Four Essential Levers CEOs Can Adopt to Achieve Racial & Gender Equality - Part 4

4.     Focus on mindset and behavior change

CEOs should pivot the two organizational changes: mindset and behavior. Decades of research have found that organizations with a growth mindset are more mentally primed to approach and take on challenges, take advantage of feedback, adopt the most significant problem-solving strategies, provide developmental feedback to subordinates and be persistent in seeking to accomplish goals. Coupled with actions on the right track, RGE is attainable.

Growth mindset: Satya Nadella described the emerging culture he has nurtured in Microsoft as “growth mindset, because it’s about every individual, every one of us having that attitude – that mindset – of being able to overcome any constraint, stand up to any challenge, making it possible for us to grow and thereby for the company to grow.” He encourages his people to shift from being “know-it-alls” to “learn-it-alls.”

A fixed mindset leads to stagnation, whereas a growth mindset leads to agility, engagement, and a higher degree of adaptation in the face of change. We should nurture a growth mindset across levels to enable employees to succeed and achieve their career aspirations. Create an optimal zone through psychological safety and physiological arousal where people of color and female talent can grow and perform at the peak of physical, mental, and skillful abilities.

Inclusive behavior: Business leaders have to set an exceptional example of inclusive behaviors. A habit-breaking approach to racial and gender bias leads to behavioral changes and improved work climate. In an HBR article “The Key to Inclusive Leadership,” Julie Bourke and Andrea Espedido revealed what signature traits inclusive leaders share and how to become one of them:

·       Visible commitment: They articulate an authentic commitment to diversity, challenge the status quo, hold others accountable, and make diversity and inclusion a personal priority.

·       Humility: They are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.

·       Awareness of bias: They show understanding of personal blind spots and flaws in the system and work hard to ensure a meritocracy.

·       Curiosity about others: They demonstrate an open mindset and deep curiosity about others, listen without judgment, and seek empathy to understand those around them.

·       Cultural intelligence: They are attentive to others’ cultures and adapt as required.

·       Effective collaboration: They empower others, pay attention to the diversity of thinking and psychological safety, and focus on team cohesion.

CEOs should ponder about:

·       What mindset do I need to win the competition and sustain RGE?

·       What are inclusive behaviors that my leadership team and I should role-model?

·       How do I lead in this legacy-defining moment?

Chief executives must step up and address racial and gender injustice head-on. All of us are adjusting to this new world of work. Now is the time to create an effective RGE strategy from the top-down and mobilize everyone along the path from the bottom-up. Practicing inclusive leadership in crisis times helps curb the spread of misinformation, decreasing the risk of bias, xenophobia, racism, and sexism. By focusing on racial and gender equality and inclusion in the workplace, we can create happier and healthier employees, broaden our talent pool, and ultimately boost business performance to win the competition.