1st person How do race, ethnicity, and gender of a leader influence the exercise of leadership? "The image of a leader as the tall, White, charismatic leader operating from a command and control position of power is changing, leaders in the United States today still mirror our dominant majority" (Chin & Trimble, 2015, p. 53). Crenshaw (1989), who coined the term “intersectionality,” originally applied the concept through a feminist lens to the understanding of the experiences of Black women. Crenshaw asserted that the experiences of Black women could not fully be comprehended without taking into account the duality of their experience as both women and as being Black. Crenshaw’s same claim of the need to understand a person’s experience through all relevant lenses in order to better understand their sum lived experience can be applied in multiple ways: in this case, to the understanding of how race, ethnicity, and gender influence the exercise of leadership. Race and ethnicity coupled with culture and cultural values impact the perceptions a leader has on leadership and also the way the leader navigates the leadership position. It is important that a leader understands how his, her, or their intersectional identity influences their own biases, expectations, and interactions as well. When leading diverse organizations, sometimes the leader does not share the same facets of identity as the majority of those in the organization; however, the leader still has to positively navigate the leadership experience. Additionally, there are times when the facets of the leaders identity cause friction between them and those in the organization they lead. These are times when the leader has to find ways to navigate around those who may not respect the leader because of diversity differences. 2. Distinguish between paternalistic and maternalistic styles of leadership; what cultural factors would have to be in the place for one or the other styles to work effectively? The paternalistic leadership style is a wherein a male figurehead "governs the community or organization without giving them many rights or responsibilities" (Chin & Trimble, 2015, p. 132). Maternalistic leadership styles are ones where a woman figurehead "guides the direction of the organization" and puts emphasis on nurturing and the "care and welfare of children and women" (Chin & Trimble, 2015, p. 132). Culture impacts the way the two leadership styles work effectively insomuch as the way men and women are seen in that culture. Maternalistic leadership may not be as valued in male-dominant cultures, and paternalistic leadership may not be as effective in cultures wherein women hold near or equal power to men. Additionally, the values of the culture have to support the characteristics of the leadership style being employed. References: Chin, J. L. & Trimble, J. E. (2015). Diversity and leadership. Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersecti ...