“Be careful who you trust, the devil was once an angel.” – Author Unknown***
Tina was the leader of a small group of volunteers in a nonprofit organization. The group, however, facilitated programming that affected the entire organization, to include processing initial paperwork, onboarding and more. The small group assigned to conduct the work consisted of two individuals who were leaders in other parts of the organization and two non-leaders. Tina was good at spelling out details, when giving instructions, to ensure everyone understood what needed to be done. She believed in allowing everyone to share their ideas and suggestions and would take them under advisement before making any final determinations for procedures. One of the two leaders who volunteered in this group, Barbara, was a valuable member of the team but Tina came to realize that Barbara was prone to implement her own protocols instead of following that which Tina had decided would work best. Tina wondered about Barbara’s deviations at times, wondering if it was forgetfulness, ignorance or other. She learned it was the “other” when other members of the team informed her one day that the instructions she had given for a follow up process were not being adhered to by Barbara, though the rest of them tried to honor Tina’s original request. Apparently Barbara had informed the group that it should be done differently and when they questioned her and reminded her of what Tina had instructed, Barbara had stated she knew that was what Tina had stated but “we’re not going to do it that way.” The team was adamant in wanting to keep the peace but also in following Tina’s instruction. Only one of the team members shared this information… the other leader serving on the team.
Two HR employees were asked to serve on a diversity recruitment committee to identify and develop strategies to improve the racial, ethnic, gender and religious diversity in hiring within the organization. They were asked by their director, Julie and they were excited and honored to be a part of the diversity efforts of the organization. Julie had initially spoken to the diversity officer in the organization, who had asked is she wanted to serve in this capacity or if she would like to assign others on her team to do so. Julie said she would be happy to assign some of her staff. The two leaders discussed the goals and direction of the committee and again, Julie said she could assign two individuals. Over time, the diversity officer found the HR representatives to be hesitant, partially confused and not very helpful to the work of the group. Much of their viewpoint was negative but inquisitive as they were not sure how they could be of assistance in this process, even though they were both recruiters! They soon shared with the group that their director was constantly casting doubt and making disparaging remarks about the committee, its work and the expected outcomes whenever they had their own team meetings. She would make such statements as, “I’m not sure why we need a committee to work on that,” “I have no idea what they are thinking they can do differently that what we are already doing,” “I don’t know why I was not represented on that group.” This left them feeling as if they could not fully engage or sincerely work to improve the work of the team because they felt unsupported and as if they were undermining their director in some way. They were frustrated and wondered whether or not she had been fully informed of the committee’s work or offered an opportunity to participate instead of them.
Both of these scenarios speak to an organizational issue that can hamper even the greatest of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. It is those individuals imbedded in the ranks of the organization, who carry a title of leadership but who work endlessly to unravel, dismantle and undermine the laudable efforts of other leaders working to advance the status and standing of the organization and its people. They are the individuals who throw rocks and hide their hand. They are the wolves who prey on the sheep in the barns of the organizations that real leaders are trying to help succeed. So what do we do when these wolves are undermining diversity and inclusion efforts? What do we do when we realize that people are leaving or doubting us because of them?
Wolves are creatures that can appear harmless but can do a great deal of harm once you get too close. They may initially lure you in with their kind demure character and once you let your guard down, they kill you. I am talking about the actual character of a wolf, by the way. Unfortunately, people can take on the same façade when operating to undermine what is happening in the mainstream. Wolves in the workplace or other organizations are those who appear supportive, competent, trustworthy and in agreement with mission, vision and leadership but they are seeking self-satisfaction and self-promotion. Unfortunately if they feel threatened or slighted they can cause a great deal of harm to others. They can become ruthless, competitive and underhanded using intimidation, slander and manipulation to cause people to fail or leave the organization. Once this occurs they are free to continue their quest for advancement.
