Salsa, Soul, and Spirit by Juana Bordas

Introduction

The realization of full democracy contains within it the vision of a pluralistic society.

Multicultural leadership is an inclusive approach and philosophy that incorporates the influences, practices, and values of diverse cultures in a respectful and productive manner.

Salsa:  A great metaphor for diversity.  Latinos are invigorating ( gusto) American leadership.  They have the highest participation in the labor market of any group tracked in the U.S. Census and are the fastest growing small business sector.  Their core values include faith, family, hard work, honesty, sharing, inclusion, and cooperation. 

Soul:  Reflects a deep well of resilient hope.  The struggle of African slaves is the struggle of a people who were literally fighting for the recognition of their souls.  The concept of soul permeates African American culture. 

Spirit:  Giving and sharing are a way to nourish and regenerate oneself.  It is a way of life that is collectively rather than individually oriented.  Even the names of many tribes translates into the people--meaning that everyone belongs. 

New principles of inclusive multicultural leadership:

1. Sankofa:  Learn from the past
2. I to We:  From individualism to collective identity
3. Mi Casa es su Casa:  Developing a spirit of generosity
4. A Leader Among Equals:  Community conferred leadership
5. Leaders as Guadians of Public Values: A tradition of activism
6. Leaders as Community Steward:  Working for the common good
7. The Seventh-Generation Rule:  Intergenerational leadership
8. All My Relatives:  La familia, the village, the tribe
9. Gracias:  Gratitude, hope, and forgiveness

 

 

Part 1:  A New Social Covenant

 

Principle 1:  Sankofa--Learn from the Past

Sankofa is a mythical bird with its feet firmly planted forward and its head turned to look backward.  Sankofa means return, go back, seek, and retrieve.  Sankofa means to reflect on and learn from the past. 

Remember your roots and stay connected to your ancestry, including the history and struggles of one's own people.  Traditions associated with El Dia de los Muertos is one way Latinos do this.  Native Americans believe that their ancestors--even those who have died--walk beside them.

Principle 2:  I to We--From Individualism to Collective Identity

We cultures:

• have a strong sense of belonging and sticking together
• work together so everyone benefits
• center on people
• collective and relish togetherness
• impeccably inclusive
• put benefiting the whole before the individual
• exist only in relationship to others

The Latino tendency toward collectivism is evident in the teasured value of la familia, which is dynamic and expanding. 

I is contained in we.  They are not a dichotomy.  Individuals must be strong for the collective to thrive. 

The we encompasses ancestors, present-day people, and those who will follow. 

Principle 3:  Mi Casa Es Su Casa--A Spirit of Generosity

Cyclical reciprocity:  People are continually giving to one another

Inclusiveness and sharing are two important values for a collective culture

The Mexican saying Hechalé agua al caldo (put another cup of water in the soup) means that no matter how little one has, there is always enough to go around. 

Having more (success) means being able to give more.

In early Indian cultures, people often compteted with each other to see who could give away the most.  Wealth is generated for its distribution, not its accumulation. 

Sharing is not limited to material possessions.  Gozar la vida ("enjoy life") is a deep-seated philosophy:  Sharing good times with family and friends.  Consumer studies show that Latinos spend more money on food, entertainment, and music than other market segments.  Latinos will find any excuse to to host a fiesta--a community celebration. 

Latinos have an admirable work ethic.  Work is seen as an opportunity to give of their talents and contribute to the welfare of the group and organization. 

In early We cultures being able to share and be generous was a survival tactic.

Today there is a generosity gap.  Much of mainstream America is more concerned about personal accumulation than the welfare of their neighbors.  America's poverty rate is the highest of the developed world.  There is also a direct correlation between poverty and race.  In 2000 CEO wages were 525 times that of the average worker. 

Renowned leadership expert, James MacGregor Burns notes that leadership implies the ability to mobilize people and engage them in a process in which both the leader and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. 

