CHAPTER 8

Juntos: Collective Community Stewardship

AS NOTED, THE ANCESTRAL groups that melded into the Latino culture had strong family ties, community bonds, and centered on We, or the collective. Leadership flows from this orientation and is based on a communal process where people work together to serve their communities. This spirit is captured in the word juntos, which means “union, being close, joining, being together”—and expresses the principle of collective community stewardship.

Whether I or We is central to a society contours the shape of its leadership. In an I, or individualistic, culture, I become a leader because of my initiative and competence as well as my winning personality. I am a can-do, take-action person. By calling attention to myself—my accomplishments and skills—people believe I am competent and follow me. Unanimity or group consensus follows the leader’s decisions. The leader strives for self-mastery—as I become empowered, I can empower others. Leaders maintain status by remaining youthful, vigorous, attractive, and able. Seniority is secondary to performance.

In contrast, the status of a collectivist leader increases as he or she becomes older and acquires seniority and experience.¹ A We identity prompts a collective view of leadership. We cultures acknowledge that the community has nurtured them. In individualistic cultures, there is a belief that I made it on my own. Collective cultures understand that success is due to the familia and the community. Antonia Pantoja, who started ASPIRA, understood this: “I am interdependent. I was nurtured to be who I am and am responsible and accountable to a community of others.” Pantoja urged an aspiring leader to answer this question, “Am I a leader that is going to be accountable to my people, to the community from whence I came? If you decide to be that kind of leader, then your skills, energy, and endurance are for the well-being of your community.”

The heart of leadership, therefore, is sustaining, educating, and advancing the community. Anna Cabral describes this commitment: “What motivates people in our community who are doing great work and leading efforts is that they are looking out for the collective. The collective good drives them.”

From Servant Leadership to Community Stewardship

BECAUSE LATINO LEADERSHIP IS rooted in serving the community, it resonates with the work of Robert Greenleaf, who wrote The Servant as Leader in 1970. Greenleaf set the stage for a collaborative process in which the leader serves people. A philosophical and reflective man, he surmised that the hierarchical approach he had witnessed in his career at AT&T did not nurture people’s leadership skills and, in fact, did not develop the leader’s higher capacities, either.

Greenleaf began reflecting on why a person aspired to lead. Thus, he tapped into the practice of conciencia, where a person’s intention—the why—is the central core from which other actions flow. In an individualistically oriented society, people are taught that personal motivation, the why, is generated by self-interest. Leadership brings privilege, status, position, and financial rewards. Greenleaf concluded that these types of leaders did not have a lasting influence on society or the people they led. In fact, leaders who have made the greatest contributions to humankind sought to serve first and then became leaders in order to expand their capacity to serve.

In looking at the leaders profiled in this book, and the thousands of community collaborators who are working to advance Latinos, we can agree with Greenleaf. Having a lasting impact means serving people, communities, and the ideals a leader seeks to further. Greenleaf called people with these intentions servant leaders. Carlos Orta describes this commitment: “My drive and motivation comes from a place of service and righting wrongs. I truly believe that I have been given many opportunities and have the responsibility to give back.”

Greenleaf also believed that the litmus test of whether someone was a servant leader was his or her effect on people: do they become freer, more autonomous, and more capable of serving others? In other words, were people empowered? Greenleaf added another caveat, which was a revolutionary departure from the hierarchical leadership of previous times. What was the leader’s effect on the less fortunate members of society?²

This connection to the social good and to people’s needs repositioned leadership, bringing it back to the beliefs of indigenous people and to a model closely aligned with the Latino community. In We cultures, leaders function as stewards of their communities. Latinos are therefore expanding the focus and scope of servant leadership to community stewardship. This echoes with the NCLL survey: Latinos want community-centered and community-serving leaders.³ Community stewardship involves many people, develops their capacities, and uses power for the public good.

The Leader as Equal

CREATING A COMMUNITY OF leaders is essential when a group’s advancement depends on people power and collective resources. Social action requires a critical mass of skilled and motivated people. Ironically, one way leaders develop people is by staying a part of the group and never thinking they are above or better than others. Being humble, not taking oneself so seriously, and not getting snarled in the web of power or money ensure that leaders remain part of the community. This facilitates people’s identification with the leader as “being one of us” and reflects the Latino value of igualdad (equality, fairness, and justice). The leader is one among equals.

