Leadership development must address more than individual capability. It must also address the conditions that determine what leadership costs the people expected to lead. We send leaders to training to improve their communication, manage their time, navigate conflict, and lead through change. We encourage them to build resilience when the pressure gets intense. But
What If We’re Developing Leaders for the Wrong Reasons? Read More »
For over a week, I’ve been thinking about what I want to say about the public launch of the new Master of Social Work program at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and the 2026 Strengthening Black Families and Urban Communities Social Work Symposium. I have spent much of my professional life
University of the District of Columbia Master of Social Work Program Launch Read More »
Your competence does not give everyone unlimited access to it. Can we talk about how quickly being good at your job can turn into being expected to do more of it? You deliver, so you get more responsibility. You solve problems, so more problems find their way to you. You demonstrate that you can
Competence Should Not Be Endlessly Extracted Read More »
Leadership development has long focused on the individual. The intent was to make the leader better. More self-aware. More flexible. More resilient. More loyal. But leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The conditions matter, too. The culture. The policies. The expectations. The relationships. The resources. The power dynamics. The systems. Because I refuse to
S.O.F.T. Leadership™: Dismantle the Conditioning and Address the Conditions Read More »
This month, I paused to strengthen what I’m actually building. Not just the leaders. Not just the organizations. The conditions around them. Because leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. I’ve spent years working with people and organizations around leadership, capacity, culture, development, and sustainability. And one thing I know: You can have incredibly capable
This Is What I’ve Always Been Building Read More »
Leadership doesn’t happen in isolation. People lead within teams. Teams operate within organizations. Organizations exist within communities and systems. And all of it exists within an environment we depend on. So when I work with clients to recognize and dismantle leadership conditioning, I’m doing more than helping an individual become a better leader. We’re
S.O.F.T. Leadership™ Is Sovereign Work Read More »
Let me be clear that S.O.F.T. Leadership™ is not about becoming a weak, naïve or passive leader. I’m not interested in teaching women how to become more palatable leaders. S.O.F.T. Leadership™ is a methodology for helping high-performing Women of Color recognize and dismantle leadership conditioning so they can exit survival mode and move into
The S.O.F.T. Leadership™ Distinction Read More »
Stop letting productivity become your identity. Leadership conditioning has taught so many of us that our value is measured by how much we can produce, provide, and perform. So you become the one who gets things done. The one who figures it out. The one who doesn’t need much help. The one who is
Stop Letting Productivity Become Your Identity Read More »
What if the version of you you’ve been looking for isn’t someone you have to become? What if she’s someone you need to reclaim? Because somewhere along the way, leadership conditioning may have taught you to become a version of yourself that could survive success. The dependable one. The agreeable one. The one who always
You Don’t Need to Become Someone New Read More »
Sometimes the reward for being the most capable person in the room is becoming the person everyone expects to carry the room. You finish the project. You get another one. You solve the problem. Now everyone brings you their problems. You demonstrate leadership. Now you’re given more responsibility without more authority. You become indispensable.
When Competence Becomes a Trap Read More »