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As we enter the Labor Day weekend, I wanted to send thanks to all of you that visit HTM.

I’ve had conversations with many of you and shared how this blog has evolved into more than I ever expected. It’s become a conduit to meeting an ever-growing number of creative, intelligent, and driven people that share many of my passions – all in different industries and disciplines. I appreciate each one of you. 

We live in a world where there’s a growing need for innovation, and I think this can only be done by learning from one another. New perspectives. It’s what all of you have given me. Whereas learning was once seen as an individual endeavor, I realize (as an educator, researcher, and now a blogger) that learning also comes from interactions with people of diverse networks. Diverse thinking.  I also think learning comes increasingly from social interactions, debate, and dialogue.

As a result of HTM and my interactions with you, I think we’ve helped spawn new insights, different ways of solving problems, and new approaches to old issues. I understand that trust and reciprocity are key factors in allowing this to occur – and for that – I’m grateful!  

Thank you for letting my efforts here be a labor of love.  Happy Labor Day!

I tried a bit of an experiment last night “Live Blogging” the  LATISM/NSHMBA get together on Twitter. The discussion covered a number of topics regarding the Hispanic workforce, education, and other areas.  

I captured tweets from the participants as well as my thoughts (incorporated into the stream as observations). I attempted to incorporate broader themes and perspectives via CoverItLive …. this is my first time using the software so there was some  slips along the way! I’m hoping the captured dialogue and content will serve as a resource for you after the event. 

Click Here to Open Discussion Window

A summary of my observations can be found after the jump below. Read more…

Yesterday an article by Ruben Navarrette regarding “hard work” reminded me of an important lesson I learned long ago. Please read it – it’s wonderful. It’s a lesson that keeps me grounded in what has already been a fortunate life and career.

I started working when I was about seven. Now before you go and contact someone regarding child labor laws, keep in mind this was back in the late 1960’s, and I was working at my elementary school.  At the time, I attended a small Catholic school in Los Angeles along with four other siblings. With three more sisters at a Catholic high school, paying tuition for all of us was always a challenge for my parents. When meeting monthly tuition bills was difficult, the nuns managing the school would come up with creative ways to “balance the books.”

In some instances, it meant my older brother and I would come in early on Saturday mornings to do some school cleaning: washing blackboards, dusting erasers, vacuuming rooms, and mopping hallways. My brother and I had a wonderful time doing it. Not only did we get to run in the hallways (always forbidden), listen to rock music, and invade the cafeteria’s food bank, we took a lot of pride in knowing that we were somehow contributing towards our education. Although we never revealed what we did to other kids in the school, we earned the respect of our teachers because of our work.

Years later as a sophomore in high school, a friend told me that a factory up the street was looking for a couple of students to do some part-time work. Again, mostly maintenance work including scrubbing down the factory floor bathrooms (yes, not fun). Some of the money went in my pocket, some towards paying for high school and the rest for gas money (I had a cool 1964 Ford Ranchero- a classic!).

I never felt embarrassed or regretful in taking on these jobs. I didn’t “miss out” on a regular childhood either.  In fact, these jobs and others growing up probably kept me out of trouble as a teenager – thankfully.  The experiences instilled a strong work ethic. Resilience. Self-respect.

Most important, it implanted in me the belief that anyone doing an honest days work, no matter what it is, deserves my respect.

For many years now we’ve heard the term ‘globalization’ tossed around in business environments. Frankly, I think it’s been overused to describe a future event that has already arrived. It’s here – a new type of normal. Globalization doesn’t only happen when an international transaction of some kind occurs, globalization can occur domestically – on a street corner or standing in line at the grocery store. Globalization happens when we meet someone whose culture is distinctly different than our own.  Culture embodies a global perspective regardless of where it occurs.

Interacting or working across cultures suggests that we have an ability to connect different world views. Possessing such a skill means that a person is able to understand and appreciate another’s perspective. When people are unable to do so, they become frustrated and irritated. Angry. Perhaps they blame others for not being reasonable or accommodating. People do so without recognizing that no one is to blame. People of different cultures might simply approach a particular issue differently.

