Certain Uncertainty

3The Privilege of Leadership: A Constant in an Uncertain World

Sheree Atcheson

Privilege, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary definition is “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor. Ultimately, a benefit given to specific groups and excluded from others.”¹

To many, privilege is a complicated topic, one that is precariously stepped over, full of nuances that are tricky to delve into, and therefore avoided altogether. For far too long, privilege conversations in the workplace have been boiled down to a simple “yes” or “no,” 1 or 0. This binary approach erodes the difficult conversations required to traverse this space successfully, which would enable our leaders to recognize and rebalance our workplaces in very necessary ways.

Self‐Awareness Is Key

Before we talk about rebalancing how we lead, let's talk about our own awareness of privilege. Privilege conversations can be complicated, but really, they don't need to be. The reason they're complicated is because people get defensive about honest facts regarding access (or the lack thereof). Suggesting someone is privileged is often viewed as a way to denounce or diminish their success, without recognizing that you can be successful and that privilege can, in many ways, have aided that success.

Just because you are privileged, no one is saying you haven't worked hard. What I am saying, however, is that due to certain factors like age, gender, ethnicity, socio‐economic background, disability, ...