Cisco Luzania

Professor Zembruski

OGL 350

Module 7: Paper

This has been a question that I have pondered more and more recently. As I continue the climb

of my career and obtain more and more academic credentials, the question of my future comes

into an increased focus. I have always had an affinity for being a leader and have traditionally

been open to accepting roles where a leader is required. I think this is reflected in my recent

decision to pursue a double major of Sociology and Organizational Leadership. Not only do I

want to be in a position of leadership, I want to be there with the solidified knowledge required

to lead diverse teams and maintain an equitable work environment.

I have a long term goal of someday owning my own consulting firm. I want to motivate

organizations to be more equitable and effective in their strategic priorities. By being the

owner/leader of my own company, I will be in a prime position to ensure diversity, equity and

inclusion are at the forefront of the company’s mission and culture. But, in the short-term, I see

myself as continuing to climb the ranks of municipal or government organizations. The United

States is experiencing a rapid diversification of the working population with he influx of

immigrants, young people and diverse demographics becoming a larger share of the workforce

(Chrobot-Mason, D., Ruderman, M.N. & Nishii, L.H., 2013). I think that there is a a lot of focus

on the federal level of government and what they are doing to promote diversity. But, in many

ways, I have learned through my decade in local government that the best way for a bureaucracy

to do the things that so many people march for is at the local level. This is why I have set a goal
for myself to a person in city management. Whether that is a department director or city

manager, I want to obtain to position of consequence in order to make consequential decisions to

promote an equitable culture.

What I have seen working regionally in the valley, is that although diversity is a factor in

decisions for city leadership and management, the organization limits the reach of diversity

teams due to a lack of resources or purview. By working in the third most populous city in

Arizona, I have seen how this has come into play. While I would of course want to implement

things such as a Non-Discrimination Ordinance or additional cultural competency trainings for

employees, I understand the many moving parts of government. I think this is why I would make

an effective leader for this type of organization. One of the biggest challenges in implementing

diversity initiatives is that it requires a lot of buy-in from the employee base. If people don’t feel

as though what we are doing is either effective or representative of their needs, then any progress

by leadership will be minimal. We know from the readings that ethical or servant leadership

types receive a more satisfactory response to combatting discrimination of socially

disadvantaged groups (Gotsis, G., Grimani, K., 2013). My trajectory as someone who has

worked in the field as well as in the office, gives me a commiserating perspective on how our

employees may feel. Conducting things like grassroots discussions and in-depth research into

employee needs will go a long way.

I think one of the most important decisions in remaking leadership in my organization is to

surround myself with a diverse team that presents varying perspectives, views and backgrounds.

While it is helpful that I have risen through the organization, am a minority and are empathetic to
employees concerns because of my diverse stratified background, stopping with just me would

be a mistake. I would want my team to be multicultural where cooperative tactics are the main

tool for decision making. To rationally persuade people through facts and logic to me is the best

way to lead any organization or team (Williams, K., 2008). But, given that such a process require

much consultation with the team, having that team filled with a collection of diverse

backgrounds and cultural varieties becomes a premium. We already know that empathy is a

major factor in the implementation and acceptance of D & I programs, so having those who are

empathic to all experiences, minority or not, affluent or impoverished, highly educated or not

provides a wide net of solutions that can be found.

In my Cultural Intelligence Post-Test, I ended up receiving a score of 124. This is a slight

improvement on my original score of 117. Both scores I received are relative of a higher than

average cultural intelligence. I think this may have to do with not only my background as a

minority in the United States, but also because of my work in progressing diversity and inclusion

professionally. What I feel really improved on was recognizing to importance of immersing

myself in other culture to not just relate to people, but also connect with them. We can all learn

the different greeting and farewells that are appropriate to use, but experiencing the variables and

history of said actions will truly grow your empathy. I think this is why I will make an effective

leader of a diverse team or organization. To me, it is no longer a choice to implement diversity,

but the best way to take myself and my surroundings into the modern workforce.