Leading While the Empire Falls

I recently came across a post from Michell Clark, one of my favorite content creators, that’s stayed with me. He said, “I don’t want wellness practices that teach me to be at peace in an inequitable world. I need practices that help me to stay sane while doing my part to fight against it. If it makes you compliant to injustice, it’s not healing — it’s sedation.”

Between the genocides in Palestine, Sudan, and the Congo, a worsening climate crisis, economic inequality, an authoritarian-style government, and more, it’s no coincidence that so many of us are struggling under the weight of it all. We live in a country that thrives on individualism and ‘powering through’ no matter the trauma we’re experiencing, but none of that will save us or support us in this moment. 

The good news, though, is that change is possible. The way through this moment is to do as Michell’s post suggests: find the practices that help us stay grounded, not compliant or numbed out to injustice.

So much of the work of DEI and anti-racism work has become focused on self-care, restoration, and managing through troubling times, instead of addressing the root causes of these issues head-on. Many companies would rather stay trapped in the cycle of addressing symptoms, rather than acknowledge the source: White Supremacy Culture. 

It teaches us to:

Ignore our emotions, empathy, and sensibilities to keep order and compliance, instead of connection. 

Prioritize profits over people. 

Block out the world around us and remain productive no matter what. 

Not trust our own instincts. 

This is an exhausting time to be a leader, but especially if you are in a work culture that’s harmful — it’s a recipe for burnout and mental duress. Being in an organization that’s stuck in a reactive loop rather than embracing forward-thinking strategy makes getting the job done through societal crises not only nearly impossible, but joy-draining and emotionally taxing. 

Leaders need support in this moment; the kind that’s empathetic, flexible, trustworthy, and compassionate. Being able to show up with authenticity and clarity are skills that any senior leader can utilize, and an executive coach is a valuable investment for organizations to make in their leaders. 

In a recent annual team meeting at ShiftED – or the StepBack, as we like to call it – we reflected on our work with organizations over the past year. We found that those who prioritized executive coaching for their senior leaders reported a 30% improvement in decision-making confidence and a 45% increase in team engagement scores within six months. Executive coaching, then, isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s essential for senior leaders, and especially for women of color, to thrive. 

Even the best and most supportive managers are still limited in their capacity to coach their team in the specific ways they need. An executive coach not only fills in those gaps but can help leaders to gain the clarity and confidence they need to grow in their careers and feel good throughout that journey. And especially in a moment like this, that support can be a saving grace for leading during a crisis.

As Michell’s quote suggested, an executive coach doesn’t help us to numb or tune out from the inequities happening all around us. Instead, they allow us to situate ourselves in our working environments in a way that boosts our confidence, clarity, and ability to remain focused on what’s happening around us.

If this is your story or you’re an organization ready to invest in your team, schedule a consultation with ShiftED today.