PODCAST EPISODES

Far too often, we operate in workplaces where women of color leaders are lacking. However, that’s not because women of color lack leadership skills. Nor is it because of a lack of interest. Break Concrete is kicking off Season 4 with Dr. Marlette Jackson, a scholar, diversity and inclusion consultant, and co-author of the Harvard Business Review article, Does Your Definition of Leadership Exclude Women of Color?  Dr. Jackson interrogates common leadership values and norms and how they exclude women of color. We look at how organizations can expand their definition of leadership and assign value to qualities often overlooked or criticized when held by women of color.

Topics Covered: 

• Barriers women of color face in career advancement
• Understanding invisible labor and how it impacts women’s careers
• Common leadership values and why companies should reexamine attributes of leadership they value
• Who is left out of common definitions of leadership
• Expanding our definition of leadership
• Defining cultural capital, resistance capital, and navigational capital
• Reimagining the workplace through a communal vs. individualistic lens
• Challenging problematic norms around leadership and getting buy in
• Questions to ask when seeking leaders in the workplace
• Why we should look for unconventional leadership skills when hiring
• The problem with company “fit” 
• How to measure success when diversifying leaders in the workplace
• Retaining diverse leaders in the workplace

Highlights:

• “Why would you want someone who fits into your framework? You should want someone who is a value add so that you can be doing things that you didn’t even know that you aren’t doing. It’s about who can add something to our culture that we didn’t even know existed.”
• “If you only hire folks like you, you will never get better.”

Connect with Dr. Marlette: 

On her website: https://www.marlettejacksonphd.com/ 

On her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlettejackson/ 

Other References:

• Marlette Jackson and Paria Rajai, Harvard Business Review, Does Your Definition of Leadership Exclude Women of Color?, Jan. 20, 2021

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