Such leaders must roll up their sleeves, stuff envelopes, clean up, serve food, attend community functions, and pick people up for meetings. Any type of elitism or projection that one is above a certain task lessens credibility and reestablishes hierarchy. For Latinos who struggled with exclusion and discrimination, this would reinforce the psychology of oppression and their “minority” status. Standing out too far from others or calling too much attention to oneself can damage the group cohesion so central to collectivist cultures. Leaders are expected to accomplish extraordinary things but remain ordinary and humble.

In the hierarchical system a leader might take big bonuses, fancy perks, or fat salaries. The leader as equal, however, cannot take more than his share. When leaders become wealthy, an economic and social chasm can open up that disconnects them from people. Many leaders and politicians today are disengaged from real people because of this.

There also seems to be an unwritten agreement that leaders can make their own rules or even break the law. (The bankers responsible for the housing crisis of the late 2000s and politicians who continue to get wealthy at the public trough are examples.) If through legal measures or by nature of their position people can become rich, then this is an entitlement. A leader as equal on the other hand adheres to the same rules as everyone else. Raul Yzaguirre reflects, “You’ve got to be fair. You’ve got to say, ‘These are the rules. I will abide by them.’ You need to be willing to sacrifice if you want others to sacrifice.”

Personalismo, the quality of leaders who are respected because of their character and the way they live, prescribes treating every person equally, fairly, and with respect. San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro lives by this code: “My values include family, service to others, and a deep respect for other individuals. I need to be respectful and even deferential to others.” This attitude boosters people’s self-esteem and elevates their belief of what they can contribute.

When the leader assumes no special status and works side by side with people, this levels the playing field, so others believe they too can become leaders. The result is authentic collaboration where people work as equals to attain mutual goals. Since everyone can contribute, leadership is rotated depending on the task or function and is much more distributed. Thus, a community of leaders emerges and the critical mass needed to purse social change is cultivated. In a truly equitable environment the We identity is strengthened and the spirit of mutuality flourishes. Leadership is an inside-out process where people feel connected—they reinforce each other’s motivation and commitments.

Leadership Is Conferred

A LATINO CAN BE a leader in a group or organization, but not necessarily a Latino leader. A Latino leader’s authority and designation comes from the people she serves and to whom she is accountable. While there is no formal ceremony or ritual, there are standards for conferring leadership. As noted, personalismo implies that leaders are chosen because of their character—they must be the type of person people want to emulate and follow.

Second, leaders must play by the rules and be seen as one among equals. This facilitates people’s identification with the leader. Third, the leader has to have a record of demonstrated results. Leadership does not refer to a position; instead it is a lifelong commitment. When people see this dedication, they sanction a person as a leader and trusted role model.

Fourth, people must believe that the leader is serving something greater—a cause, an issue, a higher calling—and is addressing people’s needs. In other words, he is following the path of servant leadership and not seeking power for his own aggrandizement. Such was the path of Federico Peña: “I saw my life as one of helping people who were being discriminated against and had no voice.”

Anna Cabal speaks to this focal point: “César Chávez was working in the fields and saw people who were being badly mistreated and needed someone to advocate for them. He rose to the occasion, and it was very difficult. He wasn’t educated in leadership techniques; he learned these afterwards. But that wasn’t his goal—to name himself as leader of the farm workers and assume a position of power. He was really addressing a tremendous unmet need in a specific population.”

Sometimes leaders are enlisted through the pleas of their followers or drawn to leadership to address the injustices of their times. Consider Mayor Castro: “I did not want to run for office,” he recalled, “but then saw the potential to make a real difference in people’s lives. Now I see politics as a way to construct and create a better community. For instance, I believe we need to preserve the Latino culture. As a policymaker I can work to create mixed income neighborhoods—make it attractive so Latinos move back to the neighborhoods they grew up in.” Yzaguirre tells a humorous tale of becoming president of the newly formed National Council of La Raza. Paul Mateo and another board member met with him. The other board member said, “You know, Paul is a union guy. Rumor is he has ways to help people say yes when they don’t do what he asks.” And then Paul said, “You will do this. The movement needs you and you will do this.” Yzaguirre had already turned him down three times, but he said, “No, You WILL do it.”

