Dear CE Bros: #YourEmployeesLivesMatter

Dear CE Bros: #YourEmployeesLivesMatter
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-Jim Whitehurst, President of RedHat

The class of 2017 is graduating and making their way to Silicon Valley to start careers. Countless other young adults are starting summer internships.

You have publicly stated that you are committed to diversity at your company, and hired a Director of Diversity and Inclusion, who is hard at work removing unconscious bias from recruiting, hiring, and promotion practices.

She has succeeded in attracting some great young underrepresented talent to join your organization. This talent has finessed through the worsening racial wealth gap to make it to your company.

But the Director of Diversity and Inclusion’s ability to change the hearts and minds of the people who currently work at your company is limited, because they don’t report to her.

They report to you. And while they don’t always seem to listen to what you say, they watch you, and each other, to learn how to succeed in the culture you have created.

The few women and people of color you hire don’t stay around very long, a $16 Billion a year problem for the tech industry alone.

And when you read their stories, you understand why.

In less than three decades, the United States will be a majority people of color society. 44% of Millennials are people of color, 47% of Generation Z are people of color, and with each subsequent generation, America becomes more racially and ethnically diverse.

For your company to be relevant and innovative, you realize you need ideas from all viewpoints.

But you personally have very limited experience working across racial and ethnic differences as equals- and neither do almost all of the other senior leaders at your company.

CE Bros- you can do something about this.

You can make sure the young employees starting at your company this summer have a different experience that makes them want to stay and grow with your company.

You could send an all-staff email like this one:

Hi everybody,

It has come to my attention that there are many people who work here who have fairly limited experience interacting with people of color, including me. And some of the interracial interactions here have left people of color feeling badly.

It is very important to me personally and to the success of our company that this be a culture where everyone belongs. Diversity drives innovation and market responsiveness. When people don’t feel like they belong, they cannot do their best work.

What the social science research tells us is that interracial interactions are often awkward because we have divergent goals:

White people want to be liked, feel self-conscious, aren’t self-aware of racial advantages, act on stereotypes, want affirmation of not being racist, sometimes mistake microaggressions for compliments, and act too casual.

People of color want respect, to be seen as individuals, have no desire to affirm white people aren’t racist, and feel offended by white people’s casualness and microaggressions.

With that in mind, try the following approach to convey respect in interracial interactions:

  • Be authentic.
  • Understand the context.
  • Err on the side of formality.
  • Convey respect with eye contact, choice of words, and tone.
  • Listen more, talk less.

If someone brings to your attention that they felt disrespected, respond this way:

  • Own it.
  • Don’t make it about you.
  • Apologize.
  • Reflect.
  • Try not to repeat.
  • Work on overcoming bias.

We are all learners here- most of all me. And these conversations can be super uncomfortable so we delay having them until we feel ready.

But the truth is, we’re never going to feel ready, and meanwhile, we are causing real harm.

We need to start talking — and actually changing- now.

To that end, we are going to offer racial equity training that will be mandatory for all. And we’re going to talk about race at our team meetings. And we’re going to get better at having authentic, kind interactions with each other. And people who don’t get better at this skill will be held accountable.

In the meantime, these are commitments I am making and I suggest you emulate:

  • Be willing to accept advice and feedback.
  • Know that hubris and confidence are not determinants in leadership ability.
  • Give everyone not just a seat at the table, but a chance to put their ideas to work.
  • Realize that success isn’t one size fits all. Embrace various thinking styles, ideas, collaboration techniques and participation.
  • Make people of color feel valued for their personal opinions, don’t make them feel like they have to be a spokesperson for their entire race. Treat them as individuals. (Source: Latosha Adams)

Thank you, I look forward to going on this journey with you! I especially want to hear from people of color about what we can all do to make this workplace a culture where everybody thrives.

Sincerely,

CEBro

Ready to address the racial issues at your workplace? Contact me here.

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