Mastery, it’s a word you don’t often hear in reference to modern-day career paths. Harkening back to the Middle Ages, mastery was considered the pinnacle of one’s trade after years of study. The journey to reach mastery  was based on three levels: you began as an apprentice studying under a master of the trade to learn the fundamentals; when you achieved enough proficiency, you became a journeyman—sufficient skill to take on more responsibility, but still under the watchful eye of the master; and finally you became a master craftsman—recognized for a high level of skill and completing t ..read more

John McWhorter I began my last post by referring to how in the Broadway adaptation of The Notebook the two main characters were played by actors of different skin tones at various stages of life. Relationship not race was the focus, and the choice of actors of ostensibly contrasting “races” ironically and cleverly underscored that point. In John McWhorter’s last Times column, he discusses a different Broadway show, “Six,” with a similar variation in casting. My 12-year-old daughter practically had to drag me into the musical “Six,” currently raging on Broadway, in which Henry VIII’s six wive ..read more

The seed for this post started to germinate when I saw an interview with comedian Dulce Sloan talking about her new book, Hello Friends: Stories of Dating, Destiny and Day Jobs. I found it amusing when she explained why she dedicated the book to herself: it was hard getting all those words on the page. Her tone became more serious when she talked about the value she gained from going to therapy. A couple of Sloan’s friends noted a subsequent change in her behavior, and told her that if someone spoke to them the way she used to speak to herself, it would be time for a fight. That lightbulb mom ..read more

Female actresses in The Notebook playing same character at different stages of life While watching CBS Sunday Morning, a long-time ritual practice of Jewel and mine, a story about a Broadway adaptation of the best-selling novel and film The Notebook caught my attention. Not so much because it’s a heart-warming tearjerker, which each version of the story is, but because the choice of the makers of the show to cast the lovers, Allie and Noah, in various stages of their relationship, with fluid changes in “race.” The Times critic reviewed the play unfavorably yet noted that this choice brings a ..read more

Staying with Greg’s Women’s History Month celebration and feminine power theme from last week’s post, a couple of stories came to mind that exemplify the spirit of feminine energy and power. Briogeo CEO Nancy Twine announced recently that she is launching a $1 million Dream Makers Founder Grant to support underrepresented female entrepreneurs. With less than 2% of VC funding going to women of color, Twine felt it was important for her to be a part of the solution and bridge the gap for entrepreneurs, beyond mentoring. Twine experienced the funding struggle first-hand, so felt it was essential ..read more

As Black History Month enters its final week, I believe one of the most gratifying things is to recognize and value the shoulders on which we stand. Every new piece of information about an individual who, in the most challenging of times, held tight to a vision, forged a new path, or unlocked a latent desire, offers an inspirational seed to sow in our field of possibility. The countless individuals who’ve made monumental contributions to the social and economic fabric of this nation have set a tone for innovation and creativity that continues to resound through generations. The words they wr ..read more

It’s Black History Month and we may or may not see some brief acknowledgments recognizing the accomplishments and contributions Black-Americans have made to the United States. I haven't seen any yet this month, but enjoyed Grammy-award winning vocalist Andra Day’s performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem, at Superbowl LVIII. When I was the Executive/Artistic Director at Riverside Theatre, I met and engaged with an individual who led Columbia University’s Government and Community Affairs office. Whenever I called and she was unavailable to answer, her voicemail mess ..read more

When struggling over a complex issue, I’ve had occasions where something or someone gave me a lightning bolt of clarity. In the case of same-sex marriage, it was a chance online viewing of a speech by a local politician in 2009 that transported me from confusion to conviction. Growing up a Christian in the Afro-American church was the religious foundation of my hesitancy. On one hand, marriage was supposed to be between a man and a woman—period. On the other, gay and lesbian folks were welcomed, on the quiet tip, in leadership roles for the choir and other church music, which is central to the ..read more

Ralph Bunche This weekend, as I read The Absolutely Indispensable Man: Ralph Bunche, the United Nations, and the Fight to End Empire, I came across a section about a meeting in San Francisco in 1945 to draw up the United Nations Charter. W.E.B. Du Bois and Mary McLeod Bethune attended as observers.   While growing up in the 1970s and ‘80s, it was common for me to read about historic Afro-American icons such as Bunche and McLeod Bethune, though today, regretfully, they are too often sidelined in historical memory. I closed the 500+ page Bunche biography and consulted Wikipedia to remind m ..read more

Today, in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we join the nation in celebrating the legacy of his leadership. We share the following excerpts from previous posts reflecting on the strength and conviction of the values Dr. King lived by and died for. As We Value, So We Lead A leader will find it difficult to articulate a coherent vision unless it expresses his core values, his basic identity...one must first embark on the formidable journey of self-discovery in order to create a vision with authentic soul. —Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi There are many effective models that can shape and form o ..read more