When people see a leader rising to the occasion—making the conscious choice Greenleaf designates as answering the call to serve—then he is designated a leader. In my work with Latino leaders for the past five decades, an overwhelming majority have kept their promise to serve. Evidence of the fruits of their labor is the vast number of community leaders they have nourished and the incredible progress Latinos have made while holding on to their values and vision for a better future.

Creating a Community of Leaders

JUNTOS EVOKES COOPERATION, SHARING, and teamwork. Since leaders identify with, arise from, and depend on their community for power and authority, leadership is group driven. Yzaguirre notes, “A Latino leader’s effectiveness depends almost entirely on their ability to work with people and engage them in community issues.” People power and combined resources are how Latinos get something done, whether it’s planning a family reunion, putting together a community celebration, building an organization, or electing more Latinos to office. Latino unity and empowerment today is not dependent on a single leader or a small cadre of influentials, but on a community of leaders.

And how do these diverse leaders work together and get things done? Latinos utilize a collaborative process. As Hilda Solis describes, “Leaders have to educate our community about issues and do this in a way that is not top down, but connects people and brings them together.” Then the work is distributed based on skills and abilities, interests, and resources. Collaboration promotes ownership, shared responsibility, and accountability.

Four practices anchor the collaborative process: (1) the power of shared vision; (2) the power of history and cultural traditions; (3) compartir, the power of participation and shared responsibility; and (4) paso a paso, the power of a step-by-step approach.

The Power of Shared Vision

GREENLEAF’S BELIEF THAT SERVANT leaders are guided by an overarching, prophetic, and transforming vision⁴ resonates with destino and purpose. Collective leadership speaks to a broader vision that springs from the community, fosters involvement, and targets people’s well-being. Values such as inclusiveness, cooperation, and mutuality facilitate the shared-vision process.

When the Latino Policy Forum in Chicago strove to develop “an American agenda from a Latino perspective,” they brought together eleven organizations and six hundred civic leaders, religious organizations, businesses, elected officials, and community activists for a series of meetings. By listening to different points of view, communicating in an open, give-and-take fashion, and welcoming new ideas, the forum was able to weave common threads and integrate people’s contributions into a collective vision and a comprehensive agenda.⁵

In San Antonio, Mayor Castro invites citizen participation. “You have to ask people what they want to accomplish. That’s what gives the vision life. People also define the terms and mechanics of how things get done. And then leadership entails motivating people and supporting collaboration toward realizing that common vision.”

A shared vision also links the past, present, and future. It integrates history, addresses today’s compelling needs, and points to future advancement. Understanding one’s roots nurtures a feeling of family and unity, and a sense of continuity and wholeness emerges. Anna Cabral observes, “Leaders in our community have a really good sense of the past and how it relates to the present. However, they know that in the end, they have to address the challenges the community is facing today and be concerned with the future. Our past guides us. It is important to know the struggles our community faced, but we cannot live in the past. The challenge is to make sure our community is evolving and creating a better future.”

Grounded in people’s collective experience, a shared vision articulates possibilities, opportunities, and spurs people into action. The Latino Policy Forum’s vision, for instance, casts a wide net: “Advancing Latinos advances a shared future.” It envisions “societal prosperity, unity, and equity in our nation and in the global community.” And how will it accomplish this? By building “the power, influence, and leadership of the Latino community through collective action to transform public policies that ensure the well-being of our community and society as a whole.”⁶ The power of this inclusive vision galvanized a busload of people to travel to the Illinois state capitol in Springfield to successfully advocate for funding for early education—a critical issue given the large youthful Latino population.

