When searching the top leadership books of today, words like war, laws, and power appear slightly aggressively across covers. And, it doesn't take long to notice that those books are predominantly written by white men. While that fact certainly does not invalidate the valuable lessons for leaders within those pages, aren't we certainly missing perspectives and contributions from leaders with additional challenges to overcome? Aren't we missing the full picture of what leadership in the 21^st century looks like?

Untapped Leadership examines strategies, capabilities, and contributions from leaders of color and marginalized backgrounds from all walks of life and career stages. Highlighting diverse stories and strategies, this groundbreaking book reveals a different kind of leadership, one that requires an advanced understanding of situational awareness, organizational dynamics, and sound decision-making. Far from being a book only for leaders of color, Untapped Leadership shows that the lessons grounded in BIPOC leadership are lessons for anyone and everyone looking to bring a more nuanced and contextual perspective towards navigating life and career - from readers beginning their leadership journeys to those fortunate to lead teams and organizations through complex and fast-changing environments.

For the past two decades, author Dr. Jenny Vazquez-Newsum has designed and delivered leadership training for hundreds of diverse leaders, from established executives at large corporations to high school students beginning their leadership journeys. Untapped Leadership is the first step towards moving beyond behavioral or situational leadership models towards a more inclusive and impactful model of contextual leadership by expanding the discourse to include and value marginalized perspectives.

About the Author

Jenny Vazquez-Newsum, Ed.D., is a facilitator, researcher, and educator with a long-time interest in leadership. As a biracial Black/Latinx woman, the leadership journey has been bumpy, stimulating, challenging, and a life's work.

For the past two decades, Vazquez-Newsum has designed and delivered leadership training for hundreds of diverse leaders, from established executives at large corporations to high school students beginning their leadership journeys. She currently serves as the Vice President of Training and Programs at a civic leadership institute in Southern California, where she has personally trained over 200 participants and launched a consulting arm supporting the leadership of external organizations including LAUSD, Capital Group, and the City of Costa Mesa among dozens of others.

Interested in digging deeper into the limitations of current leadership rhetoric and bringing in the voices of the often-unrecognized leadership contributions of BIPOC and marginalized leaders, Vazquez-Newsum launched Untapped Leaders as a community to create a space for those contributions to be named, validated, and recognized.

Vazquez-Newsum serves on the Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women and is an Advisory Committee Member for the Scripps College Laspa Leadership Center. She lives in Santa Monica, California.

Book Information
ISBN 9781633889163
Author Jenny Vazquez-Newsum
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint Prometheus Books
Publisher Prometheus Books
Weight(grams) 299g
Dimensions(mm) 221mm * 157mm * 15mm