Don’t Think With An Accent

by David Molina on March 5, 2010

Some weeks ago I was in Chicago for the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI). Did some participants or presenters have accents? Of course. Truth be known, some of us who are bilingual or trilingual may speak with an accent. Some very thick. Some very obvious. Others not so much. Does it matter?

Accents have never got in the way of some of our most prominent government, business, community and non-profit leaders. Just look around Portland, Oregon or our state capital in Salem, or Chicago. Observe those leaders that are driving their businesses and organizations forward with innovative and forward-thinking approaches, be it in sales, procurements, grants, new products and services, or new stores.

Countless times, we’ve heard: while I may speak with an accent, I don’t think with an accent. It’s a kind reminder that all of us who are bilingual, or trilingual should not focus on this as a negative. Let’s just get it done, shall we?

David Molina is the Founder and CEO of BilingualHire, a consumer internet service focused on advancing the careers of bilingual [Spanish+ English] talent. You can also visit and connect with him at TwitterFacebook, and/or Posterous.

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There are three types of individuals. When I first attended U.S. Army Boot Camp at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a Private in 2000, the drill sergeants drilled it in us that there are three types of individuals: 1. those that make things happen, 2. those that watch things happen, and 3. those that wondered what just happened. I’ll leave out the expletives, but you get the just. Seth Godin argues that there is the frightened, clueless or uniformed. I don’t buy that everyone is not cut out for leadership. Nor do I buy the argument that everyone can’t make things happen. The thing is I think it has more to do with observation, training and coaching than anything else. Try it sometime. Observe others and listen to what their challenges are. Listen intently to the roots of the problem. Jump into the conversation, make it kinetic, and act as if no one is watching or who gets the credit (this can be challenging). Bounce ideas, and if possible train and prepare them on their challenges. Don’t just tell them how to do it. Show them how to do it. Invest your time if you believe you can make a difference, if you believe your expertise will help solve the outlined problems. And, along the way coach your mentee as if your entire team depended on it.

David Molina is the Founder and CEO of BilingualHire, a consumer internet service focused on advancing the careers of bilingual [Spanish+ English] talent. You can also visit and connect with him at TwitterFacebook, and/or Posterous.

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post-USHLI 2010

February 22, 2010

By the time I post this, we’ll have safely landed back in Portland, Oregon from Chicago via Las Vegas. The Oregon USHLI delegation will have completed their visit to the Windy City and most importantly having attended the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), Annual National Convention. The 4-day conference has been an incredible, enlightning, [...]

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Building Leaders. One Oregonian Latino Student At a Time

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“Hey David, need your help in identifying at least 10 Latino student-leaders to send to USHLI in Chicago next month…” What started as a small conversation between Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson (disclaimer: he and I serve on the OSU Board of Visitors) and I is now reality. We’re enroute to the United States [...]

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Dear MEChA de Portland State University

February 11, 2010

Dear MEChA de Portland State University,
Thank you again for the invitation to keynote at your 2010 Edúcate Conference. It was an extreme pleasure, honor and privilege to speak before 350+ Chicana/o and Latina/o motivated high school students, from Hillsboro to Hood River and south to Woodburn. The well-organized conference and attendance was incredible and the [...]

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MEChA de PSU: Edúcate Conference 2010

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Tomorrow morning, I will be speaking before hundreds of students of color, primarily Chicana/o and Latina/o students at Portland State University for the MEChA chapters’ 2010 Edúcate Conference. The leadership invited me to keynote and will last 15 minutes. The intent of the day-long activities is to motivate, inspire and provide opportunities to the participating [...]

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Face it. Recruiting anyone for a position is an intensive process. You must develop and tailor the job description. Form a search committee to interview the candidates. Advertise the posting. Boil 300 resumes down to a manageable 10 that you will phone interview. Down to the top 5 candidates to invite to interview. Only to [...]

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“Last year, over 100 million dollars for scholarship monies went unclaimed. The problem is students don’t apply. Let’s see if we can change that,” stated Ochoa.
This cloudy morning in a packed room at the Linfield College School of Nursing, over fifty bilingual students where over ninety-five percent were bilingual in Spanish, one spoke Mixteco and one [...]

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Standing on Shoulders. Happy New Year!

January 2, 2010

Happy 2010 from Edith and I, and hoping you and your familias had a great Christmas and holiday. I wanted to take a few moments to thank a few individuals that kept us going in 2009, that as a result of their mentorship, professional friendship, encouragement (online and offline, some don’t know it or realize [...]

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Build Wings. Provide Guidance. Get out of the Way. [HR + Leadership]

December 24, 2009

How do we build high-caliber bilingual [Spanish+ English] talent? What programs should be used? Should they be public, private, non-profit, or a combination of the three? Why does it matter?
Background
Bilingual talent, without a doubt, is the fastest-growing workforce pool in the nation. Whether it’s private, public or non-profit vacancies, speaking Spanish is a preferred skill [...]

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