{"id":5055053,"date":"2020-06-30T21:21:31","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T01:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/?p=5055053"},"modified":"2020-06-30T21:21:31","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T01:21:31","slug":"americas-latina-leadership-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/riln\/2020\/06\/30\/americas-latina-leadership-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s Latina Leadership Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“I left the corporate world because throughout the years – I was losing a little bit of myself, I had to leave, says Iliana Rojas Saldana,<\/a> Founder, and CEO, BeLIVE Coaching & Consulting. She struck out on her own after a long career in executive positions in Fortune 500 companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rojas Saldana is also a member of the New England chapter of the Network of Executive Women (NEW) <\/a>that last month released the findings of a new study<\/a> examining why senior-level Latina talent is heading for the exits of corporate America at an alarming rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among 36 senior and mid-level Latina executives interviewed, most said they didn\u2019t feel they fit easily into the typical corporate culture of the United States. While this could be celebrated from a differences-add-strength perspective, study insights show far too many companies quashing Latina diversity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rojas Saldana blames a gap of women in general in executive positions and even more so for Latinas. “Most Latinas feel they’re not being listened to or supported because their values do not align to the corporate culture”, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it’s those exact qualities that study co-author Karianne Gomez, NEW Vice President of Strategic Value says have been an asset during the COVID-19 Stay Home, Stay Safe orders. \u201cIn a way, none of us could have predicted, many of the traits the Latina professionals in our focus group cited as drawbacks within the traditional, white male-dominated workplace \u2013 expressiveness, empathy, a desire for work-life balance \u2013 have become celebrated assets in the COVID-19 work-from-home landscape,\u201d said Gomez. \u201cWhat remains to be seen, as the country reopens, is whether a newly enlightened C-suite will embrace the unique attributes Latinas bring to the table, or revert to its old ways, forcing an emboldened Latina talent pool that already represents this country\u2019s fastest-growing sector of small business entrepreneurs to flee corporate America even faster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Connecticut loosens its stay-at-home orders, Rojas Saldana is hopeful the COVID-19 pandemic will improve opportunities for Latinas. “Companies are rethinking the working environment; seeing how employees can be productive – especially Latinas who (successfully) manage family and business”, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s having a “foot in two worlds” that the study finds give Latinas a competitive edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some of the barriers the study finds that hinders Latinas from seeing an opportunity for authentic advancement in large corporations include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collectivism vs. Individualism <\/strong>\u2013 Having been raised in a collectivist culture where the good of the group trumps individual pursuits, many Latinas learned from an early age to be selfless, generous, and respect authority figures. Within the very individualistic culture of U.S. business, where assertiveness, independence, and appropriate \u201cpush-back\u201d are valued, Latinas are often viewed by managers as less \u201chungry\u201d or personally qualified for advancement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLatina-ness\u201d vs. reserve <\/strong>\u2013 Corporate poker-face is in direct contrast to the use of hands and passionate expression most Latinas learned as essential to communication. Focus group participants described being perceived as having a \u201cLatin temper,\u201d being a drama queen or overly sensitive \u2013 all while trying to discern what their coworkers\u2019 neutral expressions meant in meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personalismo vs. \u201ctoo familiar\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 Touching and close physical proximity are common ways to connect personally and respectfully with someone when conducting business in Latin cultures, but sometimes go beyond the American norm of friendliness at work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritizing family vs. \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 Many Latinas place a significant emphasis on spending time together as a family \u2013 something corporate America says it values but often does not accommodate well. The Latina executives interviewed rejected the notion that prioritizing family diminishes commitment to career or reliably getting the job done. They may make it home for dinner more often than their traditional white male counterparts, but that balanced approach is part of the diversity and value Latinas bring to the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Latina\u2019s cultural heritage has genetically engineered her for the work-from-home paradigm shift prompted by COVID-19,\u201d said study co-author Arminda Figueroa, Latinarrific Vice President of Strategy and Audience Engagement. \u201cFreed from the stress of babysitters, elder-care and long commutes, she can seize her full potential as \u2018Chief Household Officer,\u2019 being there for her family while managing her schedule and tapping into her overachieving nature to produce high quality work.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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