Sparking Conversations: a MLK Day Reflection

The purpose of Monday’s Leadership Learnings Series is to share bi-weekly doses of encouragement and learnings from my own experience and the experiences of the most inspiring and integrated leaders I know. Every second Monday for the next six months, I will be sharing leadership learning and reflections with this community.?

My aim is to spaark a conversations on what is needed most from us as leaders as we all try to map out the paths in these uncertain times. I hope that we can create a? community that will allow us to pull from each other’s strengths and give us the courage to seize the opportunities that this phase of transformation in the world will bring.?

In my first post, I wrote about the importance of narrative identities.? A community leader and colleague? Rod Cotton (SVP, Chief of Staff & Head of Strategy and Transformation) was inspired to pen a thought-provoking piece about how his life and, he hopes, the lives of those around him, changed when he started to speak his narrative out loud.? I am honored he shared these insights with me to post on this Monday's Leadership Learnings.

Why is this Monday of special significance to Rod??

This Monday, January 16th, 2023, we mark Martin Luther King Day. Rod shares with us the ways in which Martin Luther King touched his life and why he wants his legacy to be measured not by what he has achieved in business but by what he has done to make other people’s lives better.?

Like Rod, I also believe that some of our greatest learnings as leaders happen when we open ourselves up to meaningful relationships with ourselves and with the people who are part of our communities.

One of my most important role models early on in my community was my French teacher, who came from Haiti. Monsieur Toussaint taught me in elementary school in Canada, from Grade 1 through to Grade 8. I remember vividly the colourful, traditional clothing he wore. He was upbeat, enthusiastic, and authentic. He was one of my favourite teachers. When I reflect back now, I remember three “leadership lessons” he role-modeled for me early on. I call the 3 L’s of Leadership:?

1. He loved what he did - his “work” as a teacher”?
2. He loved whom he was working with – he was a beloved peer and staff member?
3. He loved whom he was doing it for – his students?

He taught with passion and enthusiasm. And this was especially the case when it came to Black History Month. He taught us all to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of our history. To me, he was a leader, and he left a legacy in my mind and heart, and in many other students.?

Thank you to Rod Cotton for sharing your personal story with me, your willingness to contribute to Monday's Leadership Learnings, and for writing this piece for all to be inspired by your story.

Cultivating Legacy: A MLK Day Reflection

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been a U.S. federal holiday since 1986, and it's always been an important day to me. My mom is about the same age Dr. King would have been if he were still alive today. I remember the day she called me inside, sat me down, and told me about his death. I must have been about nine years old. "This is real life," she said.

I've often wondered: Without Dr. King, would we have seen the first Black president or the first Black Supreme Court justice in our lifetimes? On a more personal level, could someone like me ever have become a leader at a global corporation? These are the kinds of questions I ask myself each year when I set time aside to learn more about Dr. King and reflect on his legacy. A couple of years ago, I even visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. I highly recommend it.?

What do Dr. King's grace, courage, and sacrifice mean to me? What kind of legacy do I want to leave? It has taken me 60 years to figure out who I am, and my journey continues. Here are a few things I've learned along the way.

Be open to assessments and feedback.

Eva has written about the value of understanding yourself and your own personal story, aka your narrative identity , especially if you're a leader. Her post inspired me to reflect more deeply over the holidays and to share it with both our communities.?

I've found that to truly get to know yourself, it's essential to get out of your comfort zone. A few years back, I did just that. I took part in a 360-degree leadership assessment known as a Leadership Circle Profile . The results surprised me. "You're effective, but you're working in a reactive space – a protective space," my counselor, Paul Byrne explained. "What would it feel like if you started working in a more open, transparent, and vulnerable space?"?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my results were a reflection of my personal story – who I'd been and who I'd become. I grew up in South Central LA, worked hard to climb the ladder, and frequently moved through corporate America as the only Black person in the room. I often felt alone or under siege, and I'd learned to protect myself by holding back and trying to be perfect. But it's hard to build relationships that way, and it's even more difficult to inspire a team. Those realizations began a process of evolution for me.?

Have courage to open up and share stories

To move from a reactive place to a creative place, I needed to open up and share my story, Paul said. "It's going to be so much easier and take so much less energy, and you'll become a stronger leader, too." So, during a workshop with a handful of Roche colleagues, I shared a personal story about my dad. He'd been one of the first Black men hired, as an electrician in the early 1950s,? by the County Hospital in Los Angeles (now L.A. County/USC Medical Center), which led to intense hostile work environment stress and issues with alcohol.?

Sharing that story was something I never would have done in the past. And Paul was right. I immediately felt the impact of opening up. The next day, while tackling a business issue with colleagues, it was so much easier to collaborate and get things done.?

As I began to develop deeper, more effective, more personal relationships, my work required a lot less energy. I felt inspired, and I even went on to develop a Roche Ted talk about my life and story called "The Pursuit of Perfection."?

Embrace who you want to be

If you ask me what makes me unique, the first thing I'll say is versatility. I feel comfortable in the back alley, the boardroom, and everywhere in between. And I like to form relationships with people at every level of an organization, from the janitor to the chairman of the board. That quality absolutely has to do with my roots in South Central LA and my mother's direction to be kind to everyone.

Those who've worked with me know I'm a competitive, intensely focused businessperson. I hope they also know I'm a people person who genuinely cares about others.?

I've found that by continuing to share personal stories on my LinkedIn blog, I've been able to make caring connections with people in unexpected ways. For example, a recent blog about my mom's struggle with Alzheimer's has led to some meaningful personal correspondence, including a meal with a local leader in the health equity space and a heartfelt message from my insurance agent. That's the beauty of opening up. Your stories can motivate all kinds of people, and their stories can motivate you in both your professional and personal life. When you open up, you can connect with people of different ages, races, and genders, and through those personal exchanges, you can build strong relationships and mutual trust.

Celebrate your legacy

What legacy will I leave? It won't be what I accomplish. It won't be material wealth. My legacy is simply this: the positive impact I have on people. That's what I want to leave behind. I want to help people grow because of their relationship with me, and I hope they'll help me keep growing, too.?

"Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever," Dr. King said. "The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself." In my case, freedom from oppression has come in the form of storytelling. By sharing and connecting, I can make a lasting impact.?

What's your story? And what legacy do you want to leave behind? No matter how old you are or where you are in your career, it's time to find out. The sooner you get started, the more you'll be able to do – for both others and for yourself – and the richer your legacy will become.