Adrian Malatesta’s Post

Dear white friends, colleagues, and contacts — WE CAN’T BE COMPLICIT IN LEGITIMIZING THE NOTION OF “BLACK JOBS” 🔷An estimated 51.3m people heard Donald Trump say this in his June 27 debate with Joe Biden: “[T]he fact is that his big kill on the black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They’re taking Black jobs now and it could be 18, it could be 19, and even 20 million people.” 🫵🏻Biden could have challenged Trump, e.g.: “What are ‘Black jobs’? And what’s the difference between ‘Black jobs’ and ‘white jobs’?” 🔷But Biden didn’t challenge Trump. Instead, he talked about inflation and health. 🫵🏻🫵🏻The two white CNN moderators could have challenged Trump, e.g.: “A few minutes ago, you said, ‘[H]e allowed millions of people…from prisons, jails and mental institutions, to come into our country and destroy our country.’ Are you saying that these ‘millions of people from prisons and institutions’ are ‘taking Black jobs’? And what ‘Black jobs’ are they ‘taking’?” 🔷But the moderators didn’t challenge Trump either. Instead, they let Biden speak briefly before asking a question about climate change. 🔷Across white-dominated streams and podcasts, the post-debate discussions and analyses focused on Biden’s incoherence and Trump’s untruths. 🔷With one or two exceptions, white commentators were complicit in silently legitimizing the notion of “Black jobs”. WHY DID TRUMP BELIEVE HE COULD GET AWAY WITH CASUALLY SAYING “BLACK JOBS” — A RACIST INSULT — AND WHY DID BIDEN, THE MODERATORS, AND MOST WHITE COMMENTATORS LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT? 💡For compelling answers, I encourage you to read recent posts (under Comments) by Black author and educator, Shari Dunn, and Black college professor and writer, Guy Nave, MDiv PhD. 🔷Here’s my white man’s take on Trump’s use of “Black jobs” and the white legitimizing that followed: 🔻Trump was speaking BOTH AS A PRODUCT OF AND PROTAGONIST FOR beliefs about white superiority embedded in all Western industry sectors; companies; institutions; and political, economic, and social systems. 🔻He said what he said because he was confident most white authority figures responsible for and commenting on the debate, and most white everyday people watching, share the same beliefs — implicitly or explicitly — about white superiority. 🔻The fundamental white belief — though unspoken — is that white and Black skin tones determine which humans are superior and inferior respectively. 🔻A next-level white belief — unspoken or spoken — is that white workers are usually “qualified”, so hired, retained, and promoted based on merit, while Black workers are often “less qualified” or “unqualified”, so hired, retained, and promoted within a more limited scope of jobs and roles, and/or to meet DEI targets. 🔻These beliefs underlie notions of white entitlement, “white jobs”, and “Black jobs”. WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ACTIVELY RID OUR WORKPLACES OF ANTI-BLACK RACIST BELIEFS AND NOTIONS.

Saying "All Lives Matter" in response to people talking about anti-Black racism is like saying "All Cancer Matters" when people speak up about colon cancer. Welcome to the world of racial gaslighting, where anti-racists constantly battle inappropriate comments in their quest for racial equity. For those in the back, racial gaslighting is when people make those who challenge anti-Black racism as the ones who are problematic. In doing this, they maintain the pro-white/anti-Black balance in society. Going back to my first paragraph: imagine you're an advocate for colon cancer funding because it's less funded and receives less attention than other cancers. Yet, when you speak up, someone butts in with "All Cancer Matters!" Even worse, you get called discriminatory for excluding breast cancer and leukemia. While it is true that all cancer matters, this statement dismisses the unique needs and challenges of colon cancer. Adding insult to injury, you are made out to be the problem for calling attention to this. This is the harsh reality of folks who say Black, Asian, or Arab Lives Matter. It was never about racial superiority or excluding others. It's about raising awareness of the unique ways these folks experience racism. So spare us your "All Lives Matter" or the other statements below when anti-racists speak up. You're just blowing smoke up our you-know-where. #DiversityAndInclusion #Diversity #AntiRacism #Equality #RacialEquity Image description: A peach background with the title: "What might racial gaslighting sound like?" followed by examples.

Mobility aids are important tools. MobiIity aids increase safety and freedom. A core competency of being a good leader is knowing when you need additional support and when you need particular tools to accomplish a goal. I would much prefer a President who used a mobility aid if and when they needed it than one who harmed themselves by not using one. To see this cover on Independence Day, when it is the myth of independence & American individualism that has done irreparable harm. Multiple presidents have used mobility aids. Many elected leaders have used mobility aids. This cover and headline is not the own you think it is, The Economist. It’s ableism plain and simple.

