Ep 242: DeEtta Jones of DeEtta Jones & Associates - "The Quiet Leader"
Nov 17, 2023
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DeEtta Jones, founder of a leading EDI consultancy, discusses the changing nature of leadership and the importance of self-understanding. They explore childhood influences on creativity, the impact of nature versus nurture, and the challenges of implementing inclusive practices. The podcast emphasizes the need for empathy, resilience, and personal values in leadership.
Great leaders prioritize self-awareness and clarity about their values as the foundation of their leadership, before attempting to shape others.
Modern leadership involves being strategic, resilient, and culturally competent, adapting to shifting cultural norms and practices.
Deep dives
The Quiet Work of Great Leadership
Great leaders spend more time being quiet and introspective, thinking about who they are and how they want to show up in the world. This personal reflection and self-understanding form the foundation of great leadership, allowing leaders to make adjustments and align their actions with their values. Leadership is evolving, challenging traditional notions of standing in front of a group and selling a vision. It now requires leaders to prioritize self-awareness and clarity about what matters to them before attempting to shape others. Successful leadership in the modern world involves being strategic, having resilience, and being culturally competent, recognizing that culture is shifting significantly.
The Journey of Creativity
Deeta Jones, the founder of a leading EDI training and strategy consultancy, shares her lifelong passion for creativity and exploration of ideas. Growing up in challenging circumstances, Deeta found solace and expression in rap and choreography, fueling her love for words and meaningful action. Despite struggling with confidence, she exploded into leadership roles in college, embracing her true self and advocating for change. Deeta's journey highlights the role of personal development and exploration in fueling creativity and expression.
Leadership in an Evolving Landscape
Leadership is undergoing rapid transformation, challenging traditional beliefs and practices. While standing in front of a group and selling a vision is still relevant, it's becoming increasingly important for leaders to understand themselves and be clear about their values before influencing others. The characteristics of modern leaders include being strategic, visionary, and culturally competent. They focus on the future, maintain resilience in the face of challenges, and adapt to shifting cultural norms and practices. Leadership that aligns with personal growth and the changing landscape is crucial for success.
Creating a Supportive and Inclusive Environment
Leaders face the challenge of creating environments that are equitable, diverse, and inclusive. True success in this area goes beyond mere programmatic efforts and requires a shift towards embedded and systematic approaches. A truly EDI organization is one where employees feel cared for and connected to a greater purpose. Success lies in employees perceiving the organization as a place that aligns with their passion, skills, and values, allowing them to actively contribute and make a positive impact in the world. This shift requires a broader cultural transformation that involves all members of the organization.
DeEtta Jones is the founder of one of the world’s leading EDI training and strategy consultancies.
She’s seen leadership and leaders through many lenses. And she’s learned that the best of them are not necessarily the ones making the most noise.
Leadership is changing in real time. I see evidence everywhere, every day.
The beliefs we have grown up with about leadership - that it starts with standing in front of a group and selling them on a vision, that your success depends on your ability to put everyone else first and yourself second, that your confidence and certainty is the fuel on which the race to the future is run.
There is still some truth in these. You still need to be a reference point, a compass, a constant.
But if you try to do those things and be those things before you have done the quiet work of understanding who you are, before you are clear about what matters to you, before you can be honest about when (and why) you get in your own way, then you are building your leadership on quicksand.
Knowing who you are and who you want to be are foundations strong enough to support not just your future, but that of anyone that matters to you.
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