Sarah Iddrissu, the executive director of E4E-Boston, explains what daily difficulties women of color face when interacting in the professional sphere and discusses ways to remove existing barriers to leadership. Iddrissu (2020) underlines: “We work to advance our values on behalf of communities we care deeply about while also fighting structural barriers to our career success.” She calls for a shift of nonprofits towards a more inclusive and diversity-supporting environment, which is currently lacking. The article proposes to expand the presence of women of color on the boards, hire more of them into leadership positions, and promote organizations that fight structural gender and racial bias (Iddrissu, 2020). Thus, the author of the article identifies the need for structural changes to remove existing barriers to talented women of color in leadership positions.
It is now important for organizations to represent the interests of the most diverse groups in order to shift to an institution that is finely integrated into the social fabric of the day today. Previously, society was predominantly shaped by white men, but at the moment, they do not reflect the needs of various minorities. To function successfully in today’s society, companies need to focus not only on business but also on the social agenda. This process is not possible without the support of the diversity that currently defines society. This shift is especially important for new start-ups and enterprises, as it allows companies to meet modern requirements from the very beginning and work for the benefit of communities. In the cancers of society at the moment, it is important to emphasize social problems and address them in order to function successfully. The more attention new companies pay to this aspect, the higher the likelihood that their business will become successful and long-lasting.
Leadership strategies should be based on the empowerment of talented people who may experience barriers due to structural biases. In particular, this is critically important in the formation of the leadership team of the project from its initial stages. To ensure cultural competency, it is also necessary to ensure diversity within the company, as well as address the needs of different communities. For the successful functioning and maintenance of diversity, it is necessary to consider the interests of all key groups and give them a voice through representatives.
References
Iddrissu, S. (2020). Nonprofits need women of color in leadership and to disrupt the structural barriers to their advancement. Educators for Excellence. Web.