Cultivating the Courage for Multicultural Leadership

1. Cultivating the Courage for Multicultural Leadership Larry D. Roper Oregon State University

2. Where Are We and How Did We Get Here? • Multiculturalism as a mission add-on; • Confusion between our preferred future and our reality – visions are not realities; • Those who do the heavy lifting may experience heartbreak and isolation; • Marginalized leadership and acknowledgement – caring about the soul, but sitting on the outside; • On an unchartered path – and all that goes with it.

3. Why We Should Lead? • Who better than us to lead the way in showing our communities greater possibilities for how we can be with each other? • Who cares more about or spends more time thinking about the condition of our community than us?

4. Reflections on Strategic Leadership • What role do you want to play in change efforts at the University of Iowa? • What level or scope of change within the campus do you want to influence? • What lessons are being learned from your current experiences? • What connections are being made between what you are learning and your approach to change within the University of Iowa?

5. Leadership Grounding • Pursuing creativity and new possibilities requires entering the world of the unknown; • Transforming ourselves is integral to transforming our institutions; • New levels of relationship is essential to more successful leadership; • New opportunities will not be revealed through a deficit or eliminative lens; • We must infuse Creativity/Play/Imagination into our work lives in order to sustain ourselves.

6. About Courage and Authenticity • Starting from a place of love; • Discussing the undiscussable; • It’s about us and them, not us versus them; • There is treasure waiting to be uncovered; • The weight of courage and authenticity.

7. The Need for Courage • Name and own our “stuff”; • Transform our thinking and ways of being; • Resituate ourselves in the world and embrace the work implied in that new position; • Create and apply our personal frame; • Manage our reputations and the reputations of others; • Reenergize ourselves and our leadership.

8. Challenge of Authenticity • Being the real you; • Reveal your desires for the world; • Allow for vulnerability and humility; • Engage in soul-sustaining conversations; • Strive for congruence and integrity.

9. Strengthening Connections • Affection for your institution; • Honor the humanity and vulnerability of others; • Willingness to struggle in the relationship; • Taking ownership; • Expressing generosity; • Speaking your truth with care; • Investment in the future health of the University of Iowa.

10. Be Grounded and Directed • Show commitment to justice; • Demonstrate belief in the dignity and beauty of each person;  • Show concern about the current condition of your relationships and have an accompanying desire to improve those conditions;  • Ability to communicate a hopeful image for the world and identify your leadership responsibilities in the pursuit of that image; • Allow it to be bigger than you.

11. Your Assignment • Pursue breakthroughs in awareness; • Uncover new understanding and appreciation of the realities of others; • Achieve a new level of connection or relationship with your colleagues and institution; • Generate new energy for the future; • Create space for important conversations; • Strive for creative conversations.

12. My Wish to You • Cultivate energy for a creative and sustainable future; • To show grace in your relationships; • Demonstrate faith in others; • Let your heart and spirit to be aroused and your soul be nourished; • That you feel at home wherever you are; • That you make peace with yourself;