4 Ways Leaders Undermine their Own Diversity Efforts
It’s no secret that racial tensions continue to exist. As I saw social media explode over the past few months, I’ve asked myself over and over again how I can be a light to this issue in the workplace - not just for race, but also for other characteristics, such as gender, age, and disability. At my core is the belief that we were all created with God-given, and therefore indisputable, talents that are uniquely ours to contribute toward the workplace, our families, and communities. As I reflected upon my 15 years in Human Resources, one thing that repeated itself across various situations is this: Many leaders undermine their own diversity efforts without being aware of it or intending harm. If you’re a leader, here are 4 ways you may be encouraging disunity and not even know it:
Our social awareness does not go deep enough.
If we’re remotely effective in our leadership, that means that we recognize that individuals are different and therefore have different needs. We know we cannot approach everyone the same way. We can read emotional cues and recognize behavior or personality indicators, and we quickly adjust our approach from person to person.
What about recognizing the differing needs of various races, genders, ages, and disabilities? We’re afraid to have deep conversations about our employees’ experiences to better understand their needs, and we’re afraid to treat anyone differently on the basis of these characteristics. After all, we’ve been told that everyone needs to have an equal opportunity. I’m curious - how can there be equal opportunity when not everyone starts off on a level playing field to begin with? If we don’t offer customized resources that tend to the needs of different groups, then we’re already losing the equality battle.
When we know in our heads that women continue to make less than men (and the reason that’s constantly cited is that they hesitate to negotiate), yet we fail to provide resources that help women learn how to articulate their value, we’re counteracting our efforts to create equal pay opportunities. When we expect minorities will have the same credentials as others, though studies have shown disparity in educational and financial resources available to certain groups, we’re allowing them to be passed over again and again.
While we cannot use characteristics such as race to hire, fire, pay, discipline, train, and so forth, we can provide everyone the opportunity to have a customized individual development plan that enables them to have an equal voice and chance of advancing. We have to dig deeper in our conversations to recognize the emotional, behavioral, and diverse-experience needs which will provide the right opportunities for our employees to thrive.
What conversations do you need to have with your team members to understand how to help them be on a level playing field with regards to opportunities?
We think that making groups and events centered around diversity means that we’re sending the message of inclusion.
Celebrate your heritage and uniqueness because there’s no one that can bring what you do to the workplace. YES!
However, when we as leaders start creating groups or events to bring awareness of such differences across our teams, we have to be careful not to create cliques and opportunities for more isolation or division in the process. If you’re trying to promote diversity, and you’ve formed a group that only has people with the same characteristics (for example, all women, all African Americans, all Hispanic, etc.) then you’re creating the opportunity for increased silos. When you host an awareness event, and your attendees all look exactly like one another, inclusion and diversity are not in practice.
Diversity means that your team and organization value the uniqueness and contributions of others. I experienced an excellent example of this about a year ago. I attended the Inspiring Women Leaders Conference from the University of Florida. As you might expect, the majority of attendees were naturally women; HOWEVER; what stuck in my mind was the image of all the men that also attended. They were not speakers at the event, but rather they came to better understand how to support the women from their businesses. They were genuinely curious to learn and enthusiastic about celebrating the successes of their female colleagues.
I’ve also seen committees or groups that were matched together because the members were from all different countries, ages, and levels within the organization. These groups had a purpose they rallied around, and as they worked with one another, they became more and more curious to learn from one another and appreciate each other because of their differences.
How can you create awareness through groups and events while ensuring the celebration and appreciation of others are being honored?
We are not intentional enough about choosing to work with and invest in others that are significantly different than ourselves.
Let’s be honest, it’s easy to know how to help someone when they remind you of yourself and how you learned to do your job. As leaders, if we’re only investing in people that look like us, then we’re not creating opportunities for people that do not look like us, and the trend of inequality continues. When my leaders mentor others or look for candidates to interview, I encourage them to choose at least one person that is completely different or the opposite of themselves - someone they would not normally choose on their own. Aside from supporting a diverse workforce, this practice has benefits for my leaders as well. It challenges them to have better awareness, communication, and conflict-resolution. A win-win for all parties involved.
When you take a look at the people you invest in currently, do you find they are more similar to you or different than you? What will you do about your observation?
We overlook obvious signs of disunity because we don’t know what to do about it or do not think we can rock the boat for long-standing practices and prejudices.
I cannot tell you how many times I have walked into a break room for a benefits meeting, and right away saw a clear divide. When I ask why, it came to be accepted as just part of the culture of that community, so leaders did not want to rock the boat. Yes, employees chose where to sit, so it was not organized by the leader… But does that mean that we do not have any responsibility for such a divide?
As leaders, we break down barriers and limiting beliefs that get in the way of performance. We teach, train, mentor side by side, look out for harmful behaviors, and strategize about how to overcome obstacles in relation to the getting the output we desire, securing sales, and getting the best return on our investments. What could we achieve if we approached inclusion and diversity in the same way? What if we identified the limiting beliefs that were getting in the way of celebrating and appreciating others, and we invested energy to help our employees gain new experiences that shift their perspectives?
What ideas do you have for helping employees to gain new experiences with one another that enable them to say, “I need the talent and value that others bring, so we can be better together”?
Have any of these items rang true for you? You’re not alone, and you have the ability to make a huge difference in your workplace. Reflect on at least one thing you can do to ensure that your approach to diversity is truly resulting in the change you want to see.
Did you discover you may have a limiting belief of your own or need help with your inclusion and diversity strategy? I have resources to help you. Schedule your first free coaching or consulting session with me today.
