Culturally Responsive Leadership
Culturally Responsive Leadership
Previously named: Dangerous Indifference: The Case For Culturally Responsive Leadership
How many times do you meet someone who shares many of your life's experiences (upbringing, cultural norms, etc.)? Now, contrast those encounters with the number of times you have interacted with someone whose lived experiences are vastly different from yours. Are the exchanges the same or different in the two scenarios? Did any of the encounters enhance your own experience? Did you feel valued? Were any of the encounters negative causing you to feel devalued?
Each day we enter the world, we are going to encounter other people. Some of those exchanges will leave many of us emotionally charged, intellectually challenged, or enraged. Why? Because there are always going to be people who don’t understand our personal cultural values or norms. When these situations occur, they are magnified when our experiences fall outside the boundaries of what is considered “normal.” Consequently, in ignorance, we step all over each other in ways that are not helpful. Well-meaning people at least try to put forth the effort to be open and courteous; however leaders have a greater responsibility. Leaders must move beyond the charitable acts of kindness and push to understand and leverage cultural differences so that those differences are assets to the team goals and not liabilities.
Product Details: Softcover, 234 pages
About the authors
Dr. Nicole D. Price and Dr. Ian Roberts
Dr. Nicole D. Price, renowned leadership trainer and executive coach will be the first to admit that her culturally responsive journey began at age 10 but did not truly manifest itself until the age of 40. It is a journey and sometimes it is a decades-long journey. In her book, The Holy Educated Motherf*cker: A Filter-Free Guide to Getting Through the Unthinkable, she shares the story of her friend whose Islamic faith tradition was not valued by the people at her beloved church home. As a seminal experience, she felt discomfort, embarrassment, and injustice at the place where she should have witnessed open reception and inclusion of everyone. Her 30-year journey is what connected her and Dr. Ian Roberts. Prior to founding the leadership development company, Lively Paradox, Dr. Price worked in business and industry as a chemical engineer, technical leader, leadership consultant, and executive.
Dr. Ian A. Roberts has lived a fairly nomadic leadership journey which led to him serving schools and school districts in every geographic region of the United States. He writes extensively about his cultural responsiveness journey in his book Radical Empathy: Equity-Focused Testimonials, Trials, & Tools for School Leaders. Having served as a teacher of students with special needs, middle and high school principals, and school district leader, he reminds everyone that his focus is always on three leadership commitments - coaching and development, leading for equity and change, and culturally responsive leadership. Prior to becoming an educational leader, he traveled the world as a world-class runner. He competed in track and field at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, and World Championships in Maebashi, Japan, and Seville, Spain.