Bringing 2019 into 2020
We just rang in the New Year a couple of weeks ago, and yet, 2019 already feels like a distant memory. While many seemed ready to leave the year in the past, I felt a growing hum of anxious excitement at the possibility of bringing all that was learned into the new year. In 2019, Gladiator Consulting worked alongside 32 organizations - half of which were first-time clients. Our engagements ranged from development operations to strategic planning to organizational culture co-creation. We learned with and from a myriad of stakeholders. Some of our most notable takeaways include:
Bringing our “whole selves” to our work makes for stronger relationships, outputs, and outcomes. Since its founding, Gladiator Consulting has sought to undo white/male supremacy culture in our client relationships. Being ourselves gives permission to those we work with to be themselves and the professional (along with the personal) outcomes of being whole are pretty great.
Nonprofits are shifting their mindset and committing diversity, inclusion, and belonging at their organizations and within the region at a “faster” rate than their institutional funding partners. This makes individual giving even more critical to micro, small and mid-sized organizations.
As part of the team behind the St. Louis Racial Equity Summit - we are in a movement for equity. Individuals and organizations are adopting the vision of the Ferguson Commission Report and #STL2039 vision. This work is dismantling silos and building collaborations. St. Louis has a REALLY HARD TIME with collaboration/credit/who’s turn it is - these are also patterns of whiteness and toxic masculinity. It’s clear that we already have the answers and resources we need - it is the courage to decolonize ourselves and our institutions that will truly drive institutional, systems, and ecosystems change.
In 2020, we will take what we have learned and accelerate our growth to bring change to our region. Gladiator Consulting is thrilled to expand its leadership to include Lisa Clancy and Ann Fisher-Jackson and expand Gladiator’s holistic menu of options to include leadership development, professional growth opportunities, and communications strategy. Lisa and Ann join our team of talented nonprofit leaders dedicated to creating a more equitable St. Louis.
Together, we work to deepen our expression of our core values:
Social Justice & Racial Equity: We believe that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities, and we believe in working towards a state in which outcomes are no longer predicted by race. We actively seek and prioritize serving clients who are committed to dismantling racist systems and addressing the root causes of inequity and injustice.
Community: We believe that people affected by inequity and injustice are best positioned to develop strategies and determine solutions to overcome systemic oppression. We will strongly encourage you to put the voices of your constituents at the center of all decision-making processes. We will work with you to build protocols to ensure accountability to the community.
Growth: We believe that leadership is a journey that requires continuous improvement, learning from failure, and adapting to an evolving environment. Our team is committed to our own professional development, and we expect that our clients are committed to theirs. We will work with you to prioritize growth and development for yourself and your team.
Audacity: We believe in a willingness to take bold risks and challenge the status quo. We will push you to explore innovative solutions to old problems. We embrace failure as a key step in finding sustainable solutions. We intend to play a role in destroying the nonprofit industrial complex.
Imagination: We are resourceful, open-minded, and creative in pursuit of ingeniously elegant solutions. We find a strong balance between idealism and realism. We whole-heartedly envision and believe in a bright future for St. Louis.
It has always been our philosophy to share what we know and we look forward to sharing more of ourselves with you in 2020.
Rachel