Organizations need to appreciate this new reality. Many traditional management models and approaches do not fit this new era of domestic globalization. In order to function in it, organizations need to better understand cultural differences and how to work across them in their own businesses – locally. This is where globalization is actually occurring – within organizational walls.

Think of it this way. The cultural diversity found within U.S. organizations today didn’t exist a generation ago. Hence, culture exemplifies change. And it’s the type of change that will continue to reappear.

I love history. I enjoy reading history. It’s why I take the time to stop and read the inscriptions on monuments. It’s why I read the plaques in historical districts. And it’s why I love to vacation in New England. Most of all, I enjoy “seeing and touching” history. I have an interest in old things made new through restoration: cars, tools, machines, and gadgets. As a budding (amateur) photographer, one of my prized possessions is a 1931 Voigtlander camera built in Germany. Although it’s nearly 80 years old, the camera is still able to take beautiful black and white pictures. A few weeks ago, my kids’ great grandmother gave me another unique gift, a 1922 Remington typewriter, which belonged to her husband. Cloaked in dust and muck for over 40 years, I spent the last few weeks cleaning and restoring the old machine not expecting it to type another letter. I was ecstatic when my son, the great grandson of the original owner, was able to write a few sentences on it.

Today money and prestige is often associated with value. Something of ‘value’ is often regarded as something that’s desired – the degree to which something is useful or is of usefulness. While my old camera and typewriter are no longer useful by today’s standards, they still provide value of another kind – one beyond they’re original purpose. They’ve transcended, at least for me, into things that are beautiful and pleasing. Two examples of paradigms changed. When value is based on the concept of usefulness, we essentially set an expiration date on something, and sometimes someone, without regard to the possibility, aptitude, or promise that can still be found within.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “crisis in leadership” thrown around a lot lately in business, politics, education, and a number of other environments. While I think there’s a constant need for better leaders, I wouldn’t define it as a crisis. In fact, I’m not sure I would say there is a crisis in leadership in the modern world. I think there are definitely some challenges facing organizations but certainly not a crisis. We’ve evolved in our leadership spanning thousands of years and we continue to learn and grow from the past. Often, we repeat the same mistakes, but I’m still certain that these are ‘blind spots’ say versus a ‘crisis.’ I believe there is money to be made arguing for a leadership crisis and often media-driven culture and some in academia may insist upon this premise.

Instead, the greatest challenges we face in organizational leadership is the lack of diversity.  I’m not simply talking about diversity in race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age or disability; however, this challenge is increased when we don’t have leadership that reflects the composition of the community or the organization. I’m more inclined to argue it’s diversity of thought that organizations are lacking. Leaders are all around us. Organizations are simply not tapping this diverse talent effectively. This might be styles of leadership, philosophy, religion, culture or other unique perspectives that add richly to organizational tension and creativity. 

I believe that debate, dialogue and friction are very healthy.  It takes courage to successfully embrace the concepts of listening with an open mind and open heart. I think it’s necessary for organizational success.  As leaders, we sometimes surround ourselves with those we’re most comfortable with and who share similar backgrounds or personal values.  Ingenuity and innovation though will not come from those that agree. It comes from those that can see unique perspectives – different than our own. It comes from a dialogue of diverse voices, opinions, and viewpoints. By pursuing diversity in thought we’re able to overcome our biases and peer at the world through another’s eyes.

I’m always inspired by organizations and individuals that are focused on supporting Hispanics in education. Having traveled a very non-traditional path in my academic pursuits, I can attest that the help and inspiration given by these people meant a lot during my own journey. If someone had told me back in my high school days that I’d earn a doctorate in my lifetime, I’d say they were not well. Now it’s easy to look back and identify the key points in my life that made a difference.

Frankly, inspiration didn’t come from high school teachers; I was just too much of an unengaged student to understand their importance. Inspiration came from those that did – people that do. Those individuals by far held the most credibility with me early on. So when I read stories like this one , I still think it’s people that do that make a difference in other’s lives. The best advice I ever got was from my brother-in-laws father. During a visit to see my sister in New York one Spring Break he asked how my studies were progressing. ”I’m working and trying hard,” I responded. He looked me in the eyes, poked his finger into my chest, and said, “Don’t try. Do.” I did.

Organizations like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) also make an impact but on a much larger scale. They do.  By supporting the efforts of Hispanic high school and college students, this organization is making a difference – daily – in the lives of thousands of future Hispanic leaders and talent. I attended a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and always heard the acronym HACU on campus: sponsoring workshops; organizing intern programs; and cultivating inspiration. Later working at a HSI career center, HACU was constantly working hard to change state funding policies and assure institutions like mine were awarded their fair share in order to help our Hispanic college student population. They did. HACU’s efforts have helped literally thousands of Hispanic college students that are in the workforce today – me included.

I sometimes forget that it takes a community to support the efforts of the community. Those of us that have benefitted from the support of individuals or organizations owe it to them to give something back – to share our stories of success, to be a mentor, and to always do.

I’ve long advocated via my blog that organizations prepared to meet the unique needs of Hispanic talent as well as  a more ethnically diverse workforce – “diversely-responsive” organizations – will attain a vital competitive advantage.  

And while I’ve always focused on visible factors such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability, diversity is also important in non-discernible factors such as experiences, skills, values, and thinking style. The great advantage of diversity comes from leveraging ALL these differences. I think one of the biggest mistakes an organization can do is to have employees conform – follow one culture or norm. This essentially washes away all the unique benefits diversity has to offer – the good stuff.

The “global competitive future” we all talk about has arrived. It’s here. Organizations must be flexible, entrepreneurial, and global. It means they must be more diverse than ever before. But hey, don’t take my word for it. Watch this short video by Tom Peters on the power of diversity and how embracing it at ALL levels will leverage the variety of talents people bring to the workplace. (h/t to Trina Roach @360of Diversity for the video find!).

There’s nothing like sitting on a rocky beach watching the waves crash against huge boulders to recharge your mental batteries! As always, New England was gorgeous but glad to be home – and back with you on HTM! 

For me the second half of 2010 promises to be a busy one with teaching, writing, presenting, and other exciting projects. The last two weeks also provided an opportunity to reflect on the last year. As I shared in my earlier post below,  I started HTM as a way to contribute and join the discussion regarding Hispanics in the workforce and Hispanic leadership. If I had known a year ago what I know today, I would’ve done some things differently – but not many. One year later, HTM has become something more. It’s literally taken on a life of its own, and I often sit back and wonder how it happened! More importantly, I think about how HTM will continue to grow and be a resource for those that share my passion for increasing the representation of Hispanics in the workforce. So over the next few months, I’ll consider how to accomplish this goal and continue on this marvelous journey which has already given me so much.

Thanks for being part of this adventure – see you soon!

When we enter this world, each of us begins our education. Aside from our parents, everyone we encounter shares (and imposes) conventions, values, beliefs, and perspectives of the “new world” we’ve entered, and how it really works.  As the youngest member in a family of nine, I can assure you — it’s true! This fact highlights one of the biggest challenges we face throughout our lives: how do we determine who we really are when we’re constantly shaped by various viewpoints? For many, this dilemma often continues through their school years and beyond – into the workplace. It continues until one is conditioned to “color within the lines” even if it conflicts with our desire to be who we really are – to be authentic.

The power of authenticity cannot be underestimated. Being true to oneself has many rewards: ease, clarity, focus, and confidence. Possessing these qualities in a job interview, for example, can be very advantageous. However, being unauthentic can be disastrous. Take the two video examples below – Carly Fiorina and Gordon Brown. How did their unintended faux pas impact their authenticity? When people see you  for who you really are, and it doesn’t match the person you say you are, you’re bound to disappointment yourself and others. This is true in friendships, marriages, and especially careers. So next time you step into the interview room – remember to always be yourself, be authentic, and dare to color outside the lines.