Politicians and business people need to spice up their management styles to celebrate diversity, argues Nicaragua-born leadership consultant Juana Bordas in her book, Salsa, Soul and Spirit.

Marco Visscher | March 2008 issue
What do leaders have to learn
from a spicy sauce?
Juana Bordas: “Leaders can learn a lot from salsa, because our societies are becoming more diverse and colourful, whereas leadership continues to be framed from a Western male perspective. Salsa is the spicy hot condiment giving food flavour and bringing
zing to the palate. It adds variety to the rice and beans in Latino cuisine.”
But we’re seeing more leaders from non-Western backgrounds than ever before. What’s the problem?
“The faces may change, but we haven’t been able to change organizations or social systems to reflect multicultural or female values in our approaches to leadership. Basically we’re stuck with a concept of leadership that was useful in the Industrial Age, but not in a Global Age with so many well-educated people from different ethnicities we need to tap into and manage.”
So what has salsa got to do with it?
“Salsa is usually shared during a meal. The spirit of sharing and generosity is a key concept to diverse communities that are more focused on we than I. CEOs in America make 240 times the average worker’s salary. That kind of greed doesn’t resonate with the values of a multicultural community in which leaders see their employees as part of their family and want the best for them, realizing that’s also good for business because employees will be more generous with their time and energy and more committed.”
What companies are doing it right?
“Companies like Starbucks, which has decided to pay more than the minimum wage. Companies like TDIndustries—which was rated the 22nd-best company in America by Forbes magazine—where nobody can make more than 10 times the average worker’s salary. Companies like Whole Foods, which are decentralized and where each department runs itself. These are all organizations that value not only diversity but also are incorporating the values of a multicultural society into the way they do business.”