Back in September, I wrote that the Hispanic community faces a giant disconnect. Hispanics make up 18.5% of the US population, contribute $2.6 trillion annually to the US economy, and generate a significant share of all new jobs.
But there is one place where Hispanics are not well represented, and that is at the top echelons of business. Across the US, Hispanics make up just 4% of senior leadership positions, a tiny fraction of our contribution to the workforce as a whole.
That figure is not acceptable. We know that. Organizations know that. And most wish to do better. But knowing something takes one level of commitment. Doing something requires another.
But what measures should we take? To find out, we sought to engage with Hispanics directly.
Over the past few months, the IBM Institute for Business Value surveyed 1,223 Hispanics across the US. We also partnered with We Are All Human to host a Jam session with Hispanics. In fact, it was the largest one ever: a 33-hour event attended by more than 1,000 people, the majority of whom spent more than 4 hours with us.
Our new report, Untapped potential: The Hispanic talent advantage, details what we’ve learned. (Read the Spanish translation.) However, three key gaps deserve our singular attention.
- The first has to do with mentoring. We’ve all heard the mentoring message loud and clear. Most of us are mentoring others right now. That’s good and it’s effective. But it’s not enough. A member of our Jam event told us, “Hispanics are over mentored and under sponsored.” The difference? “Mentors talk to you,” said one Jammer. “But sponsors talk about you.” Active advocacy—done repeatedly and at scale—is a critical and often missing element to advancement. We need sponsors who will step up and engage others on behalf of Hispanic professionals, especially younger professionals. Only with this level of persistent action can we move the needle on performance.
- The second thing has to do with over simplification. Anyone with a close understanding of Hispanics and Latinos in the US recognizes the vast differences in cultural values, backgrounds, and places of origin, just as there are in life experience. Yet most programs and outreach treat the Hispanic community as though it were a single block. We also frequently fail to reflect that individual Hispanics may feel very differently about their heritage. To be relevant and relatable, we need to appreciate the nuances. My friend, Dr. Robert Rodriguez, helped get at some of these nuances in the Jam with what he calls the four Latino archetypes:
Invisible Latino: These are individuals who choose to downplay their Hispanic heritage at work because they don't feel it is relevant, they prefer not to be labeled, or they simply choose to connect more closely with another aspect of their identity.
Equivocal Latino: For these individuals, expressing their Hispanic identity is situational. They lean into it at certain times, especially when interacting with other Hispanics. But they minimize or conceal their heritage in other contexts.
Retro Latino: These individuals have a strong desire to reconnect with their Hispanic roots. They may not have leaned into their Latino identity in the past, but they want to do so now. Sometimes becoming a parent pushes someone to become a retro-Latino because they want their children to have a stronger connection to their Latino identity than they did.
Unapologetic Latino: These individuals wholeheartedly see their Hispanic identity as an asset and source of strength. They fully acknowledge their Latino roots and celebrate them. They also want others to learn about their culture and celebrate it with them. They tend to be strong advocates for Latino issues.
These archetypes can help us recognize that Hispanics bring both a cultural and personal context to their identities. Knowing this can help organizations tailor their outreach more effectively. After all, if we can’t reach people where they are, then we may miss them altogether.
- The third and most troubling issue is that we are failing Latinas. Latinas face a double gap—they are penalized because of their race and penalized again because of their gender. I call it the “gap within a gap.” And it has widespread financial ramifications. Latinas in the US are paid 45% less than white men on average. To put this in context, the average Latina has to work 23 months to earn what a white man earns in 12. But it’s not just men. Latinas also earn 30% less than white women. In fact, they are the lowest-paid group of women across racial and ethnic categories. What makes these findings especially jarring is that Latinas are an entrepreneurial powerhouse. Not only do they run 44% of all Latino businesses, Latinas created nearly half of all new Latino businesses between 2007 and 2015. By failing to recognize, advance, and pay this talent in our workforce, we are doing ourselves a collective disservice.
It’s time to step up our commitment level.
A Jam poll asked whether business executives are doing enough to pave the way for the success of the next generation of Hispanic leaders: 83% said they are not. That is a sobering percentage.
You can help change this. I’d like you to do something right now. Take out a piece of paper or pull out your phone and write down how many people you are mentoring today. Then, write the names of people you actively sponsor. Now, look at the numbers. If you’re like me, you may find that the two lists are uneven. Most of us mentor more people than we sponsor. I’d like to ask that we make it our New Year’s resolution to balance these lists and sponsor and advocate for the same number of people you are mentoring.
Second, go to your company’s website and intranet and take a look at the diversity and inclusion programs your organization offers. Are they one-size-fits-all? Think about one or two ways you can connect with those whose backgrounds and archetypes are similar to yours. Think about what helped you most in your career. Can you use that experience to help raise the effectiveness of your organization’s outreach so it reflects the diversity of the Hispanic community?
Finally, I’d like you to commit to being an advocate for Latina advancement. Are Latina women represented in upper management in your organization? What can you do to create specific opportunities for up-and-coming Latinas to be mentored and sponsored by senior colleagues? If we are to create change, we need to make doing so a strategic priority, with special programs, defined metrics, and clear accountability.
As we head into 2021, I hope you will join me in moving from wishes to plans and from talk to accountability. Thank you for engaging with me on this.
