QUEER SUPERPOWERS FOR LEADERS

What’s so queer about LGBTQ+ leadership development?

LGBTQ+ folks evolve ‘queer superpowers’ to cope with adversity

While all humans adapt to cope with adversity, challenges distinctive to LGBTQ+ lives demand special creativity and courage
We adapt to handle adversity with particular postures and patterns – “queer superpowers”
Each “queer superpower” brings both heroic possibilities and pitfalls
Because of their advantages, we lose sight of their limitations
We put on these postures even where they hold us back, and live out these patterns even when we don’t need them

Chameleonic Passing enables a person to fit into a wide range of settings

Enables avoidance of unwanted attention by having others imagine you’re one of them

When overused, Chameleonic Passing can lead to loneliness, since it stops others from seeing or knowing who we really are

Best Little Kid has us meet and surpass social standards and expectations

Gives us a way to earn our way out of shame and gain admiration through achieving excellence

When overused, this posture traps us in society’s definitions of success, e.g., wealth, high position, prestige, luxury, etc.

Investigate how adaptive patterns and postures show up for them
Learn to make the most of “queer superpowers” and avoid their pitfalls in the current challenges they face
Form a community of practice for an exchange of perspectives and an experience of solidarity
Support each other in reimagining and reconfiguring postures and patterns for more effective leadership and greater flourishing

Wonder whether LGBTQ+ colleagues stand to gain much from leadership development tailored to them specifically?
Offer women or people of color support in their particular challenges and opportunities as leaders, but not yet offer anything for LGBTQ+ colleagues?
Want to grow LGBTQ+ colleagues as leaders and cultivate stronger solidarity and mentoring among them?
Feel so weighted down by the volume of work or its urgency that not focusing on growing and developing as leaders often feels tempting?
Aspire to recruit LGBTQ+ talent more successfully than you do now?
Hope to retain the diverse talent at your organization and equip them for promotion to larger leadership roles?

Cutting-edge leadership development fitting the particular needs and building on the distinctive resources of LGBTQ+ professionals
Greater range of perspectives, approaches, and styles for your team to bring to problem-solving and relationship building
More connected, capable, and conscious LGBTQ+ community of colleagues
Compelling evidence that your organization creates conditions for diverse talent to thrive

Every leader's developmental journey is unique, based on their particular background, personality, and talent.
Every leader needs individualized coaching and mentoring at various points to realize their potential to grow into greatness
Yet certain patterns show up in the challenges LGBTQ+ professionals face as they grow as leaders that leadership programs and executive coaches too seldom recognize, acknowledge or address
LGBTQ+ leadership development that is grounded in the particularities of queer development empower participants to notice and change limiting patterns and beliefs, unlocking pent up potential as grounded, compassionate, courageous, and inspiring leaders
Well-designed LGBTQ+ leadership programs can also enhance solidarity and community, so that participants can continue leaning on each other and learning together into the future
By offering programs especially for LGBTQ+ leaders, organizations stand to distinguish themselves as extraordinarily attractive employers for diverse talent

LGBTQ+ talent might cover up their queerness and downplay their most distinctive contributions
They might lack full awareness and appreciation of some of their own greatest strengths
Adaptive moves they made long ago to cope with homophobia or heteronormativity might unnecessarily limit their personal range, creativity, and openness
They might feel isolated at work, without a reliable network of peers and mentors who understand their particular social and cultural experience
You might lose the LGBTQ+ talent you recruit to more attractive employers

Queer Superpowers for Leaders

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Builds on the resources of queer culture
Grounded in the scientific research on adult development
Identifies ten patterns and postures – “queer superpowers” – that often show up in LGBTQ+ lives
Highlights pitfalls from overuse of “queer superpowers” to increase self-awareness, freedom, and compassion
Emphasizes practical application to participants current leadership challenges
Fosters community and solidarity among participants

Six to eight facilitated large group sessions of 1.5 to 2 hrs each, delivered over 8-14 weeks
Psychometric assessment with personalized results for each participant
Structured small Leadership Practice Group sessions for more practical application and community building, with or without facilitator (4-8 hours)
Participant cohort of 40 to 150 participants
2-4 guest speakers with range of ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual identities – potentially drawn from client organization, e.g., LGBTQ+ executive leaders
Can be exclusively for LQBTQ participants or also allies
Program handbook with framework, tools, and prompts from each session to use in further reflection and practice