When ‘tuning it out’ seems like the only solution

Welcome to Lead With Inclusion! This weekly newsletter is a resource for EVERY professional. Whether you’re a manager ready to be a more inclusive leader, or an employee ready to be a DEI champion in your workplace, inclusive actions lead to inclusive outcomes. Leading with inclusion simply means starting with inclusive actions in everything you do. It means identifying the areas where bias is at work, and shifting mindsets to make change.?

If you’re not sure where to begin, start here.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to stay sane amidst all of the goings on in our world - especially in today’s 24-hour news cycle. Current events can feel nearly impossible to keep up with. It feels like there’s always something. Something going wrong. Some kind of bad news.

It can feel inescapable at times. I’m not ashamed to admit that I sometimes find myself just trying to tune it all out. Tune out the noise - just to get a little bit of peace and quiet. It would be easy to just take this at face value without looking at the root cause. But at the heart of it, ‘tuning it all out’ is really just a survival mechanism, isn’t it?

As a short term solution, tuning it out can feel like the way to go. It’s effective in the moment - you can choose not to think about what’s taking place around you and it can feel easier to navigate your day to day. Less worry. Less anxiety. These are good things, right??

But long term? ‘Tuning it out’ is a very ineffective solution. Ignoring the problem does nothing to help us find solutions. And I’m not just talking about current events in the news. The same applies in our workplaces.

What are the ‘problem areas’ in your workplace that have been flying under the radar? Are there deep-rooted issues that have been easier to ignore than address? Think about the various departments in your organization. Is there one department that’s known as ‘toxic,’ or a ‘problem child’? Is one team struggling while others are thriving? If any of this sounds familiar to you, let’s take a look at some inclusive actions you can take to make a change for the better.

Be An Inclusive Leader

If your organization is functioning well as a whole, it can be tempting to sweep problems under the rug. While it may seem easier to go on about your day and ignore the problems lurking beneath the surface, believe me when I say that you’re playing a dangerous game. Eventually, these issues are likely to bleed over into other departments and become more widespread. Use your critical thinking skills to dig deeper. Look for patterns. For example, if you’re noticing that one team is struggling with their productivity and retention, identify another team that is excelling in these areas. Talk to those folks. Survey each department, and listen to the responses. Can you identify any strategies that contribute to team success? Next, try to quantify those strategies, and determine metrics to measure progress. Use that data to inform action by developing a plan to implement those strategies on the struggling team. And don’t forget to close the feedback loop - evaluate what has changed or improved as a result of your action (and communicate that with your employees, too).

Lead With Inclusion

On an individual level, we can break this down even further, depending on whether or not your team is the one that’s struggling:

If you’re on a struggling team - keep in mind that you’re not in this alone. Odds are there are other people, either on your team or outside of it, who recognize the issues that are occurring and want to see change. Think about what’s within your sphere of influence that you can control. Can you reach out to your peers for help, or your manager? We often let workplace issues slide because we may feel there’s no point in trying, but at the very least, we can put the ball in management’s court. Once you’ve escalated the issue, you’ve done your part. Now, it’s time for others to do the same. Even if you don’t feel empowered to raise the issues to management or HR, something as simple as documenting what you’re experiencing can have a big impact down the road. In a worst case scenario, that’s documented feedback that you can share in an exit interview if it comes time for you to walk away.

If your team is thriving - keep in mind that just because an issue isn’t affecting you directly, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of our collective attention. You might be thinking to yourself, “I’m doing my job, so why should I concern myself with what’s going on over there?” At the end of the day, none of us can win until we all win. If you have knowledge or insights from your team that could be helpful to others, sharing them might make a world of difference.

Collaboration is one key to an inclusive workplace culture, and the Rework Work team has been hard at work creating tools to help. If you missed our workspace workshop yesterday, you have another opportunity to attend on August 16. If you want to turn ‘toxic’ into ‘teamwork,' learn more and sign up here .

About Stacey Gordon:

Stacey Gordon is Executive Advisor and Founder of Rework Work where she and her team coach and counsel executive leaders on DEI strategies for the business, while offering a no-nonsense approach to unconscious bias education for the broader employee population. As a global keynote speaker, Stacey is a Top Voice on LinkedIn and a popular LinkedIn Learning [IN]structor with nearly two million unique learners enjoying her courses.