of various cultural groups do have commonalities. Historical slavery and oppression, English as a second language, poor documentation of cultural history, and limited representation in the mainstream media, politics, and business and commerce are a few of the ways in which communities of color experience life.

My goal is to continue the conversation about the needs of leaders of color particularly as our nation’s population continues its march towards a majority minority status. Another goal is to bridge the gap that many people do not even know exists in the diverse ways leaders of color and their counterparts from the dominant culture develop.

Stay tuned for some of the road signs, detours, speed traps, and other things you will encounter along your leadership journey. All aboard!

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