Empowering Partners
The Great Attrition or The Great Appreciation?

The Great Attrition or The Great Appreciation?

by | Dec 27, 2022 |

“It wasn’t an easy decision to leave,” said Diana, a manager who’d been a client of mine. We met for coffee, and she explained what happened. Diana said, “I avoided looking for another job for months. My husband and I have two children to support, and we were anxious about dropping down to just one salary.”

I asked Diana, “What finally prompted you to leave?”

Diana: “While I was on vacation with my family at Disney World, my boss called with a question. I just stood there dumbfounded. It was midday. My husband, our kids and I were there in the middle of the park, and she fully expected me to give her an informed response on the spot.”

Amy: “That’s rough. What was it like in your job day-to-day?”

Diana: “I’d been working 50-60 hours a week and, despite all my effort, my boss made me feel invisible. And to make things worse, when I made an error, she would throw me under the bus by documenting the mistake in an email to the executive team.”

Amy: “The finger-pointing must have been heartbreaking!”

Diana: “It was. Also, sometimes I’d be up until 10 or 11 PM on the phone working with my boss. The next morning, she would call and ask about why something wasn’t done yet, even when she knew full well that all I’d had time for was to go to sleep and get the kids off to school the next day.

Amy: “That sounds exhausting.”

Diana: “It was! But the most discouraging part was her lack of clear expectations. I never knew how to make her happy. Her expectations were always changing. What was unbelievable was, she couldn’t tell me what her expectations were even when we met with the VP of HR!

Amy: “Sounds like her expectations were a moving-target. That’s got to be tough!” (Diana nodded.)

What’s happening in industry

Clearly, Diana was poised to be part of the “Great Attrition.” Across industries, employers are being forced to “ride the wave” of the Great Attrition. How do we stem the tide and stabilize retention? McKinsey estimates that up to 40% of workers in the US are ready to leave their jobs, in part because increasing opportunities after the pandemic leave fewer reasons to tolerate abusive managers.(1)

But “rather than take the time to investigate the true causes of attrition, many companies are jumping to well-intentioned quick fixes that fall flat: for example, they’re bumping up pay or financial perks, like offering ‘thank you’ bonuses without making any effort to strengthen the relational ties people have with their colleagues and their employers.”(2) This leaves an employee feeling their work is strictly a transactional relationship rather than one of personal and professional growth that includes appreciation and a sense of belonging.

What’s needed

To create that culture of appreciation and belonging so employees stick around, leaders need cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence is what enables a leader to show compassion for another within their context. This allows a leader to speak and act in ways that show genuine respect, so their employees feel valued, heard, seen and engaged. When a boss uses their cultural intelligence, they create the environment for human connection we all long for, effective relationships we need to be our authentic and productive selves and a work environment where employees thrive.

What happened

A few months prior to our coffee, Diana and I had met for her Executive Coaching session. During that meeting, she was struggling with the boss she described above but wasn’t yet ready to leave. She needed time.

Then, after some time, Diana emailed me, “Dr. Amy, I quit my company. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made for my career. I wanted to reach out to say, ‘Thank you!’” I love my new boss!”

I emailed her right back, “That’s awesome news! I’d love to learn how you landed where you are and all about your new boss. She sounds terrific! In fact, I’m writing a blog about how to upend attrition. Would you like to share what’s different now, so employers can learn from your experience?” That’s when Diana and I set up our coffee. After we sat down and got caught up, I asked…

Amy: “Can you tell me what’s different? What’s your new boss like?”

Diana: “Her leadership is awesome; I’d love to brag about her!”

Amy: “Tell me!

Diana: “With my new boss, I get public praise. For example, when emails go out to the corporate attorney to check our work, my boss gives me credit for a job well done. She talks me up to her own boss. He circles back to me and lets me know she’s been singing my praises.

“Another thing I love is that we meet 1:1 every other week to follow up on projects. And when I’m talking, she gives me her full attention; it’s like I’m the only person in the world in that moment! Her questions and tone encourage me to share. She asks questions like:

  • “Where are you on this project?
  • “What do you see as the next step?
  • “How can I assist you?

“I appreciate how she speaks with me in a collaborative tone, communicating that my ideas are valued and wise. This way, she knows where I am in the project, and I know what she needs and by when. It’s such a relief to know her expectations!”

Amy: “Sounds like you feel seen and valued.” (Diana nodded.) “What does she say and do that makes you feel appreciated?”

Diana: “She’s unapologetic about how she cares for her direct-reports.”

Amy: “Would you help me understand what ‘unapologetic’ means and looks like for you?”

Diana: “For me, it means she lives, loves and works boldly. She’s a person who understands their God-given breath is the only permission that they need to be (intentional sentence ending). When one has a sense of value, humanity and a degree of peacefulness, my spirit and mind want to follow them. There is a calming energy because they are typically calm in spirit and the loving energy cannot be ignored. (I nodded.) She uses words like:

  • “Thank you for waiting for me!
  • “Diana, I’m so happy to see you!
  • “How are you feeling about that last meeting?”

Amy: “I’d love to know what she does that’s supportive.”

Diana: “She’s so supportive! She…

  1. “Truly listens to understand me and my perspective. Then rephrases my statements to ensure she got the message.
  2. “Gives me her complete and undivided attention. Treats me as an equally collaborating party by asking questions and incorporating my input into her own work and then gives me credit.
  3. “Treats me as a trusted colleague and takes into account my family obligations and time off. It’s monumental!”

Diana’s boss is an effective and compassionate leader. Creating bonds with employees breaks down communication gaps, encourages equitable opportunities and helps employees feel connected with the company. Not only does a trusted boss, mentor or advisor help ensure an employee feels valued and seen in their workplace, 90% of workers who have a trusted mentor report being happy in their job.(2)

Conclusion

Diana told me, “Thank you for listening, for being empathetic, for reminding me that my feelings are valid. Because of our coaching sessions, I was able to sort through my feelings and thoughts and figure out next steps. Thank you for giving me space and for reminding me of my worth. This new job is a godsend.”

Diana had the courage and vulnerability to share her concerns, reflect on her needs and consider next steps she could take. To care about her job, colleagues, clients and family, Diana needed to first care for herself. Executive coaching based on cultural intelligence provides the time, space and compassion an effective leader needs for reflection, self-care and appreciation so they can be their most efficient, productive, authentic and innovative self at work. -Amy S. Narishkin, PhD

Who does this blog make you think of? Perhaps you’d like to thank them for their compassionate leadership. Please share this link with them.

References

  1. De Smet, A., Dowling, B., Mugayar-Baldocchi, M., & Schaninger, B. (Sept 8, 2021) McKinsey & Co: ‘Great Attrition’ or ‘Great Attraction’? The choice is yours. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/great-attrition-or-great-attraction-the-choice-is-yours?cid=other-eml-shl-mip-mck&hlkid=4831f94ebbd94401b14b42a6d1ea74a0&hctky=1926&hdpid=85b740df-f5bc-479a-aa9a-d57a7c0a6e1e
  2. Wronski, L (July 16, 2019) CNBC: Nine in 10 workers who have a career mentor say they are happy in their jobs. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/16/nine-in-10-workers-who-have-a-mentor-say-they-are-happy-in-their-jobs.html
  3. Manian, D. and Wagstaff, E. (Nov 21, 2022) Quartz: The next big perk for Gen Z isn’t in the office: it’s belonging. https://qz.com/the-next-big-perk-for-gen-z-isn-t-in-the-office-it-s-b-1849806240
  4. Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

by | Oct 31, 2022 |

Jessica (not her real name) is an African American woman who called to ask me whether or not she should take a job. She said, “Dr. Amy, I’m calling to ask you, because every time we’ve talked, you get me.” Jessica has worked in the construction industry her whole career. She explained that she has been a project manager (PM) for the last four years. Though she has successfully managed 10 jobs, the most recent one didn’t go as well. She was downgraded to assistant PM on the current job. Jessica told me they didn’t cut her pay, but she really likes a leadership role. She said, “I like helping people out and having their back.”

At a crossroads

Jessica: “I’m at a crossroads in my life. Two of my three boys are grown and have left the house and the last one will graduate from high school in two years. My husband, who is a white man, has been encouraging me to move on and says I’m capable of so much more.”

Amy: “It doesn’t sound like you disagree with him that you are capable of more. Yet, your husband may not understand what it’s like for you as a Black woman out there in the field.”

