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Reflecting an American Vista: The Character and Impact of Latino Leadership
Executive Summary
The United States is becoming more ethnically and culturally diverse-it is also becoming moreLatino. The growing presence of Latinos in the United States has profound implications for thefuture of leadership in our nation. By the year 2025, there will be over 60 million Latinos livingin the United States. By 2050, 100 million Latinos will be living in the United States-one out of every four Americans. Over the next half century, 68 percent of the nation's populationincrease will be fueled by Latino population growth. The Latino community will be one of theprincipal crucibles out of which leadership develops, emerges, and is held accountable. Asworkers, managers, voters, and leader/followers, Latinos will determine both the quality andquantity of effective and meaningful leadership across every sector of American life. As Latinosplay an increasingly significant role in determining our leaders, there is a correspondingimperative to understand how leadership is experienced, understood, and developed withinthe Latino community.This first in a series of NCLL reports on Latino perspectives on leadership examines thequalities Latinos want leaders to possess. The study, based on NCLL's random phone survey of 3,032 Latinos, revealed that Latinos are clear about what these qualities are: leaders shouldbe honest, trustworthy, ethical, and demonstrate integrity in their private and public conduct.In other words, Latinos are looking for sound character in their leaders. Latinos also wantleaders to be competent, compassionate, and to practice community servanthood, by puttingcommunity interests before their own.
The Four C's of Latino Leadership
Based on the NCLL survey results, the twenty most desired leadership qualities are clusteredaround four general leadership traits Latinos expect leaders to possess. Latinos want leadersto:
•
Demonstrate character in their public dealings and private lives (
58.9%
)
•
Be competent (
11.8%
)
•
Express compassion in their exercise of leadership (
9.6%
)
•
Work as a community servant (
9.2%
)
Character
High ideals of character are at the heart of Latino leadership values according to respondents.The primacy of honesty and integrity, along with the emphasis of a leader being spiritual,ethical, possessing strong moral values, and being a good person, attests to character. Thepublic dimension of character demands that leaders keep their word and deliver on theirpromises. In the words of one respondent, "que sea un cumplidor"- one who does what s/hesays s/he is going to do. The personal dimension of character has to do with ethical living andspirituality. Indeed with 8.5 percent of the respondents citing strong moral values, spirituality,or being a good person, as their most desirable quality, this dimension of personal characterwas one of the most valued qualities.
Competence
Latino respondents want leaders to be intelligent, experienced and wise. They expect leadersto know what they are doing, know how to get the job done, and produce results. Latinos alsoexpect leaders to use common sense on the task at hand.
 
Compassion
Leaders are expected not only to be competent; they should also be compassionate, loving,and kind. Latinos also want leaders to be humble, sincere, and sensitive to those whom theypurport to lead. The words humilde and sincero when used to describe a person have adifferent connotation in Spanish than they do in English. They refer to someone who is not justunassuming, but also someone who is unselfish and empathetic toward others. This sense of valuing the individual in a relationship is closely tied to the notions of respect in the Latinocommunity. An individual is worthy of respect because of who they are as a person, ratherthan what they've accomplished. The centrality of the person may explain why Latinos valuedfairness and impartiality as desirable leadership traits.
Community Service
Latinos also believe that their leaders should be dedicated and willing to serve the community.Latinos expect leaders to be community servants. One respondent expressed this sentimentas, "que ayude a la gente"- a leader should help the people (community). This suggests avision of leaders as servant leaders who give the people or the community their proper placeand priority. Additionally, preliminary results from NCLL focus group research of grassrootsleaders also found that community servanthood is viewed as a key leadership ingredient.
•
Latino views on leadership reflected, but also diverged from non-Latino mainstreamperspectives. Like non-Latino whites, Latinos placed a priority on character andcompetence in leaders. However, Latinos differed from non-Latino citizens by placing aprime emphasis on compassion, caring, respect, and community servanthood asqualities they want to see in leaders.
•
Within the Latino community, there was a striking consensus on views and valuestoward leaders. The study found no significant differences between Latino subgroups,between Latino young adults and seniors, citizens or non-citizens, or between Latinosand Latinas in the qualities they deemed important for leaders to possess.
•
The focal point of "el pueblo" (people and community) resonates throughout much of the survey and points to a cultural framework that places more emphasis on familyand community than it does on the individual. In the survey, over a third of Latinorespondents (38 percent) mentioned a family member as the person they mostadmired. In contrast, surveys by Gallup and other pollsters find only 20-24 percent of the general population mentions a relative or friend as the individual they mostadmire.
Conclusion
 NCLL's preliminary findings suggest a distinct Latino cultural perspective on leadership thatcreates new possibilities for understanding the emergence and practice of leadership. Thecommunal, collectivist, people-centered orientation of Latino leadership values, coupled withpreferred leadership styles that are empathetic and compassionate, point to a new way of thinking about leadership which runs parallel with new paradigms of leadership that arecurrently being discussed in leadership circles. Stephen R. Covey writes that the leader of thefuture is one who creates a culture or value system based on the principles of service,integrity, fairness, and equity. Similarly, Daniel Coleman argues that the most effectiveleaders are those that possess emotional intelligence-of which empathy and cross-culturalsensitivity are key components. Marshall Shaskin and William Rosenback outline the "new"leadership profile in terms of capable management: credible, and caring with a follower-orientation. These "new paradigm" leadership qualities coincide with the qualities that Latinosexpect from their leaders.
There are also connecting points and common ground with what is being discoveredabout women's leadership and African American leadership. For example, one of thedistinctive features of women's leadership is the preference for interpersonal, participatory, and collaborative leadership. This mirrors Latinos' valuing of leaders whoare caring and compassionate, as well as other leadership values cited in this study.
 
Additionally, the centrality of the community as a point of departure in African Americanleadership has much in common with Latino communal values. We hope that as more islearned about the experience and the dynamic of leadership in the Latino community, itwill push research scholars and experts to rethink what constitutes effective andmeaningful leadership. We at NCLL are optimistic that in the not too distant future,Latino leadership visions, values, and experiences will complement, inform, andchallenge mainstream cultural models and practices.
Executive Summary
 
The Latino American Dream:High Hopes and Harsh Realities
 “The Latino American Dream: High Hopes and Harsh Realities” is the first report to take an in-depth look at what the American Dream means to Latinos in the United States. The report,commissioned by The National Community for Leadership, Inc. (NCLL), is based on a recentnational survey taken from a sampling of more than 3,000 Latinos. The survey also examines theextent to which Latinos believe in and live the American Dream. To Latinos, this dreamencompasses much more than economic prosperity – it symbolizes personal advancement, theability to provide a better life for one’s children, and the individual pursuit of liberty and justice. The survey’s key findings, illustrated below, point to positive conclusions about the Latino population in the United States. Latinos are among America’s most dedicated dream makers.Latinos believe in the promise of the American Dream to a greater extent than many Americans,are more optimistic about the nation’s future and their own future. Latinos also tend to be verysupportive of the United States government. Their faith in the American Dream exists despite theharsh reality of discrimination faced by millions of Latinos. 
Key FindingsFaith in the American Dream
 Seventy-six percent of the Latino respondents believed the American Dream is attainable. Eighty-one percent agreed that it was likely that today’s Latino children would achieve theAmerican Dream in their lifetime. Seventy-five percent of Latino young adults (age 18 to 24) believed the American Dream could be theirs. 
Timetable for Achieving the American Dream
 Close to one-third (32 percent) of the Latino respondents said they had already achieved theAmerican Dream. Another forty-four percent believed they would achieve the American Dreamin five to ten years. 
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