Leading Through the Storm(ing): Communication & Authenticity is Key!

This is an unimaginable time in US history and as leaders, we have an obligation to our employees every day... but especially now.

The facts are... An angry Trump supporting mob of predominately White Men stormed our nation’s capital without harm or punishment, for their actions... meanwhile throughout the course of the year, when we protested peacefully shouting "Black Lives Matter" we were faced with tear gas, rubber bullets and violent arrests.

We are not ok. Your employees, particularly the Black and Brown colleagues in your organizations, are not ok.

Allow space and time for your team members to wrap their head around a country that so clearly hates them, it took to storming a government building to demand that White supremacy continue on. That sounds harsh, I know, but let us stop tiptoeing around these hard truths. The Trump majority is for White supremacy and that was on full display for the world to see... and they were allowed to destroy federal buildings without so much as a warning shot fired.

Talk about disgusting double standards. But I guess it's par for the course, remember the Bible debacle? Near lethal force was used on people who weren't even armed just so he could take a picture. You can't write this...

To know that 18-year-old Black men, like my brother, have to worry about such heinous crimes as ‘Driving While Black’… these gun toting, confederate flag carrying, capitol storming, wannabe tough guys can freely wreak havoc and go home to their mom’s basements without a care in the world, it makes me physically ill.

There is one thing that is critically important for every organization and leader to do immediately... Address the giant orange elephant in the room. Do not act as if nothing happened. And, and this is critical, I’m serious here… Say something, privately first! Your team doesn’t want to learn what your stance is from a press release.

Repeat after me... It is not about marketing right now, it’s not about your external customers right now… it’s about your people. Your internal customers. Your team. That should be your only priority this week.

Talk! To! Them!

It's paramount to let your teams know what you are doing to ensure they’re safe (and following through on your promises). Be clear that you don't condone or tolerate terrorism and prove it by putting it in writing and acting, if necessary. Offer resources and time off, if needed. This is a small ask and, trust me on this, between the attempted coup that we've all witnessed and the advent of #Clubhouse, we've kicked off 2021... distracted. A few more days wont hurt.

Racism is alive in America and you'd better believe that extends to the world of work. Employers must take a hard and vocal stance against this type of behavior. Each of us, as leaders, particularly within the white community, must evaluate how we leverage our privilege.

We are navigating employee support while living in a country on the brink of civil war, led by a racist Demagogue... this isn't going to be easy, but it needs to be done.

We have an overwhelmingly white male demographic that make up CEO’s in the US, and it's them that are critical to driving the change needed, in work and in life. Through loud opposition and committing to action... there's no better time to focus on fixing our antiquated practices and ditch the white male patriarchy, once and for all.

I mean, maybe this will be the catalyst that propels all of us leaders to really 'lead'... to be champions for something that matters instead of which coffee vendor's beans taste best.

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Don’t go it alone… visit notthehrlady.com and let us help you manage the difficult, but wildly necessary changes we all need to make both personally and through our companies to ensure our country, our world is equitable, inclusive, safe and intolerant of bullshit.

Tara Furiani is available to be a guest expert, speak at your event, write, create content and/or consult with your organization. Book time to learn more about Tara's services and/or the show at calendly.com/notthehrlady. Season 2 of Not the HR Lady has sponsorship opportunities available, email [email protected] for our media kit.