"Share a reflection on a time that your identity — who you are — changed or informed a conversation in a way that was visible to you.”
That was the question posed to BoardSource’s board of directors and management team as the board commenced with its summer retreat this past June. It was an invitation to reflect on how who we are as people informs our experience of the world.
In a piece appearing on the Northwest Area Foundation (NWAF) blog, Kevin Walker, a member of the BoardSource board and president & CEO of NWAF, shares his reflection on the board exercise, including the story he shared with the board — a travel story that he once viewed “as a funny example of the bizarre things that can happen on the road.” In the context of the board meeting, however, he saw that his travel experience is in fact a revealing story about his skin color, about his whiteness.
Kevin’s blog post is a powerful read and a reminder of how a board — or any group’s — leadership perspective is informed by the identities and experiences of each of its members.