 

Part 2:  Leadership Styles in Communities of Color

 

Hispanics:  leaders tend to emerge from their community by addressing critical needs.

 

American Indians:  the source of leadership is collective with a leader serving and being responsible for the community.

 

African Americans:  leadership derives its authority and legitimacy from the community from which it emerges.

 

[Book:  Stewardship:  Choosing Service Over Self-Interest by Peter Block]

 

Leadership is rotated, distributed, and shared--a leader among equals--no one is elevated above others.

 

Principle 4:  A Leader Among Equals--Community--Conferred Leadership

 

Leaders are expected to listen, integrate the collective wisdom, and reflect the group's values.  Standing out too much from others or calling too much attention to oneself can damage the group.  This is very different from an individualist culture. 

 

Dynamics of leadership in a collectivist culture:

• Authority comes from the group.
• Leaders are chosen because of their character, including honesty, humility, and generosity.
• Leaders inspire people to identify with them by setting an example.
• A leader serves something greater than himself--the mission, cause, or well-being of the community.
• A leader plays by the rules.

Personalismo:  Leadership centers on character and how the leader treats people, treating all people with dignity.  You do what you say you are going to do and you are willing to do the work and sacrifice.

 

Black Community:  "walks the talk" and "tell it like it is."

 

Principle 5:  Leaders as Guardians of Public Values--A Tradition of Activism

 

The role of leadership is the role of advocacy--exercising one's power, knowledge, and access to change the aspects of society that are inequitable.

 

Important to remember:  Most scientists today concur that human beings share a similar genetic profile and that race differences constitute less than 5 perce of genetic variations. 

 

La Causa--The Cause

Latinos are not a race, but an ethic group bound together by the Spanish language, colonization, the Catholic Church, and common values.  The ultimate leadership task is to inspire a conglomerate of people to forge a shared identity, vision, purpose to take an perhaps an impossible task. 

 

There is a psychology of oppression and many people of color collude with the system that keeps them "in their place."  Some ramifications include:  1) a lack of confidence in others of their own race, 2) the exclusion of those who succeed as "not being like us," and 3) the whitewashing of minority talent, in which people of color disregard their own culture and emulate White people in order to succeed.  Another ramification is envidia. 

     Example:  The Crab Syndrome

 

White people need to become aware of white privilege that is almost always unconscious and invisible to them.  Peggy McIntosh has so adeptly brought to light this white privilege.  Until white people recognize that white privilege exists, they will be unable to address it. 

 

The oppressed as well as the oppressors must be transformed. The oppressed must learn to value and respect themselves, understand how they have contributed to the oppressive system, and forgive those who have hurt them. 

 

Principle 6:  Leaders as Community Stewards--Working for the Common Goal

 

Robert Greenleaf:  Servant Leadership philosophy

 

The litmus test for a leader of whether he has remained a faithful steward is the effect on the followers.  Did the followers become freer, more autonomous, and more capable of serving others?

 

Community stewardship prompts leadership that concentrates on building people's capacity.  Leaders who are community stewards are dedicated to serving people, a movement, a cause, and a greater purpose.  They are guided by an overarching, prophetic, transforming vision.  They listen to people's voices and ideas. 

• Call and response--Oral tradition is cherished.  African Americans use conversation zigzags.
• It Takes as Long as It Takes--Time is irrelevant.

Cariño and Charisma

Latinos love charlando--chatting about ideas, interests, dreams plans, possibilities. 

      Bk:  The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner--"encourage the heart"

      The Latino tradition of flor y canto is indicative of the tendency to combine the real with the mystical. 

A leader recognizes other people--the people who came before, parents, and the contributions of others.  You don't take the credit.  You make sure you recognize everybody else.

Leaders are bridge builders who forge partnerships and coalitions. 

 

 

Equity, Community, and Service

 

Leaders who function as community stewards serve the collective, use power for the public good, grow people's capacity, and encourage everyone's participation.
 

