Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel D’Souza-Siebert. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

As a non-Black woman of color, I’ve had the unique perspective of what it means to bring my various identities and lived experiences into a sector driven by predominantly white systems and sets of institutions. I did not come from wealth nor did I have family and friends invest monetarily– but what I did have was a vision to create a legacy in shifting workplace culture for the humans (women) (of color) to follow. I dream of my grandchildren being able to build something that supports their own dreams and families that look distinctly different from how things have been done in the past. My hope is that we bring more voices into the sector through mentorship, sponsorship, and advocacy, specifically to women of color who dedicate their lives to a profession. Ultimately, I dream to create a space that values the brilliance that women of color bring to this work.
As an entrepreneur, I was required to build a culture of work in my company that worked for my life in all the ways that it was at the time and in all the ways that it has grown since then.
I dreamt of a workplace that aligned with my values, respected my boundaries, and allowed me to take risks and engage in my passion for innovation. I wanted to share my work with a community of people with that type of learning. I wanted to create a company where not everything we do is monetized, but still can grow value (through reputations, respect, relationships). We do things to build other types of value (reputation, respect, relationship).

Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In 2011, eight days after the birth of my first child, I survived a rare heart condition and subsequent “widowmaker” heart attack. In 2015, I had my second child, and was acting as the default parent while my husband traveled for work. At the crossroads of parenthood and professionalism, I founded Gladiator Consulting and sought to build a consultancy that would meet me– and parents like me– where we are.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Early in my career, I really benefited from Ken Blanchard’s Situational-Leadership Model and “One-Minute Manager.” I really like to explore how to connect with my employees by adapting my leadership styles so that my employees can maximize their work, to get them what they need and maximize their contributions to the work. The Situational-Leadership Model allows me to manage my employees in a way that moves them toward positive outcomes.

As a leader, you have to be emotionally intelligent and vulnerable. I try to show up as a whole person who is flawed and learning. I value being able to be honest about who I am, what I’m learning, and what I’m not good at. I hold that space open to support one another’s boundaries and help when we need support. I try to push people when I think their imposter syndrome and nervousness might get in the way of sharing their brilliance and wisdom. I really try to hold space for risk taking and failure. It benefits no one to play it safe all the time.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

At the end of 2021, Gladiator really doubled down on our values and theory of change. We had to make some pointed decisions about who we wanted to work with (and who we did not.) There were times when we initially thought a client’s values aligned with ours, and then they did not, we had to navigate those relationships. We sometimes realized that our clients had a different willingness to engage in deeper work or our values were not as aligned. We have to decide when to move a project forward to a co-created conclusion or when to step back and save resources. We really had to figure that out in the pandemic– how we can stick by our values, have boundaries, say no– and if you’re doing work that you believe in, it will carry you forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gladiatorrds.com/contact-us/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rdsiebert/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rdsiebert
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gladiatorrds
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rdsiebert?lang=en

Image Credits
Raquita Henderson