Tech has a homogeneity issue. Karla Monterroso — a longtime leadership coach, racial equality advocate, and the founder of Brava Leaders — jumped on Equity last week to talk about how that issue was complicated by a bull cycle that saw power in visionary pitches — something now being tested by a bear market in which talent is constantly transferred and founders must make critical decisions with second and third order effects.
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Monterroso argued that a diverse workforce needs more than leaders with good intentions to function well. A founder’s skills in 2022 come with emotional intelligence on how to handle conflict, a mature understanding of power, and the ability to provide context around decisions in a way that empowers their workforce.
“We need leadership that is actually much more comfortable with complexity.” Karla Monterroso
For me, the takeaway from this episode is how big the startup founder’s job is today, regardless of stage or scale.
My whole conversation with Monterroso is now alive wherever you find podcasts, so give it a listen if you haven’t already. Below, we’ve taken a few key points from the interview, from technology’s allergy to conflict to the impact of widespread layoffs.
What do you usually see that needs to change within organizations that want to create a more diverse workforce than just hiring? How do you begin to align your culture so that your diverse workforce is taken care of?
