DEIB Centered Thought Leadership Series:
Wielding and Utilizing Power as a Leader of Color
In my 20+ years as both an executive and a leader, I find that oftentimes the term “privilege” can make many leaders uncomfortable and even awkward - particularly when it comes up in the context of their leadership role. I can personally recall experiencing that discomfort early on my leadership path. As a person of color, I was aware of when and how “privilege” showed up long before I even heard or understood the term. It wasn’t until I went to college and spent a semester abroad that I began to understand privilege. I understood that privilege was something that most of my classmates had while I was often and unexpectedly reminded that I did not.
A couple of years into the workforce, I came to understand privilege as an academic framework. It helped to some extent to finally have terms and definitions for something that I inherently knew and continuously experienced. So, when the term privilege popped up again in leadership training materials, I distinctly remember feeling confused and partly uncomfortable. Intuitively, I knew that DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging) was an inherent strategy and skill set necessary in leadership roles, but applying DEIB academic frameworks, as they were presented in terms of leadership competencies, seemed out of place or incongruent - at least to me. My experiences with DEIB (personal and professional) and subsequent understanding were more than just constructs. To me, DEIB was multidimensional, dynamic, and, to some extent, tangible - much like leadership roles and responsibilities. As my confidence and leadership competencies deepened, I began to trust how I applied and navigated DEIB in leadership and professional settings.
As I met and connected with other leaders, particularly executives of color over the next several years, my assessment and approach to navigating DEIB as a leader were validated and confirmed. At the same time, I felt implicitly challenged by those peers - not so much by what we discussed, but by the self-reflection that was often prompted by those conversations. One of the most salient DEIB + leadership concepts that emerged from those conversations was the role and relationship between privilege and power. More specifically, how can I as a leader of color use power thoughtfully and strategically?
Renowned researcher, storyteller, and author, Brené Brown, points out “you cannot talk about race without talking about privilege. And when people start talking about privilege, they get paralyzed by shame”. I know this statement to be true. As a seasoned executive and leader, I also think that leaders cannot talk about DEIB in a meaningful way without talking about power. As leaders, how often do we shy away from or avoid meaningful conversations about privilege and power - passively exercising our power to do so?
Being an impactful, DEIB-centered leader means being willing to have those conversations. More importantly, DEIB-centered leadership means deepening our ability to effectively navigate those conversations - responsibly, honestly, and thoughtfully. After all, our leadership roles and responsibilities often require us to initiate or engage in difficult conversations or, at a minimum, make us uncomfortable. When we accept any leadership role, we also accept responsibility for other people’s experience as it pertains to their professional growth; advancement (or non-advancement); and overall sense of feeling respected, valued, and seen. A DEIB-centered leader recognizes the privilege inherent in this responsibility and embraces it fully. More importantly, they continuously seek to use and apply their power thoughtfully.
Privilege and Power in a Leadership Context
Before exploring this concept further, it's important to propose working definitions for privilege and power (in its various leadership forms) within the context of DEIB. While the definitions below are intentionally succinct, the application of these leadership concepts and competencies are nuanced.
Privilege can be described as unearned benefits, advantages, and power afforded to an individual or group of individuals based primarily on factors specific to their identity (gender, race, etc.) and/or status.
Power is often described as the ability to direct and influence behavior, events, and allocation of resources.
Personal power is now understood to result from an individual’s personal qualities, as well as their actions and follow through.
Positional power is understood to come from a person’s title, rank, and hierarchy within an organized system - e.g., a corporation or business entity.
Organizational Equity
Organizational equity is finally being recognized as a core tenet of DEIB-centered leadership. In straightforward terms, organizational equity is a leadership commitment and practice to continuously explore and assess how power is being distributed, redistributed, and/or shared among a team or at various levels of an organization. Positional power and personal power are continuously at play. To be clear, organizational equity is distinct from organizational power dynamics because first and foremost, it is a DEIB strategy and leadership framework. Organizational equity is simultaneously focused on dual bottom lines: 1) executing organizational strategy, and 2) embracing the responsibility/privilege to positively shape people’s experiences including their professional growth, opportunity for advancement, and most importantly, their need to feel seen, respected, and valued for exactly who they are.
I’m told that it is a recommended practice when writing a thought leadership piece to end it with a call to action of sorts. With that in mind, I’d like to share words by poet Maya Angelou that often serve as a call to action for me as a leader:
"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
About the Author:
Oscar Gomez is the Founder and CEO of SoJoGo - a DEIB strategic consulting and leadership development firm. The three syllables in the company name are a nod and tribute to Oscar’s parents, Socorro y Jose Gomez. Oscar has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Pepperdine University. Prior to pursuing his passion and commitment to DEIB, he had a 25-year career in community and public health - 17 of those years as Chief Executive Officer of a national capacity building, training, and workforce development organization committed to expanding access to care and advancing health and racial equity. Oscar’s leadership and executive experience are supplemented by his HealthCare Executive Certification from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He was also identified and listed in Conscious Company Magazine's 20 Game-Changing Founders of Color