Category Archives: Trailblazers – The Book

Commitment to Inclusion Success: The Leader’s Role

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He said, “I don’t want to be a n_ _ _ _ _ in the bushes about this but…”

February is a month that often causes me to pause and think about leaders of the past and present. What can and should leaders of today do and say to advance inclusion? What could they do to advance respect and dignity? What could they do to deepen their personal understanding of people different from themselves? What could they do to change their behavior with clear intention and sincerity in an effort to engage the tossed salad of diverse people in this country and globally? When will we all claim our own leadership role in advancing inclusion?

The quotation above is not a statement from the 60’s or 70’s. I directly heard it just three weeks ago. The leader who said it, days later apologized by saying he was sorry “if” he offended anyone. The people who heard this offensive statement during a conference call, were Black, White, American, Asian, and British. The “apology” was sent to everyone via email.

February is not just about attending a community event to celebrate African American history, or reading only the most noted books about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Fredrick Douglas or Rosa Parks and then going back to our “normal” behavior. It is about deciding that now is the time to speak up and speak out in a way that fits our own authenticity and values. It is time to speak up and speak out when there are injustices or indignities forced upon others simply because of the color of their skin, their gender, sexual orientation place of birth, or other difference.

You do not have to be a political activist to speak up and speak out. You can make your voice heard in many ways. All of us are leaders:

If a woman or other under-represented person speaks in a meeting and the others ignore her, but then a man later shares the same idea, you can say, “John, I am thrilled you think Kenya’s idea is a good one too. Let’s explore this further”.

When hiring slates are presented for approval, but show no diversity do not accept the slate. Tell the recruiters to keep looking for qualified diverse candidates. Saying, “We just can’t find any” in 2013 is no longer acceptable. Look in different places; ask others for help.

Join or start a community discussion on diversity and inclusion issues and explore ways to collaborate.

When someone says something offensive, don’t wait for the person who is in the group that was denigrated to speak up, let the offender know you were offended. Assume positive intent. We all make mistakes, but start a dialogue so the person knows we are all in this village together.

Each of us is responsible for moving the diversity and inclusion needle forward. No major sustainable change will happen without each of our voices.

 

Why Care about Diversity? How Does It Affect the Job Day-to-Day?

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(Adapted from the soon to be released third edition of The Diversity Advantage)

Have you ever had a clash with one of your staff members? Have any of your staff avoided or complained about working with another team member?

Most of the clashes or diversity collisions that happen at work occur because the individuals involved are unable or un­willing to respect and value differences, thus unwilling to address the problem. The natural incli­nation is to judge differences. When a factual reason for the conflict cannot be readily identified, stereotypical beliefs or biases are often used to rationalize the cause. The judgment is if others do not think and act as you do, then they are wrong .Witness the unfortunate example in the Middle East right now.

I am constantly amazed at the behavior of otherwise rational adults when they decide to behave based on emotions. Frankly it is easier to lash out based on emotions, but rarely does it lead to a reasonable resolution of the conflict or misunderstanding. If we were rational during workplace conflicts each individual would develop a verbal contract with the other and come to an agreement on how best to work with each other in order to complete the work at hand. This does not mean you have to like the person, but respecting each person’s right to work productively is a must.

This type of positive conflict resolution rarely ever happens in the work­place. Everyone is already under stress due to a lack of re­sources, lack of time, and sometimes lack of skill in dealing with these types of issues. When we lack the skill to resolve diversity collisions we rely on stereotypical and biased beliefs instead. Stereotypes were just waiting in the brain’s background to be snatched up and applied to the first conflict situation. (My friend and colleague Howard Ross discussed just how this works in his new book, Reinventing Diversity )Stereotypes tend to surface when we are stressed, afraid, or otherwise emotionally distressed. For example, during diversity awareness sessions, I hear participants say things like, “Well, I don’t like working with (fill in the blank). You know, she is always so moody and pushy. Probably PMSing or going through menopause.”  This type statement comes from men and women. Of course, it is possible that they are right about a particular person, but more likely they never addressed the specific behavior that is offensive to them with the individual involved. It is easier to complain to others.

So, why should you care about Diversity? It affects you with each encounter with another person. You are a culture of one; there is no one else just like you, and no one just like them. Your differences or uniqueness can add to the strength of the organization if the environment is one that encourages recognition of differences and supports strategies and tech­niques to build on those differences in a harmonious way, as well as deal with conflicts rationally when they arise. Most importantly, you can relieve workplace stress, increase productivity, and have more fun when you are not constantly judging others based on biases.

I know this is easier said than done, so next month, I will share a four step process to use when attempting to resolve diversity collisions.  In the meantime, when you sense a diversity collision coming on, ask yourself, what is the actual behavior that is getting in the way of productive work outcomes? Stay tuned, and let me know what you think!

 

10 Minutes to Remember MLK

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I wondered how long it would take us to turn the Martin Luther King holiday into just another day of shopping specials. Unfortunately, that day has arrived in my community. I had a chance to contribute to a celebration in Muskegon Michigan last Friday. If you have 10 minutes to celebrate the true meaning of this day click here http://tiny.cc/iwk4w

 

Lessons on Diversity and Inclusion from Nature’s Experience

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I had the opportunity to drive to the mountains and then to the shores of North Carolina to work with clients late last month. Although I usually do not like long car rides, these two were spectacular. I was constantly reminded of the miracles of nature as I enjoyed the many hues of the changing foliage. The diversity of trees manage to co-exist and support each other while still maintaining their own unique identity. The fall season illustrates the beauty of this interdependence every year.

