Uplifting Conversations provides impactful tools for all to thrive through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens! Have ideas about what we should discuss next week? Let me know in the comments using #UpliftThisConversation or email me at [email protected].
Wow! What a great response! You’ve let us know all the great micro-inclusions you’ve been doing. And you’ve asked us to keep on keeping on with more ideas about how to put inclusion into action.
Our parameters for micro-inclusions? They’ve got to be things individuals can do even with little to no…
And they have to be things that…
1?? Go beyond internal transformation
3?? Are proven to be effective in research
Mountains seem insurmountable. But remember the power of the pebble. For your work week, here are 10 micro-inclusions you can do today!
- Apologize. Want to embrace a growth mindset? Learn how to say sorry. Humble yourself. Replace defensiveness with openness. Digging in your heels is second nature. Overcome this habit by practicing a script. Name the mistake. Note why it's wrong. Acknowledge its impact. State how you’ll make things right. Being inclusive means knowing how to be called in. To do that takes work. Practice.
- Introduce people to others. Something that erodes retention, engagement, and satisfaction rates is loneliness. Affinity bias drives people to be friendly with people from their own groups. That means those from underrepresented communities are less likely to know as many people. Break this cycle by introducing your friends to others. Expand the friend groups by making connections beyond them. Move from mere coworker to host. Start conversations between people, and make connections. This seems small. But it won’t happen on its own. Someone has to start it. Why not you?
- Reframe people. Biases attach negative stereotypes to marginalized populations. That is the default. But you can break the cycle. Find something positive about others. Fight affinity bias by reframing people. Nudge Janine and say, “Derrick is one of the best accountants you’ll ever work with.” From then on she’ll notice his virtues at every turn. One reason even the most inclusive organizations struggle with advancing diverse talent? They might have all the macro-level programs like mentorships and professional development. But those initiatives only do so much. They have to translate into positive framing. That’s what overcomes negative stereotypes and gets people to recognize the good things folks have been doing all along. Get the ball rolling by reframing people.
- Use polling in meetings. Meetings are important. But they privilege the outspoken and disadvantage the quiet. They’re the place where people from majority member populations can look assertive for interrupting and diverse talent can seem combative for doing the same thing. Get real engagement and stronger decision-making by using straw polls. This gives everybody a chance to chime in, not just the talkers. Resist bandwagon bias by looking at real-time voting apps. Or just get creative with sticky notes. Whatever you do find ways for people to submit ideas anonymously and vote on them in meetings.?
- Compliment people. Many believe no news is good news. But the case differs depending on background. Some are raised to be overconfident. They assume they’re doing fine unless told otherwise. Others are socialized to believe they’re frauds. They believe it’s true until somebody says something else. Feelings of inauthenticity drive people to quit. Compliments can be the thing that lets them know they’re seen and valued. Overcome default negative assumptions by giving compliments.
- Do some market research. Make inclusion real for people in your org. Show how the stats translate to your specific business. What are the populations they want to engage? How is their customer base changing? Be targeted. Show how inclusion relates to changing consumer patterns. Meet with marketing. Check out projections for different demographics. If those numbers don’t exist, poke around and see what could bring them into being. Finding that the company could generate revenue by connecting with women or increase market share by engaging Thai consumers can be the motivation that drives inclusion.
- Research employee pools. Go beyond looking at consumer markets. See what groups are expected to produce new talent. Financial support to HBCUs has grown. That means more people will graduate from them with less debt. That financial freedom means they might work for your non-profit in numbers you’ve never seen. What’s your plan in response? Immigration numbers from different countries change. How’s your organization planning to engage those communities? This research doesn’t take much. But it can start the conversation.
- Learn a language coworkers speak. Take a few lessons. Download some apps. Check out videos. Do whatever you can to learn a few key phrases. Your grammar might be off. Pronunciation may leave something to be desired. But making the effort can build connection. Who knows. It could be the start that leads to you learning a different language and creating inclusion.
- Research cultures. Your factory just hired five Hmong folks? Spend your lunch hour researching their language, history, and traditions. Your company’s looking to work with people from Dubai? Find info on communication styles. We live in the Information Age. Use that to learn about different ways of living. Many assume they’ll be fine connecting as individuals. Others think they can bridge the gap by remembering “we’re all just human.” Go beyond these habits. Do the work. Because part of being an individual is belonging to a group. Part of all human experience is belonging to a culture. Deepen connection by showing that you’ve put in time to understand others more.
- Organize a potluck. Give a max cost. Ask people to label ingredients. Then have them “make a dish that’s important to your family.” If someone wants to make a recipe their grandma made in Peru every Feast Day of Saint Rose of Lima? Awesome! If another wants to make the pizza their kids like watching during the Packers football game, that works too. This simple exercise gives people a chance to share a little about themselves if they want. And to keep things real light if they don’t. Don’t launch into questions about people’s national origins, ethnicity, or religion. But don’t ignore differences either. Give people a platform to celebrate their differences if they want. A great way to do it: have a potluck.
What about you? Let us know what you think. What’s worked for you? What advice do you have? What are other ways to create micro-inclusions??
Talent Acquisition Manager @ Caterpillar Inc. | Driving Talent Acquisition and Culture Change
2 年These are wonderful Deanna and Justin! I'm going to tag a friend Wendy Whitcomb...take a read ??