INTRODUCTION
Leading Latino Style
My great-grandmother dolores was born on the remote
northwest coast of Peru. Her straight hair, as black as charcoal,
fell to her waist; she stood tall and proud like the algarrobo tree
that grows in the Peruvian forests. Her mother knew the only future for
her strong-willed daughter was submission to one of the arrogant men
that left Spain solitos (alone). So she searched for a better life for her
daughter. Dolores would go by boat to the Nicaragua coast, which was
alive and thriving. She had cousins there who sold goods to the pueblos
and haciendas.
In the 1840s, freight boats exported coffee, bananas, and sugar, and precious
wood from the Nicaraguan jungle. A creative and inventive woman,
Dolita became a talented baker-the bread she made was like manna from
heaven for the Spanish.
He was taking a morning walk when the wondrous aroma engulfed
him. Manuel Bordas was taller than any man Dolores had ever seen, with
pale skin and steel-blue eyes. But he had a respectful spirit that was rare
in those who had ventured across the great ocean. He married the bright
and spirited Indian woman. This union-of the Spanish man and the
Indigenous woman-became my great-grandparents, reflecting the massive
merger between two races that ushered in a new humanity in what
was called the new world.
My ancestors remained on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, where I
was born, until the 1940s, when my familia, due to a devastating tsunami,
immigrated to Tampa, Florida. Tampa, where I grew up, is a cauldron of
Latino culture, and in the tradition of Latinos we began to mix it up!
Today, my extended familia includes Mexicans, Colombians, Spanish,
Peruvians, Filipinos, and Cubans.
My own life path follows this tradition: I trained for the Peace Corps
in Puerto Rico and love the rhythms and cultural vibrancy of la isla
(the island). I served in Chile, so I consider myself Chilean by corazn
(affinity). And I have lived in Colorado among my cherished Mexican
American hermanos (brothers) for fifty years, which has instilled a deep
love for these political, ranchera-dancing, and mariachi-loving people.
My ancestry and life experiences opened the doors for me to experience
the kaleidoscope culture of my extended Latina familia. This allows me
to put forth a comprehensive leadership model that brings together the
nuances of the culture yet at the same time reflects our rich diversity.
I am also immeasurably fortunate to have worked with thousands of
Latinos who have advanced our community and nation. Today, as an elder,
I wish to integrate their knowledge into a viable theory of leadership based
on our practical and collective experiences and woven from the beautiful
culture that connects us. My abuela (grandmother) would simply have
said, Es tu destino (It's your destiny).
And speaking of destino, what luck that you are reading this book!
Ah, perhaps it is not luck; perhaps it is your destino that your past
and present have led you to this point of learning about the powerful
leadership in the Latino community. Latinos can take pride in the
immense contributions our leaders have made. Non-Latinos can become
more culturally adaptive and start using the principles in this book
to lead with a more inclusive and generous spirit. People of all ages
can form partnerships and work together to build a more viable and
inclusive future. And we can all infuse our leadership journeys with a
renewed sense of purpose and a vibrant Latino flavor.
Oh yes!-claro que s!-if you are wondering about this Latino destino
thing, chapter 5 will highlight five steps that will align you with your
personal purpose and life vision, which Latinos call destino.
This second edition includes a new chapter, El Crculo: Inclusiveness
Across Generations, which features the voices, perspectives, and leadership
practices of young Latinos and fashions an intergenerational
leadership model. These practices are applicable to leadership development
across all ages, communities, and sectors. Additionally, the book
has been updated to include data from the 2020 census and information
about the advancements Latinos have made in the past decade.
At the end of each chapter, I have added reflection and application exercise
to expand your leadership practices. I recommend that you use a special
notebook, or Latino Leadership Journal, to answer questions, consider
what you are learning, and find connecting points or areas to practice. You
also can share your perspectives and learning with others, and if the book
is used in a class or book club, the exercises can be a catalyst for mutual
learning and sharing.
Now let's look at the dynamics that make leading Latino style a viable
model for our rising global community and multicultural world.
The Future Is Latino
Beyond our cultural influence, Latinos will drive the
American economic engine in this century. Hispanics are
projected to account for 78 percent of net new workers between
2020 and 2030.1 The US labor force growth rate has slowed over the
past couple of decades and was heavily impacted by the COVID
epidemic. The growth that has occurred is largely due to the increasing
number of Hispanic workers. Given the group's strong entrepreneurial
spirit, 80 percent of small business growth in the last decade was due
to Latinos. And US Latino spending power represents a $2.3 trillion
market and the eighth-largest gross national product in the world, larger
than Canada, Italy, or Brazil.
On a more practical level, by the middle of this century, when Latinos
become the majority workforce, organizations will do well to cultivate
Latino talent and thus benefit from their dynamic work ethic. Companies
who are part of the bilingual market economy will grow and prosper. The
Power of Latino Leadership offers a hands-on, test-driven way to connect
with and leverage Latino assets, energy, and values. It puts forth culturally
specific leadership principles rooted in Latino history and tradition.
