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Wisdom, candor, and clarity about race and leadership

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My approach is distinct in three key ways:

  • I separate the white person from the conditioning of whiteness (what I call the White Sodality, please see sidebar), recognizing that every person alive has been shaped by social norms;
  • I focus on what is in it for white people to do the work of anti-racism;
  • I am able to meet white people thoughtfully where their experiences meet the social systems.

In other words, I don’t blame people for being raised white. I get it. No matter the audience, whether multi-racial or white affinity, I am unsparing about the negative impacts of white people’s racial conditioning and behaviors on people while unwavering in my belief in the fundamental humanity of white people themselves.

White ·Sodality

Sodality
Definition:
an organization designed to protect the interests of its members
White Sodality
Definition:
the constellation of systems that get better outcomes for white people; white people’s conditioning into those systems; and the culture that supports it

I offer consulting, workshops, coaching, and strategies that help white people show up more genuinely to reach your organization’s racial equity goals—and therefore all your goals. I work with clients to create a tailored plan to meet organizational needs for boards, leadership, staff, clients, and members. For majority-white organizations, I support clarity in your mission and goals, how to align your racial equity work with those goals, and support for your teams to embrace the changes that will make the biggest difference to your mission. For multi-racial organizations, I support leaders to fine-tune policies and processes to maximize the potential of all of the people on your teams and fully enroll them in your mission.

If you want to try it, the process is easy. It’s three steps that I call Assess, Address, and Progress: I talk with you and others in your organization, without judgment, to identify key assets and challenges; I lay out a plan based on a framework I have honed in over thirty years of experience; and I work with you to implement that plan and get the results you want. Schedule an appointment now to get started!

Instead of stalling every time you try to create momentum and the low morale that follows,  instead of sacrificing access to the full genius true racial diversity offers, you’ll have the ingredients you need for real success. You’ll be a competitive workplace for talent, you’ll meet your goals, and you can focus on true impact because internally you have all you need.

Supporting You To Meet Your Goals

People and organizations come to me because they understand that racial equity is good for their mission: it supports them to reach their goals more quickly and powerfully. Everyone wants to attract the best talent and give the best service to employees, customers, clients, and constituents. But even with all the DEI specialists and anti-racism workshops and Employee Resource Groups we have now, the needle isn’t moving fast enough to make a difference in outcomes for their organization’s bottom line.

Work with Mayor Hodges

I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to want to take your organization to the next level and feel stymied by the racial dynamics that hold back progress. As Mayor, Council Member, and consultant I have over thirty years of experience working on issues of race with white people and people of color as an academic, non-profit leader, elected official, and consultant. Through that work I’ve developed a framework that is designed to invite white people into the work of racial equity in ways they haven’t experienced before. I have applied these ideas to my own work and I’ve successfully advised thousands of people about how to move racial equity work forward themselves.

I support white people to move from caring about racial disparities to acting to address them. I can see the heart of the challenges you’re facing and provide fresh solutions that really work for white people and for people of color. As a result, I support leaders to move their organizations to higher productivity, greater efficiency, and increased morale.

Offerings include:

  • White Sodality 101 workshop (half day and one day)
  • Multi-day white sodality workshops, taking place over days or weeks, that can include
    • The basics of white conditioning/white sodality, the harms of the sodality, and concrete steps and actions participants can take 
    • White sodality and systems change processes
    • Strategic planning process for racial equity change, including change management with a focus on managing through resistance
  • Facilitation and support for on-going white sodality groups
  • Coaching
    •   Group coaching for teams or leadership groups
    • One-on-one coaching, including executive and leadership coaching
  • Keynote addresses including 
    • White Sodality 101
    • Leading While White
    • What’s The Deal With Us White Progressives
  • Participation in conferences, lecture series, and other formats including panel compilation and moderation, panel participation, and workshops
  •  Review of policy, strategy, and communication
  • Bespoke offerings to more fully meet the needs of the client

Additional Areas of Expertise

I also share my experience, strength, and hope from decades of experience as an academic, elected official, and person in recovery. These include:

Leadership and Governance

My offerings include advising, consulting, workshop facilitation, and coaching in the following areas:

  • Working with Elected Leaders:
    •  This includes my matrix of the three key motivations of elected officials how to shape strategy around them
  • Leading through disruption/change management
    • Supporting individuals and organizations to prepare for crises before they happen
    • Includes my detailed plan for becoming as nimble as possible before crisis hits
  • Pivoting to governance for newly elected officials
    • What to expect from the allies and organizations that supported your election (surprise: it’s complicated)
    • What to expect for yourself (surprise: it’s complicated)
  • Pivoting to governance for advocacy groups
    • The traps of government alliances on the left and how to meet them

Women and Executive Leadership

  • Multi-gender workshops, including:
    • Navigating Gender Bias in the Workplace
  • Coaching
    • Group coaching for teams or leadership groups
    • One-on-one coaching, including executive and leadership coaching
  •  Participation in conferences, lecture series, and other formats including panel compilation and moderation, panel participation, and workshops
  • Review of policy, strategy, and communication

Related Resources

USA TBD Podcast

Dave’s guest is Betsy Hodges, an activist, writer, teacher and former politician – most notably as…