You Can Make a Difference

We join the voices within our community and around the world that denounce the deeply rooted racial injustice in our country and beyond.  We affirm that Black lives matter because we know that the reality in our country and the world of work demonstrates that all lives do not always matter.  People of color matter because we know that the Truth in our creation is that all lives matter. 

This is an opportune time to move beyond words and to take action to demonstrate that prevailing systems of degradation and injustice must end. Maybe you thought this was the politicians’ role.  I’ve had that thought many times.  But now I see clearly that we who lead in the world of work can have a profound impact and do so with action and words. As business leaders and human beings, we must use our influence to transform our way of thinking and behaving. I’ve heard and read the words of business leaders over the past several weeks and have wondered will we truly act or just speak.  Will we move beyond our privilege and complacency to shatter the status quo of systemic racism?

And you may be thinking, “you’re right”, our business leaders should take action.  Since our audience is made of business leaders at all levels, we know that true change is only possible when we all (leaders at every level within organizations) take personal action and responsibility.  If we are not careful, we will just blame and complain and refuse to take ownership.  We must be the change we seek in the world (Gandhi).

So, how do we move past the polite, politically appropriate speech and truly make a difference?  What could business leaders do no matter where they find themselves in their organizations?

Know Yourself

We must be honest with ourselves first.  Robin DiAngelo in her book, White Fragility, reminds us all that we have grown up in a racist culture.  It impacts how we think because it is normal for humans to adopt bias in the way we perceive others.  This frankly is a difficult reality, and I resist the idea that I’m a racist.  To justify my defensiveness, I classify a racist as someone who commits crimes against a person of another race or abuses through power and privilege.  I can then let myself “off the hook” justifying my hidden prejudgments (even from myself).

We are sometimes willingly oblivious to what is going on around us.  Though I might know about some of the issues facing people of color, I am insolated and blind to systemic racism. After all, I am a benefactor of this system.  We all have much to learn.  And we will only learn with humility admitting our failures and ignorance.  As long as our defensive systems are in place, we will learn very little.

So, how honest can you be even in the privacy of your mind?

Listen

I have several trusting relationships with people of color.  But do I really listen to them?  Do I let my guard down and allow them to speak to me truthfully about the part I play in the system?  Do I ask them for honest feedback?  Would I hear them if they attempted to speak truth to me?

So, I have much work to do here. I must enhance trust in these relationships.   Trust takes time, but it also requires intentional, vulnerable action on my part.  I intend to make this a priority with specific people.

I also will widen my circle of friends to include the immigrant, the other person across town, and marginalized persons outside my comfortable, privileged culture.

Speak Up

We live in a culture of silence when it comes to honest feedback and accountability.  This silence leads to corruption and injustice.  As leaders, we must decide which is more valuable: truth or power.  As power prevails injustice will follow – first in small ways and then on a grand scale. 

Joseph Grenny (of Crucial Conversations fame) recently co-authored an op-ed with two colleagues from The Other Side Academy — Accountability is Key to Changing Police Culture.  I hope you will read it.  I appreciated their emphasis on the value of “200% Accountability” used in the TOSA program.  “200% accountability means I am not only 100% accountable for my own behavior but I am also 100% accountable for everyone else’s behavior. If you see it, you say it. Period. Not only is there no retribution for pointing out others’ faults, it is seen as a sign of love and selflessness to do so.”  We call this being accountable for each other.

Find your voice.  Observe your surroundings.  Share your feedback.  Create safety and space for others to give you feedback.  As we speak up when we see injustice or abuse of power, we  choose to love our neighbor.  We are supporting our co-workers and making our national culture a better place for all to live. 

Taking all three of these lessons to heart and acting on them will change you and me, and those we  influence.  Join me . . . practice some personal introspection.  Listen carefully and become more open with your neighbor.  Speak up and become mutually accountable to allow others to tell you the truth.  Our nation needs leaders at all levels in every walk of life to fight injustice, seek the truth, and walk the talk of equality and fairness.  I invite your ideas.

There are some great resources out there to help to begin conversations with others.  The article, How to Begin Talking About Race in the Workplace, was written specifically for leaders in the middle of an organization.  Take some time and generate ideas you could use.  The article’s author, Stephanie Creary, has a helpful YouTube presentation with some practical exercises you can use.