I already had the week’s newsletter drafted and scheduled. I was looking forward to sharing some insights on Servant Leadership and how to best embody it for personal growth and professional success. I’d also planned to share some productivity hacks that could help you finish the year without burning out, as these are the responsibility and price of opportunity. However, I couldn’t do business as usual in the shadow of the recent US Election. That was in November 2024, and since then, I’ve written and scheduled more newsletters, but could not press send as this new administration kicked off with chaotic executive orders and a dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices in the Federal Government. Some private sector companies have preemptively started rolling back their own initiatives, and it’s left a lot of us with more questions than solutions. As I’ve seen week over week since Jan. 20th, a lot of good people are being pushed out of hard-earned roles and a WTF mood has settled over all of us. Despite the chaos and hypocrisy, I’ve challenged myself to find the opportunity. One question that I’ve continually come back to is will Real Leaders rise to challenge this moment or has it always been a performative act?
Whether I was an Individual Contributor, Engineering Manager or a Global Engineering Director, throughout my corporate career I noticed how minority hires were often seen as not being good enough despite often being overqualified or one of the best interviewed for a role. I saw it in my own corporate ladder climb, that despite my previous performance, degrees, or certifications, there were those who thought I wasn’t a good fit or that I didn’t have the right look for leadership. (Real talk….I actually had a well respected VP of Engineering tell me this in one breath and in the next, tell me I was overperforming in my current role. 🤦🏾♀️) Putting a finer point on it, I’ve seen Black Candidates be picked a part in an interview debrief while their white counterparts were excused as “just having interview jitters” for not knowing the same things. In Leadership Development Reviews, I’ve witnessed problematic Managers, who “fit” leadership's narrow ideal representation, be repeatedly excused for missed metrics and bad behaviors that would have seen their Black Counterparts fired for committing. Why am I framing this in terms of Black and white? Because the way in which Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been hijacked is to suggest that Black Employees are only in roles because they are Black and only white males are qualified. This false narrative has long had real world impacts and has hindered if not derailed the careers of many brilliant and talented Black Employees. Now, it’s become policy that seeks to dismiss and destroy careers, while masquerading as meritocracy. For if we’re really honest, if meritocracy was really a thing in Corporate America and other professional arenas, then there would be a lot less VPs like the ones I’ve encountered and the mediocre managers that I’ve worked for with a complexion for protection would have never been promoted into leadership. Yet even with this reflection, I still return to asking will Real Leaders rise to challenge this moment or has it always been a performative act?
The opportunity in this moment is clear, Real Leaders have a responsibility to do what’s right even if it’s unpopular. Real Leaders have a responsibility to call out retaliatory, crazy, and unfair practices that seek to undermine the hard work and capabilities of underrepresented communities. Real Leaders have a responsibility to not sit silently as employees who look like them are allowed to be mediocre without consequence while Black and Brown employees are villainized for the smallest missteps. Real Leaders have the responsibility to call themselves out when they slip into what’s familiar and instead seek to create fair and equitable working environments. If American Working Environments are to thrive, Real Leaders are needed to call out their peers who trade in bad behavior, sabotage, and retaliations. So will Real Leaders rise to challenge this moment or has it always been a performative act?
The task is not hard, however, it is one that will cause some of the Real Leaders among us to have to face their own discomfort and seek to truly embody the golden rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. It will cause other Real Leaders among us to speak up in the face of foolishness even if it puts us at odds with our leadership. I’m proud that I always spoke up for what was right even if it was unpopular. I sleep well at night knowing that the careers and aspirations of employees within my orgs weren’t trifled with inaction and silence. It cost me, but it was worth it. I knew long before Jan. 20th that real leadership requires doing what’s right even if it’s inconvenient, and that performative allyship is as useless as play money when real life consequences are on the line.
As Leaders, we cannot go on with business as usual when we have always known the game is rigged and those most vulnerable to mistreatment are now, due to a reckless policy change, on the chopping block. Now is the time for Real Leaders to rise to challenge this moment…to sustain or create a fair and equitable playing field…to call out bad behavior…to hold themselves and others accountable. This is the price of opportunity.
If you need help navigating this moment, please reach out to me.
Looking forward to helping you rise to meet this moment and #EngineerBetterLeaders!
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