A shared vision is the substance of juntos—a magnet fostering unity and consensus—a focal point channeling individual skills, talents, and resources. With a compelling vision, people are willing to assume higher risk, work harder, make sacrifices, and believe they will succeed! Leaders are then spokespersons communicating the vision with passion and conviction and inspiring people to get on board. They are trustees of their community’s future and guardians of tomorrow’s children.

The Power of History and Cultural Traditions

TO BRING THEIR CULTURAL assets into the mainstream, Latinos must have a strong identity, be proud of their heritage, and be rooted in their history. Knowing the struggles of the past, they will understand what needs to be done to keep advancing. Julián Castro emphasizes this: “Many young Latinos don’t know who César Chávez is—I feel blessed that I grew up with a mother who was an activist, who understood what it took to get to where we are. I attended Chicano rallies as a child, and I learned about the sacrifices made by previous generations.”

Hispanic history is very complex. Since it is not taught in schools or integrated into American history, Latinos are at a disadvantage. Often they do not know the leaders who advanced their people or the seminal events that shaped the Latino experience. Unlike the dominant-culture leadership, which emphasizes acting in the present, understanding one’s past is key to Latino leadership. The diverse backgrounds make this historical connection a necessary prelude to action. I begin all Latino leadership programs with a historical timeline of Latinos in the United States. While it would be impossible to describe this lengthy process, the following summaries offer a snapshot of the historical footprints of Latino subgroups:

The first US Latino organization—the League of United Latin American Citizens—was formed in Texas in 1929 to advocate for civil rights. It was a coalition of three early organizations, thus setting the stage for coalition-centered leadership.⁷

At this time, Mexican American children could not attend school with Anglos, and the Texas landscape was peppered with signs saying No Mexicans, No Dogs.

In 1954 Hernandez v. Texas challenged the common belief that Hispanics were not being discriminated against, because they were considered White. The US Supreme Court ruled Hispanics were “a class apart” and could indeed suffer discrimination.⁸

Puerto Rico became a commonwealth in 1952 after years of war, colonization, and uprisings. This special status means Puerto Ricans are US citizens. They frequently return to their beloved island reinforcing a strong cultural identity and keeping their Spanish fluency.⁹

The influx of Cubans seeking political asylum in the 1960s shaped Miami into a bilingual international city and the heartbeat of a vibrant Cuban community. Cubans have the highest Latino educational and economic level and tend to vote more conservatively.¹⁰

The unstable economies and political unrest in Latin America continue to fuel immigration and diversify the Latino familia. The 2010 census lists two new groups: Salvadoran (3.4 percent) and Dominican (2.8 percent). Central and South Americans grew to 15 percent. Puerto Ricans were 9 percent, and Cubans 3.4 percent. Mexican Americans remained at 66 percent due to the close proximity of México and the fact that over one-third of continental United States was historically México.¹¹

Promoting an understanding of Latino history is the first step in identifying commonalities and honoring differences. Leaders assist people in identifying points of cohesion such as shared values, traditions, and language. Unlike Black Americans and American Indians, whose identity is defined by blood and biological heritage, Latinos as a conglomerate culture must choose to embrace a common identity. (They check the box!) Leaders bring people together to share common experiences as minorities, as immigrants, and as a fusion people from many races, faces, and places. Forging Latino identity is a critical function of leadership today, and this begins with tapping into the power of history and cultural traditions.

Compartir—The Power of Shared Responsibility and Participation

COMPARTIR MEANS “TO SHARE” and reflects a collaborative approach where people are encouraged to take responsibility. Arturo Vargas notes, “When I am asked to make a decision, I’ve got to check with the people who are going to do the work. For people to follow your leadership, they also need to be an integral part of it so that they’re leading as well.” Compartir encompasses Latino values such as cooperation, generosity, and service. As Mayor Castro observes, “Latinos are simply more communal and more inclusive. If everyone chips in and does his or her part, things get done quicker, relationships become stronger, and we can have a good time.”

Compartir also extends to sharing and distributing rewards. While many espouse collaborative leadership today, there is still great income disparity and privilege. When one succeeds in a collectivist culture, however, the good fortune is shared. Since the purpose of leadership is to benefit the community, the rewards must benefit everyone as well.

