How Leaders Can Step into Conversations About Race at Work
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Many really important and long overdue conversations are happening right now about racism and racial injustice in America. A lot of companies and brands are releasing public statements and stepping into these conversations as well.
(If you are interested to read it, our team came together to share this statement in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement)
And while brands crafting well-worded statements to release to the public is an important contribution, I’d like to focus on a much more difficult aspect of how companies can engage in meaningful dialogue about race and equity. Let’s examine the internal communication and conversations that I think should be happening inside organizations with leaders and teams.
And how? A lot of leaders don’t know where to start.
In a number of recent conversations I've had, a lot of white business colleagues and friends have shared with me that they don't really know what to do or how to enter these conversations effectively.
It is also true that many leaders and executive leaderships teams are disproportionately comprised of white people, which means that by default, a lot of leaders don't know what to do or how to approach those conversations with their people.
“Nobody wants to enter the conversation and say or do the wrong thing.”
Unfortunately, that is the source of a lot of silence from white people. Because even if they are extremely supportive of work around inclusion, diversity, equity, and they consider themselves to be anti-racist, nobody wants to enter into the conversation, say or do the wrong thing, and then come out looking far worse than if they had never said anything at all.
As a white male, and somebody who has lived a life of extreme privilege, I also often have the feeling of not knowing how to perfectly enter these conversations and exactly what to say. But being silent is a far worse option than being vulnerable and humble, and doing the best you can while being willing to learn and to be corrected when you misstep.
As a white person, the focus and priority of meaningful conversations about race are not about you and your feelings, they are about listening, learning, and understanding.
Ears up, ego down.
It is time to amplify, and listen to, and raise up the voices of black people and the BIPOC community, which means lowering your own volume. And at the same time, it's important not to be silent and invisible. Balancing those two things are important; it's important to listen, and to show up and join the conversation.
“It’s important to listen, and it’s important to join the conversation.”
These conversations matter. Issues around racism and racial equality, equity, injustice, diversity are all of our problems to show up for and also work to dismantle inside our organizations, and inside society.
And yes, it's hard. Also… tough.
If you’re a white person, lucky you that the most uncomfortable part of this conversation is that you don't know how to talk about it with people of color, versus having to live the reality of it every single day. You will never experience these things the way a lot of your employees, neighbors, and fellow citizens have to every day, in a way that you will also never be able to fully understand because it will never be your lived experience.
Here are four ways that leaders can enter this conversation in a meaningful way:
1. Check in on your employees.
“Do not burden people by expecting them to respond or to make YOU feel better.”
EXTREMELY important points about this: Do not do this for yourself, don’t do it for “points,” or simply to make yourself look good. Do not single out just black employees or make any assumptions about how they might be feeling/affected. Do not burden people by expecting them to respond or to make YOU feel better. White people are notorious for entering into conversations like these and causing POC to end up providing the emotional labor of making them feel better or educating them. Show up purely in support, don’t be an additional burden.
You checking in might look something like this, “I’m curious how you’re doing and what’s the best way that I can support you right now? There is no need to respond if you don’t have an answer for that, I just also wanted to let you know that I’m here if you need.” Show people that you care about them as human beings. But do it for them, not for you, and bring some self awareness to the table.
2. Create some space for dialogue and listening inside your teams.
What that might look like is bringing your team together to have some conversations and creating space for people to share if they would like to about how they are doing or feeling.
Again, this requires discretion on your part. I think it's really important when major crisis or change happens to create some space for people to be able to talk about it, and listen, and have some conversation together. That being said, it’s up to leaders to create a safe space. Don’t force people to share if they don’t want to. Don’t single out people of color, or make it about them. Be vulnerable, go first, be humble, and if you need the help of an outside facilitator who’s experienced, get one.
It’s helpful to establish some ground rules for a conversation like this. Make it a space to just listen and not for people to debate. It’s a space for people to share, and everyone else to just simply absorb and hear what they have to say.
Remember that you don't have to know how to respond to everything perfectly. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being vulnerable, and listening and creating a space where you and your team are there to hear each other and to understand.
Doing this reinforces your ability and willingness to also have challenging and courageous conversations around the important work of equity, inclusion, and diversity.
“Don’t make conversations like this be for show. Use this as a jumping-off point to actually make some changes.”
And on this point, don't make conversations like this be for show. Use this as a jumping-off point to actually make some changes. Look at your organization’s systems and processes and how you do things, and find opportunities to make changes that are significant around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
3. Take ownership to educate yourself.
Go and find resources, read, listen, learn, ask questions. Do not go to all the black people that you know and ask them what books to read. Take it upon yourself.
I'll share two resources that were really impactful for me personally and I highly suggest you start here and make them required listening/reading.
The first one is “1619,” a New York Times podcast by Nikole Hannah-Jones. It will reframe your understanding of this country, and the racial injustices that have built and sustained America for centuries. It will open your eyes to so many truths and history that you almost certainly have no awareness of.
The second is “What If I Say the Wrong Thing?” It's a book by Vernā Myers, an eye-opening read about illuminating your own unconscious biases and how to be a better ally and human being.
Both of those resources are excellent. If you finish both of them, it will permanently change the way that you think about how you show up and contribute to this world and these conversations.
4. There is no starting perfect. Start where you are and get to work.
It is not on you to single-handedly solve racism. You do not have to enter these conversations 100% perfectly with all the answers and knowing exactly what to do at all times. That being said, there is a lot of work to be done, so grab a shovel.
“Your voice matters in this conversation, but not as the loudest one in the room.”
Be willing to acknowledge and confront the things that you don't know or understand, and ditch the fear of being imperfect. It is okay to say, as a leader in your organization, “I really want to have meaningful conversations around inclusion, and diversity, and equity, but I don't know how. Where do we start?”
Your voice matters in this conversation, but not as the loudest one in the room. Be vulnerable, listen, ask the right questions of the right people, and do the work. It starts with you.
Featured Resources
1619, a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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