Diversity Leadership: A Mandate for the 21st Century Workforce

This article contends that if U.S. corporations are to remain competitive as they enter the 21st century, their managers must stop trying to manage members of a workforce that is becoming increasingly more diverse and begin leading them. We offer evidence that this admonition amounts to a mandate for corporations to begin developing diversity leaders. In addition to providing a definition of what a diversity leader is, we describe nine characteristics that diversity leaders must possess to successfully lead a diverse workforce. The importance of these characteristics is supported by examples from a variety of large, well-known corporations. Finally, we offer recommendations that will be useful to those managers with aspirations of becoming effective diversity leaders.