Many ministries and nonprofits recognize the need for greater ethnic diversity and attempt to address it by hiring more diverse staff. While well-intentioned, this approach often falls short because it skips a critical step: addressing culture at the leadership level.
I once consulted for an organization that expressed a strong desire to become more ethnically diverse. They had plans to hire staff from different backgrounds and even expand outreach into new communities. But their leadership team (executive, pastoral, and board) was entirely culturally monolithic. Without diverse voices shaping strategy, values, and decision-making, their efforts stalled. New hires didn’t stay long. Tensions emerged. The culture remained unchanged.
Why? Because culture flows from the top.
When leadership remains culturally homogeneous, it unintentionally reinforces norms, assumptions, and blind spots that marginalize others. But when diversity is embraced at the highest levels; when leaders from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are empowered to shape vision and strategy, then organizational culture begins to shift. Practices change. Language evolves. People feel seen.
True transformation doesn’t start in the break room; it starts in the boardroom. A diverse staff without a diverse leadership team is often a setup for frustration and burnout. But when leadership reflects the diversity we hope to see, it lays the foundation for lasting impact.
Before you diversify your staff, diversify your leadership. That’s where cultural awareness (and inclusion) begins.
Kathairo Solutions 
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