Womxn of Color Leaders Are Innately Culture Shifters

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” — Shirley Chisholm, Politician, Educator, and Author

As womxn of color, we often are made to be culture shifters whether we want it or not. We take on the emotional burden of acting as an example representing the whole. But, what does that actually mean? What does it mean when 3 out of 4 white peers do not have womxn of color in their network?

Last Friday, we were able to ask our Culture Shifter Panel these very questions. Moderated by Kim Flanery-Rye, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leader, we spoke to to following panelists: Brittany Chavez (CEO and founder of Shop Latinx the leading Latinx marketplace of lifestyle products made by the Latinx community), Angelina Howard (Senior Product Manager Amazon and President of their Black Employee Network), Elizabeth Marengo (Head of Diversity Inclusion for Nestle USA), Sherysse Morris (Chief People and Culture Officer for Seattle’s Department of Transportation), and Shivani Berry (Career Coach and Founder and CEO of Ascend, online career development program for women).

Kim began by posting the question to the panel: What does it mean to be a culture shifter? Do you think about yourself as one? Since when, and how?

To Sherysse, a culture shifter is someone who is future thinking, always has their eye on the ball, and understands how to influence people in the right direction to make sure we are shaping and forming what the culture should look like moving forward. There are different measurements to culture: your ethnic background, religion, how you were raised, community, work culture as well. Being versatile in that environment and understanding how to shift through those things is what a culture shifter means to her. She feels like she was born with it. She is always trying to think of how we can move things differently towards the greater good or greater goal.

Angelina had never thought of herself as a culture shifter and even didn’t know the term until we started talking about it! For Angelina, she simply did things that she felt were necessary. She tried to fill voids that she noticed. For example, she noticed that Amazon needed an internal community so she started BEN. She always tries to identify what she feels needs to be done, and then does it. If that makes her a culture shifter, then she’s going to start owning that!

Elizabeth shares Angelina’s perspective. She didn’t know what to connect the term “culture shifter” but upon doing self reflection, felt that at first in her career, she wasn’t a culture shifter. She was more in a space where she was looking to define her sense of self. As she reflected on her present, in a position of leadership, she realized that these characteristics of a “culture shifter” were innate in her all along. Elizabeth believes there is a little bit of this within us all. Anytime we begin to question what culture is or think about it, we are shifters.

Shivani never identified as one and even felt a little imposter syndrome when invited to participate on this panel. Like Elizabeth, when she looked into it a bit more, she began to recognize her role as a culture shifter. To Shivani, a culture shifter is someone who creates space and opportunities for womxn of color to be able to accomplish what they want, while still maintaining their identity. She is doing that by creating a series of professional development programs to help them develop skills and have community. But, this doesn’t have to be done within a company. It can be speaking out when you see something that is unfair. Asking questions and speaking up are great ways to be a culture shifter. It doesn’t feel like work, you just do it.

Brittany has dealt with imposter syndrome as well so she never really owned her power until the last couple of years. Recently, she even changed her Instagram bio to include “culture shifter”! Brittany feels all womxn of color, our mere presence, our je ne sais quoi, shows that we are culture shifters and it’s time that we own up to that. We are the mainstream. Owning that and recognizing our influence is what makes her a culture shifter.

Kim turned to Elizabeth and Sheyresse to ask how, as people leaders within wide reaching organizations, how have they personally shifted the culture within those orgs?

Elizabeth says it’s a hard thing to do. When you’re at a large scale organization, like Nestle, it’s complex and it’s difficult. From a culture perspective, the best way for us to drive culture is respecting the organization’s missions and values but activating that through bringing your best self to work and not compromising your personal values. They try to drive an ongoing culture development as people leaders. In order to drive that, you have to find your weight within that and that helps you operate authentically. Finding ways to help you see how you fit into the equation of the culture, and flexing and pivoting to activating that. Challenge your org to think differently in the construct of what they are trying to do at large.

Sherysse agrees with a lot of Elizabeth’s viewpoints. Sherysse came into this city’s department during a time where the company viewed HR very differently, and frankly not in a positive light. So her role was to reshape that and show them what they were missing the whole time. Along the way, she was able to build a whole new dynamic of staff members, how the city approached HR, and give them resources and tools. Changing the mindset of the individuals around her allowed her organization to feel the differences that she made across the board.

Kim asked: We’ve seen companies’ values get lost at the wayside without strong leadership that helps align them or bring them through in their actions. What are your thoughts on this? What is that impact from a leader?

Shivani agrees that often companies that discuss values during the interview process, never bring them back up. As a leader, it’s important to break down to your team what these values actually mean and give tangible examples of them. Then, give recognition or acknowledgment to them when they happen. Even if it’s just a shout out in a meeting to reinforce that positive behavior. As leaders, we are role models so we should also be leading by example.

Angelina is working within a culture but also created a brand new one by heading the Black Employee Network (BEN). Kim asked her: What was that like and what does that mean to create a micro culture within an existing organizational culture?

A lot of companies have their own culture and principles so the question isn’t how to adapt to them but how do we fit into them and our culture. Angelina views it socially. For example, she asks herself how to put on events that are for black people but in a way where other people can come too? Anything from celebrating black culture with Friendsgiving to Black History Month and having those conversations. Leveraging your voice so that people outside of the immediate culture can see what is possible. Angelina is a very big proponent of that the people that come after her should be better than her. Making sure she is showing people that Black people and Black Womxn can lead so that people organizationally above her think, “I want to hire more people like her.”

Next, Kim posed the question: as a womxn of color, do you think being a culture shifter is a role we must take on? Why or why not?

Shivani doesn’t think people should be obligated to take on any role just because you’re born into a certain ethnicity. That being said, she does feel it’s something you should naturally want to do. Even though we don’t opt into it, we can end up representing our entire culture anyway because people put that onto us. While she doesn’t believe we should be obligated to be culture shifters, she feels that oftentimes we are put into it by others.

Elizabeth challenges that view by saying she thinks womxn of color should be culture shifts. She challenges the notion that our actions are representative of the entire culture. Rather than take on that responsibility, she tries to pivot that concept to show up as a strong leader that pays it forward to the groups that she is in. To pull everyone along with her. She reiterates that this can be done in any leadership capacity; acts like making sure someone else has a seat at the table or introducing a new way of thinking to a colleague.

Brittany’s answer is no, that we shouldn’t have to take on that role. It’s not our responsibility to do anything. If she wants to relax and just be in this body that just so happens to be a womxn of color, then so be it. She notes that it’s interesting how society places so much responsibility on marginalized people.

Sherysse thinks being a culture shifter needs to be authentic and within you, not something you are forcing. But, she does agree with Elizabeth’s sentiment about paying it forward and bringing others along. She says her authentic self feels an obligation to bring others along to show them what you can do or what you can be. She doesn’t want that to be forced for anyone, she wants it to be natural.

This post was adapted from our Culture Shifters Panel.