by Jane Perdue | DEI
“This diversity stuff just doesn’t work. We’ve been hiring women and minorities like crazy,” shared a client. “Our culture is in worse shape than it was before.”
This fellow isn’t alone in his doubts and frustration when first trying out this “diversity thing.” Unsure of what diversity really is but feeling internal and external pressure to have more of it, companies opt to simply define it as “making the numbers.” They then task HR with hiring more women and minorities, and that’s when their troubles begin.
Women and minorities dropped into an intolerant environment recognize early on that they’re just tokens, numbers on a spreadsheet. When the work environment fails to become inclusive over time, issues escalate—destructive conflict, lowered employee satisfaction, and turnover.
When these problems occur in less evolved and less aware organizations, the “diversity initiative” is labeled a failure, and the folks in HR lose their jobs, especially those who had the audacity to advocate that diversity was needed.
Have you ever worked at a company where you saw this scenario unfold?
“We’re so quick to go to make things black and white, and to put things in their box.” ~Matisyahu, aka Matthew Paul Miller, musician
Two key “gets”
However, there are organizations where none of these downsides happen after a commitment is made to having greater diversity. Why not? Because these companies do two things differently:
1) They “get” differences. They broaden the definition of workplace diversity beyond the obvious items of sex, race, ability, and age to include the less obvious but highly impactful and unseen differences of thought, opinion, and perspective. They “get” that differences don’t have to be divisive. These organizations see differences, despite how uncomfortable they are to manage, as the particles of sand that create the pearls of success.
2) They “get” paradox. Paradoxical situations involve a pair of interdependent and interconnected forces that define each other and represent a continuum of choice, such as long- and short-term or quality and quantity. The dynamic that exists between the two elements is ongoing, recurring, often complicated, and sometimes contentious. However, long-term success requires paying attention to both elements. In companies where there’s been little emphasis placed on valuing and practicing diversity, the status quo has gotten comfy dealing with only one element of a paradox. Results are preferred to building relationships. Efficiency gets the nod over effectiveness. Competition, not collaboration, is the default.
In organizations that successfully manage difference and paradox to capitalize on diversity, The B Team has identified the existence of four attributes: cooperation, individual accountability, inclusion, and respect.
For these attributes to surface as the norm, five paradoxes—cooperation and competition, inclusion and exclusion, respect and challenge, freedom and accountability, and results and relationship—have been effectively managed and rewarded.
5 leadership paradoxes that maximize diversity
Cooperation and competition
Staying ahead of the competition will never go out of style. Yet that should be an external facing mindset, not an internal one. There’s no “gotcha” when dealing with a colleague—everyone is on the same team.
In companies that “get” differences and paradox, the focus on who is in the “in-group” and who is in the “out-group” has been replaced with shared focus on achieving company goals. Everyone plays in the same sandbox; and they are expected to, and held accountable for, playing nice.
Inclusion and exclusion
This one might seem a little counterintuitive, but not everyone can be a part of everything that happens at work. In the organizations that “get” diversity, expectations, roles, and responsibilities are clearly defined and communicated before, not after, the fact.
People understand that their knowledge, skills, and abilities are directed to the work that makes the overall greater good possible. People are included where their contribution is the greatest while understanding that they, along with their co-workers, all play an important role in achieving company goals.
Respect and challenge
Conflict is a normal by-product of diversity and should be encouraged, not ignored or tamped down.
People who use paradoxical both/and leadership assure that conflict remains healthy and constructive, practicing what philosopher Theo de Boer calls epochè, which is a “temporary suspension of the truth of one’s own conviction,” as they interact with others. Values aren’t allowed to harden into dogmas that stifle creativity and innovation.
Freedom and accountability
This pair is the classic push/pull of preserving the core while stimulating progress.
In companies where diversity is leveraged for positive economic and engagement results, leaders use paradox to encourage ideas and change, acknowledging that’s the path to innovation and ongoing relevancy. They hold people accountable for making results happen, yet make room for learning from failure.
Result and relationship
Ah, the eternal issue leaders and managers face.
While effective leaders never lose sight of the bottom line, they don’t favor profits to the exclusion of all else. Rather, they foster and maintain an equal emphasis on profits, principle, and people. Additionally, they hold those around them accountable for doing the same.
Recognizing and managing differences and paradox requires time, effort, and awareness, but what a worthwhile payoff it delivers.
Ready to flex some leadership muscle to “get” difference and paradox?
What say you?
