Client Marlene Gonzalez (along with her co-author Cristina Benitez) just saw the publication of her first book, Latinization and the Latino Leader: How to Value, Develop, and Advance Latino Professionals (Paramount Market Publishing, 11/10).
Whether you are a Latino or have a Latino employee in your team, Latinization and the Latino Leader will help you raise your level of awareness and understanding about cultural differences in the workplace.
Latinization is the growing presence and acceptance of Latino culture, customs and values in the US. As the Latin population grows at an unprecedented rate, so do elements of the Latin culture become part of the American mainstream. Each new generation has shown a greater willingness to accept and encourage diversity, and within the leaders of tomorrow there is a greater Latino presence than ever before.
10 important points about Latinization and the Latino Leader:
- Latin cultures are not homogeneous. Latinos are from many Spanish-speaking countries that have their own individual culture.
- Taking the time to get to know your Latino employees will not only strengthen your understanding of them and improve your employee retention, but it will also help in your understanding of your Latino customers.
- The importance of family in the Latino culture and the respect, trust, loyalty, and passion it engenders can be an important source for your businesses growth.
- The 2000 US Census, the first to ask citizens if they were a mixture of ethnicities, has projected a growing Latino presence in a multiracial society.
- Latinos are projected to reach a purchasing power of $1.2 trillion by 2012.
- The median age of the Latino population is approximately 27, making the majority of Latinos of a working age.
- Latinos are more likely to retain and celebrate their heritage in the process of acculturation, rather than assimilate.
- In appealing to this market, the modern business must recognize the multi-layered “Fusionista,” an acculturated, bilingual, and bicultural Latino.
- To connect with “Fusionistas,” companies must discard the Spanish-versus-English mindset and embrace cultural affinity.
- Any engagement of the Latino consumer must acknowledge and appeal to the dual-faceted identity of the Latino culture.
My associates at The Writer’s Ally and I are pleased to have helped bring this important book to the business world by editing the manuscript and creating a companion report based on a study Marlene and her partners conducted. We’re excited to see the book in print. Congratulations Marlene!