When White People Fail Up in Nonprofits

Episode Description: In this episode, Trenia Parham and David DeVaughn delve into the phenomenon of white people failing upward in the nonprofit sector. They explore the dynamics and impact of this trend on Black staff and people of color, sharing personal experiences and strategies for navigating such challenging environments. The discussion highlights the disparity in how mistakes and failures are treated based on race, and the systemic issues that allow for such inequities to persist.

 

In This Episode:

• 00:00 - Introduction: Trenia and David introduce the episode's topic and share personal insights.
• 01:58 - Sustainable Leadership: Trenia discusses her company and its mission to help women leaders recover from burnout and work sustainably.
• 02:44 - White People Failing Upward: Trenia and David describe their experiences with white colleagues who are allowed to fail repeatedly and still advance.
• 06:13 - Latitude in Failure: The latitude given to white employees to experiment and fail without severe consequences.
• 08:49 - Impact on Black Staff: How these dynamics affect black employees and their career prospects.
• 14:27 - Organizational Dynamics: The subtle ways white people justify failures and shift blame.
• 20:20 - Coping Strategies: Trenia and David share strategies for navigating these challenging dynamics.
• 26:14 - Realigning Work: Practical advice for documenting roles and building relationships to mitigate the impact of incompetent leaders.
• 31:24 - Final Thoughts: The importance of re-evaluating your position in an organization that perpetuates these dynamics.

 

Episode Links:

• Are you experiencing burn out? Join Trenia for the Rest. Reset. Reimagine Retreat for women leaders & founders. Click here to learn more and register.
• StrivEquity Consulting
• Not 4 Prophets LinkedIn Page