What Individuals Can Do to Cultivate Equity and Objective Outcomes

This is a continuation of my Equity blog series. You can find the others posted to my LinkedIn site. Please share with your network to amplify the message! As I said in Part A of “What Individuals Can Do to Cultivate Equity”, 2021 presents opportunities to try new approaches and shift mindsets and behaviors. In this second part of what individuals can do, I focus on busting bias and being an Inclusion and Equity alchemist in order to make better decisions, lead with intentionality and inspire those around you. My ask of you is that you share how you cultivate equity and objective outcomes. We can all pay it forward with our collective insights.

Bust Bias & Be an Inclusion and Equity Alchemist

Understand your own biases, seek feedback from others regarding your blind spots – e.g. when you repeatedly treat one team member favorably or assign the same “go to” people to the top client accounts. If you have a brain, you have bias. The whole point with unconscious bias is that you may not be aware. Catalyst’s guide shares some practical tips for How to Combat Unconscious Bias as an Individual. What would you add to this?

Devise a game plan so you don’t repeat the same behavior in the future. Here are 7 strategies for making more objective decisions. The NeuroLeadership Institute’s solutions address The 5 Biggest Biases That Affect Decision-Making. One approach is to create protocols for scenarios that you encounter regularly - If/Then statements. For example with distance bias, you might inadvertently favor colleagues who are closer to you. IF you have a global team with some people based in your office and others scattered across multiple locations, THEN ask for input from those who are farther away first. IF you’re on a virtual call with some team members on video while others are joining via phone, THEN call forth those who are on the phone to speak first. If you have ever tried to get a word in edgewise in this situation, you know what I’m talking about. Think about how best to integrate an intervention into your existing processes. Make it seamless for you and frictionless for your brain.

Be an inclusion and equity alchemist by design. Often people think diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is the executive team or HR’s responsibility, but managers and peers play the biggest role in your day-to-day experience. Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. Being an inclusion and equity alchemist is something you do very intentionally every day in your words and more importantly via your actions. Deloitte’s Six Signature Traits of an Inclusive Leader underscores how cognizance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence, collaboration, commitment to act and courage are “essential to fostering an environment of empowered well-being, where people are given the support and flexibility they need to be energized, confident, and aware.” Their full report offers great insights into what inclusive leaders think about and what they do. For example, perspective-taking is part of curiosity and a growth mindset. Inclusive leaders are keen to enhance their understanding of new perspectives. They’ll actively invite that different point of view and listen intently, respectively and without interrupting (that’s often the hard part). They’ll ask curious questions to better understand and try to see things from the other person’s vantage point. I watch this type of interaction with amazement between my 80 year old father and 19 year old son. While both are of very different generational, social and political persuasions, they are able to engage in this type of interaction. I’ve come to appreciate that a key ingredient to this exchange is mutual respect, both parties assuming positive intent, suspending judgment – and sometimes a respectful understanding that they’ll agree to disagree. As I think about how divisive 2020 was in terms of prejudice, politics and the pandemic, Deloitte’s Practicing Inclusive Leadership in Times of Crisis is timely.

To become an inclusion and equity alchemist, take a systems lens. Determine key decisions where you want to inject objectivity to increase equity and access for under-tapped individuals. Are you curious to know how inclusive you really are? There are several self-assessments such as Jennifer Brown’s Inclusive Leadership Assessment, Catalyst’s Are You an Inclusive Leader? Quiz. Reference back to the questions posed in my second blog regarding bias in the talent cycle. This year there’s been increased and much need focus on How to Promote Racial Equity. Robert Livingston’s PRESS model applies equally to individuals as they’re the ones who need to ask themselves if they understand the problem, care enough to address it and actually know what to do. Making Gender Equity in the Workplace a Reality also highlights key actions that individuals can take and underscores how this is everyone’s responsibility.

 Behavioral science underscores the importance of integrating approaches and interventions into your day-to-day practices and nudges. One practice I’ve adopted this year is a daily reflection and action exercise to inspire inclusion habits. Get regular insights sent to your phone with specific prompts and activities. I also like The Inclusion Nudges Guidebook which is a crowd-sourced collection of “tested” interventions and actions. You can reference examples and sign up to get regular insights and blogs.

We must be even more intentional to counteract the many counterproductive ways we’ve been socialized. As a parent of four children – 3 sons and 1 daughter, I’d like to think we were positive role models. I remember when our 8 year old son was playing Barbie with our 6 year old daughter, our son grabbed the doll and exclaimed “I have to go. I have an important presentation at work tomorrow” (clearly imitating my voice). Another time when I was talking to our 10 year old son about China’s “one child policy” favoring boys, our son earnestly asked “Why Mommy? Girls are smarter than boys and they make more money.” While these were proud parent moments for me, these Catalyst Man Box Response Cards made me question if we ever used harmful gendered phrases like “boys will be boys” – or how often our children saw these sentiments portrayed in the media. These response cards show us how to deconstruct, redefine, and celebrate #masculinity for a more equitable future. Role modeling more inclusive, equitable norms starts at home with each of us and extends to our workplaces, networks and communities.

Lead & Inspire

One clear way to lead and role model these behaviors is to ensure that people around you feel valued, respected, heard and that they belong and can be their authentic self. Psychological safety is a foundational element in building trust and a culture which is safe for interpersonal risk taking. To create a culture where people feel safe to speak up, you may need to jump start things by inviting the dissenting voice and being open-minded to new ideas – especially from “unlikely sources”. Stay tuned for my February 2021 blog where I’ll talk more about psychological safety, empathy and your authenticity as your super hero power.

Another way to inspire others is to continue to learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion and share what you’ve learned. My suggestion is to pick a topic you don’t know enough about or that makes you uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable and open your mind to new perspectives. Here’s a short, curated list to get you started.

• 9 simple ways your workplace can be more inclusive of people with disabilities
• 5 Points for Delivering Racial Equality That You Can’t Ignore
• Women of Color Get Less Support at Work. Here’s How Managers Can Change that provides six steps managers can take immediately.
• A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ Workers Nationwide (US)
• Starbucks A Story of Access - unconscious bias training video by Stanley Nelson

Most importantly commit to actions you’ll take as a result. Check out my fourth blog where I make several declarations and highlight what I commit to in this regard.