Rooted and Resilient: An Interview with Jakada Imani, CEO, The Management Center

In a recent conversation, Onuka Ibe, Managing Partner of La Piana Consulting, sat down with Jakada Imani, Chief Executive Officer of The Management Center, to discuss Jakada’s journey, insights, and the work he has been doing. This interview sheds light on Jakada’s career progression, key moments that shaped his path, and his approach to leadership and social change.

Career Progression and Influences

Jakada Imani’s journey began in Oakland, CA, where he witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the drug war on the Black community. This experience fueled his passion for public policy and youth leadership. He started his career in youth organizing and advocacy, working with various nonprofits — including the Center for Popular Democracy, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and The Workers Lab — and eventually becoming a trainer and executive leader. Jakada shared, “I went from just being a staff trainer to then being a manager and developing other young people.”

Jakada recounted his early days, saying, “I came up during the height of the drug war. I saw firsthand what crack did to the Black community in the United States, including my own family, and wanted to do something about that.” His dedication to making a difference led him to spending almost 8 years at the Ella Baker Center, where he worked on police accountability cases and youth organizing.

Key moments in Jakada’s career that reinforced his commitment to social justice and community empowerment were found in his work with the police accountability hotline at the Ella Baker Center. He shared, “We took calls of people who have been abused by the police or whose loved ones have been killed by the police. It was absolutely devastating.” Throughout his career, Jakada encountered several pivotal moments that shaped his approach to social change. He recalled, “Pretty early on, I think in my first like 3 months there [at the Ella Baker Center], I went and sat with a family whose son was killed by [the San Francisco Police Department].” These experiences taught him the importance of focusing on community power and resilience.

Jakada also mentioned his involvement in the Center for Spiritual and Social Transformation at the Graduate Theological Union. He said, “I went from being a student there to being on staff, helping build our history of struggles, history of faith, communities and practices for deepening activists and organizers, internal fortitude, stability, resilience.”

Jakada talked about how hip hop influenced his leadership style — but not always for the better: “The notion of humility in that space was like an anathema. And so I entered movement and social change work in a similar way… ‘Don’t you think all these other fools are sucker MCs and you’re the best?’…Then I had to figure out how to shift my energy… adjust how I give feedback, how I make space for younger people or people with less positional power.”

Jakada and Onuka discussed the challenges faced by Black leaders in the social sector, particularly around accountability and conflict resolution. Jakada stressed the importance of addressing issues transparently and early on. “Saying something, naming it, talking about it as transparently and as clearly as you can, is better than not.”

Jakada also spoke about the benefits of building a community to equip him to lead effectively. This includes connections with mentors, peers, and an executive coach, as well as engaging with his spirituality. “There’s folks who I know who are invested and who have invested in me over decades, who give their feedback: ‘You messed that up… You didn’t do that right… You could have done that better.’… I know they see… the good and the bad… and they’re invested in that growth.”

He shared his approach to conflict resolution within organizations, emphasizing the need for principled engagement: “If we’re in it together, I want us to get better at the end of this conflict… We have to have a better working relationship so that we can get through these kind of things quicker and more efficiently.”

Jakada shared a key point with Onuka about his takeaways from his experiences to drive his belief in capacity building. “A lesson that has stuck with me — and to this point is still why I believe in organizations and capacity building — is that we might not win every particular struggle or campaign, but if our organizations, if our movements, continue to build power and learn over time, get better capacity, deeper capacity, deeper bench, smarter strategy, we can shift the dynamics and power over time.”

Successes at The Management Center

Jakada has been with The Management Center (TMC) for seven years, serving as CEO since 2021. He is proud of the organization’s commitment to racial and gender justice, as well as their flexible approach to management. He shared an example of their work with the Lakota nation, where their management approach aligned with the community’s vision. “Our approach to teaching management is rooted in this notion of conspire and align as opposed to command and control.” It takes a lot of work and intentionality for TMC to have an approach that is values aligned for the clients they work with.

Jakada emphasized the importance of flexibility in their management approach, stating, “Our approach was not one size fits all. It is flexible, so we can adapt it, and people can adapt it for the context they live and work in.” He elaborated on TMC’s approach, comparing it to jazz: “Our approach is like jazz in the sense that you play it for the room… Every jazz song you can play in 1000 different ways.” This flexibility allows TMC to adapt their management practices to fit the unique needs of the communities they serve.

Jakada highlighted the importance of having a staff that reflects the movements they serve. He said, “Their goal was to have a staff that would reflect the movements we were trying to serve and to be able to really go from being an organization that thought about justice broadly to explicitly being able to center racial justice and gender justice.”

Jakada also spoke about the importance of focus taking care of one’s team in times of uncertainty or crisis: “Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing…Just get really, really good at delivering our services and taking care of our people, because that is how we create change: we deliver really well for our clients.”

Looking ahead, Jakada Imani has ambitious plans for TMC and his work in the social sector, with a primary goal of continuing to build the organization’s capacity to support movements for racial and gender justice. He shared, “We are focused on deepening our commitment to equity and expanding our reach to support more organizations in their management practices.”

He also emphasized the importance of adaptability and responsiveness to the needs of the communities they serve. “Our goal is to remain flexible and responsive, ensuring that our management practices align with the evolving needs of the communities we work with.” Jakada is committed to fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement within TMC, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of social change efforts.

Final Thoughts

Jakada’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience, community, and a commitment to social justice. His insights and experiences offer valuable lessons for anyone working towards positive change. As he aptly put it, “Find what brings you joy and do that .”