When You Lay Out Your DEIA Initiatives, What Are Your Employees Thinking?

While all organizations are different, for better or worse, they all have a similar cast of characters.?The same personalities that work in a Fortune 500 company will show up at a mid-sized law firm and a growing nonprofit.?You’ll recognize these people as individuals you’re working with now or worked with in the past. You might also recognize some of these character traits in people with whom you have personal relationships. And with some true self-reflection, you may even recognize some of these characteristics in yourself.

All these characters are basically good people. They, like everyone, are composites of their upbringing and past experiences at home and at work. I have found that most people are good, want to work hard, and want their organization to succeed. They only need guidance to help them overcome any unjustified fears or concerns about differences they might harbor, either consciously or subconsciously.??You may need to work with some characters, such as Eric Luddy, more than others.

As you work to create and administer your DEIA initiatives, you have to work to address the interests of all stakeholders, just like you do when you are working to implement any new project. In my book, It's About You Too, I identify the 20 archetypes that are found in every workplace:?yes, every workplace has a buck passer, a narcissistic, a saint, an alarmist and an enemy of change. But the good news is that's okay. Each of these personality traits can actually be positive and negative. The idea is to identify who you are speaking to, and frame your initiatives in a way that is most appealing to them.

By way of an example, consider Eric Luddy, who is a veteran of the organization. Eric will respond coolly to any new initiative, noting how the organization has always done it another way. Eric will say, “We’ve never had a problem,” and warn that the organization shouldn’t “fix what’s not broken.” Organizations should always remember the importance of Eric’s value because every organization can benefit from an institutional memory. For example, Eric helps others address problems the organization has been faced with in the past by providing insight into prior solutions.

That said, Eric may think that any changes are going to create problems, and he’s apt to, consciously or not, throw up obstacles to prevent efforts from succeeding. Getting Eric to go along with diversity efforts may be a challenge. It’s not that he is resistant to this change in particular---Eric is resistant to all change.?Nothing has ever gotten Eric to embrace change in the past, so it will likely take time for Eric to embrace this change. The best way to work with Eric is continue to remind him of the value of his role as “organization historian” and point out that he has been able to weather all sorts of changes over the years so you have full confidence that he will able to continue to adapt.?With enough patience and reassurance Eric will come around, but be prepared to expend some extra efforts to bring him along.

?If you are looking for more support about how to effectively manage Eric or anyone else in your workplace, I’ve got you covered.

1.????Follow this link to read the article I posted about how to address the concerns of your peer who resembles, Stacey MacArthur, The General, who is laser-focused on ensuring everything your company focuses on it directly tied to its core mission.?https://bitly.ws/oSjC

2.????Pick up a copy of my book, It’s About You Too:?How to Manage Employee Resistance to Your Diversity Initiatives and Improve Workplace Culture and Profitability which provides additional guidance on how to address the needs of Eric Luddy, Stacey MacArthur, and the 18 other workplace archetypes as a way to gain their support for a wide range of diversity and inclusivity initiatives.?https://amzn.to/3MgykmV

?3.????If you are planning to have a challenging workplace conversation, check out the guidance I provide in Lifescripts for Today’s Workplace, which are on-demand talking points that are designed to help you prepare for those discussion.?The entire series is available here: https://rb.gy/q6k6jk?

?And… in order to introduce this new management tool, for a limited time, you can download a complementary Lifescript Single, which focuses on a conversation between a supervisor and direct report who says they do not feel welcome, by using this link. ?Use this link for a FREE download.?https://amzn.to/3puqrAk

#DEIA #manageradvice #HRadvice #inclusion