(Leadership theories are being developed by white men and researched on those from white backgrounds). “I think the biggest risk is how subtly permeated this exists within our definitions of leadership, of the leadership that we value and trust…" In Episode 37 of Why Care?, I speak to Jenny Vazquez-Newsum, Founder and CEO of Untapped Leadership. We discuss her book, Untapped Leadership, and we explore the concepts of contextual agility, stealth-clean up and the zone of untapped leadership. We also touch on topics such as the race penalty, imposter syndrome, and how we can redefine and redesign leadership so it is representative and inclusive of all. Jenny’s passion for DEI is evident in her roles as a leadership facilitator, educator, consultant, and author. Her work in DEI has spanned over two decades, and she has worked with over 500 leaders from more than 200 organisations. Her goal is to address the limitations of current leadership rhetoric... Jenny speaks on her motivations in writing Untapped Leadership, which came from her reflections that white men typically created the management courses she attended and books she read. She clarifies that although her book was written from a racialised lens, there is an aspect of everyone that may be marginalised and so her book applies to underrepresentation more broadly... Jenny breaks down the key concepts in her book: - Roots of Leadership – Jenny gives an example of the ‘Great Man Theory’, where leadership was defined by the characteristics and behaviour of great men. However, by looking at the Fortune 500 senior leaders, it is evident that this theory is still in action. As she explains, if different leadership perspectives were being valued, we shouldn’t be seeing only this type of leader... - Stepping stones to leadership (Redesigning Leadership) – Most organisational structures are triangular, not very representative, and result in a lot of people being left behind... What she advises is contextual agility; a leadership that is grounded in context and being agile in that context. - Systemic vs Individual (Stealth-clean up) – Jenny explains a frequent phenomenon whereby leaders from marginalised ethnic groups are given an almost impossible task to ‘clean up’ an organisation's mess. However, they have limited support, people are less forgiving, and their missteps are more consequential. When organisations go through ‘epic failures’, they place the onus on the individual at the very top, when it is in fact systemic. To create a more sustainable system, she advises that organisations think about the structural elements, the systems in place, and how to fix this so that the person leading has all the support they need to succeed.  - The race penalty – Jenny identifies through her connections with leaders of colour, that there is a ‘mental calculus’ of how to engage, i.e., they take extra thought and consideration on their actions, knowing that they might not be able to speak or show emotion the same way as somebody else in their organisation. This reality in itself, is something that they are often made aware of in their daily interactions. - Reframing Imposter Syndrome – Jenny references her own experiences of how she would not engage in class because she felt that she didn’t belong. She explains that this narrative of imposter syndrome is deceiving because it is a deficit in the system, not the individual. Imposter syndrome needs to be reframed - what is needed here is a system that is supportive, robust, diverse, and representative to all... - Zone of Untapped Leadership – Jenny describes the ‘zone of untapped leadership’ as the intersection between the way you leverage your power and privilege and the way you leverage your marginalised perspectives...   Links: Jenny can be found on: -       LinkedIn -       Instagram -       Book For more from Untapped Leaders, you can visit their website at: https://www.untappedleaders.com/