Image source before quote added: Pixabay
by Jane Perdue | Be your best you
This is a mash-up post! Part book review and part inspiration, both thanks to Whitney Johnson and her latest book, Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work. Be prepared to answer “yes” to Whitney’s question, “Are you ready to jump?”
One of the most insightful and telling exercises I do in my workshops with women leaders is asking them to list their personal strengths.
It’s amazing to see powerful women pause, either uncertain of what to list or fearful of appearing too brash and bold for knowing what they do well.
Whitney Johnson, author of Disrupt Yourself, defines a distinctive strength as “something that you do well that others within your sphere don’t.”
For anyone, regardless of gender, who is uncertain as to what they could identify as a personal strength, Whitney provides a thorough list of questions, all guaranteed to trigger thoughtful self-reflection.
If, at this moment, you’d be stumped in identifying your distinctive strengths, use Whitney’s six questions to spur your thinking.
6 questions to ask yourself to identify your strengths
- What skills have helped you survive?
- What makes you feel strong?
- What exasperates you about others?
- What made you different, even an oddball, as a child?
- What compliments do you shrug off?
- What are your hard-won skills?
Were you successful in determining some things you do well?
This personal development exercise is but one many available in Whitney’s book—and all apply to all genders. Her book outlines how to take the framework of disruptive innovation and apply it to our personal lives.
As she notes, “We are living in an era of accelerated disruption; no one is immune. If you want to be successful in unexpected ways, follow your own disruptive path. Dare to innovate. Do something astonishing. Disrupt yourself.”
Dare to innovate. Do something astonishing. Disrupt yourself. ~Whitney Johnson
For years, I liked the comfort zone of my corporate job. It made me feel secure. I knew I had a “place” and I knew where that place was. But eventually that comfort zone made me feel stuck.
For those who feel stuck and are unsure of how to chart a going forward path, Whitney’s principle of disruptive innovation applied to our personal selves is a smart—and practical—method to assure forward movement. Relevance and freedom, too.
As Whitney asks, “Are you ready to jump?”
Image credit before quote: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Leadership
I was working in another state and traveling in an area unfamiliar to me. At the end of the day, I asked a member of the management team if there was a route I could take back to my hotel that would bypass the rush hour traffic.
“Of course there is. I’ll show you,” replied one of the women present.
“Terrific,” I replied. “What streets do I take?” My expectation was that she would provide directions.
That’s not what she meant when she said she would show me.
She was literally going to show me the way—she wanted me to follow her vehicle as she led me back to the hotel!
She had worked a long day and would have to drive out of her way, so I protested. She wasn’t having any of it. She wanted to make sure I arrived safely at my destination.
Her generosity and willingness to go above and beyond overwhelmed me.
Her smile and warm words when I thanked her out front of my hotel let me know that she had enjoyed helping me and didn’t see it as a burden in the slightest.
That act happened over a week ago, and it still makes me smile every time I think of it.
Smiling again at the memory prompted me to wonder if I’ve done things for others that still make them smile. I hope so and plan to make sure I perform more of those acts going forward.
Research from BlessingWhite notes that only 31% of the worldwide workforce is engaged and that nearly 17% are actually disengaged and are working against their company. Yikes. Those stats make going above and beyond even more important for leaders.
3 ways for leaders to go above and beyond
1) Care about your employees, colleagues, etc. and be fearless in showing it.
A Catalyst study found, “Employees who perceived altruistic behavior from their managers also reported being more innovative, suggesting new product ideas and ways of doing work better. Moreover, they were more likely to report engaging in team citizenship behavior, going beyond the call of duty, picking up the slack for an absent colleague–all indirect effects of feeling more included in their workgroups.”
2) Model the values and behaviors you want to see practiced.
Sometimes doing what’s right isn’t expedient. Effective leaders recognize this reality and don’t permit it being a barrier. Getting things right requires an investment in time. By taking the time to literally show me the way around traffic, this woman modelled a number of impressive leadership behaviors: commitment, kindness, building relationships, civility, and initiative. Throughout the workshops that day, she had spoken about how important results and relationships were to her. Her deeds that night were in complete alignment with her words.
3) Teach and coach with an eye on building capability and compassion.
Another individual, who was present when I made my directions request, suggested dropping my hotel address into Google maps and asking it to avoid highways. That method would have worked, too; but I wouldn’t have been privy to such a marvelous example of teaching. A couple of driving shortcuts known to locals were involved in bypassing the traffic congestion. Might my GPS have taken me on that path? Perhaps. But this woman’s dedication prompted me to re-assess what I do every day. My GPS wouldn’t have done that. Invaluable!