Latinos love to work and especially relish working with others. There is also the desire to hágalo con orgullo (do it with pride), to add a little passion and energy, to give it your best shot. This not only drives excellence but also urges people to enjoy what they are doing! For Latinos, compartir—sharing responsibility—strengthens relationships and allows everyone to contribute and have a good time. Latinos add the spice and salsa to collaborative and collective leadership. (More about this in chapter 11.)

Mayor Federico Peña’s campaign slogan way back in the 1980s was “Imagine a Great City!” What a pipe dream! Denver was then a cow town with a faltering economy. But Peña got people involved. “When I was mayor, I always invited people to participate and to be part of the solution. There was a great deal of community involvement. People would say, ‘Why is the mayor putting together another task force?’ Well, I understood that you get things done by involving people and working as a community. Now people reflect back and say, ‘By having that task force, you saved fifteen years.’ When people become part of the effort, they want to support the effort, and then they are helping to shape their destiny.”

During his tenure Denver passed more bond issues than any previous city in the United States and achieved great feats: it built a new airport, a convention center, and a performing arts center; drew a Major League Baseball team; expanded the library; and revitalized downtown.¹²

Paso a Paso—The Power of a Step-by-Step Approach

LIKE SLOWLY SIMMERING A pot of green chili so the spicy ingredients meld into a flavorful dish, keeping people involved and motivated takes a great deal of patience and perseverance. In a community that grapples with historical disparities, countless needs, many interests, great diversity, and bourgeoning growth, cultivating a sustained commitment is an ongoing process. Raul Yzaguirre, who basically wrote the handbook for Latino advancement, advises: “We have to have a strategy of little victories. We can change things but in bite-size pieces. Leaders need to think big, but it is the little success that builds people’s self-confidence. Having both a long-term vision and building sequential steps, paso a paso, keeps people moving and motivated. As people succeed, their vision of what is possible to accomplish becomes wider and more expansive.”

Paso a paso—taking it step-by-step—recognizes that it took generations for Latinos to be where we are today. By remembering the struggles of their parents and grandparents, people find the resilience and courage to continue working for Hispanic progress. The past has made Latinos stronger, wiser, more resourceful, and determined. Hilda Solis captures this spirit. “We are persistent and continue to move along even in the hardest and worst times,” she says. “We move forward and we’re relentless. We don’t give up.”

As an intact community, Latinos have a sense of destino, being part of a greater force. When Maria Antonietta Berriozábal served on San Antonio’s city council from 1981 to 1991, she used the metaphor that she was in the middle of a stream of change. It began with her ancestors, flowed through the many leaders who had gone before her, and continued through the community leaders she worked with. As the stream continued to flow into the future, it would gather strength and momentum. It would be there when she was gone. “I do my part, and others do theirs. Eventually we will make the current so strong that it will sweep away the old and make things ready for a new world.” The belief that they are part of a historical movement is the power of Latino leaders. It keeps leaders moving paso a paso and sustains their lifelong commitment.

Paso a paso is a strategic leadership tool that requires planning, analytical thought, careful execution, and incrementally building on progress. It reminds people that by staying on track and remaining focused, small contributions add up and collective efforts pay off. Collective community stewardship is sustainable only when people persevere step-by-step and day after day. Then they are ready to become advocates for change. Janet Murguía connects collective community stewardship with social activism: “Leadership is having a sense of responsibility but also having a shared vision for the change that you want to see in society. Then being able to actually create that change and execute ideas into action. This means building a sense of unity with people.” (Chapter 10 discusses this aspect of Latino leadership.)

¡Ándale!—Moving Forward

LATINO INCLUSIVENESS AND A penchant for diversity is evident in our next principle: ¡Adelante! Global Vision and Immigrant Spirit. Historical connections across the world give the Latino culture an international flair that is being revitalized by immigration, technology, travel, communication, and globalization. Second, Latino growth has been fueled by immigration. America is a nation of immigrants whose ancestors came seeking freedom and prosperity. This same desire persists in Latino immigrants who come seeking a better life and who bring their optimism, hard work, and enduring contributions to our nation.