We need to create a high bar where the bar is to care about both people and performance. They are not dichotomies; they support each other.
De-Lea Deane-Allen is the founder and CEO of Higher Bar Leadership LLC, dedicated to helping organizations create transformational work environments where all people can thrive. With over 20 years of experience as a teacher, school leader, and C-level executive, she specializes in leadership development, change management, and equity, driving significant improvements in representation, engagement, and performance. She is a Pahara Fellow, ICF-certified coach, and adjunct coach with The Management Center.
Raised by her father from Guyana and her mother from Barbados, De-Lea experienced two contrasting approaches to education that shaped her. Her experience in sports and athletic running, helped her find her confidence and shaped her belief that the power of mindset is more than half of the success.
Her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion is huge. She took on roles focused on creating leadership pipelines and systems for advancing leaders of color. Supporting leaders of color and creating the conditions for them is something she is very passionate about. De-Lea advocates for a "higher bar" in leadership: performance with care for people and long-term sustainability. She is urging leaders to trust their intuition and recognize that the environments they create are just as crucial as the results they aim to achieve.
Show notes: 👫🏽 Child of Caribbean immigrants: the influence her parents had on her education is huge. (
01:59)
☀️ A high bar and mindset, combined with love, is the perfect combination for good leadership. (
04:06)
🏫 Private school education in a diverse community: Her experience as an athlete and the power of mindset on sports results. (
05:39)
The power of connections: When she realized her passion lay in education. (
10:55)
🌟 De-Lea's changes and results in leadership: The different environments people build. (
13:30)
❓ Why people of color are underrepresented in leadership positions: Her DEI work and success in retaining leaders. (
18:30)
👩🏽💼 Starting her own company: A combination of executive coaching and supporting leaders in small and large groups. (
20:52)
🏃🏽♀️ Motherhood and challenges with the lack of teachers: The level of stress and getting back to running. (
22:30)
🧘🏽♀️ Connection between wellness and leadership: Prioritize wellness, even in small ways, and business success will be affected too. (
26:35)
⚡ Higher bar and a need to redefine success: Not thinking short-term, but focusing on long-term sustainability and care for people. (
32:18)
🎯 Providing space to identify your foundational values from your early years: Leaders need to share vulnerability and find their strength. (
40:26)
💎 De-Lea's Rondering: Conditions matter, so pay attention to them just as you do for performance. (
49:10)
Links:
Episode 54
