Change management is tough work that can payoff handsomely. Here’s how we approach change that centers racial equity and justice.
I lead a team that helps foundations, government, and corporations strategically prioritize Black and Brown leadership to redistribute money, accelerate impact, increase profitability, and deepen mission fulfillment.
I first heard about “putting relationship before task” from Michael Bell, an exceptional human being who has been on faculty at Rockwood Leadership Institute for nearly two decades. He explained that we have to calibrate our relationships before wading too far into racial equity and justice work together. This is especially important in relationships tilted by power. Putting relationships-before-task has been the only way I have been able to affect real change. Otherwise, people don’t change - even if they WANT change. Societally, we are mired in multi-generational thinking that centers whiteness through habits like perfectionism, urgency, and power hoarding. The result is unactualized ‘fixes’ to some of the world’s most wicked problems. At Keecha Harris and Associates, Inc., we look at racial equity transformation work as interpersonal, hand-in-hand progress. It is both about the organizational change process AND fully about how you are showing up for your relationships. This work is about believing in another person who believes in you back. When you’re delving into something as deeply personal as race, we have got to build trust before we get into the task at hand…. You’ve got your experiences, and I’ve got mine. [See the comments for a piece that I wrote a few years ago for Nonprofit Quarterly on navigating power differentiated relationships] When things get rough or difficult, we invite each other to “turn to wonder.” What’s one thing you can do to go beyond “the surface” today in just one relationship? #racialequity #racialjustice #changemanagement #leadership
Wise words from a wise woman 🙏