Jessica: “That’s it. He doesn’t know what I have to deal with each day to get people to listen to me, to really hear me.” She went on to say, “This is why I’m calling you. Another organization has reached out to me to head up their procurement department. In that position, I’d have several departments reporting to me. It’s the leadership I hoped for and it’s in line with what my husband was wanting for me, but I just don’t know if it’s right for me.” At this point, she said, “I don’t think I even know who I am and what I want.”

Amy: “I get it; it’s tough when you’re unsure about next steps.

Jessica: “It is tough.”

Amy: “There’s also the fact that brains don’t like change. Change means a brain has to think and be on its toes. That means work. Brains don’t especially like work. So, to keep you safe, your brain says, ‘Run, hide, don’t go there.’”

Since Jessica had been a participant in my Workshop Series on how to diversify an organization, I used that context to relate to her experience. I said, “This is why diversifying an organization can be so tough, initially. Brains don’t typically like change. Few people want to go through the awkwardness it takes to get to know new people, especially people who think, look and act differently.”

How brains work

It’s helpful to know that when a brain comes across new information, people or situations, within nanoseconds it makes snap decisions without our permission. Brains have a lot going on and hard work equals pain. So, when it comes across something new, the steps go something like this…

  1. The brain checks: What do I already believe?
  2. Ideas that don’t fit within its experience, requires it to think; that’s not efficient.
  3. If it’s easy and efficient, the brain accepts the new thing;
  4. But if it’s hard and painful, the brain rejects the information, people or situation.

However, if we slow down and get more information, we can glean what we need to know.

Back to the story

Jessica: “That’s exactly right. The job sounds intriguing to me but the change sounds scary. I don’t know what I’m getting into and am tempted to reject the opportunity.

Amy: “Right, change is scary. And you have the added burden of not knowing how they’ll respond to you as a Black woman.”

Jessica: “Exactly.

Amy: “I don’t blame you for being hesitant. It sounds like you do know. It may just be that, as a Black woman, you have not gotten much affirmation for your experience and feelings during your life time, which is pretty common for people of under-represented groups.”

Jessica: “That’s so true. It’s like there’s a double standard out there. Not too long ago, my boss told me I needed to watch my tone. So I calmly said to him, ‘Really? Do you know how frustrating it is that I can’t sound angry or impatient without you telling me to watch my tone when you get to show your anger and slam your fist down on your desk?’ I’m a passionate woman, Amy, I need to be able to show my anger sometimes, like he does.”

Amy: “Yes you do. What did your boss say when you pointed out that contradiction?”

Jessica: “He said he didn’t realize he’d done that. He apologized.”

Amy: “You know, your story has gotten me thinking. A characteristic of dominant U.S. culture is to avoid conflict. As a result, dominant-culture people can be scared of people showing their anger, particularly people of under-represented groups. I’m guessing this is because we’re afraid someone or the situation will get out of control and we won’t know how to respond.

“But your story is compelling,” I told her. “What if you shared that story during your interview? I would just add what you said to me—you’re passionate about your work. And, because you’re from African American culture, you aren’t as inclined to avoid conflict.” You can tell your potential employer that, like everyone else, there will be times you’ll show your anger, but you won’t fly off the handle. How does that land with you?”

Jessica: “I like the idea of making my point using a story!”

More information is needed

Amy: “Jessica, you’re in a solid position, here; you can go either way. You don’t need a job and, at the same time, you seem ready for a change. So often, when we don’t know what to do it’s because we don’t have enough information. Because you don’t need the job and yet would like to learn what you’re capable of, maybe what you really need is more information.

“With that context, you can approach this next round as both interviewee and interviewer – make it more an information interview than a job interview, which can be a lot less stressful.” Here’s how I explained that to Jessica and the other workshop participants:

As interviewee: Share a story that illustrates who you are and how you’ll respond to different situations, then offer a take-away about your culture. You’re not speaking for all people of your culture, you’re simple stating a fact about the culture in general.

Because you’ve shared your personal stories, you’re being genuine. When you’ve been genuine, it encourages the person you’re talking with to respond in kind. So then…

As interviewer: Ask the interviewer, “What has it been like here for you? Would you mind telling me what about me makes it seem like I would be a good fit?”

You’ll also want to ask how women – women of color and others from under-represented groups – are cared for in the company. You can ask if and how mentoring, career-mapping and regular reviews are done.”

Jessica: “That’s true, I can tell them about me and learn about them. I like the idea of going through the interview process and getting more information before I decide. Thank you. This has been super helpful.”

Amy: “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to hear what you eventually learn or decide to do.”

Jessica: “Absolutely.”

Conclusion

Cultural intelligence is what enables us to show compassion for ourselves and others within our unique contexts. To realize our own needs and learn more about another context, we need to slow down and shift from being a knower to a learner. Jessica thought she simply needed to know whether she should stay or leave her job but instead discovered she needed to recognize how valuable she is and learn more about the other organization. Adopting a posture of learner, she’ll be able to show compassion for herself and embrace the process.

The next time I spoke with Jessica, she’d had her second interview and had been invited to a third. She was still learning and gleaning the information she needed. This time when we spoke, though, she was confident she’d know what to do in time.

Side note: This is so often the case. When we surrender to the process of learning and gathering all we need to know, an answer to our question becomes obvious. We almost can’t imagine that, before, we didn’t know whether to stay or go.    -Amy Narishkin, PhD

Photo credit: by Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash

If you are the Hiring Manager or Talent Acquisition Specialist, here’s the blog for you: A Hire Power: How to Really Get to Know a Candidate

Feeling Invisible?

Feeling Invisible?

by | Sep 29, 2022 |

Story

After teaching a breakout session at the annual conference of the National Association of Women in Construction, a Latina American woman emailed me a question. Elena (not her real name) said, “It was such a pleasure meeting you at the conference and attending both of your workshops. I was fascinated by the topic and appreciate your wisdom. I walked out of our workshops with a much deeper understanding of how people can inadvertently and intentionally minimize others, making them feel invisible. I realized I make that mistake too and want to become more aware of how I’m coming across to others. It’s made me hungry to increase my cultural intelligence.”

Context

In the workshop, I had explained that cultural intelligence (CI) is what enables a person to accept another’s perspective and choose words and actions that show genuine respect. According to the Intercultural Development Inventory®, there are five stages, or core mindsets of cultural intelligence: Denial, Polarization, Minimization, Acceptance and Adaptation.(1) The IDI® is an online inventory that assesses an individual or group’s level of cultural intelligence, their level of ability to talk and work with people who are different. Fully 66.8% of the population around the world are found to be in the mindset of Minimization which is why Elena easily recognizes it happening.

Back to the story

Elena continued, “Now that I have an understanding of what’s happening, I recognize how much it hurts when someone minimizes me. For example, in a meeting I was in, a woman said, ‘We just need to get over worrying about foreign-born nationals.’ I’m an immigrant; that statement hurt, a lot. So my question is … how do I stop myself from getting immediately offended when a person says something like that? It’s especially hurtful when a white person says it.”

Context

Being minimized or made to feel invisible often feels like a hollow ache or even a kick in the gut – and sometimes both. It hurts every one of us.

While it hurts us all, it’s important for whites (and people who identify with the dominant culture of any organization) to know that, after years of living in a society with systemic minimization, people of color, women and those who are differently-abled may hesitate to speak up. They hesitate to speak up for fear of retaliation, misrepresentation, social isolation or job loss. When you’re from a historically marginalized group, these are real risks even when asked to speak up by a boss. Because there are no guarantees, minimizing remarks like the one Elena heard from a white woman, are especially deflating.

Back to our conversation

I said to Elena, “There’s nothing more maddening when someone says we ‘just need to get over it.’ Like we talked about in the workshop, cultural intelligence starts within, with compassion for yourself. You actually can’t feel for another until you feel for yourself. So, when someone makes an alienating remark like that woman’s, your power lies in feeling your feeling and getting contemplative,” I told her.

“When you feel anger, slow down, take a breath and…

  1. Acknowledge your emotion.
  2. Accept your heartbreak as part of your reality.
  3. Appreciate your courage.
  4. Act from a place of compassion.