The greatest strategists ever, weren't "strategists". They were simply people, with big responsibilities, who did highly strategic things naturally. Without using frameworks or templates or theory. So this begs the question: Why? What did they have that enabled them to do this, without any formal education? My theory is that it was something a bit like this - a collection of naturally strategic traits. Can you think of some more? Stick them in the comments! ___ 👍 Like this? ♻ Repost it! :) And if you want a high res version, you'll get it, and all of my subsequent cheatsheets by subscribing to the newsletter. #ceo #strategy #founder

It’s week 4 of Black History Month and this week we are highlighting brilliant Black leaders in AI. Learn about these 7 women who are working to make equitable progress and innovation in AI. Meet :: Dr. Joy Buolamwini Renée Cummings Angle B. Mutale Nkonde Ilarna Nche Stephanie VanPutten Deborah Raji #blackhistorymonth #bhm #ethicalai

Resilience and grit are probably at the top of the buzz word list in the corporate landscape over the last decade. Because of how complex or ambiguous the terms are made out to be, I thought I'd have fun making a connection between Angela Duckworth's #tedtalk on Grit and the infamous, Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights. Here are 4 ways Ricky bobby exemplifies Duckworth's framework and how you can start to do the same.👇🏼 Passion and Interest: 🚩 Ricky's passion for racing is undeniable. From a young age, he dreams of becoming a NASCAR driver like his absent father. His deep interest in racing fuels his dedication and perseverance in pursuing his comeback season. "If you ain't first, your last," became a lifestyle for Ricky. 🏁 Look back at that 10 year old kid who has dreams and aspirations. What would you tell them you are passionate about now? Don't have something? Find it. Do it. Bring it into your world. 🚩 Practice and Perseverance: Ricky's journey to the finish line is marked by continuous practice and improvement while overcoming obstacles. Despite facing setbacks experiencing a career-threatening accident, Ricky persists through rigorous training and races, constantly honing his skills - mentally and physically. 🏁 Business leaders, you know the importance of #continuousimprovement. Ask yourself, how often do you spend time in the #mentalperformance world? Spreadsheets are important. So is the thing between your ears. Refine it. 🚩 Purpose and Determination: Ricky's sense of purpose is clear - he wants to be the best NASCAR driver in the world and lets you know about it. His arrogance is something we'll tackle later. This driving force and confidence gives him the determination and belief after turmoil strikes. 🏁 Business leaders. Know your purpose. Not just as an individual, but as a team and organization. Your work is not a one-size fits all but your conviction can be, especially when you know why you exist. 🚩 Hope and Optimism: Throughout the movie, Ricky struggles maintaining a hopeful outlook but he gets support from his team. Even in the darkest moments, his #team didn't lose sight on and his abilities and it helped Ricky push forward. 🏁 Business leaders. #hope and #optimism in business often get a bad wrap. "Hope is not a strategy." Well neither is burning every relationship in your orbit. I don't care how tough you are, sometimes you need a team to make a pitstop at. Want more on #resilience and connections to leadership? Sign up for my newsletter #touchingbase that drops every Tuesday. ...unless you are a subscriber and you got it last Wednesday. Sometimes, you lose the race but you still gotta finish and own up to it. Also, I'm #human. #leadershiplessons #mentalperformance #identity #sportsandbusiness #executivecoach #performancecoach #speaker #facilitator

Exciting News! I'm hiring for a BRAND NEW Dev team in Vancouver, BC. We're looking for Fullstack Engineers to build large scale, complex systems for our next-gen customer success platform! If you're interested in a high visibility role, while impacting millions of customers + working in Fintech 🚀, take a look: R_101766 - Manager R_101767 - Sr. SDE R_101770 - SDE II (multiple)

A pleasure speaking with Emma Burleigh at Fortune on a topic near and dear to me. It should come as no surprise that with global talent competition and work flexibility on the rise, so is global mobility of tech workers. What might surprise some is how multi-lateral this movement is. Most of Deel's skilled migrants are in Canada and Europe, but demand for US visas still remains highest. Excerpt below and more in the article! "While Canada, Spain, and Great Britain were the largest employers of global tech talent in 2023, the U.S. remains the top choice for highly skilled workers, according to a new Tech Migration report from Deel, a global HR and payroll company. The U.S. received the most visa requests in 2023, jumping 263% from 2022. International talent doesn't seem deterred by some of the recent instability in the U.S. job market, tech layoffs, a high cost of living, legal barriers to immigration, and political unrest. In fact, the O1-A Extraordinary Visa was most requested internationally last year, according to the report. The three-year visa is designed for professionals in the top 10% of their field, has no cap on the amount of authorizations the U.S. can issue, and is incredibly difficult to qualify."