‘In Focus’ – An Interview with Dr. Lakeya Cherry
Dr. Lakeya Cherry, DSW, MSSW, ACC is an executive leadership coach who has dedicated her career to the growth and development of individuals and the organizations they are a part of.
As an ICF Certified Coach, StartingBloc Fellow, Google #IamRemarkable Facilitator, Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, and Partner at Evolution, she believes that when leaders are empowered to reach their fullest potential, they will be able to support those around them more effectively.
It was her experience with coaching that ignited her passion to support individuals, teams, and organizations to lead more authentically and courageously. Her former clients include Headspace, Glassdoor, LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI), Mux, Tot Squad, The Salvation Army, The California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, California Mental Health Advocates for Children, Black Administrators of Child Welfare, and the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute.
Dr. Cherry is the Chief Executive Officer of The Network for Social Work Management, an international organization dedicated to strengthening and mobilizing diverse social impact leaders through education, leadership development, networking, and community-building. Under her leadership, the Network has expanded globally and introduced transformative programming that not only produces better leaders but also enhanced organizational cultures. She will soon be stepping down from her role as CEO to move into the next stage of her journey.
Dr. Lakeya Cherry | Executive Leadership Coach
“My experience as a nonprofit CEO in the leadership and management space has provided me the opportunity to work with individuals, teams, and organizations, always with a bird’s eye view of the challenges many are facing within the workplace.”
Tell us about yourself and your work.
I am a nonprofit CEO and an executive leadership coach with a background in social work. My approach is informed by my Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Southern California where I was honored with the coveted Order of Arête award, M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University, and B.A. in Psychology and Legal Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
My experience as a nonprofit CEO in the leadership and management space has provided me the opportunity to work with individuals, teams, and organizations, always with a bird’s eye view of the challenges many are facing within the workplace. This view has led me to consider how I might have a greater impact on the lives of these individuals I’m interacting with, which led me to become a certified coach, and ultimately start my own coaching and consulting business to support leaders and their organizations. You can learn more about my work here.
My mission is to build the internal capacity of leaders through daring leadership, clear visioning, and unwavering intentionality. Some of the services I provide include coaching, consulting, workshops, and speaking, topics which include anything from self-care and wellbeing to emotional intelligence and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“My mission is to build the internal capacity of leaders through daring leadership, clear visioning, and unwavering intentionality.”
What challenges or barriers have you faced in your industry as a woman of colour?
As a Black woman, I was raised (by society, really) to be humble, work harder than most, and do what I can to dim my light for fear that I would be seen and face potential repercussions. This kept me from living my purpose and embracing myself as a leader for far too long.
Working in the nonprofit sector, you can’t help but notice that few people of color are in executive leadership and board roles. Within coaching, there is also very limited racial/ethnic diversity. Representation across all industries is incredibly important, but not common, especially in leadership. Due to this, many have not respected my role or presence in certain spaces.
I have been disrespected, misunderstood, ignored, not supported, and taken advantage of, which impacts how I see myself and how I show up within any environment or culture. Regardless of my education or experience, this has sometimes led me to question myself, my qualifications, and my “fit.”
As WOC, this can impact our access to equitable pay and opportunities. It can be extremely challenging to enter spaces where you qualify and earned your way there but are made to feel inferior. This is even more challenging when there’s no one who looks like you, no one who can support you to navigate these new dynamics and cultures. If you don’t feel comfortable and confident advocating for yourself and there’s no one to mentor or sponsor you, then what do you do? Many stay and are miserable with limited opportunities for growth, others leave for new workplaces that often are not any different. Recently, WOC are leaving the workforce altogether to start their own businesses and work for themselves.
“If you don’t feel comfortable and confident advocating for yourself and there’s no one else to mentor or sponsor you, then what do you do?”
What are some tools, resources, strategies, and approaches you use to cope with these challenges?
A few years ago, I became a Certified Dare to Lead facilitator, which allows me the opportunity to walk the walk, so to speak. I teach others about the skillsets needed to gain courage such as rumbling with vulnerability and living in alignment with one’s values. And while not always easy, I am intentional with doing the same work with myself.
This means I recognize what I am facing, and how it makes me feel, and then instead of avoiding it, I choose how I want to confront the situation and determine which approach will be most conducive to my wellbeing and overarching goals.
Lastly, I’ve also identified a small number of people whom I truly trust and can share my challenges with and receive support and feedback. I keep this circle close, because I can be vulnerable with them, and I know they will have my back no matter what.
What advice would you give to younger women of colour in your industry?
Don’t let anybody convince you that you’re not worthy of where you are. You are enough and you belong. When we enter spaces where we don’t see others who look like us or are not warmly welcomed, our first instinct is to question ourselves and whether we have what it takes to be there.
We are there for a reason, so it’s important to not forget who we are and what we bring to the table. Also, it’s important to recognize that every table will not immediately provide us access or at all, but we have a responsibility to ourselves to decide whether to stay or go.
“Don’t let anybody convince you that you’re not worthy of where you are. You are enough and you belong.”
How do you see the future of workplaces for women of colour?
I see more Women of Color branching out and becoming entrepreneurs. The data already shows that this is a trend and I suspect more will get tired of shifting and adjusting to fit within cultures that are not wholly inclusive to all parts of who they are. In order to move towards work environments where WOC can thrive, we need to see leaders investing in the following:
Diversifying their staff across all identities and aim to truly be intersectional in nature;
Continued training of staff especially as it pertains to DEI;
Implementing and enforcing policies to protect POC against racism and discrimination and uphold equity;
Diligently working towards creating an inclusive, psychologically safe workplace where WOC can be their authentic selves at work;
Investing in talent development and resources such as mentorship, sponsorship, and coaching for WOC.