LATISM (Latinos in Social Media) sponsored a great discussion via Twitter on Hispanic Leadership. I adjusted my “Live Blogging” feature via CoverItLive to cut down on the repetitive tweets and focus on the key themes as the discussion progresses. I’ve also added my thoughts and observations. Enjoy!

Click Here to Access the Archive

I grew up in the 1980’s listening to a lot of New Wave music – I was even a part-time DJ, great job!  A favorite group of mine at the time was Missing Persons – a classic New Wave group. One of the band’s songs streamed on my laptop today as I was working, ”Words” – I’m sure you’ve heard it.

It’s funny how a song can stop you in your tracks and get you thinking about what’s going on. The lyrics of Words got me thinking about the numerous issues and problems we all face today. Many are incredibly complex and need answers, quickly.  However, it seems today we communicate in sound bites and rhetoric rather than sincere, honest, and respectful discussions.  It seems at times everyone is talking but no one is willing to listen. I find this bit of lyrics, and frankly the rest of the song,  appropriate for today’s environment:

Something has to happen to change the direction
What little filters through is giving you the wrong impression
It’s a sorry state I say to myself

At a time when many sit stupefied and traumatized by the rhetoric around them, let’s not forget that words can provide powerful answers to those who listen and to those who speak.

Update 9/9/2010: Maria Hinojosa hits the nail on the head via this insightul and thoughtful discussion.

A growing number of college students are graduating with one or possibly two internships under their belt. As the employment market becomes increasingly competitive, particularly in this economic environment, students are going to great lengths to gain meaningful experience before they graduate. Aside from the experience, internships provide students the ability to foster all-important relationships and mentoring opportunities which can pay off later in their careers. These and other benefits are so important that many students are paying for the opportunity to gain experience.

This article in the Washington Post provides an overview of the growing number of firms charging students thousands of dollars for an internship opportunity (the cost might also cover housing, meals, career advice, etc.). Ironically, some of these internships are unpaid. You can probably imagine the debate over such pursuits. Many on the career center side suggest this undermines a student’s capacity to develop strong career search skills – the very kind they’ll need later in their careers. Not to mention, career centers already offer these services to students, paid usually through student service fees.  

I’ve been following this trend for a while now. Browsing through a few students’ Facebook pages recently, I found they were very satisfied with the services, especially at a time when organizations are cutting back on their internship opportunities. Others comment that these firms are undermining equal opportunity, especially for students that can’t afford to pay for these services. Are we creating a new class of leaders  – or elites?

 You be the judge.

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.

Interesting to see that discussion is highlighting that Latino “educational pipeline” has many leaks. Obviously since outcomes (degrees conferred) are not reflecting growth of Latinos in the general population. However, I’m still not sure “pipeline” is the appropriate metaphor to use given that Latinos don’t follow the traditional “pipeline” – it’s more like a network or circuit with many inputs/outputs (off-ramps/on ramps).

Latino educational representation increases at higher levels of education pipeline. This has a direct impact on representation of Latinos in organizational leadership

One random idea concerns geographic location. Latinos are expanding beyond traditional geographic areas. One result of the 2010 Census I think will be that Latinos are expanding beyond traditional states (CA., TX, AZ, etc.). There will soon be a Hispanic Serving Institution in Kansas! Who would’ve predicted that just a decade ago!

Regarding discussion of Latinos and community college – where many Latinos begin their higher education path. Presents challenges since many Latinos are 1st generation college students that are unfamiliar with transfer process, prereq’s, and degree requirements. Learning the process is just as important as getting through the pipeline.

Overcoming barriers and stress. A lot of determined and focused people in our discussion. Many have probably overcome many barriers. I wrote in my dissertation about how overcoming workplace challenges (cultural conflict, lack of network, inequality) might create added stress to Latino professionals. Some studies on this as I recall.

Organizations & educational institutions really need a new leadership perspective. One that reflects diversity of workforce AND one that is able to manage workforce regardless of diversity factors (gender, race, ethnicity, disability, etc.)

Some thoughts on leadership (Latino perspective). One of my favorite researchers Adrianna Kezar wrote that leadership models are categorized by fields and disciplines. We need to get away from this type of thinking. And drive more thinking toward seeing leadership as nonhierarchical, process-oriented, and democratic.

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.