Does Your Definition of Leadership Exclude Women of Color?

Many organizations have committed to diversifying their leadership and promoting more women of color to senior positions. But, to do that, they may find that their leadership criteria need an update. As practitioners and consultants of diversity and inclusion, the authors argue that narrow perceptions of leadership and “fit” can reinforce the status quo — and keep the top of the org chart white and male. To address this, they suggest (1) considering how our current ideas of leadership often ignore the value underrepresented groups bring to business, (2) how to adjust our systems to recognize those contributions, and (3) tactical steps to make progress towards systemic change.