Everywhere Yet Invisible

Latinos face a paradox in the United States of being both ever-present and invisible. You do not have to be an academic to know that the Latino community is a growing population in North America. Most people who listen to the radio, watch television or read the newspaper have already heard that fact a few times in the last few years.
On the one hand, their presence in society has just about changed everything from the workplace, pop culture and even the political landscape. As the largest ethnic minority group expected to make up one-fourth of the U.S. population by 2025 and one-third by 2050 most cannot escape their influence in our communities.

Yet, there is a problem. While being this ubiquitous Latinos are still quite frankly invisible in top leadership roles not only in top corporate leadership but in top religious leadership across the country as well. According to the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) Corporate Governance Study, Latinos hold only three percent of seats in the boardroom of Fortune 500 companies and only two percent or 10 Fortune 500 CEOs are of Latino heritage. This study along with lived experiences point to the reality that Latinos remain woefully underrepresented at the decision-making tables of the Fortune 500. Therefore, it is no surprise, that we find very little Latinos in top leadership roles or sitting on boards of religious organizations across the country.

Businesses and marketplace leaders are reacting to the trends by developing councils and human resources practices that will attract and retain top Latino talent. Yet, the religious community has been slow to wake up to the fact that while it may feel easier to keep the status quo at their churches and nonprofits, the lack of the Latino voice on staff or on boards will hurt them sooner rather than later.

Five Tips to Help Bring Latino Leadership into your Organization

1. Admit There Is A Problem. Obviously, an organization cannot address anything that it does not face as a collective unit. If only one person, or one team in the organization is willing to admit that there is a glaring lack of the fastest growing population at the table or in the boardroom, any effort will get stuck from day one.
2. Check Your Culture. If you have no Latinos as employees or board members now, perhaps it is a good time to check on the organizational culture you already have. I believe this is something that should be an on-going evaluation. You may have an organization that most people do not want to work at so adding Latino/a faces will not make it better. Fix the house first before you invite others.
3. Develop relationships with Latinos before they join your organization. Latinos love to have personal relationships with the people they work with. If you see a Latino/a who you admire, who you think could add some sabor to your organization, reach out! With technology nowadays, there really is no excuse. Tell them why you are looking to them for a friendship, a mutual learning relationship, etc. They will be honored by it and you could be developing a key relationship with a potential staff or board member.
4. Create A Culture Where Latinos Can Be Themselves. If you have already checked your organizational culture temperature, you can get it ready for members of minority groups.  A study by the Center for Talent Innovation, Latinos at Work: Unleashing the Power of Culture, found that most Latinos feel they have to check their ethnicity at the door. A whooping 76% of the Latinos they surveyed felt they had to modify appearance, body language, and their communication style just to make the dominant culture organization comfortable with their presence.  Yet, it is those repressed parts of their persona that define who they are and what they bring to the leadership matrix in an organization.
5. Be Culturally Aware. It always astounds me to hear that an organization has hired a Latino employee for a key position but never made any attempt to understand Latinos. Although, there are various sub-cultures in our Latinidad and we do not all agree on everything or even eat the same foods, we do have similar shared values. Making the effort to understand your prospective Latino employees or board members helps create trust (confianza). In addition, if there is any one value most Latinos share is how they view family and family is thee most important value on the list as far as Latinos are concerned. For example, while White Americans might tell their 18 year old that they are now “an adult” and are free to leave home, Latinos usually keep their adult children home until they get married, especially daughters. If the grandchild, calls Abuelo about an issue at school, more than likely he’s going to ask for the rest of the afternoon off.

 
Latinos are a large portion of the country and that is not slowing down anytime soon. By 2050, Latinos will represent 30% of the total U.S. population. Yes, we are everywhere yet we still find ourselves invisible in churches and religious board rooms which doesn't make sense since studies continuously point to the fact that the people your organization is trying to reach will most likely have a high concentration of people who look like us.

NOTE: I will be sharing more about the rise of Latinos in the U.S. and how churches can adjust their practices to attract and retain them as leaders at the Exponential Orlando event.