The rapidly increasing cultural and racial diversity of the U.S. workforce, consumer base, and citizenry is propelling leadership to better reflect the values, worldviews, and principles inherent in our multicultural age. As the world becomes flatter and globalization creates a world village, leaders must have the cultural flexibility and adaptability to inspire and guide people who represent the whole rainbow of humanity. For many years I have searched for materials that draw on multicultural approaches. Such materials ...
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The rapidly increasing cultural and racial diversity of the U.S. workforce, consumer base, and citizenry is propelling leadership to better reflect the values, worldviews, and principles inherent in our multicultural age. As the world becomes flatter and globalization creates a world village, leaders must have the cultural flexibility and adaptability to inspire and guide people who represent the whole rainbow of humanity. For many years I have searched for materials that draw on multicultural approaches. Such materials continue to be extremely scarce. Today's leadership models, although they may differ from person to person and method to method, generally have a common bias toward Western- or European-influenced ways of thinking and approaches. Contemporary leadership theories center on the dominant or mainstream culture and exclude the enormous contributions, potential learning, and valuable insights that come from leaders in diverse communities. However, the task of integrating leadership from these communities into the American mainstream does not fall to Anglo leaders or authors.To be authentic and effective, this information must emerge from leaders and scholars in communities of color...Multicultural leadership has broad relevance and application to the diverse world that we live in. A culturally integrated model has greater impact, influence, and scope. Delving into leadership models from specific communities will certainly enhance a person's ability to relate more effectively with that population but will not necessarily be applicable to the growing diversity that exists. A multicultural leadership approach, on the other hand, offers practices and tools that will be effective with many populations...Each principle section starts with a story from my life, which allows me to include my voice with those of the other leaders who have graciously shared their knowledge and wisdom. The first part of my life, for instance, mirrors many of the experiences that shaped leaders since the civil rights movement, when young people of color stood up in unprecedented numbers and answered the call to leadership.Each principle section ends with suggestions and exercises for using the principle in practical ways and can assist you in developing multicultural ways of leading. ---- Preface
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