 



 Part Three:  Creating the Circle of Leadership

 

"One head does not a council make."  --An African saying

 

Native American "talking stick"

 

Principle 7:  The Seventh-Generation Rule--Intergenerational Leadership

According to John Gardner, our volatile times needs "a whole army of leaders."--multicultural leaders because it is predicted that by 2020 a majority of Americans under 18 will be non-white.

Ten essential elements of cultivating intergenerational leadership:

1. Listen and learn from different age groups.
2. Be real and walk the talk--Follow through on commitments.
3. Embrace mutuality and equality.
4. Stoke up the network between people of different ages.
5. Tap into your passion and common interestes.
6. Follow through with texting and social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to stay in touch with issues.
7. Put relationships first.
8. Think continuity as relationships take time to grow.
9. Remember the power of Sankofa.
10. Use the Seventh-Generation Rule.

[There are a number of books now available that explain characteristics of different generations that would be wise to consult]

 

Principle 8:  All My Relatives--La Familia, the Village, the Tribe

 

The Mosquito Indians in Nicaragua greet each other by touching their hearts and saying, "Kupia Kumi,"  which means we are one heart.  The Lakota greeting "Mitakuye oyasin" means "We are all related."  Relationships always carry responsibility.

Cultural and religious beliefs that people come from one family are being confirmed by genetic anthropology.  Therefore, leaders should treat all those they lead as family members.

In the African American community ubuntu literally means "you are a person only because of other people."  In other words, we are all connected. 

The Hispanic La Raza is inclusive.  Raul Yzaguirre says, "My definition of Latino is anybody who wants to be a Latino.  Bienvenido--welcome to the family."  Latinos are a culture, not a race, and culture is learned.  Because culture is learned, leaders can multicultural competencies. 

Generosity flows naturally to one's relatives.

 

Principle 9:  Gracias--Gratitude, Hope, and Forgiveness

 

For Black, Latinos, and Indian leaders, gracias (gratitude), hope and forgiveness are three attributes that transformed oppression and need into an enduring faith in life's goodness.

Spirituality is responsibility towards others.  It is a moral responsibility to ensure others' well-being and the collective good. 

For Indian people, spirituality is the integrating force of their lives and the essence of leadership. 

The majority of great reformers in American history were not only motivated by their faith, but they also used religious language to argue for their cause.  In other words, they didn't leave their religion at the door before entering the public square. 

The African philosophy of seriti teaches that the more good deeds a person does, the more he shares with humanity, the greater his seriti (the spirit and power of all life) grows.

Expressing gracias is a great gift that communities of color bring to America. 

 

In Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman optimism can be described as hope.  Our communities of color can teach us a lot about being optimistic--things are going to turn out ok despite many obstacles. 

 

Dr. Jim Joseph says, "If you damage the humanity of another person, then the whole of humanity is damaged in the process.  The African American community has always taught this value.  You forgive not only because it is ordained by the creator, but you live in this kind of relationship with other people because it is also in your self-interest."  Dr. Josephy feels that reconciliation is one of the public values leaders need to create a diverse society. 

 

Reconciling the past, having gratitude for what one has today, and being optimistic for the future all nourish continuity and community integration--the foundation for the circle of leadership. 

 

Part Four:  Leadership for a Multicultural Age--Making the Commitment:  Personal, Organizational, and Political

 

In the Latino community it is destino, in the African American it is calling, and in the American Indian it is vision quest.  We need to make a commitment to the ideal.   

 

Although assimilation served a purpose in the past by crafting one nation out of the potpourri that came to America, acculturation rather than assimilation is wiser in our day.  Acculturation crossing over means a person has learned togoback and forth between cultures and functions successfully in both. 

 

Acculturation increases one's cultural repertoire, creativity, adaptability, and flexibility, and promotes cross-cultural competency.  When people learn to acculturate, they can thrive in different cultural environments.