I was there that week to educate and inspire, and I’m grateful for the serendipitous opportunity to learn and be inspired myself. What a good week!
How about you?
How have you gone above and beyond?
Have you been inspired by someone else who went above and beyond?
What are you teaching your employees about going above and beyond?
Image credit before quote: Pixabay
by Jane Perdue | Book Review
I love it when something challenges us to reconsider entrenched paradigms, and that’s just what Karen and Henry Kimsey-House do in their new book, Co-Active Leadership: Five Ways to Lead. This short, pithy gem gives us five dimensions of choice, opportunity, and possibility for creating a 360 degree model of leadership support for leading ourselves as well as others.
Sticking with the theme of 5 ways, there are five reasons why this book resonates with me.
5 Ways Karen and Henry Advise Us to Co-lead
1) Challenge our paradigms.
All too often, when we think about leadership, we picture only the top guy. This book debunks that view, noting that leadership isn’t the exclusive purview of the fellow whose name fills the top box of the organizational chart. Everyone can be a leader—no job title required, and do it in a multiplicity of ways…five in fact! Everyone can lead from within, out front, from behind, from beside, and in the field.
“…everyone has within them the capacity to lead and any organization or community is most dynamic, most alive, and most productive when there is a commitment to leadership at every level.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
2) Advocates for a “yes, and” orientation to assure hearts, minds, and creativity stay open, not closed off by a surplus of either/or thinking.
“The more we are able to engage in enthusiastic disagreement with each other, the more we will be able to uncover the best in ourselves and each other.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
3) Discourages the rugged warrior independence associated with being THE ONE who has all the answers. In a highly connected and complex world, it’s connections and partnerships that serve as currency for getting things done…together.
“We are most effective when we are able to lean in fully to the resource of the other people in our lives.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
4) Places leaders and followers on the same level, since one role cannot exist without the other and context requires us to shift roles.
“…powerlessness is a two-way collusion; and ‘going along to get along’ come at a very high price and only keep the power imbalance in place.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
5) Encourages generous use of David Whyte’s concept of courageous conversations.
“The best conversations make clear distinctions between what has gone before and what is now possible. They give the sense that we are part of something that is enlarging us or our organization rather than confining us.” ~Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
Which of the 5 ways of leading—from within, out front, from behind, from beside, and in the field—resonate with you? Which of the five reasons for reading strike a cord with you?
Enjoy!
Image credit: Book authors, Karen and Henry Kimsey-House
by Jane Perdue | Inspiration
Who knew?!
I was delighted to discover the Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation that were “copied down” by George Washington as he worked as a young boy to improve his penmanship.
The list of rules is long, 110 of them in all (lots of penmanship copying practice). However, much of their content is incredibly apt today, nearly 300 years later.
How so?
The rules encourage us to think more about other people and less about ourselves—more “we” and less “me.”
Research says that George’s list was inspired by rules put together by French Jesuits in 1595. Many of the rules address civility and decent behavior and…
…reflect a focus that is increasingly difficult to find. The rules have in common a focus on other people rather than the narrow focus of our own self-interests that we find so prevalent today. Fussy or not, they represent more than just manners.
They are the small sacrifices that we should all be willing to make for the good of all and the sake of living together. These rules proclaim our respect for others and in turn give us the gift of self-respect and heightened self-esteem.
~Foundation’s Magazine
As an advocate for kindness and civility in the workplace (and everywhere), I was both inspired (good reminders that are timeless) and dismayed (will things ever change???) by George’s list.
Take a look:
George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior
- Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.
- Strive not with your superior in argument; always submit your argument with modesty.
- Mock not nor jest anything of importance; and if you deliver anything witty and pleasantly, abstain from laughing at yourself.
- Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any.
- Think before you speak, pronounce not imperfectly, nor bring your words too hastily, but orderly and distinctly.
- When another speaks, be attentive yourself and disturb not the audience. If any hesitate in his words, help him not nor prompt him; interrupt him not, nor answer him till his speech has ended.
- Always submit your judgment to others with modesty.
- Whisper not in the company of others.
- Undertake not what you cannot perform and be careful to keep your promise.
- Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.
- In disputes, be not so desirous to overcome as not to give liberty to each one to deliver his opinion.
- Give not advice without being asked and when desired do it briefly.
- Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest scoff at none although they give occasion.
You can find the whole list here.
Your take?
Image source before quote: morgueFile.com