Context

These are four steps I taught Elena…

  1. Acknowledge your emotion and your history. Being made to feel invisible time and time again is wearing on a soul. It takes courage to acknowledge your feelings especially when you get so little affirmation in society. Acknowledging allows you to…
  2. Accept your heartbreak as part of your reality. You might ask, ‘What could that possibly accomplish?’ If we don’t accept both the heartbreak and beauty of our lives, resistance, self-protection and denial set in. That’s what cuts us off from experiencing our own and others’ humanity. That’s also what cuts us off from being our genuine selves and genuinely getting to know others. Acceptance is what allows you to…
  3. Appreciate your courage, the courage it takes to not react to ignorant remarks but instead respond, in your time and in your way. Take the time and space you need to soften your gaze and genuinely appreciate yourself, and the heartbreak and beauty of your own reality. Create space around that aggressive remark and wonder if it was made without forethought, out of ignorance of others’ experience. With greater understanding, your gaze softens, compassion grows and you see opportunities for collaboration and innovation that weren’t apparent before. Appreciation is what allows you to…
  4. Act from a place of compassion, which can take a minute, an hour or a week to find. Love is more of an action than it is a feeling.

Before you act, ask and answer for yourself two questions, in this order…

  1. “What do I need to care for me during this tender time?”
  2. “What is mine to do in this situation?”

Depending on the situation, your safety and your head and heart space, you could…

  1. Write an angry letter that you never send.
  2. Share your heartbreak with a trusted friend, colleague or mentor.
  3. Tell the person how their words (or actions) made you feel and see if they’re open to conversation.
  4. Point out to Human Resources alienating words people use and encourage training.
  5. Talk with your boss about how they want aggressive remarks handled.

As you acknowledge, accept, appreciate and act, you are breaking the cycle of people (including you!) feeling sidelined, silenced and invisible. You’re also upending systemic minimization.

Last bit of the story

I asked Elena, “Please email back to let me know how this information lands on you.”

Elena replied, “Thank you for this, Dr. Amy. I read it a few times and wanted to take a few days to let this information sink in before letting you know how this landed on me.

“I think what you are telling me makes great sense. I also know it is easier said than done. But I now have a roadmap to follow next time I come across ignorance that may offend me. Thank you again!”

Conclusion

As a white person practicing and teaching cultural intelligence, I have extra work to do – particularly with people from under-represented groups who are unaccustomed to being heard. It’s particularly important for me to create a space where they feel safety and trust. Each time I have a conversation with a person from a different background, I strive to use the four steps. It takes a bit of extra time, but it’s so worth the effort, because I get to talk and work with people I never would have had the privilege of knowing before. People like Elena!     –Amy Narishkin, PhD

Who do you know in your network who would like to learn more about how to be a compassionate leader? Please share this link with them.

References:

  1. Hammer, M. (2016) Intercultural Development Inventory Resource Guide. Olney, MD: IDI, LLC.
  2. Photo credit: Kasia on Unsplash – https://unsplash.com/photos/6PTtAvA6Chk
Mutual Respect Makes for Meaningful Conversation

Mutual Respect Makes for Meaningful Conversation

by | Aug 31, 2022 |

“What do I do about the sexist remarks our CEO made toward the marketing staff in our senior leadership meeting?” my client, Richard asked me. Richard (not his real name) explained that, after the marketing staff made their presentation to the leadership team, the CEO told them, “Well, this is just like when you need some remodeling or something done around the house. You turn it over to your wife and just let her do it. So you gals run along and take care of it.’”

Richard said, “I don’t want to be the ‘culture police’ but, now that I see through these lenses of cultural intelligence from what you’ve been teaching us, I couldn’t help but notice them cringe when he said that. I recognize the way they were treated is just wrong. Is there anything I can do?”

I told Richard I appreciated his heart. The fact that he saw what was happening and reached out to ask me how to handle it in a way that supported his colleagues without alienating his boss is the best kind of ally.

Then I asked, “I know one of your goals is to shift your leadership work from the mindset of Minimization to Acceptance. What might Acceptance, in this case, look and sound like?”

Cultural intelligence defined

Those are concepts of cultural intelligence, which enables a person to accept and appreciate both their own and another’s perspective and to choose words and actions that show genuine respect. There are five stages, or core mindsets, in a person’s development of cultural intelligence: Denial, Polarization, Minimization, Acceptance and Adaptation. The Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®), an online inventory that assesses an individual or group’s level of cultural intelligence, their level of ability to talk with people who are different. Fully 66.8% of the population around the world are found to be in the mindset of Minimization. As a result, when a person realizes there’s a next stage of development and possibility for genuine connection, they ask questions like Richard’s.

Shift from minimization to acceptance

Richard said, “Acceptance is not about minimizing people but embracing them and their humanity.”

I said, “That’s it! Acceptance is about recognizing our own and each other’s humanity, which includes all our messy and beautiful parts all in there together. When we can give ourselves grace, even when we feel like a mess too, we can extend that mercy to others.” I asked him, “What might that sound like when you speak to your boss?”

Richard said, “I would remind him how many times I’ve expressed appreciation for this cultural intelligence training, how the team is now thinking more deeply about their work and its impact, as well as getting to know themselves and one another like never before. Then I’d tell him the training is also both a blessing and a curse because now I see with new eyes; I can see the impact of our words on others. So I have to point out how his words hurt the women in marketing.”

I said, “That’s awesome to start with your perspective and what you’ve been learning. That’s a culturally intelligent approach.” I asked Richard if he wanted a suggestion of how to adapt his words to demonstrate the acceptance he wants to show. He did.

I suggested, “Instead of calling him out, invite him into the work. When you call a person out, they feel blame and shame, which inadvertently puts you above them. What if you adopt a posture of learning along with your CEO? It’s a way to communicate a mutual respect that you’re learning together. He’ll likely be able to hear you better.

“You could say, ‘Peter, with these new CI lenses, it broke my heart to see the women in marketing cringe when we called them gals and inadvertently diminished their contribution when we told them to run along. Now I see we can do better by them. Can you help me think about what we might say so they feel valued and seen next time they present to our team?’”

Richard said, “I like that! Now I’m not making myself the culture police but coming alongside and learning with him.”

Conclusion

Richard told me he felt ready to talk with the CEO because his head and heart had shifted from being a knower to a learner. He was glad he had slowed down and taken the time to talk it out with me so that he didn’t rush in, try to correct his boss and potentially alienate him.

When a person makes an ignorant statement, leaders discover they’re increasingly more effective when they seek to develop a shared understanding based on mutual respect with that person. Genuine human connection, not correction, allows us to experience more of our own and others’ humanity, which increases engagement, collaboration and innovation for everyone in the organization.  -Amy Narishkin, PhD

Who do you know in your network that would like to learn more about how to be a compassionate leader? Please share this link with them.

References:

  1. Hammer, M. (2016) Intercultural Development Inventory Resource Guide. Olney, MD: IDI, LLC.
  2. Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/KYjxhEPk4l8
Resistance to Acceptance: How to Affirm Another’s Identity

Resistance to Acceptance: How to Affirm Another’s Identity

by | May 30, 2022 |

A decade ago, I definitely felt resistance – I didn’t want to have the conversation at all, at least not initially. Knowing my work, teaching and practicing cultural intelligence, a woman invited me to breakfast. She was a transgender woman who wanted to share her story with me, and I didn’t feel quite ready [qualified?] to be supportive in the gender identity part of cultural intelligence. But, like all other intelligences, cultural intelligence is not something you have; it’s something you grow.

I could see this was a growth opportunity for me. I wanted it also to be an opportunity for this woman to feel valued and heard.

While I was well-practiced at withholding my judgment and talking with people who are different from me because of race, gender, orientation, religion, generation and disability, talking with a transgender person was new. Because I felt this conversation would be out of my depth, I knew I’d really need to lean on my cultural intelligence skills as well as my heart. Talking about gender identity was not something my generation did. I come from an era where standard practice is to “shove it under the rug” or “suck it up.”

That approach wasn’t going to work if she was going to feel valued and heard. I saw quickly that this experience would take every element of cultural intelligence that I had been developing:

  1. Curiosity
  2. Contemplation
  3. Courage
  4. Context
  5. Compassion

When I’m in unfamiliar territory, I’m inclined to lean in and learn more. I was curious about her experience but I was afraid I was going to screw up and cause more harm than good. That fear was the source of my initial resistance to having conversation.

Resistance

Resistance is contraction, a withdrawal from a person or situation. To keep ourselves safe, particularly when we come across something new and different, the human tendency is to fight, resist and run away from reality. The fight/flight response is often due to the fact that we have incomplete or inaccurate information. I was pretty sure I had both!

Resistance is what divides us humans and keeps us apart. When I feel that resistance, as a safety measure, I check to see that I’m safe, emotionally and psychologically as well as physically. In this case, I was certainly safe, so I was ready to practice contemplation. Contemplation uses our head and heart to slow down, take a breath, withhold judgment and practice presence.

As my breathing slowed, so did my thoughts. I moved into listening less with a “judge-y” head and more with my heart. It was then that I noticed why I was so afraid; I realized for the first time that I relate to people based on their gender. Even though she was sure about her gender, I wasn’t so sure about her gender.

Surrender

So to move past resistance, I knew I needed to surrender. Did it matter that I wasn’t sure about her gender? Certainly not if this conversation was primarily about and for her.

With that perspective, I was able to find courage to surrender my opinion, my preconceived ideas and my conditioned thinking. “Surrender” is a word that can conjure up images of losing or giving up. But I wasn’t losing or giving up anything by listening to her story. Surrender is not giving up but rather giving to the moment, the event, the person and the situation.(1)

I was going to be there to give to her.

Acceptance

When I feel resistance and see an opportunity to surrender, it’s usually because I find some person, place, thing or situation is off-putting to me. (There was my bias showing up!) Her experience confirmed nothing I’d been conditioned to believe about men and women or how they should look or act. I knew I probably couldn’t completely move past my conditioning in time for this conversation, but my goal was to listen and value her experience rather than to “fix” either of us.

I knew I could listen with my heart and affirm her experience. The more I learned about her circumstances, her context, the more residual judgment eased off. Acceptance of ourselves and another, each in their own unique context, is a strange but strong and graceful kind of power.

When I surrendered my need for confirmation, control and power and accepted her as being exactly the way she was in the moment, I saw her humanity. I could hear the years of dysphoria she’d experienced and her deep desire to be her more authentic self. To feel peace, we need to concentrate less on what needs to be changed in the world and in others and more on what needs to be changed in ourselves.(1)

With acceptance in my heart and affirmation in my words, I felt compassion for this woman. I distinctly remember two poignant parts of her story that touched me. The first was that, to transition to being a woman, she was taking hormone therapy. She had been warned by the doctor that by taking estrogen, she would be at higher risk for breast cancer. I gently asked, “Do you feel it’s worth the risk?” She said, “Absolutely.” She wanted to embrace her womanhood that much!

The second was how her teenage and adult daughters responded with support. She’d hesitated to come out to them but once she did, they wholeheartedly embraced her transition process -helping her learn how to talk and dress.

At the time of our conversation, I wasn’t sure how I’d done affirming her experience and identity.  Did she feel valued and heard? I wondered. But then I saw her again about three weeks later, across the room at a networking event. I didn’t know if she’d recognize me or even want to talk with me. She caught my eye, and I got my answer. A few minutes later, she came up to me with a big smile, hugged me and asked to join the group of ladies I was talking with.

A few years later a young African American transgender man reached out to me on LinkedIn when he learned about the work I do. He wanted to support my work and share his story with me. This time I was ready. He and I ended up talking for two hours. Ever since he could remember, he didn’t understand why he had to sit on the ladies’ side of church and why his brothers got to wear the comfortable clothes. By the time I met him, he was in his late 20’s, had transitioned years earlier and was happily married to his wonderful wife (who stuck her head into our Zoom call to say, “Hi!”).

Resistance is endemic to minimization

How do leaders, who are developing their cultural intelligence, create an environment where everyone feels valued and heard, even across gender identity and orientation? That’s the question my clients, the executive leadership team of a hospital group were wondering, because people of the LBGTQIA+ community come to their hospitals for care. But before meaningful organizational change can take place, individual leaders and caregivers need to know how to be and what to do when talking and working with people who are different from themselves.

A full 67 percent of people who take the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) worldwide are right in the middle of the five stages of cultural intelligence, the stage called “Minimization.”(2) With more than two-thirds of the people in any organization minimizing their own and each other’s differentness, this perpetuates the marginalization of under-represented group members. And because minimizing our own and others’ experience is so normalized worldwide, we’re typically unaware that we’re doing this.

I asked one of the organization’s leaders, “Jenna, before you started developing your cultural intelligence and were inadvertently minimizing yourself and others, how did you handle conversations with people who are from under-represented groups in your hospital?

Jenna responded, “Before, I would have done nothing – not even had the conversation. If it hadn’t been for your training, I wouldn’t have spoken with anyone about it. Before, my assumption was that, because I don’t have a problem with transgender people, why bring it up? Why would I dive into all that awkwardness with questions that don’t really concern me?”

I said, “I get that because, when a person is in the stage of minimization, they don’t tend to think anyone’s experience is particularly different from their own. So it wouldn’t have even occurred to you to bring up the topic because, in that mindset, everyone thinks like you do.” Jenna nodded. “So what’s different now?” I asked.

Jenna said, “With cultural intelligence, I know not to assume I know how it is for other people. Now I know to slow down and wonder what it’s like for them. I’ve learned even if it’s initially awkward, I need to be willing to have the conversation, because people want to talk. People want to share their experience. People want to tell their story.”  -Amy Narishkin, PhD

Who do you know in your network that would like to learn more about how to be a compassionate leader? Please share this link with them.

References

  1. Rohr, R. (2021) Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps. Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media.
  2. Hammer, M. (2016) Intercultural Development Inventory Resource Guide. Olney, MD: IDI, LLC.
  3. Photo credit:  Cecilie Johnsen – https://unsplash.com/photos/G8CxFhKuPDU
The Five Keys to Unlocking Cultural Intelligence

The Five Keys to Unlocking Cultural Intelligence

by | Mar 30, 2022 |

“I feel ashamed I had to take a course to be able to slow down and have an intentional conversation with someone who felt so marginalized. Think about all of the other marginalized people and what we, as healthcare professionals, have missed!” said Jenna (not her real name) who is my client, an executive on the leadership team of a hospital group.

I asked Jenna, who is working on a nurse practitioner doctorate, if she’d tell me more about what happened. She explained, “This week, for my doctoral work, we were asked to interview a person who has experienced health disparity, social injustice and/or been marginalized. So, I reached out and was connected with a transgender gentleman.

“During the interview, I thought about the “Head, Heart & Hands” assignment you’d given us after the workshop on compassion. I was careful to lean in and listen with both my head and heart. I also thought about how I could activate the Hand part of the assignment – to take action to show solidarity with him. Because you taught us to listen actively, the 45 minutes with this incredible man will have an impact on me for the rest of my life.”

Head, heart and hands

Jenna described the experience this way.…

  • Heart: “My heart hurt for him hearing how difficult the journey to transition was for him – how he had to travel hours and across state lines for treatments that we are capable of delivering in our region. I can only imagine how he was treated by other healthcare professionals.
  • Head: “My head told me we can – have to – do better for people and their unique circumstances in our community.
  • Hands: “I used my hands to change my signature line to include my pronouns. I know that may seem small, but for me this was an important action I hadn’t taken before, acknowledging people and their identity.” She added, “My head, heart, and hands will continue to look for opportunities to educate myself and our nurses to be better here at our hospitals!”

Jenna recognized a key point in our cultural intelligence (CI) training. If people of dominant culture learn to see both sides but then “go along to get along” while allowing the people of under-represented groups to remain marginalized, that’s minimization in practice. A full 67 percent of people who take the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) worldwide are right in the middle of the five stages of cultural intelligence, the stage called “Minimization.”(1) What that means is, on average, more than two-thirds of the people in any organization minimize their own experience and that of others, perpetuating the marginalization of under-represented group members. And because minimizing our own and other’s experience is so normalized worldwide, we’re typically unaware that we’re doing this.

With minimization in play, leaders can be ignorant of the needs and assets of minority communities, which reinforces and perpetuates the status quo in their organization. The status quo is what keeps people of both dominant and non-dominant groups from being their genuine selves at work, stifling collaboration and innovation. It’s also what keeps and an organization from growing their company’s cultural relevance and appealing to a broader market.

But Jenna was able to upend the status quo and fully exercise her cultural intelligence, using her head, heart and hands not only to appreciate this man’s experience but also take initial steps toward meaningful action for herself and the hospital group.

Here’s a question though: If cultural intelligence requires our head, heart and hands, what exactly are we thinking, feeling and doing when we’re in a conversation like Jenna’s?

The five keys

You’ll notice five key elements of cultural intelligence are embedded in Jenna’s story. There is…

  1. Curiosity (in the head): the interest, intrigue and wonder about people, places and systems that are new and different. With her growth mindset, Jenna approached her interview assignment with curiosity. She genuinely wondered about the man and his experience within the hospital system. But curiosity alone wasn’t enough to express cultural intelligence. Though motivating for us, curiosity by itself (without any heart) can inadvertently make another person feel like an object of curiosity. The impact is tokenism and the effect is demoralizing. But Jenna didn’t only express curiosity. She slowed down and got reflective.
  2. Contemplation uses our head and heart to slow down, soften our gaze to practice presence. Contemplative presence is the embodied awareness of your mental, emotional and sensory experience. In contemplative awareness, Jenna prepared for her interview with intention. She looked the person up on LinkedIn to look for common ground, developed a series of respectful open-ended questions and decided her goal for the interview was to deeply listen and develop a shared understanding with the person. When she spoke with him, Jenna practiced presence; she was aware of her own deep sadness about how the system failed the man. But contemplation alone wasn’t enough to express cultural intelligence. Though able to make discoveries in the quiet of presence, she needed courage to pursue what she didn’t know. Because very often we don’t know what we don’t know about another person’s experience.
  3. Courage uses head and heart to understand another person, even though it may feel awkward, scary or hard. With courage, Jenna prepared for the interview. She told me, “I was sweating I was so nervous about talking with him. I didn’t know what I was going to find out.” Yet, even though she knew the conversation could both uncover cracks in the system and highlight her lack of knowledge, Jenna had the courage to go forward with it. When she slowed down and leaned into the potentially awkward and hard feelings, she discovered this conversation was a learning opportunity. She wondered what it had to teach her. Jenna heard the man’s unique story, in his particular context.
  4. Context is using our head to learn the unique circumstances, history and cultural container within which we live, work and play. When we deeply listen to a person who has been marginalized, we come to know their context. Listening to his unique story Jenna learned the impact of this man’s feelings of isolation and alienation. Jenna has seen an increase in trans adolescents who were admitted to the hospital for suicidal ideation. The man told her that, in the last four years, he knew three transgender adults who had committed suicide because they’d felt such gender dysphoria and were isolated by family and society.
  5. Compassion is using our head, heart and hands to hold our judgment a little more lightly, make room for the other’s perspective so we can empathize with them and take steps within our sphere of influence to ensure they feel valued and heard. Jenna was able to hold her judgment a little more lightly as she learned more of the man’s story. As she listened, her heart broke, and she took the initial action step of adding pronouns after her name. Then she began to wonder what action steps she could take so that she and her team could create intentional practices to ensure each patient and healthcare professional in the hospital system feels valued and heard.

So often in our western culture, we think we can think our way into just, compassionate practice. However, that’s not how diversity and inclusion work. Jenna needed all five key elements of her cultural intelligence to incorporate her head, heart and hands into her work.

As she continues to develop her cultural intelligence, Jenna’s actions will expand and embrace more and more people. With cultural intelligence, her sphere of influence will continue to grow. Next month I’ll share what leaders like Jenna can do with their cultural intelligence to affirm others’ humanity across gender identity and orientation. In the coming months, as Jenna and her leadership team learn to apply their cultural intelligence organizationally, I’ll share the effective practices they discover – practices that affirm employee and patients’ experience so no one feels sidelined or silenced. Jenna and her leadership team’s overall goal in developing their CI is continually striving to ensure everyone in their workplace community genuinely feels valued, heard and engaged. -Amy S. Narishkin, PhD

Who do you know in your network that would like to learn more about how to be a compassionate leader? Please share this link with them.

References

  1. Hammer, M. (2016) Intercultural Development Inventory Resource Guide. Olney, MD: IDI, LLC.
  2. Photo by Nerene Grobler on Unsplash
Cultural Intelligence Takes Head, Heart AND Hands

Cultural Intelligence Takes Head, Heart AND Hands

by | Feb 28, 2022 |

One of the executives on the leadership team I was training in cultural intelligence quietly mentioned his Native American background. He stayed on the call after the workshop to tell me about a museum he wanted me to visit. Over the weekend, I went to the museum with the hope of learning more about his Cherokee culture in particular and the lives of the people who’d lived in that part of North America for thousands of years.

As the leadership team was gathering for our next workshop, I told the group about what I’d discovered. I learned the museum holds one of the most comprehensive collections of Indigenous Peoples and Native American artifacts outside of Washington, DC. I shared my frustration at finding a lack of respect for the people, tribes and nations whose work and lives the objects represented. I explained that this privately held collection hadn’t kept up with the standards of today’s best museums, which present artifacts in the cultural context from which the objects originated. Instead, this museum presented the artifacts in its collection as coming from a dead culture, organized and labeled based on the collectors and archeologists who found them. How could this lack of recognition be possible in a museum this well-known?”

I also noticed there was little mention anywhere in the galleries of the white Europeans who had seized and settled the land for their own benefit. Not until one of the last exhibit halls I visited was there a video about the Trail of Tears, a federally mandated westward migration of peoples of five Native American nations from 1837 to 1839. In the video, the narrator mentioned how the American military was “at the time ill-equipped to support people on their journey west.” Because of the 1830 Indian Removal Act, more than 150,000 people died in this forced migration! The forced removal of people and families so that white Europeans could settle the land for their own profit was hardly just a ”journey west.”

When it was time to start our workshop, I stopped and took a deep breath and went over the agenda. I was still upset when we began our two-minute contemplative pause, a moment we took for gathering our thoughts and moving into presence with one another.

As I stood there in the quiet of our virtual room, I got out of my head and into my heart space. I became more present with myself and noticed the level of tension in my body and the anger in my gut. With my eyes closed, I leaned into the feeling and wondered what it had to teach me. When I paused and brought my attention to my heart space, I realized I hadn’t acknowledged all the perspectives involved.

Then came the sting of humiliation; I had only considered one point of view. Then, right in that moment of regret, I realized this was a perfect opportunity to practice what I promote.

I said to the group, “You know what? I can do better expressing my cultural intelligence. Would you allow me a do-over?” They graciously agreed. I explained how the contemplative moment gave me the space to notice and name my anger and then shift into appreciation for the fact that the museum was preserving a collection of objects for future generations. There was a good chance they had the best of intentions, and I hadn’t acknowledged that.

After the workshop (ironically) on how to express compassion, the Chief Diversity Officer told me that the most poignant moment in my teaching was when I asked for a do-over and explained my deeper appreciation and understanding for both perspectives. He said, “You showed us how cultural intelligence works; you had compassion for another’s perspective as well as your own and the courage to recognize out loud that you could come to appreciate both perspectives.”

More to learn

But I had more to learn. I shared this realization in an email with a Native American friend of mine who also practices cultural intelligence. She first acknowledged my growth in noticing the lack of cultural context at the museum. Then she invited me to look at yet another perspective.

If I leave it only at noticing and naming what I’d seen, I’ve only used my head and heart. She reminded of what I teach, that cultural intelligence takes our head, heart and hands. We can’t leave out the action piece. If we don’t seek change and take action, we’re perpetuating the cultural blindness, we seek to replace with cultural intelligence. I hadn’t seen it! Cultural blindness unintentionally minimizes difference, which has a disenfranchising effect on people who aren’t part of the dominant culture, group or community.

I slowed down and again leaned into that sting of humiliation and wondered what it had to teach me. I emailed her back and asked, “What did I miss?”

She told me it marginalizes native populations when those who are in positions of power see the need for change but don’t ask for it. After years of being belittled under our society’s systemic cultural blindness, people from under-represented groups don’t have the power to speak up for fear of retaliation, misrepresentation, social exclusion or job loss, even when they’re asked.

She pointed out that, if indigenous people had been given the chance and had equal access to funds, training and archeology degrees, they would have liked to recover their own ancestral items. We cry foul when we hear about Middle Eastern and Asian antiquities in the British Museum and say they should be returned to their source, but in the US we have no problem with private collectors keeping and displaying indigenous people’s cultural artifacts.

The difference with the National Museum of the American Indian in DC is that the artifacts are on loan from the tribal nations. The tribes participated in creating the museum and telling the stories and histories as well as being staff members of the museum.

She reminded me, “If people of dominant culture see both sides but then ‘go along to get along’ while allowing the native heritage to remain co-opted for whites, that’s minimization. If there’s no action, nothing changes and minorities do not have a seat at the table or the ability to live their culture openly. Maybe your action is writing a blog about this and/or the blog is sent to the museum. Or perhaps the blog is sent to a native elder of the same tribe (or their descendants) and you start a dialogue about their thoughts and experience around the museum and its artifacts.”

Obviously, I’ve taken her message to heart and am writing the blog. After the initial discomfort, I realized how much I needed her and her perspective. To fully exercise my cultural intelligence and take action – add Hands to Head and Heart – I need others’ perspectives and strengths. In fact, I need to pause, lean into what is being felt in the moment and, with Head and Heart, consider what all the relevant perspectives here might be. Then I can activate Hands, sometimes with my own action, sometimes in solidarity with that of others or the whole community.

It is within conversations like the ones above that we are able to pick up on patterns of why others, including employees and customers, may be feeling side-lined or silenced. These conversations are the foundation on which leaders can build genuine connection, overcome individual and collective feelings of isolation and create systems that benefit everybody. The key to greater workforce retention, collaboration, productivity and profit rests on everyone within the organization feeling and knowing they are valued, seen and heard. -Amy Narishkin, PhD

Photo credit: Photo by Langa Hlatshwayo on Unsplash

The Four Essential Skills of Cultural Intelligence

The Four Essential Skills of Cultural Intelligence

by | Jan 27, 2022 |

Cultural blindness, or the belief that color, class and culture make no difference, is often well-intentioned but definitely flawed. It inadvertently alienates people of under-represented groups, marginalizes diverse colleagues and drives clients away. Yet fully 66.8% of people who take the Intercultural Development Inventory around the world practice this cultural blindness, or minimization on one another, within their organizations. To attract, retain and promote diverse talent and customers, employees and organizations need cultural intelligence, which has four essential skills….

1.     Get to know yourself

Start with yourself. Get to know yourself. Self-knowledge is essential to understanding others. Pay attention to your preferences for working and interacting. Do you prefer a structured day or do you like to go with the flow? Do you like to build consensus before making a decision, or do you prefer to decide without input? How do you build trust? Are you more inclined to trust another because of their accomplishments and timeliness or because of the personal relationship you have with them?

As you notice and name your preferences, you can…

  • Appreciate what’s unique and special about you.
  • Recognize how your preferences have been formed by your background and cultural surroundings.
  • See how your preferences are different from others’ because of how you and they might’ve been brought up.

Our upbringing is so natural and normal to us that we can inadvertently think everyone thinks, feels and reacts the same way we do. This blinds us to recognizing that the people around us have different values, customs and experiences than we do. But as we’re curious about and become more aware of our own cultural preferences (and biases), and how they influence what we think, feel and see, we notice how each of us is unique and uniquely gifted.

It’s important to note that deeply appreciating ourselves, our uniqueness and cultural surroundings is what ultimately gives us the heart and headspace to do the same for others.

2.     Contemplate thought, heart and action

When we’re talking with someone who has a perspective or background that’s unfamiliar to us, it can be unsettling – awkward, even. That’s a normal reaction when you’re first overcoming cultural blindness.

When we’re feeling awkward, one normal response is to shy away in silence or find someone to blame and lash out in anger. Hate and blame are convenient ways of making meaning out of a bewildering situation.

To move beyond that win/lose mentality, there’s a third way. A culturally intelligent person has a third option: contemplation and awareness. Contemplation is the opposite of interacting with others mindlessly, or reflexively. In contemplation, we slow down, take a deep breath, observe our internal reaction and how the other person seems to be reacting and then work toward developing a shared understanding with them.

In this crucial moment of observation, we can hold a little more lightly our habitual reactions and snap judgments, and instead gather more information to make sense of the situation. We ask open-ended questions and seek to understand the other person’s point of view, even if their perspective or experience is different from our own. We might ask, “Would you mind telling me the story?” Or, “What has been your experience?” This is the time to practice humility and give the other person the benefit of the doubt.

The benefits of contemplation are that we get to…

  • Control our reaction
  • Get past the awkward part faster
  • Notice our impact on the other person
  • Make a genuine connection with another person

3.     Grow your understanding of others

To overcome cultural blindness, we also need to learn about other cultures — others’ history, customs, beliefs and values. It’s really intriguing to start by tapping into your natural curiosity about another person or group within your experience and focus on their culture. You can read books and articles, watch films and videos and visit new places. Notice how your customs, beliefs and values are the same and different. Before you talk more specifically with another person about their culture, it’s helpful and wise to do your homework and learn as much as possible about your own and their cultural backgrounds.

It’s also helpful to understand that after years of being belittled under our society’s system of cultural blindness (minimization), people from under-represented groups may hesitate to talk with you or speak up for fear of retaliation, misrepresentation, social isolation or job loss even when they’re asked. As a result, it can take time, compassion and perseverance to build a relationship of mutual trust.

While you’re learning, consider what it might be like to look at the world from another’s perspective. Practice looking at a situation or experience through their cultural lens and experience. Practice compassion and imagine how they might feel and think. Think about how your words and actions might come across to others and check your impact on them. You might say, “What was the impact of my words?”

4.     Build bridges across differences

To upend cultural blindness, a culturally intelligent person builds bridges with others and expresses compassion toward them. This can take courage because they don’t wait for the other person to go first; they take responsibility for their words and actions and are proactive.

The opposite of building bridges is blaming others. There’s little point in asking, “Who’s to blame for the problems in our organization or the disparities in our society? A question like that often makes people feel defensive, triggering a desire to protect themselves. Why is this such a common practice in our society?

While protecting individual rights is rightfully cherished in America, the primacy of individualism can inadvertently fixate people’s attention on finger-pointing and blaming. That cuts us off from others and reinforces cultural blindness. It’s what keeps us from doing the dignified courageous work of showing up for one another. Building bridges, we can:

  1. Express genuine compassion for people who are too-often sidelined or silenced, and
  2. Ask a question that redirects our attention outward, toward a shared responsibility and common good.

To build a bridge, we can ask a better question than “who’s to blame?” We can ask, “Within our sphere of influence, what can we do to ensure everyone feels valued, heard and engaged?” A question like this allows us to stop wasting precious time and energy on self-protection, blame and shame and instead consider how we can make a difference, develop productive relationships and participate in systemic change.

Conclusion

When you develop and practice these four essential skills of cultural intelligence, you’ll see a shift, individually and collectively, from thinking about me to thinking about me and you and us. We are then no longer waiting for the other to change but discovering our own and collective agency for bringing about change.

No matter how fractured things seem to be, there’s always an opportunity to slow down, seek to understand and discover how we can depend on our connectedness. Our collective well-being develops one culturally intelligent conversation at a time. It is within individual conversations that we are able to pick up on patterns of why others, including employees and customers, may be feeling side-lined or silenced. These conversations are the foundation on which leaders can build genuine connection, overcome individual and collective feelings of isolation and create systems that benefit everybody. The key to greater retention, collaboration, productivity and profit rests on everyone feeling and knowing they are valued, seen and heard within the organization. It’s a journey that’s empowering, enlightening and fulfilling.                        -Amy Narishkin, PhD

Photo by Samuel Isaac on Unsplash

How to Stop Tokenizing People

How to Stop Tokenizing People

by | Nov 30, 2021 |

“How do you avoid tokenism?” I asked. Because clients regularly ask me this question, I wanted to learn from experts whose work demands that they avoid tokenism. So, I turned to two video journalists, Kuwilileni Hauwanga and Abby Narishkin of Business Insider. They’ve made it their mission to create and produce videos that honor their diverse viewership, including the demographics they represent.

But before I tell you about what I learned from them, first some basics.…

Background

Tokenism is the practice of doing something merely as a symbolic effort – for example, hiring a person who belongs to an under-represented group, only to prevent criticism, meet numerical goals and/or give the appearance that people are being treated fairly.(1) “Tokenism is about a box people are trying to check,” Kuwilileni said.

Why tokenism is a problem

At a time of growing public demand for effective diversity initiatives, tokenism hurts both people and business. Tokenism increases the isolation and alienation of employees of under-represented groups. It also increases their work load and overwhelms them because they have to show greater competence than their dominant-culture counterparts. “I end up taking on more work because I’m the one in the room who has to name the gap, the lack of diversity,” said Kuwilileni. “I look forward to when the white people notice and name the gap and help to find, value and pay the diverse experts.” The stress and isolation of having to carry that extra burden weighs heavily on people over time – lowering engagement, stifling innovation and increasing turnover.

What causes this problem

People’s individual actions do not come out of a void, they are a reflection of a larger system, such as a company and its culture surrounding them. Dr. Edward Deming (1900–93), renowned management consultant, argued that 94 percent of problems are caused by the system, not the individual.(2)

To see the implicit systems that influence the way we think, talk and act, we need to recognize a particular mental model in play within our culture: minimization. Fully 66 percent of people who take the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) assessment worldwide are right in the middle of the five stages of Cultural Intelligence, the stage called “Minimization”(3) The percentage is that high because it’s the default mindset of the dominant culture, of an organization and in society as a whole. Minimizing or ignoring different-ness creates an environment in which people tend to focus on what everybody has in common and assume others are “like us.”

The approach of focusing on what we all have in common may be well intended in dominant culture but the impact of minimization is dismissiveness of our own and others’ humanity. The result of this collective minimization, or mindlessness of one another’s heart and humanity, is tokenism. And the effect is deeply demoralizing.

How to stop the problem of tokenizing

The problem, then, is not that anybody’s inherently evil but that people have an inherited ignorance of the system. And here’s the good news: If ignorance is the fundamental problem, we are dealing with a fixable problem.

The antidote is to become more aware of the systems that influence us and others, making us less likely to perpetuate them.

To upend minimization, people of dominant-culture can become aware of their culture and its impact on themselves and others, and also recognize that each person’s experience is just one of many cultural patterns.(1)

The journalists’ experience

“How do you overcome tokenization as a manager?” I asked Kuwilileni. She said, “People need to see that their reality is only one of many.” She suggested that dominant-culture group members orient themselves toward people of non-dominant culture in the room and understand and affirm their experience as valid even if it’s different from their own. That will help them to notice who is and isn’t talking, encourage differing ideas and wonder who else needs to be in the room. She said, “When you notice and name the gap, you can begin to address the problem of obscured or silenced voices. In my case, as a black woman, there is a perception that I have to be smaller, less vocal and take up less space.” That can leave some silenced.

I asked Kuwilileni, “What do you hope for?” She said, “I’m excited for the day when the labor doesn’t fall on the handful of non-dominant culture people. That’s not happening now.”

“What would you describe is the ‘labor’ in this case?” I asked.

Kuwilileni said, “I’m looking forward to not having to point out the need for reparative justice and have conversations about why there are no black people here. I look forward to the white people doing that one day.”

I asked, “Considering this current gap, how do you manage your team?” For her, a huge part of it is conscious reporting. To represent people of non-dominant cultures in her stories without tokenizing them, Kuwilileni suggested everyone be trained in what to look for and why we’re looking for it. As a manager, there are questions she asks her team…

  • What is the industry?
  • What’s our goal with this story?
  • Who do we need to represent and reach?
  • Are all groups in that industry represented?
  • How are we finding these people?
  • What else does the story require and why does it require that?

As an example of effective inclusion of diverse voices, Kuwilileni highlighted two distinct stories covered by her team and produced with Abby:

  1. “How the NYPD Became the Most Expensive Police Force in the World”
  2. “Why Millions of Potatoes Are Being Thrown Away During the Pandemic”

“With the Police video, the need at the beginning was clear; we were talking about police violence against black people. We needed a black person with expertise to speak to that,” she said.

As production went on, Kuwilileni and Abby realized they needed more representation from the diverse community that makes up New York City. So in order to get a more complete story, they interviewed people from various backgrounds who could speak to the impact of policing from informed personal and professional experience.

On the other hand, the team saw a lack of diversity as they reviewed the Potato video. But as they dug in and analyzed the “system” around the people in the story, they realized that the majority of farmers in its setting of rural Idaho are white, and the people in the story reflected the community and the expertise needed for that reporting.

How to capture the story

“What do you do to capture stories with diverse perspectives?” I asked Abby, adding: “I’m guessing people from under-represented groups may not be inclined to speak with a white reporter at first.”

Abby said, “You’re right, people don’t always trust me. But that doesn’t mean the story shouldn’t be told.

After years of being belittled under the system of minimization, people of color, women and those who are differently abled may hesitate to speak up for fear of retaliation, misrepresentation, social isolation or job loss even when asked to speak up. As a result, it takes time to build a genuine relationship.

Abby explained, “As a white person, I have extra work to do – particularly with people from under-represented groups who are unaccustomed to being heard – to create a space where they feel safety and trust. It’s worth the investment of time, though, because I get to meet and talk with people I never would have known before, and Business Insider gets richer, more in-depth reporting.”

Thinking organizationally, Kuwilileni added that it’s huge “to not tokenize and to look around and see where you’re lacking in skill, background and culture in your own company. In our work, if we’re lacking culture, we’re missing money, because we’re missing an entire sector of the market.”

Teams and organizational leaders that acknowledge and support cultural differences and see them as an asset outperform organizations that are homogenous or minimize the differences of their diverse workers.(4) As an example, Kuwilileni said, “The highest-performing show on Business Insider is the most diverse; it’s called, ‘Still Standing.’ The show has a diverse network of freelancers all over the world who know what’s going on in their country, and they tell us because we’ve taken the time to build a trusting relationship with them.”

How to build trust

“How do you gain people’s trust?” I asked Abby. She said, “It takes courage. I straight up own my whiteness with new sources and how my cultural context can keep me from seeing other perspectives. I might say, ‘Because of my whiteness, I’m not likely going to see what it’s like for others. Would you mind telling me your perspective so that I can get a more complete story and share it with others who don’t know?’”

To build trust with others, it’s helpful to know that there are two types of trust, one from the head and one from the heart. Trust from the head, or cognitive trust, is based on the confidence that comes from knowing another person’s accomplishments, skills and reliability. Cognitive trust is built typically through business interactions and the conditions of the situation. A person works well, does good work and is consistent, so they are “trustworthy” – because people in dominant Western culture tend to rely heavily on cognitive trust.(5)

Trust from the heart, or affective trust, is based on feelings of closeness, empathy and friendship. This trust is built through sharing meals, drinks, coffee – social experiences. It’s typically less transactional than cognitive trust. Affective trust is built slowly over time. You share personal time and know one another on a deeper level.(5)

Abby has learned that she needs to develop both kinds of trust when she’s talking with anyone, but particularly people from non-dominant groups. She has learned she can slow down and shift away from the task-oriented, get-it-done behavior of the culture she represents and build a trusting relationship using both her head and heart.

Abby explained, “What I’ve learned is that it’s important to allow for unique reactions to questions I ask. For some people, being asked questions by a white woman can be a trigger of previous emotional trauma; whereas, for others, questions can be affirming of their experience. If someone is feeling tokenized as a result of my questions, I back off and affirm their feelings and respect their request to redirect the conversation or stop altogether. On the other hand, I’ve experienced people who want to be asked about their experience as a person of color or of an under-represented group, and I appreciate and affirm that too.”

When Abby and Kuwilileni express compassion for others within their particular contexts, they’re upending minimization; that’s cultural intelligence in action. It’s when they’re in conversation with people that they’re able to discern what people need to feel safe, and can adjust words and actions to show genuine respect.

Abby explained, “Each person, their experience and their reaction is unique. What’s important is to center the conversation around them, not me, that way they feel valued and heard.”

In any organization, tokenism hurts people of under-represented groups and it hurts the organization. However, diversity has meaning when dominant and non-dominant group member voices count, have influence and are seen as an asset. When members of all groups are working in cahoots, noticing and naming gaps, striving to create a culture where both historically dominant and non-dominant group members together feel heard and engaged, people feel valued, and organizations retain their people.   -Amy Narishkin, PhD

Who do you know in your network that would like to learn more about how to be a compassionate leader? Please share this link with them.

References:

  1. Merriam Webster Dictionary:
  2. Deming, E. (2012) The System of Profound Knowledge. https://deming.org/demings-system-of-profound-knowledge/#:~:text=The%20System%20Of%20Profound%20Knowledge,theory%20of%20knowledge%20and%20psychology
  3. Hammer, M. (2016) Intercultural Development Inventory Resource Guide. Olney, MD: IDI, LLC.
  4. Distefano, J & Mazevski, M. (2012) “Creating Value with Diverse Teams in Global Management.” Organizational Dynamics.
  5. Meyer, E (2014) The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. New York: PublicAffairs.
  6. Image: Fath, Randy. https://unsplash.com/photos/G1yhU1Ej-9A
Workplace with Headspace

Workplace with Headspace

by | Oct 31, 2021 |

“I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out a good professional goal for my engineering manager. Do you have any ideas?” asked Eliza (not her real name) in her monthly Executive Coaching session with Empowering Partners. Eliza is the vice-president of engineering in a mid-size manufacturing firm. She wants to provide her direct-reports and department the headspace for growth and safety so that they all experience greater fulfillment, collaboration and innovation.

The firm has found that their training and leadership development efforts are more successful when based on the insights gained from working with the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®).

The IDI assesses a person’s ability level to successfully engage in conversation with people representing diverse opinions. In terms of cultural intelligence, IDI has found that individuals and groups fall into one of five core mindsets: Denial, Polarization, Minimization, Acceptance or Adaptation.(1)

Eliza is a leader currently in the mindset of Acceptance. That means she…

  • Has a deepening understanding that each person’s experience is unique to them;
  • Recognizes each person’s inherent dignity;
  • Is curious about people’s differences and commonalities and is able to withhold judgment;
  • Feels unsure of what to do or say;
  • Is open to discovering more approaches for engaging with people.(1)

Eliza was unsure of how to help her engineering manager (let’s call him Tom) develop a professional goal that would be meaningful for him as well as support a safe working environment for his colleagues. So I asked her to notice and name a feeling she has about his behavior that was not contributing to the productivity of his department.

“What does Tom do that is unproductive, maybe even annoying?” I asked Eliza.

VP: “He complains to both his colleagues and me about all his stress.”

AN: “Is he aware of how much he’s complaining about his stress?”

VP: “Not that I can tell.”

AN: “It sounds like he is unaware of how he’s impacting others, and equally unaware of how burdened he feels.”

VP: “Probably. Likely, actually.”

AN: “What could he do differently?”

VP: “Delegate.”

AN: “How’s that?”

VP: “He’s a likeable manager but he takes on too much himself. He has a team, and we also have an engineering firm overseas to support efforts that he’s not utilizing well.”

AN: “Have you told him?

VP: “I’m not sure what to say.”

AN: “You can 1) share your observation of his behavior and 2) ask him how he thinks his behavior might be impacting the people around him.”

VP: “That’s something I can do.”

AN: “Absolutely. What’s helpful about the mindset of acceptance is you’re already able to appreciate his good intentions and contributions to the department. You’re also able to feel annoyed about his behavior and at the same time withhold your judgment until you get more information. This is good because a direct report is often more able to hear criticism when you share your observation of their behavior rather than sharing your opinion about them as a person. At the same time, your growth opportunity and challenge are to try things and figure out the best course of action for him.”

What to do first

To give her a clear sequence for this, I explained, “The first step is to listen to your gut, notice and name your feelings. If you’ll recall, I asked you to first consider what he does that’s annoying. That feeling can point out something that needs to change. In this case, it did; your feeling pointed to the fact that his complaining was a burden to you and his colleagues.

Second step

“The second step is to meet with him and share your observation of his behavior. You might say to him something like, ‘Each time we’ve spoken in the last few weeks, I’ve heard you talk about your stress levels. I’m worried about you. What’s going on there?’ Because you’ve pointed out his unproductive behavior, he’ll likely want to justify what’s happening. It’s important that you hear him out and affirm his feelings and experience as valid, even if you don’t agree with what he’s been doing.

“Just so you know, if you don’t affirm his experience as valid, he’ll get defensive and close himself off. To keep him open to learning and growing, you’ll use the inclination of your acceptance mindset to affirm and validate his experience. Because he feels valued and heard, he’ll have the headspace to talk about next steps.

Third step

“The third step is to provide tools to help him take responsibility for his own growth. You might say, ‘I’d like to help you formulate a goal that helps you become more aware of your own feelings and actions and the impact they have your colleagues.’”

People don’t typically intend to burden others; they are more often unaware of the burden they’re feeling and how they’re inadvertently transmitting it to others. That’s because, without self-awareness, there is often an…

  1. Incongruence between our feelings and our nonverbal communication and an
  2. Inability to see how we’re impacting others.

To remedy this and create even more headspace for Tom to become aware of his feelings and actions, I suggested a tool to help him – a spreadsheet where he could track his emotions for 2-3 weeks and see what insights arise. To keep it simple, he dates the entry and three times a day – at 8 am, Noon and 3 pm – writes down how he feels (sad, glad, mad, scared or energized). In the last space or column, he writes any insights or questions that come to mind. Helping Tom to slow down and begin to notice his feelings provides not only personal headspace but also communicates the employee’s mental well-being is important to the organization’s overall well-being.

About mental health at work

Even before Covid, research revealed that employees expected managers to care about their emotional wellbeing. Before the pandemic, 1 in 10 Americans had symptoms of depression. Since then, the rate of mental illness had quadrupled.(2)

Many people believe that whatever their mental health challenges are, those challenges don’t belong in the workplace. However, more than 100 studies have shown that, when we have low psychological well-being, or face depression or general anxiety, our job productivity suffers.(3)

Of course, clinical depression and anxiety often require professional help. But we’ve all had moments of feeling overwhelmed or disconnected from other people, from our own values or from hope about the future. These emotions affect us in our jobs and they affect our colleagues. A leader’s compassion is no longer above and beyond, it’s vital to the organization’s culture of well-being.(4)

When a boss acknowledges a direct report’s pain and expresses compassion to alleviate that pain in a way that is meaningful for them, that’s cultural intelligence at work. Cultural intelligence is what enables us to accept others’ humanity and adapt our behavior to create an environment where our employees feel valued, heard and engaged. It also helps us to bust the belief that we should be immune to emotional and cognitive struggle and if only we try hard enough, the struggle will go away.

What happened

Eliza told me she shared her observation with Tom. She described the behavior she’d been seeing and told him she was worried about him and the impact he was having on his colleagues. She asked him to track his emotions and look for opportunities to delegate. After several weeks, Eliza noticed Tom had stopped complaining and was noticing opportunities to hand off some of his work. She told me her own and his efforts were worth it because he is more productive, feels valued and heard and is more supportive of his colleagues.

By accepting her direct report’s pain, rather than belittling or ignoring it, and providing a tool to help him become more aware and accepting of himself and his impact on others, Elliza was respecting his struggle and building trust. She is also creating a culturally safe and intelligent work environment for everyone.

Three-day challenge

Using a head, heart and hands approach, we can develop the self-awareness that allows us to experience more of our own and others’ humanity, as well as increase engagement, collaboration and innovation in our individual conversations and collective culture. For three consecutive days, notice, observe and experience the impact of Acceptance. Here’s how:

  1. HEAD: Observe what thoughts, words and actions correlate with the mindset of Acceptance.
    • Under what circumstances do you notice your curiosity about differences and commonalities people have?
    • Under what circumstance do you particularly notice that you’re unsure of what to do to build a bridge of understanding with another person?
    • What is said and done that makes you notice?
  2. HEART: Notice and name the feelings of yourself and others when there is acceptance.
    • How do you feel appreciating your own and others’ uniqueness and being able to withhold judgment until you have more information?
    • What was particularly heartbreaking or moving when you didn’t know what to do or say?
    • Under what conditions do you feel you can take a risk and try a course of action and see how it goes?
  3. HANDS: Now that you have reflected on acceptance and its impact on you and others, consider what actions you take to show the respect you feel.
    • What words and actions do you already use that help you show genuine respect for another’s experience?
    • Under what conditions do you feel safe taking a risk and trying different ways to engage with others?
    • What policies or practices need to be put in place in your home, community or workplace that allow people to share different perspectives and struggles so that they feel valued and heard?    –Amy S. Narishkin, PhD

References

  1. Hammer, M. (2016) Intercultural Development Inventory Resource Guide. Olney, MD: IDI, LLC.
  2. Panchal, N. Kamal, R., Cox, C (Feb 10, 2021) “The implications of COVID-19 for mental health and substance use,” KFF: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/
  3. Ford, M., Cerasoli, C., Higgins, J. & Decesare, A. (May 7, 2021) “Relationships between psychological, physical, and behavioural health and work performance: A review and meta-analysis,” Work & Stress: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/twst20/current
  4. Toegel, G, Kilduff, M & Anand, N. (May 7, 2021) “Emotion helping by managers: An emergent understanding of discrepant role expectations and outcomes,” Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 56, No. 2: https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0512
  5. Photo credit: Jonathan Daniels: https://unsplash.com/photos/78Fr6nZRDIc

Who do you know in your network that would like to learn more about how to be a compassionate leader? Please share the link with them.