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LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES FOR LEADERS IN THE 21st CENTURY

As I considered the doctoral program at North Carolina A&T State University, I was advised that I needed to find something that I was passionate about. In searching for that passion I realize my daughter, as compared to my son, is at a disadvantage in business simply because of her gender, i.e. simply because she is a woman. Being passionate about both my daughter and my son’s future, my daughter being disadvantaged simply because of her gender, of course does not sit well with me. Thus, I’m pursuing women in leadership for my doctoral studies in an effort to possibly have influence on the current state of affairs for not only my daughter, but for women in business overall. In doing so, I have chosen the woman’s limited presence in the corporate boardroom as an area of focus for my dissertation path. Additionally I would like to note that I wish to leverage all of the great insight that I continuously gain from NC A&T and my wonderful colleagues, both there and elsewhere, as well as my own oblivious to obvious evolving, to effect positive change, and particularly in corporate America, and ideally to include the corporate boardroom. Though I started this doctoral program with a passion to make a better world for my daughter, as I learn more, the more I realize the need and challenge transcend her to a higher, more ethical, more moral place. As I look around at all of the wonderful people that I have met on my journey over the last several years, and as I look to my wonderful friends, some who I've known for so long that I do not remember not knowing them, I am passionate about giving a return on the wonderful friendship that I have been blessed with by saying something to affect positive change, and saying something that only a man who better sees can articulate. In reviewing the literature as I consider my dissertation topic, I find diversity is often measured by the presence of White women and Black men with everyone else other than the White man being afterthoughts. Furthermore, while she outperforms all other categories in higher education attainment, the Black woman is unwarrantedly at the bottom of the ladder in other categories, and particularly in regards to her presence in the corporate boardroom. Moreover, knowing that I want to find a gap in the literature to explore for my dissertation, the literature review is pointing to a gap regarding the African American woman and her presence, or rather the lack thereof, in the corporate boardroom. As 2017 began, only two percent of the directorships for the boards of directors of the Fortune 100 were held by Black women, i.e. only 20 seats were occupied by Black women of the 1,000 total seats in the corporate boardrooms of the Fortune 100. Beyond the Fortune 100 the percentage of Black women holding directorships can be expected to decline. Thus, as you read this collection of papers and perspectives, you will recognize the attention to the topic as I intend to use these exercises to help me identify and focus on the topic that I will eventually pursue for my dissertation. – Don Kirk Beatty