1. Check References When Hiring
Do not take for granted that they did well in past jobs because they said they did. Check internal references as well and don’t forget to ask subordinates what they are like to work for if they are in leadership positions. When checking references in an organization trying to improve its diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), try to get insight from a diverse reference pool. In both of the above scenarios, the individual who might be deemed a wolf, was well known and highly favored by individuals who had long term personal relationships with them. These people would be the least likely to say anything disparaging about them but not necessarily because they are hiding it, it might be more likely that they don’t see that side of them. Reference checking should be well rounded but certainly not a witch hunt of any kind though. We are not looking for negative information, we are simply covering all basis with the hope that all information will be in their favor. The problem that some might have with this is that it adds to the amount of time it takes to obtain references because you are going above and beyond the norm for referencing. If we want to hire, promote or verify a leader’s ability to work well with others and to work inclusively with others, we have to check to see if there is any past demonstration of their ability to do so. We would do this for technical skill or educational requirements so why not DE&I?
2. Trust Your Instincts
Not enough can be said about instincts. We tend to want to ignore them or if we are attentive to them we downplay them in our discussions or when we are receiving inward messages that point to negative realities. In other words, sometimes we don’t want to know that a colleague is a jerk towards certain people or certain kinds of people, but if it feels uncomfortable more than once in the course of everyday work, play or conversation, there might be a problem that you need to attend to. It’s like the girl or boyfriend who’s fooling around and you keep denying the signs, knowing good and well, something is definitely wrong. It boils down to our subconscious minds not wanting to admit we have a problem. Whether we want to admit it or not, doesn’t change the reality that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Here in lies the difference between the lay person and the leader. Leaders need to act before it snowballs.
3. Be Willing to Speak Up
Leadership requires boldness. DE&I takes courage. Leaders cannot opt out of action due to laziness, busyness or fear. There are times that we speak up and nothing happens except excuse-making but we have an obligation to go on record. If things go wrong, we can be confident that we did all the right things and spoke to the right people, to fix it. Just make sure you have the right motives, talk to the right people, use diplomacy and be kind and protective of all parties at all times. Unfortunately, we may find the old adage, “Birds of a feather flock together” to be true when we go to others in authority, with information that we are rightfully supposed to bring to them. In those cases, we again must use instinct… not fear… to adequately address the situation. If the people at the top are sincere in their efforts to change the environment, they will see the need to act on information being provided. The problem with the birds flocking together, arises when those in authority believe the denials of those who are violating the rules of culture change or they defend the behaviors out of support or inclusive blindness.
At that point a change agent’s decision has to be, “Should I continue here, trying to make a difference or am I wasting my time?” The answer is not the same for all of us. For some, the reality is that many of the people involved in disturbing behaviors will depart before we will, so change is still possible. For others, the behaviors are ingrained in the culture of the organization and unless the entire senior leadership team is uncompromisingly committed to changing that culture and working to maintaining it until it sticks, there will be no sustainable change and the case that you are up against will be a recurring nightmare. Dismal reality…I know… but honesty is the best policy. Know what you are up against so you can keep your head in the game – and win! Playing politics is something many of us learn to play but we must learn when to make the hard decisions. If we move too soon, it could affect our future and the future of others. If we don’t move fast enough, it could affect our future and the future of others, just the same. Dismal reality…I know… but again, honesty is the best policy.
Closing Thoughts
So why bother? You might be asking yourself. Well, like anything worth fighting for, DE&I is no different. We keep chipping away at making change and improvements with the expectation and determination that lives and even institutions will change for the better, one person, one policy, one practice at a time. If 75 changes are implemented and a wave of leadership change occurs, bringing new leaders at the top and throughout the organization and the entire tone and the fight for change diminishes, maybe 25 of the 75 changes will have become ingrained in the culture. With that new wave of leadership, things may lay dormant for years but rest assured, the fight will be resurrected at some point, at some time and someone just like yourself, will rise up and take the challenge to bring more change. In other words, it takes time, so we keep going. When we get tired, we teach and nurture others so they can take up the mantel and pick up where we left off, with the lessons we learned in tow.
Why bother? It’s worth the fight.
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot***