Is Your DEI Plan Taking Shape?

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

With the past 15 months behind us, we are starting to see some normality return. Face-to-face schooling, plans for fall sport revivals, women being able to return to work as the disproportionate labor(s) are deputed elsewhere… But we are also seeing a social shift: A new political climate, an increase of awareness about the stark contrast in opportunity for those underrepresented at work, and the pieces falling into place about the essentiality for defined and persistent DEI efforts within corporations.

As we re-enter physical working spaces, albeit with a slow and steady return, what can companies do to craft a thoughtful and meaningful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program?

First, we must take the time to understand the scope in needs of employees. As an example, I found in my recent research that working adults were far more likely to opt for time off, flexible schedules, and family leave before hoping for salary increases and other perks. The key here is to seek out responses from the collective of the organization, uncovering the concerns, needs, and opportunities for re-writing the norms of company culture as it pertains to inclusive decision-making. Case in point: Whom you seek out to answer these questions must be a diverse set of people within the company. A combination of qualitative and quantitative measures can provide the data you seek for determining what changes must take place, and then there needs to be a way to convey how in fact they will occur.

As a thought-starter:

• What are your representation goals for the coming year?

• How do you address overt internal discrimination?

• What can people do when they feel they are a part of an out-group?

• How are you addressing pay inequity?

If you haven’t considered the answers to these questions, it is time to do so. Realize also that it is one thing to inquire and it is another to act. The intent must be to institute change for better belonging and psychological safety and must also be paired with transparency. How are you going to reach that end goal? Being forthright about how to uncover pay inequity, for example, will demonstrate a commitment to all people within the organization (and a great place to start is a pay audit). Be upfront about the process, the timeline, and the intended outcomes. How will the inequities be corrected?

If you’re not sure – let’s brainstorm! There is only an opportunity for improvement ahead.  

Creating Confidence Through Action

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

Nearly every single person can relate to an experience of feeling intimidated. And what’s important to realize is that intimidation can quickly lead to negative self-talk, which can quickly lead to hesitation, second-guessing, and depleted confidence.

The best way to counter insecurities — or the fear of inferiority— is to practice mindfulness and actions to create confidence. Confidence can be increased and most notably, it can be increased in adulthood.

Research shows that women tend to be less confident and undervalue their competence, while men tend to overshoot their competence, which is directly linked to their high levels of self-confidence. The short and sweet psychological reasoning of it is this: girls observe the benefits received from people-pleasing and good behavior at a young age. They also see boys rough-housing and getting into trouble. This conditioning leads our girls to take fewer risks and consequently teaches them little about resilience in the process. The kicker? Resilience is a confidence builder. Conversely, boys get daily doses of resilience as they learn to accept criticism and consequence.

If you are a man you may think of the times you were reprimanded growing up. If you are a woman, you may relate to the narrative of ceasing “poor behavior” to keep your good grades, reputation, and likability intact. But what is seen to be important in childhood, such as being a well-behaved child, actually can set the stage for less success in adulthood. Research shows that confidence matters as much as competence to achieve promotions, raises, and even contentedness.

This means that as a people manager, we must encourage all within our teams to explore their confidence and guide the process. In order to create an inclusive climate, leading to better team cohesion, innovation, and productivity, discussing confidence is important.

You will likely find that based on the psychological undertones just briefly discussed here, women will benefit most from confidence creation, and men will learn their predispositions — demonstrating to all team members that there is room for personal growth and professional development. Consider sharing not only the science behind confidence (more can be read about the confidence gap by authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman) but provide the tools to your team to practice confidence builders.

As a starting point, ask team members what confidence means to them. More specifically, what does a “confident you” look like? ​

Second, ask team members what this confident person behaves like and what this person accomplishes.

Third, what does this person look like, and how does he or she present themself?

Envisioning what ​it is a person wants provides an opportunity for clarity. It also presents an opportunity to recognize areas for growth. In addition to this grounding visualization exercise, provide team members with resources — such as confidence tips and education. I provide weekly confidence hacks here on my company’s Instagram page.

Cheers to a more confident you — have a good week.

Take a Breath and Listen

Photo by Elice Moore on Unsplash

When I commence work with a client, I notice in our preliminary discussion whether or not someone is well adept at active listening or if it's going to be a focal point for our work together. The importance of active listening cannot be overstated. It establishes trust, offers validation, and is even a brain exercise from which we benefit. Then why do so few people listen well?

The two forms of listening are discriminative and comprehensive. Discriminative is developed at an early age and is the most basic form of listening. It does not require the understanding of words, but focuses on sound and allows us to distinguish the subtleties of people who are happy or sad, angry or stressed. It's the superpower of "how someone is saying something." Meanwhile, comprehensive listening involves understanding messages that are being communicated. Like discriminative listening, comprehensive listening is fundamental to all listening sub-types. The listener first needs appropriate vocabulary and language skills to comprehend messages.

