Enacting Inclusive and Intersectional Leadership

Source: Christian F. Nunes / National Organization of Women

Every once in a while, I interview inspiring women who are contributing to changing our perceptions and advocating for the needs of women in leadership. For this piece, I interviewed the president of the National Organization of Women (NOW), Christian F. Nunes, M.B.A., M.S., LCSW, who was also a former NOW board member and committee chair, as well as a licensed clinical social worker, consultant, and woman-minority business owner. Christian is the second African American president in the organization’s history, the youngest person of color, and the youngest president in more than 40 years. She focuses on the intersection of mental health, sexism, and racism.

Her interview below offers inspiration to other Black women, as well as to leaders aiming to create a more inclusive and just world. She also provides a compelling understanding of the connection between mental health, reproductive rights, and employee well-being and outcomes for organizations.

How do you define leadership?

I see leadership as the ability to authentically guide, inspire, encourage, and influence others to believe in your vision and/or work collaboratively so you all can reach a common goal. At the core of leadership are trust, integrity, and accountability. If I want to be able to guide, inspire, and encourage others, I must make sure at the very beginning that I am setting up a path for trust and accountability.

How does your work in mental health, homelessness among women and girls, reproductive health, and intersectionality relate to how we understand the needs of women in leadership today?

The mind, body, and soul are interconnected, so we cannot piecemeal our existence. Each part of our health (including mental health and reproductive health) is affected by each other, and each contributes to the body’s sense of homeostasis.

For example, if you are depressed or stressed, it will affect your hormone balances, which will affect your reproductive health, and hormonal imbalances in your reproductive health can affect your mood and mental health. So, mental health and reproductive health both have an impact on daily functioning and relationships.

It is important for corporate leaders to understand that a successful employee is a whole employee, and part of employee engagement is ensuring there are supports to promote success through things like health insurance, EAP services, employee recognition, lunches, etc.

How can your definition and vision of leadership address these intersecting mind-body-soul needs for employees?

My definition and vision of leadership can address the intersecting needs of employees by first acknowledging that they exist and then recognizing that they are important not only to their wellness but also to their professional development and growth.

If my employees are not well holistically, I cannot expect them to perform in their roles at their best level. Although the workplace cannot address every need, we can provide resources for employees to get those needs met and do our best to recognize each employee’s existence as valuable.

As a Black woman in leadership who works at the intersection of mental health and social justice, how do you bring your lived experiences, identity, and expertise to these areas?

As a Black woman, it is impossible not to bring my lived experiences and identity into my leadership because they directly influence my advocacy and leadership. Experiencing sexism, racism, and many forms of microaggressions in the workplace as a Black woman has helped me to understand the injustices and inequities that can exist in many institutions.

It also helps me empathize with others from marginalized communities, understanding barriers they may face from systemic racism and institutional inequalities built into organizational culture, policies, and practices.

I guide my work by looking at everything from a racial justice lens and an intersectional approach. I never assume everyone’s experiences or barriers are the same. I must connect to each person and each stakeholder as unique, valuable, and expert in their narratives.

Leadership Essential Reads

"That Is Why We Need You"

Focusing on Making the Weak Links Stronger

What are some of the obstacles you have faced as you have tried to lead and advocate?

Gaslighting is real. When Black women lead and advocate with confidence and unwavering boundaries and commitments, we often experience the racial trope of the “angry Black woman,” or we experience gaslighting where our expertise, leadership, and value are minimized or invalidated to near erasure.

Black women leaders often must work three times as hard and are still not recognized for their positive contributions but overly criticized for mistakes or unfavorable leadership decisions. The hypocrisy is, at the same time, that Black women are called upon for their expertise, knowledge, and leadership to assist others to succeed.

As a Black woman, you must be able to stand in your confidence and worth, knowing that validation may not always come, but successful results and positive relationships built and sustained speak for themselves.

What is your vision for the future of leadership? What are the gaps we must address and why?

My vision for the future of leadership is that it becomes more inclusive and less monolithic. Allowing people to lead with their strengths and from a place of genuineness can only inspire greatness and positivity.

Joy, happiness, and success thrive from strength, inclusion, integrity, accountability, and authenticity, so you cannot lose if your leadership embodies those characteristics.

You recently launched the “100 Days of a Feminist Agenda” campaign in partnership with Black Women’s Blueprint. What are they focused on, why are they important, and how can people support these initiatives?

The Black Women’s Blueprint creates spaces and services designed by and for Black women and survivors to heal from trauma and violence in a safe and culturally appropriate manner. It focuses on increasing food accessibility, holistic healing, reproductive health, and building institutional capacity to implement culturally responsive, diverse, and inclusive practices. You can support this initiative by providing financial support but also by implementing policies and practices that uplift Black women.

What are three things organizations can do to attend to well-being and the leadership gender gap through an intersectional leadership lens?

Christian shared the following opportunities for organizations:

1. Invest in employee assistance programs in the employee benefits package and make them available to employees who cannot afford or do not qualify for employee health benefits.
2. Create confidential HR policies that address reproductive care needs, including abortion care leave, adoption leave, or any reproductive health care need that requires time off from work. Creating time for employees to flex the hours used for reproductive care without creating shame or divulging too much of their privacy is extremely important.
3. Complete equity audits to make sure their policies and procedures are inclusive, intersectional, and equitable.

Note: This post is part of my subseries on how organizations can transform leadership development for women, as described through the eyes of experts and women’s lived experiences via interviews.