South Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Post

Respect, patience, and humility are all qualities that are often misinterpreted in business environments as passive or lacking assertion. Still, I think it's important to recognize that they are strengths, not weaknesses. Honoring who we are and where we come from enables us to lead authentically and foster deeper connections with our teams. We should embrace these cultural superpowers to break the stereotypes and demonstrate that our respect for people and the human experience is a powerful asset in driving organizational success.

This is so accurate. Environment and social structure and upbringing is incredibly strong in the Hispanic community. Its both a blessing and curse. I feel we bring a higher level of commitment, passion, empathy, and handwork because of our these values. Unfortunately, if we dig deeper, we the underline message is to blend in. Our elders didn't give us the okay or permission to be a strong individual. We were not taught the hard lesson of "closed mouths don't get feed." I firmly believe we need to practice more pride in our "Latin-ism." Being Latino is a super power of itself. I talk about these things in my presentations and public speaking. Love to share more, especially if anyone is looking for speakers in the Chicagoland area.

And then when we do speak up in the corporate world, we're perceived and told that we're "loud," "passionate," and "emotional." 🤦🏻♀️

It’s time to start using our powerful voices! One of my mentors always said Being underestimated is a huge competitive advantage for us, because they won’t even see you coming. Rise up mi gente 💪🏽🫶🏽🐦🔥🔥

I disagree with this mindset. It may be because I was born in NY and from a child taught to speak up. I am educated and it shows when I speak. I speak my mind and always challenge the status quo. It is my superpower. I ask “why not” all of the time. I was once told to tone it down and my response was no because if I was a man that would be a non-issue. Let’s just say I left that place and found a place that embraces my voice. I speak with interns all of the time and try to instill this mindset early on. Be the change you want to see.

IMHO… after experiencing this situation and having had years to reflect on it, I’d say… is not the Corporate world per se… it is leaders with low EQ and little to no experience in understanding how colleagues from LATAM (or other countries for that matter) are wired.

we are not afraid to tell it like it is either!

Research and literature on Latino leadership indicate that respeto and simpatía are two key cultural scripts that significantly influence leadership styles. Respeto, which emphasizes respect for authority and courteous behavior, can sometimes limit assertiveness and innovation if taken too rigidly. On the other hand, simpatía, which promotes kindness and harmonious interactions, can lead to conflict avoidance and overly consensus-driven decisions. However, these cultural values can be transformed into powerful leadership assets. By fostering inclusive communication and empathy through respeto, and creating positive work environments and effective conflict resolution strategies with simpatía, Latino leaders can balance these scripts to promote diverse perspectives, cultivate trust, and manage conflicts constructively. This demonstrates how Latino cultural heritage enriches leadership, making it more inclusive and effective.

Excellent quote and comments. I agree and understand. However, we don't need to forget that we as hispanics have some traits such as passion, respect, family values and determination to mention some. This is part of being a diverse group. I have leveraged these traits in my career to help me advance and contribute to diversity. Be resilient and never give up sharing our culture and educating others. We are a force to be recognized. I have always used this to coach and mentor others. I can share more insights if you are interested.

There is hierarchy in the home that can be dissonant with business - I experienced being surrounded by strong, vocal, and wise women. Transitioning into the workplace resulted in their conforming to the norms or becoming quiet to survive and earn a living. Spending money to improve workplace culture must include learning to understand out of work individual culture. How are we wired. And how can we all navigate together to optimize skills? Let’s not lean into career warfare when team BUILDING is positive.