Leadership & allyship: Two essential traits for leaders of inclusive spaces.
Current events in Israel and Palestine, as well as Rishi Sunak’s transphobic comments here at home in the UK, have seen lots of talk about the need for leaders to pick a side. It's interesting to see this represented in data from a Momentive survey of 2021 where 60% of employees expressed the desire to see their leaders take a stance on social and political issues.
I've talked previously about the requirement of leaders to step up in active allyship and Karen Catlin’s book ‘Better Allies’ gives seven distinct ways that leaders can demonstrate their allyship in the workplace.
Karen Catlin’s - ‘Better Allies’
Essential reading for those leaders looking to up their Allyship game!
One of those steps is around self-education and the role of the manager as ‘The Scholar’. Whether it's the lived experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically trans people and non-binary people, or understanding the bias and often outright prejudice faced by Muslims and Jewish people in the western world today, there are many sources of information available to the leader wanting to step up their allyship game.
Lived experiences of varied marginalised groups are well documented by content creators on social media (click here for ‘The List’ - the influences I follow). With a little effort, you're able to get these voices into your social media streams so that new data is added to your personal hard drive (your brain!) with relative ease.
There are also many amazing books that talk about lived experiences, as well as the social constructs of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. A simple Google search will help you find which of these might be relevant to you.
Creating a genuinely inclusive culture however, one that recognises the day-to-day challenges faced by individuals within your organisation, requires a little more thought and often a lot more emotional intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence - your people leaders NEED this skill!
I don't believe the role of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is to change beliefs and ideologies. I DO believe its role is to create inclusive spaces where people are able to be their authentic selves, and this requires fostering a culture of respect and empathy.
This must start from the top down and often requires leaders to speak up and show up, in ways that they aren't used to.
But there is a tension here: in an organisation where individuals have different beliefs and Ideologies, how does one make a statement that supports people, without alienating others? And what about external positioning? How can leaders make statements that don't potentially alienate clients and stakeholders?
I don't believe this has to be a complicated problem. In fact, organisations aren’t usually asked to take a public stance. It’s an internal display of compassion and understanding that’s required.
Leaders and organisations are capable of recognising moments of crisis both in the world at large and for the individuals within their organisations. Display this empathy, seek empathy from the wider business and offer support as a company to those individuals affected.
Communication should come from the very top. While it doesn't need to take a stance on the crisis in question, it does need to address the impact the crisis may have on people and acknowledge its toll. It should call for compassion and empathy and acknowledge that people may be acting and reacting differently than normal during this time. Finally, it should talk about the resources and support available for those people affected, such as managerial support, mental first aiders, or access to EAP schemes.
Where possible, managers should be trained to identify those team members who are struggling, whether this being through management training initiatives such as mental health awareness, Emotional Intelligence or stress management training, or at minimum communication to managers in times of crisis to look out for team members who need additional support.
Whether an organisation chooses to take a similar stance publicly on social media for example, is up to them. It can send a clear message about an organisation’s values which can be a positive but will obviously need to be weighed up against any potential disadvantages.
What I see as essential is the need for leaders to recognise specific challenges faced by marginalised groups particularly in times of crisis, and to provide additional support and guidance where they can. To do otherwise risks your employees thinking you don't care and will lead to isolation and disengagement. You’ll also have to face your team members questioning whether their values align with those of you and your business.