As I walked into the back of the conference room, I was hoping to quietly take a seat and slip in unnoticed. I was a bit nervous and I didn’t quite know what to expect. But this was no ordinary conference, it was a gathering of Black founders and it looked like they were in the middle of a passionate discussion. Suddenly, the host (who I’d only met a day before on a call, but felt instantly a kindred connection), stopped the proceedings to announce my entry. I’d casually mentioned on our call previously that the next day was my birthday so I expected “bells and whistles” if I dropped by. Her response: say less. She knew the assignment and the next day I was greeted by a roomful of new fam singing and dancing to Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday classic. What a wonderful way to walk into a room.
What I felt in the space…
I felt seen and at ease, open and curious, the perfect mix necessary to do the work ahead. I would spend the next several hours offering support, asking questions, receiving feedback, and making connections. I also left that space wondering… how do we recreate more spaces like this, for leaders and managers looking to grow in their practice? What was it about this space in particular for me that accelerated my own growth?
In the room, I felt a sense of Ubuntu—"I am because we are." It reminded me of the manager trainings my team leads, where leaders eventually lower their guards and ask for help. Many admit they lack spaces to share, learn, and grow. They’ve been taught to shoulder everything alone, but that weight often becomes too much. That’s unfortunate because real growth requires autonomy, mastery, and purpose—not fear, stress, and overwhelm. So, how do we create more of these spaces, and where have we seen them before?
The problem with management training…
If you’ve studied management in a graduate program or read extensively about management philosophy over the years, you’re likely familiar with the typical hierarchal approach to management and leadership that revolves around profit maximization at the expense of the people involved. It’s a cornerstone of capitalism. As I chronicled in a previous post, our most established forms of management practices have their roots in a product over people approach with vestiges in chattel slavery in America. But, there’s an emerging body of literature shedding light on what many in Black communities have known for generations: our success is interconnected. The best managers know this and act accordingly.
Hidden Figures who paved the way
Chances are, you’ve never heard of Charles Clinton Spaulding and Maggie Lena Walker. They’re referred to as the father and mother of Black management history by Leon Prieto and Simone Phipps, two management professors and the authors of African American Management History. Writer Lila MacLellan follows their journey of discovering these legends in her article, The history of Black management reveals an overlooked form of capitalism.
Charles Spaulding led North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, the largest African American life insurance company of the times, published his management manifesto in 1927. At the top of his list of 8 principles was the concept of teamwork and cooperation, in essence Ubuntu. He connected his work to a higher purpose, and therefore his employees felt connected to a higher purpose (another trend that was way ahead of his time: this is why knowing your history matters!). Lila MacLellan writes that his writings (housed at Duke University archives) represent [an] unrelenting call for cooperation and consensus-building within organizations, and an emphasis on the symbiotic relationship between a company and the world outside its doors.
He wasn’t the only black leader to leverage the principles of Unbuntu to create a cooperative advantage in business. So many others including Alonzo Herndon, Madam C. J. Walker, and the many businesses that flourished in the economic epicenters of the Black Wall Streets across America thrived under this cooperative spirit before being targeted and ultimately destroyed.
Another luminary, Maggie Lena Walker was born in 1864 to a former slave in Richmond, Virginia. She later became the first woman in the United States to start a bank, the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, in 1903. Leon Prieto and Simone Phipps note how she embodied many of the early qualities of what would later become known as a transformational leader. Lila MacLellan describes these qualities as, charisma, emotional intelligence, and sincere concern for her followers that’s needed to stir excitement for a cause larger than that of merely improving the bottom line.
What does this mean for us? Ubuntu as a management philosophy.
Managers need spaces where they can be vulnerable, seek support, and develop in community. The burden of leadership is heavy, but it doesn’t have to be isolating. Creating these environments starts with psychological safety. When managers feel safe to express uncertainty, ask for help, and admit mistakes without fear of punishment, they begin to open up. At the core of Ubuntu philosophy is a reminder that true leadership isn’t a solo act—it’s communal. We grow best when we grow together.
If you’re looking for a community to grow with, we’re building a movement to change how we work, and we believe managers are the key lever. To learn more about our work and get involved, connect with us at www.managereq.com.