 

It seems that everything in nature has its particular purpose and talent; all working interdependently – changing, adapting, evolving – to create and maintain success. Nature’s diversity spectrum is infinite and there is input from everything on that spectrum.

Indeed nature is a great example of how employing and engaging diverse talent can deliver organizational excellence!

 

Each employee is like a tree, just waiting to show its brilliance. One way organizations can effectively develop and utilize their diverse talent is by determining where they are now, and then plan ways to benefit from the interdependence of their multicultural talent. Organization-wide diversity and inclusion audits inform leadership regarding their engagement efforts and how they impact all employees. One supporting statement captured by an employee was shared in Trailblazers :

 

My manager listens to ideas from everyone and encourages input individually and/or as a group. (Cultural Competency: demonstrating inclusion as a way to engage the full workforce.)

 

Contributions from each employee can only strengthen the bottom line.

 

As CEOs and others routinely engage with a spectrum of people who represent the more conventional attributes of diversity — such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and possibly veterans groups — they fully expect to learn about the contributions that each individual and group can bring to the organization; through their connections and knowledge of their own constituency groups.

 

So take a walk along a nature trail to appreciate the diversity and the interdependence that abounds.  You’ll be sure to find inspiration on how to leverage diversity to your business’ advantage.

 

 

 

 

What Does it Take to Be an Effective Leader?

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Two experts examine how chief diversity officers effect real change

Redia Anderson and Lenora Billings-Harris, both of whom have a long and nationally recognized history in diversity work, have collaborated to write Trailblazers: How Top Business Leaders Are Accelerating Results Through Inclusion and Diversity (Wiley; $27.95). The book provides a look at best practices as demonstrated by some of the most influential chief diversity officers in corporate business. The authors have identified professionals from companies that include Shell Oil Co., Verizon Communications Inc., Ford Motor Co., American Airlines Inc., and IBM. Anderson shares her thoughts about their work.

What can readers expect to get from this book that’s different from others on diversity?
To my knowledge, this is the first book on diversity written by someone who has been a CDO and written from that perspective. So, one of the big differences is the practical insights and tips around what you can do to implement inclusion and diversity … so that it lives and resonates, and so that people get the sense that it’s part of the culture. To do that, what are some of the behaviors that you as a leader should be involved in? If you’re a CEO, Continue reading “What Does it Take to Be an Effective Leader?” »

Make Diversity and Inclusion Your Competitive Advantage

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Vision, strategy, and metrics—plus a passion for driving outcomes—yield effective and sustainable diversity and inclusion efforts. Filled with proven methods for implementing and sustaining such endeavors, Trailblazers supplies you and your organization with the tools to fully realize the promise of diversity and the power of inclusion.

Diversity Trailblazers Share Their Best Practices to Support Community Involvement and Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

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(Adapted from Trailblazers: How Top Business Leaders Accelerate Results through Inclusion and Diversity )

Linking Corporate Diversity Efforts with Community Engagement to Yield Business Results

Where is the link between corporate diversity and community efforts? Twelve award-winning diversity Trailblazers see many.

According to Steve Bucherati, Chief Diversity Officer at The Coca Cola Company, community involvement is an integral component of strengthening the brand. He explains, “Our brands are for everyone; it doesn’t matter whether you’re the President of the United States or the average Jane or Joe on the street. . . . You can’t buy ‘better’ Coke, no matter how rich. . . or who you are. The brand is truly inclusive. . . [s]o we extrapolate from that and say, well that’s what we ought to be about as an organization. We ought to be as inclusive as our brands. We ought to be a company for everybody no matter who you are, what your background is, and what your experiences are. Then we take that mentality and try to drive that down into our marketplace, workplace, and community strategies.”

Michael Collins of American Airlines expresses it this way: “At [our company], diversity and inclusion [are not areas that we consider to be] separate from what we’re trying to accomplish in satisfying our customers, engaging our employees, participating in the community, and being a good corporate citizen. We talk about diversity as a continuum rather than an ending destination. It is something [for which] everyone is responsible, especially our leaders. [In order to be a good leader], you need to be able to lead diversity and create [inclusive] environments.”

Some businesses have very specific community goals, while others support community projects as they surface because they generally see it as the “right thing to do.” TrailBlazers help their organizations develop and clarify community involvement goals, and then they guide their leaders as they support the community agencies and projects that are in alignment with the company’s mission and values. Continue reading “Diversity Trailblazers Share Their Best Practices to Support Community Involvement and Workplace Diversity and Inclusion” »

Diversity Leadership Conference: Building Your Return on Inclusion (ROI)

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October 1st is celebrated by many as Diversity Day. It was originally established 2005, and is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events. Although there are days and months throughout the year devoted to specific diverse groups this day was established to provide a day to embrace and celebrate who we each are, with all of our uniqueness intact.

Greensboro North Carolina will recognize this day by hosting a Diversity Leadership Conference with an impressive group of speakers and panelists. Shirley Davis, Ph.D.and VP of Diversity for the Society for Human Resource Management. will share the trends and challenges in D&I based on SHRM’s ongoing research. I am honored to be among the speakers, and will be presenting excerpts from my latest book, TrailBlazers: How Business Leaders Accelerate Results through Inclusion and Diversity. All participants will receive a free signed copy of this book.

It is not too late to register! If you cannot attend, let me know if your organization is recognizing Diversity Day in any way by commenting on this posting.