Another consideration is that, just as women left their imprint in the
last century and changed every institution, Latinos will have a similar
impact in the twenty-first century. Women began the 1900s as 18 percent
of the workforce. Today, they are the majority of workers and 40 percent
of managers. There are more women than men studying in colleges and
universities, including law and medical schools. Women have made leadership
more collaborative and relationship oriented.
The Power of Latino Leadership describes how Latinos will have a
similar impact in this century and validates the leadership practices that
have held Latinos together through the tribulations of being conquered,
colonized, and deemed a minority. Their resilience, contributions, and
cultural vibrancy are a testament to the wisdom and perseverance of
their leaders.
During the twenty-first century, the Eurocentric cultural imposition
and colonization of the past five hundred years will be transformed into
a diverse multicultural form. Jorge Ramos, an award-winning Univision
news anchor, notes that the Latinization of America is the fundamental
influence that will change the monocultural nature of our society and
replace ethnocentric dominance with a multiethnic, multiracial, and multicultural
nation. Ramos observes that the melting pot is being converted
into a delicious paella and that Latinos are adding color and flavor to our
emerging rainbow nation. Now let's look at an overview of our exciting
Latino leadership journey!
The Latinization of America is the fundamental influence
that will change the monocultural nature of our society
and replace ethnocentric dominance with a multiethnic,
multiracial, and multicultural nation.
Part I. La Historia: Latino Fusion
and Hybrid Vigor
The power of latino leadership begins with the complex
history that birthed the Latino phenomenon. Be prepared for an
exciting roller coaster ride that starts in ancient Rome, traverses
the conquest of the Americas, and examines Manifest Destiny in the
nineteenth century.
Part I starts with the Romans' occupation of Spain and then traverses
to the footprints of the Spanish conquistadores-both precursors of
today's Latinos.
Chapter 1, Ancient Roots and Mestizo Ancestry, surveys the Spanish
racial and cultural dominion of the new world-a very different encounter
from that which occurred in North America. Mestizos-the mixed-blood
offspring of the Spanish and the Indigenous people of this hemisphere-
became the prevailing population and are the ancestors of today's Latinos.
We will explore a creation story of the Mestizo birth almost five centuries
ago that foretold the appearance of this cultural fusion.
Chapter 2, The Latino Legacy in the United States, describes the
annexation of the US Southwest from Mxico and the designation of
Latinos as minorities. This was abetted by Manifest Destiny, which proclaimed
that Indigenous/Native tribes, Blacks, and the ancestors of today's
Latinos needed to accept White civilization. Manifest Destiny swept in a
belief in cultural superiority and laid the groundwork for the segregated
society that continues until today.
Part II. Preparing to Lead: A Latino Perspective
Becoming a leader in the Latino community requires pondering
questions such as Why do I desire to lead? What will be my unique
contribution? How will I stay the course? Part II offers three
culturally based principles that prepare a person for leadership.
Chapter 3, Personalismo: The Character of the Leader, explores the
belief that every person has inherent value and must be treated with
respect. Personalismo is the leader's character-her persona-and prescribes
that the leader establish genuine and caring relationships.
To become this type of person requires a leader's deep connection with
their inner self. Conciencia: Knowing Oneself and Cultivating Personal
Awareness, chapter 4, highlights understanding one's history, heritage,
and culture. A leader also must deal with the aftermath of exclusion and
discrimination, personally and in relation to Latinos as a whole.
The belief that every person has a distinct life path is considered in
chapter 5, Destino: Personal and Collective Purpose. Individualistic
cultures believe that a person determines their own future. Many Latinos
believe it is impossible to control chance, fate, or unplanned events.
(Having to deal with discrimination is a case in point.) Life presents certain
opportunities, experiences, and challenges. Destino is a dance with the
currents of life.
Part III. The Cultural Foundations of Leadership
Latino inclusiveness is evident in Latinos' bienvenido-
welcoming-spirit. As members of a blended culture, their inherent
diversity presented a conundrum for the Census Bureau, which
since 1790 has counted, delineated, and described the US population. We
will learn about the evolution of Latino identity, and how the inclusion of
thirty Hispanic subgroups, transformed the census.
Chapter 6, De Colores: Culturally Centered Leadership, looks at shared
values such as respect, honesty, and service, from which leadership flows. In
most cultures, values are imparted through proverbs or adages, which for
Latinos are called dichos. Mi casa es su casa (My house is your house), for
instance, encourages generosity, sharing, and taking care of people. Dichos
allow Latinos to tap into the wisdom of their abuelos (grandparents). For
non-Latinos, dichos increase cultural adaptability and open the door to
become Latinos by corazn. (More on this as we continue.)