There are other forms of listening too - Critical, Therapeutic, and Appreciative. But we often are too busy listening to our own thoughts or are waiting to say our piece. We're not very good at active listening; in fact, we're downright bad at it. Listening actively is an analytical exercise. It requires concentration on *all* of what is said. Not only the words, but the tone being used and the body language choices. Your opportunity is to process that information as it's received, forming conclusions along the way (and not before someone is done speaking).

But instead, we're conditioned to think it's acceptable to look at the text message we just received, open an email from your archnemesis, swipe left (or is it right?) on Tinder, and attend to WhatsApp messages, Slack pings, or even contemplate dinner options... None of that is OK if you want to show others you care not only about them but about what they are saying.

The good news? Listening is a skill that can be learned and there are techniques you can use to improve your listening effectiveness. First, set expectations. In meetings, it's best to let your team know what is expected of them. Do you allow the team to be disengaged, looking at their phones, or do you expect them to participate fully, and be attentive to what's in front of them? Contrary to common belief, multitasking isn't all that it's chalked up to be (it takes a serious toll on productivity!). In my household, I simply will stop speaking until my husband is off his cellphone and I know he is able to listen to what it is I am saying.

Some tips for helping you become a better listener:

• Identify Your Own Biases: Does the sound of someone's voice annoy you? Get past it and listen.

• Keep an Open Mind: Do not jump to snap judgments. Ratiocinate and flex your critical thinking capabilities.

• Mirror Back: Paraphrase what someone said to help your attention stay on that person and also to confirm you are understanding the intended message.

• Overcoming External Distractions: Set those expectations and resist the urge to pick up your cellphone or respond to emails while in the process of listening. [Short on time? No problem, but communicate that at the forefront. Expectations are your friend.]

Bonne chance!

First published on LinkedIn

Toxic Places of Work & the Road to Redemption

Photo by Beth Jnr on Unsplash

There is no magic wand to miraculously wave away workplace toxicity, but there are actionable steps that can be taken to correct the course. 2020 has offered up challenges for employers and employees alike. From financial concerns to illness and future-state ambiguities, there were only one of two ways for toxic tendencies within workplaces to go. Toxicity was either brought to the surface, where the sunlight brilliantly exposed wrongdoing and dysfunction, or it was filtered out and left behind. The societal wake-up call(s) we’ve faced in the past six months -- one may even say a metanoia-like experience -- reshaped how organizational leaders chose to move forward. Many quickly got back on track without consequence (the “filter”), they knew time was up to be on the right side of history, taking into account equity, diversity, and overarching priorities. 

But not all are so lucky. 

There were organizations that exposed toxic behaviors and practices by happenstance, and yet proceeded in normal course and missed an opportunity. This spring there was a monumental moment in time to consider the current landscape, make changes, and proceed with a new North Star (crises can be good for that sort of thing). But perhaps these companies are now considering reworkings. They have lost too many valuable clients and employees, and are flailing in the water. What can these companies do? 

Acknowledge Deficiencies.

Workplaces with toxicity tend to have repeat offenses. If you are a leader, do the work: Why are people leaving? What is the consistent feedback loop? Why is there concern? This is the launchpad. Use this to admit to and recognize inadequacies. Shed light on areas of improvement as well as on the process for resolution.  

Re-engage: Actively Communicate & Revitalize. 

Effective communication is critical to the survival and success of any organization, regardless of location and size. Actively communicating goals, shortcomings, and progress around failures, demonstrates a commitment to change. Almost 75% of employees feel they do not receive consistent company communication from the organization for which they work. With a global pandemic, the necessity for companies to be even more communicative is at an all-time high. [I’m not suggesting you write daily books to employees - remember adults’ attention spans… A helpful tip: Employees are two times as likely to watch a video than read text.] 

Revisit the company vision and company values. Rework communication to incorporate these standards into the messaging. Keeping employees engaged during a period of correcting course makes them feel like a part of the process. Lean on this and dedicate the time to listening. Also, be cognizant of who is communicating these messages. Does the individual stand behind and embody the changes?

Universal Standard Setting 

If a company has admitted to shortcomings and is taking steps to improve the culture, it’s essential to set standards of excellence, especially for leaders. Revisit the code of conduct and make changes to it if necessary. Letting one incident slide turns into a slippery slope. All employees must be held accountable, regardless of seniority. Not addressing incidents is how toxic cultures fester. Some guidelines to ensure consistency include a) accountability, b) known consequences no matter how senior, c) offering employees a safe way to share their observations or concerns.  

First published on LinkedIn.