We are pleased to share an article entitled “Liberating Latine Leaders“ written by Annmarie Caño.
The higher education industry is facing numerous challenges, including declining public confidence in the value of a college degree and decreasing enrollments as a result of demographic shifts. More recently, a host of presidential executive orders and directives relating to grant funding and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have upended institutional budgeting, programming, staffing, and student recruitment.
As an executive coach to leaders in the higher education field, I have witnessed first-hand how the current moment is stretching the competence and confidence of leaders. The stress is particularly acute for Latine leaders because of anti-immigration and anti-DEI rhetoric that calls into question the legitimacy of Latine expertise, authority and mere existence in higher education spaces.
As a Latina who has held leadership roles in higher education, I have been subjected to exclusionary behaviors tinged with sexism and racism – including surveillance and critique of my social media posts (especially when trying to reach Latine audiences), insinuations that I was not qualified for my roles, and overt questioning of my authority – especially when creating more transparent and equitable policies and processes.
LATINE REPRESENTATION
Given the stressful higher education environment, Latine leaders deserve culturally responsive coaches who are well-equipped to support them. Yet, while the U.S. Census reports that 19 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, only two percent of coaches who responded to a 2022 International Coaching Federation (ICF) survey identified as Hispanic.
To be sure, coach-client matching on race and ethnicity is not necessary for coaching to be successful, and merely identifying as Latine does not guarantee that one is culturally responsive. Still, the underrepresentation of Latine coaches is troubling.
However, it is not surprising. In the higher education field, many executive coaches have served or currently serve as university leaders such as deans, provosts and presidents, positions in which Latine people are also underrepresented.
A prerequisite for these positions is typically the attainment of the rank of full professor. But according to 2023 Condition of Education data from the National Center for Educational Statistics, only 4.3 percent of full professors in the United States identify as Hispanic or Latino.
This systemic underrepresentation of Latine people in higher education follows them into the coaching world.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COACHES
Coaches without familiarity with Latine values and cultura (culture) may not necessarily do harm. However, they may miss opportunities to learn from their clients or go deeper in their questioning. They may also reinforce harmful stereotypes or apply culturally insensitive lines of questioning that can impair the coaching relationship and contribute to adverse outcomes.
To improve their coaching and professional practice, I offer a set of recommendations for coaches who wish to build cultural sensitivity and promote a more welcoming environment for Latine coaches. I also offer suggestions for Latine professionals who may wish to pursue a coaching career.
Here are some ways to cultivate cultural responsiveness:
◆ Engage in culturally responsive learning about Latine culture(s). The Latine community is richly diverse. While Latine people share a common history associated with European colonization of the Americas, its members are diverse with respect to their use of English, Spanish and Indigenous languages. They are also diverse with respect to immigration and migration histories, citizenship, social class, (dis) abilities, and gender identities and sexual orientation.
To be a culturally responsive coach to Latine clients may seem overwhelming but the key to responsiveness is curiosity and openness to learning, which is a hallmark of a good coach. Coaches can dig into history to learn more about the history of various Latine cultures. Start by attending cultural events to learn the cultural strengths of your local Latine communities.
Consume media that elucidates the contemporary challenges of Latine people. Gaining knowledge about history and culture can help you understand the values that your Latine clients bring to their coaching sessions, so you are better prepared to ask the powerful questions that can support your clients’ growth.
◆ Assess your coaching network. Do you personally know any Latine coaches, including those who might be affected by intersecting systems of oppression including but not limited to sexism, racism, and colorism? If not, use your in-person and virtual network to follow and learn from Latine coaches.
◆ Invite Latine coaches to collaborate on projects. Consider adding a Black, Indigenous, or person of color (BIPOC) coaches to panels or events that feature coaches discussing their work. When I learn of coaching panels that do not include BIPOC people, I often feel like the offering will address my lived experiences. I know I’m not alone when I speak to other coaches who feel accidentally or deliberately left out of conversations with their colleagues.
◆ Reach out to Latine individuals and suggest that they consider training to be a coach. Offer to connect them with other coaches and mentor them. You will likely learn as much as you mentor.
◆ Create spaces for BIPOC coaches to gather and network with each other. The Washington State ICF Chapter has a monthly BIPOC coaches meeting to network and learn from each other, in a trusting space. It is a great way to build community within a larger organization.
I also encourage Latine coaches to embrace their Latinidad in their coaching practice, including:
◆ Flexing our values. There is great diversity among Latine groups, but our cultural values such as community and relationship-building are core values in coaching.
In my own coaching practice, which includes people who are not Latine, my questions about how people are finding community or valuing family and friendships are refreshing. They offer a counter narrative to the overwork culture of higher education, and an opportunity for clients to interrogate the overwork culture found in higher education.
◆ Challenging how cultural values can be overused. Because of experiences with oppression, Latine people sometimes rely on unhealthy norms and habits that can create imbalances in our lives. As a child of an immigrant, for instance, I have had to grapple with over- work that has resulted from lessons I learned as a child about the “American Dream,” perceived scarcity, pressure to make up for my parents’ sacrifices, etc.
In some Latine families, traditional gender norms may also translate into unhealthy behaviors that limit one’s autonomy and agency. As a coach, we can become overcommitted because good cultural values get overused.
◆ Challenging systemic biases in the higher education workplace and the coaching world. As mentioned earlier, the current moment is particularly stressful for Latine higher education leaders – and by association, Latine coaches – because of anti-immigration and anti-DEI rhetoric and directives. Yet Latine coaches can seize the moment by emphasizing the cultural resources and strategic skills they have acquired by operating in oppressive environments.
Coaches can contribute to the liberation of oppressive systems by empowering clients to strategically respond to supervisors, peers and direct reports who may underestimate and undermine their work.
The current environment of anti-DEI and anti-immigrant backlash is challenging for Latine leaders and coaches. At the same time, there are many opportunities for coaches of all backgrounds to contribute to the thriving of Latine leaders as well as a culturally responsive coaching environment in which Latine coaches can be successful.
Let’s continue the conversation by connecting with your colleagues on our Facebook page
