“Self-care is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is part of political warfare.”

—Audre Lorde

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Our executive coaching philosophy is fundamentally based on strategic thinking, self-care, and social justice. At Racing to Equity, we believe all humans are capable of high intellectual performance and of making affirming choices. Our philosophy is grounded in the idea that human beings are capable of developing our intellectual, emotional, and creative capacities at any age rather than reaching a peak and then falling off a cliff quickly thereafter.

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It is our view that people, through their own consciousness, create their own values for racial equity and social justice and determine a purpose for their life. This philosophy guides how we approach executive coaching.

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When we embark on executive coaching relationships, our work with leaders focuses on six key development pathways:

 

 

1. Background

 

The organization, industry sector, business and operating model(s), culture, human systems, and relationships provide key elements of the working context.

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2. Social Justice & Racial Equity

 

The goal of our work is to strengthen the capacity of organizations with leaders and staff of color to address racial inequities through policy and systems change. We also aim to help leaders become and be aware of who they are and how the racial lens that they carry from childhood—which they might not be aware of—impacts the way in which they lead every day.

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3. Self-care

 

Leaders can only appear confident, show up in their charisma, and have stamina if they are practicing self-care every single day. We work with leaders to help them find what works for them to be relaxed, focused, and prepared to take advantage of the opportunities they are presented with and to successfully face the challenges in their leadership journeys. We support leaders in making self-care a priority in their personal lives as a crucial strategy to have self-preservation in their professional lives. Leaders need to nourish their mind, body, and spirit as much as they are nourishing their business careers.

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4. Intricacy

 

The level of work complexity provides a deep insight into the current opportunities, challenges, and judgements that are required to excel as leaders.

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5. Capacity

 

Understanding and evaluating current potential, future potential, and motivation all create possibilities for personal and organizational transformational change.

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6. Competence

 

Developing strong intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and culturally responsive literacy provide opportunities for growth, acquiring knowledge, and leading change.

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Exceptional leaders’ judgment is grounded in a way of critically thinking about strategy that intersects the objectives of the business with social justice and the hopes and aspirations of staff, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
This ability to focus on the business strategy while intentionally engaging ethnically and linguistically diverse people is the reason leaders create stronger networks, innovate more frequently, and are more often chosen as the preferred business partner.

Our approach is grounded in the idea of interdependence—mutual trust, mutual commitment, and mutual obligation.