What Does Decolonized Leadership Mean?
When thinking about leadership at large, countless books have been written on management, leadership, and how to “get it right.” Some of my early favorites included works by Dale Carnegie, Ken Blanchard, Jim Collins, and Napoleon Hill. These men present frameworks designed to guide effective leadership.
Think about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or Ken Blanchard’s four-box situational leadership matrix. Each offers an if-this-then-that approach to leadership—but they’re presented through the lens of, in these cases, old white men. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with old white men, there is something problematic about assuming that leadership is one-size-fits-all.
Leadership is about supporting humans. And when we support humans, there is no singular “if-this-then-that” formula. A decolonized approach to leadership presumes that managers will encounter infinite intersections of the human experience within their teams—and, therefore, there are infinite possibilities for how one leads.
To adopt a decolonized lens means that leaders are not only aware of these nuances but are also willing to lean into the ambiguity they bring. This requires not only a high degree of self-awareness but also a healthy dose of humility.
The Role of Self-Awareness in Decolonized Leadership
Months ago, I wrote an article about abolitionism. In it, I described the three tenets of modern-day abolition:
- Do no harm.
- Dismantle that which has harmed.
- Rehabilitate those who have caused harm.
This process also requires recognizing the harm we ourselves may be embodying—especially in our leadership behaviors. Leaders must take responsibility for bringing awareness to, and interrogating, their own biases and assumptions.
Even our own behaviors must be up for critique if we truly mean to foster inclusive environments where everyone can thrive.
In my own journey through corporate America, I experienced firsthand the high cost of unexamined leadership. Unexamined power dynamics and systems where toxic leadership behavior is rewarded only perpetuates the problems.
I experienced this personally when a member of the C suite at an organization where I worked told me I was “worthless” and “lucky to have a job.” Despite a perfect performance review, I was placed on a performance improvement plan, stripped of all authority of my department, my team disbanded and then fired—simply because a member of the leadership team had reported me to HR for critiquing her management style.
When this type of behavior is present in the founder/ ED of an org it is called founder’s syndrome. Characteristics of founder’s syndrome power is hoarded, dissent is punished, and personal ego trumps organizational growth. In my case, instead of addressing systemic issues, leadership weaponized performance management processes to silence valid concerns—ultimately fracturing trust and culture. Not to mention they lost one of their highest performing employees!
Failure to analyze cultural dynamics fractures not only workplace dynamics but also human relationships.
To avoid this, leaders must engage in cultural humility—not just as a practice, but as a mindset shift that allows them to be learners instead of always positioning themselves as experts.
Cultural assessments like the IDI (Intercultural Development Inventory) support leaders by having them interrogate their own intercultural competence. The process for this is twofold
- Identifying that their behaviors are informed by culture and
- Pushing leaders to engage in the deep study of their own culture rather than writing them off as personality or “how they do things”
The Cost of Not Decolonizing Leadership
Toxicity in the workplace shows up in many forms, including:
- Poor or opaque communication
- Removal of personal autonomy
- Lack of recognition for contributions
- Unreasonable workloads
- Discrimination, bias, and bullying
Toxicity can also creep in through systems like gatekeeping, micromanagement, performative allyship, and the silencing or erasure of marginalized voices, experiences and inputs.
The impact of these behaviors is resoundingly negative. Workplaces that exhibit these characteristics often see:
- Higher turnover
- Disengaged teams
- Stagnated innovation
- Eroded trust
Such behaviors act as barriers to workplace success and human connection. They make it nearly impossible for people to show up as their whole selves or feel psychologically safe. These toxic dynamics impede the work-life balance and affirmation that psychologists tell us are intrinsic to personal actualization.
In fact, these behaviors are easily grouped into recognizable personas that help us identify how toxicity shows up in teams. Understanding these personas allows us to rehabilitate workplace cultures.
The six prime personas representing prevalent barrier behaviors are:
- The Critic
- The Robot
- The Lone Wolf
- The Pacifier
- The Controller
- The Hustler
If you’re interested in identifying which personas you most often ascribe to, you can learn more by taking our Inclusive Leadership Barrier Behaviors Assessment.
Building Bridges: What Decolonized Leadership Looks Like in Practice
Leaders who decolonize their approach engage in the work of cultural humility and self-examination. The reward? A healthy workplace culture.
A healthy workplace is one characterized by:
- Psychological safety over fear-driven performance
- Transparency and trust in communication rather than control or power hoarding
- Collective success over individual power
- Rest and sustainability over hustle culture and burnout
Leaders who want to begin shifting their leadership approach can start by:
- Practicing active, level-3 listening to truly understand their teams
- Co-creating team values with shared accountability for how the team’s ethos shows up
- Redistributing decision-making power to flatten hierarchies and promote horizontal collaboration
Invitation to Self-Reflection
For every leader, the question remains:
How are you showing up?
Can you be humble enough to examine whether all your behaviors are useful, helpful, or healthy? Some behaviors create bridges to community. Others create barriers.
I explore this theme further in the complimentary Bridges and Barrier Behaviors Assessment, a tool designed to help leaders at all stages of development reflect on their inclusive leadership style.
And in my new ebook, From Barriers to Bridges, I explore these dynamics in depth—offering detailed persona profiles, real-life scenarios, and strategies for transforming workplace culture.
The Future is Now
The future of leadership belongs to those willing to deconstruct, reflect, and rebuild.
Cultural humility and self-awareness are key to helping us get back to community—to remember who we are as humans, with all the nuance, intersections, and intricacies that come with it.
Decolonizing leadership isn’t a new idea—it’s just more necessary than ever before. Workplaces will only continue to become more dynamic as people become more self-aware and ready to vocalize what they need.
If you’re a leader who wants to thrive in this next era, you must choose to lead from a place of partnership instead of purely from power.
The choice is yours. The future is now.
