African-American Business Leadership Requires
A Change of Perspective in these Changing Times

The torch is being passed. Black business leadership is changing in Our Cities as well as the requirements for leadership and the requirements of our community.

The way things were done in the past is no longer working in the community or with our Black business leaders. However, we still expect to reap the benefits from Black business leadership.  This calls for a new brand of leadership to be adopted and installed if Our Cities Black communities are going to make progress in the years ahead against the growing number of competing forces for attention and response. These new leaders must adopt new leadership styles and accept their roles if they are to truly be Black business leaders of respect in this decade..

 In truth, many of the 2000’s generations of businesses owners have all but abandoned the Black community.  They do not feel an obligation to the Black community for their success because they are no longer circumscribed to its boundaries.  The Black community can no longer be defined by a few streets or blocks; it t is now everywhere Black people live. Additionally, these business owners are a product of the “me first” generation and feel they can individually gain success as they overcome the everyday business obstacles.  Any information they have they got it on their own without help and they are keeping it.  So to hell with “a rising tide raising all ships”—just raise mine, I’ve got the hook-up!  They don’t see themselves as needing the support of the Black community unless their primary customer is Black.  They don’t need a constituency, real or implied, just the power of money and connections!

Further, it appears that today’s business leader doesn’t feel they need the Black community to validate their leadership. Their business success does it for them.  It also appears they can speak for the community while not being a part of it.  They conclude that all it takes to be a Black business community leader Is to be a Black business owner.

Todays successful business owners cannot accept the role in certain situations, claim the benefits of leadership and not perform as a true representative. They must recognize that a rising tide does indeed raise all ships.  In those cases where opportunity for all Black businesses trumps individual opportunity, opportunity for all must win out!  It’s kind of like the recognition that group wealth supports individual wealth. When that happens, their business opportunities expand exponentially and the community stands behind them as a reward. Todays Black business leader's job is not to cover all the bases but to make sure all the bases are covered.

In Our Cities, the Black community still empowers and even protects when it has confidence in its leadership, business or otherwise. Therefore, people are important; the community is important; leadership is important.  

Are Black business leaders changing with the times or even accepting the leadership opportunities the changing times afford them? Or are they simply financially successful while the community goes bankrupt? Whose reputation is at stake, that of the business person, the community or Our City? The question to be answered is “How does that contract with a Black business owner help create both a personal and a community economic benefit within the Black community, especially a benefit that the community can actually see and the owner can count?”