August 3, 2020

We have been through many experiences in our lives as leaders and human beings. But for us, we have not lived through a time on planet earth where the acronym “VUCA” has become so real. Never have we faced such unprecedented volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity like we are today. These are perilous times on our planet.

Clearly this is not a time to be on the sidelines. It is a time when we must stand up, learn more, listen more, discern, and act. Up to this point, we have made it policy to not take public or political positions on many of the pressing issues of our time. To be clear, we were not confused, wobbly, or silent because we lacked courage and resolve. We stand in our mission of raising consciousness on the planet, which we believe is the solution to many of the gravest issues facing humanity. However, given the perilousness of the world situation, we now choose to speak directly.

When George Floyd was murdered and protests ensued amid a global pandemic, natural disasters, and economic devastation, we determined to not react. Instead, we chose to act by going within and doing some inner work. Our action was to listen, deepen our awareness, learn, and have conversations that would stretch us to our edges and beyond. Yes, George Floyd’s death has deeply shaken us, but why did it take his death? Marginalized groups have been screaming the pain of injustice for far too long and the fact that it has taken this death to lay bare the racism in our society, reveals the depth of our individual and collective reluctance to face the truth in ourselves and in our society.

Racism is a dark part of our American story and it lives, to one degree or another, in each of us. Because it lives in us, it is invariably systemic. Racism is embedded in our corporate, economic, legal, political, health care, educational, policing, and criminal justice systems. The protests continuing across the globe are the human cry for reconciliation. We have an opportunity, in this moment of history, to heal the gaping wound of racism in ourselves, in our country and in our world. We can and must put an end to it.

Today, we stamp our commitment:

We stand against racism and the marginalization of any segment of society because of race, creed, gender, or identity. Beyond our anti-racist stand, we are actively working to root out the legacy of prejudice, bigotry, and racism wherever we find it. We stand for treating all people justly and fairly. We are committed to building a society that provides equal opportunity for all – a society where we honor our commonality and amplify the strength of our difference. This stance arises out of our purpose to raise the conscious practice of leadership and to awaken us all to our inherent unity. We are inextricably bound and connected to one another, one race, and one people. As one people, we must rise to meet this monumental moment in human history. We will confront and stop racism wherever we find it. We stand with our black brothers and sisters for a long-overdue dream fulfilled – equality, justice, and opportunity for all.

Because we are a leadership company, we are privileged to work with leaders and organizations as they transform, becoming more conscious, aware, effective, and on purpose. We must do the same. Therefore, as an organization and as leaders, we collectively commit to:

• Strengthening our work with The King Center by deeply learning from the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Living and teaching widely non-violence principles as part of our work to transform the world. We will continue this within our organization and spread it into our community, clients, and customers.
• Influencing and creating diversity and inclusion within our organization, within our profession, and within the organizations with whom we are privileged to work.
• Challenging and confronting prejudice, hate speech, and violence of any kind. We will advocate for a just, inclusive, and loving world.

While we will never be perfect, we know that we do not need to be perfect to act, lead, teach, and make a difference. This applies to all injustices in any marginalized segment of society. We will actively work to be anti-racist in everything we do. As a valued member of The Leadership Circle community, we join you in your efforts to do the same and invite you to join with us in this work of the imperfect moving forward together to create a more perfect union.