Fe y Esperanza: Sustained by Faith and Hope, chapter 7, explores the
spiritual values and the abiding faith that grounds leadership. How else
could Latinos have survived five hundred years since the conquest of
this hemisphere? Faith, or fe, is a living current prescribing that people
take care of one another and work together to improve their lives. Csar
Chvez upheld spirituality as part of the activist nature of leadership. I
don't think I could base my will to struggle on cold economics or on some
political doctrine, he said. I don't think there would be enough to sustain
me. For the basis must be faith.
Part IV. Putting Leadership into Action
Latinos are a we, a collective culture in which the familia and
community take precedence over the individual. Leadership, therefore,
is not driven by individual success or credit but by contributing
to the group welfare. The culture's humanistic core propels peopleoriented
collective leadership.
Leaders are community stewards who encourage dispersed, shared, and
reciprocal power and cultivate the leader as equal-where everyone contributes.
People power has primed many to work for change. This critical
mass theory of leadership is described in chapter 8, Juntos: Leadership by
the Many.
Chapter 9, Adelante! Immigrant Spirit, Global Vision, Multiracial
Identity, depicts how Latinos are international, and the integrating force
of the Western Hemisphere. Moreover, there are three dominant subgroups
in the United States-Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban-but
the past twenty years have also seen the appearance of substantial populations
of Dominicans, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, and Colombians.
These international connections make Latinos a prototype for global
leadership.
Forty percent of Latino growth in the past century has been through
immigration. Any organization or business experiencing 40 percent
growth must scramble to find the resources to integrate this type of expansion.
Furthermore, leaders must constantly help the newly arrived with
education, English classes, and basic services. Fighting for immigration
reform remains a cornerstone of leadership and a testament to the social
responsibility and activism of Latinos.
According to the 2020 census, more than half of the nation's population
under age sixteen identifies as a member of a racial or ethnic minority.
Their fastest-growing identity is multicultural. Additionally, the number
of Latinos reporting more than one race increased 567 percent. Because
of their mixed heritage, this chapter affirms how Latinos will guide our
transformation to a multicultural nation.
Chapter 10, S Se Puede: Social Activism and Coalition Leadership,
defines a leadership form that challenges inequities. S se puede! (Yes,
we can!) was a rallying cry for the farm workers and coined by Dolores
Huerta, the vice president of the United Farm Workers, who marched with
Csar Chvez in the 1960s. Farm workers advocated for fair pay, decent
working conditions, and adequate housing. Dealing with immediate issues
while providing the skills and knowledge to address the institutional barriers
that perpetuate injustice is core to leadership today.
The struggle for social and economic equality has endured because
of consistencia-fierce determination and a lifelong commitment.
Consistencia predicates that social change will take generations and
multitudes of people. The most powerful Latino organizations are coalitions
that bring the diverse Latino groups together. Coalition leadership is
sorely needed today in a divided America.
As one generation departs and a new one ascends to power, there is an
urgency to transfer leadership to younger people. Chapter 11, El Crculo:
Inclusiveness Across Generations, recognizes the intergeneration nature
of Latinos, where age is venerated and young people are the promise
of tomorrow. This new chapter integrates the voices and experiences of
young Latinos into an intergenerational leadership model. Young Latinos
are building on the activism of the past and are crafting a new social identity
that is multicultural, global, and gender nonbinary.
In chapter 12, Gozar la Vida: Leadership That Celebrates Life!, we discover
that leadership has a social, family-oriented, and celebratory quality.
Check out most Latino events and you will see music, dancing, good food,
and socializing. Gozar la vida means to enjoy life. For the 70 percent of
Latinos who are working class or have dealt with discrimination, celebrating
life replenishes their spirit and strengthens their resolve.
Part V. Latino Destino
In 2045, latinos will be one-quarter of the people in the United
States-certainly a critical mass that will influence the twenty-first
century.12 What lasting contributions will Latinos make to our nation?
How will they achieve this? What actions are needed to coalesce their
growing numbers, work with other groups, and actualize Latino power
and contributions?
Chapter 13, Latino Destino: Building a Diverse and Humane Society,
discusses how Latino values can create a compassionate society-where
people and community come before material wealth or individual achievement.
Second, as a mixed people, Latinos are cultural adaptives who connect
across differences.
I propose that Latinos put forth an expanded definition of inclusiveness-
one with an open door policy. This final chapter invites non-Latinos
to join the familia and become Latinos by affinity, or corazn. And more
good news: becoming a Latino by corazn is a springboard to experiencing
other cultures, to becoming a cultural adaptive-a person who
respectfully adopts and acknowledges beneficial behaviors, values, and
reference points from a variety of cultures. The final section summarizes
ten steps to actualize Latino power, increase collaboration among Latino
organizations, and build bridges with mainstream groups.
Copyright © 2023 by Juana Bordas. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
