The Boy in the Dress - Creating Organizational Strength from Diversity
“Look at that boy wearing a dress…. %^&$# Arabs! Bring a bomb to school day.”
This comment was launched casually by a parent to another parent sitting in a car across from my school last spring as students made their way home following dismissal. As a large diverse elementary school in a large diverse city, we are seldom exposed to comments like this directly. We like to think of things like this happening in other places, in other countries, on TV, or on social media.
Diversity creates challenges, real and perceived, within our organizations and our every day lives. These challenges are continuously shared, misunderstood, projected, capitalized on and politicized throughout the mainstream and social media. Are their opportunities hidden within this steady stream of negativity?
Before you attempt to answer this question it may be worth your while to explore the concept of “unconscious bias”. Our brains are wired to take shortcuts. It helps us process, sort and understand the infinite number of things that we are continuously exposed to. This quick video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiTz2i4VHFw
from Mitchell Moffit (@michellmoffit) and Gregory Brown (@whalewatchmeplz) at AsapScience does an excellent job illustrating how our trusted brains can often deceive us without us even knowing.
Understanding first where unconscious bias exists within your organization, (because it does) and second, creating a plan to mitigate any impacts it may have are necessary first steps in understanding how diversity can become strength.
The challenges of diversity often result from the fact that how we are different is always more apparent than how we are alike. When you dig deeper, however, how we are alike is more important. A keystone can be describes as “something on which associated things depend.” By unlocking your Organizational Keystones, you can begin to understand the potential opportunities presented by your organization diversity.
The Who
Exactly how much diversity do you have within your organization? Who are your people? Where are they from and what are their experiences? Seek out and create opportunities to get to know each other better. This can take the form of a fireside chat or other informal discussions. It is important for you as a leader to have an opportunity to know each staff member on an individual basis beyond their role within the organization. It is equally important for staff members to have these opportunities with each other. Building a context of “who we are” will create a great foundation for meeting challenges and maximizing opportunities in the future.
Ninja Skills
Most people within your organization have something that they are good, or even great, at that you do not know about. If you want to broaden how people see each other and what they are capable of, create opportunities for people to share their special talents. Within your organization you likely have a master chef, a martial artist, a juggler, a musician, a master knot tier, a photographer, someone who speaks Spanish, or even someone who can burp the alphabet. Carve out some time during your professional development for them to share their gifts. We often see people only in the role that they are assigned and nothing more. Unleash your Ninja’s and broaden the scope and understanding of how your team members see each other.
Change the Context
We see this strategy with students all the time. The disengaged and less productive student becomes the expert leading the group on an off-site adventure. It is the same with adults. When you change the context, you change how people interact. When people interact outside of the established group norms and roles, beyond just team building, you can create a deeper understanding of who your colleagues are as individuals and what you might be capable of achieving as a team.
Cross Pollinate
Tom Rath and Barrie Conchie, “Strengths Based Leadership” (Gallup, 2008) said “People need not be diverse, but teams must be.” Our organizations are often structured to keep people with similar roles and backgrounds together. From this we most often gain productivity and efficiencies. If left unchecked, however, they will also create silos within an organization that impede progress. By creating groups and that access talent from multiple areas and departments, you will tap into your organizational intelligence. If you align these groups with some meaningful work you should start to see increased levels of creativity, communication and innovation. These diverse teams will have a broader understanding of organizational dynamics and position themselves to better respond to challenges and obstacles as they arise.
Create Opportunities to Lead
Move away from the “talking head”. Believe it or not, people will get tired of the sound of your voice. You have talented people that are passionate about their work. Find or create opportunities for them to demonstrate their knowledge, talents and how they can contribute to the forward motion of your organization. When your followers hear aligned messages from multiple sources, including colleagues that they respect, the chances of them engaging and contributing increase significantly. If the group your are leading is diverse and the challenges you are facing are complex, you will need multiple types of leaders who can tap into multiple types of followers. They just need the opportunity.
Civil Rights and Peace activist William Sloane Coffin Jr. said, “Diversity may be the hardest thing for society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for society to be without.” When diversity is viewed as an obstacle, the challenges that come with it are amplified. When diversity is viewed as an opportunity for you, for your teams and for your organization, it can create opportunities or even advantages.