“The greater the diversity, the greater the perfection.” – Thomas Berry***
Lisa was an astute executive; highly respected by her peers while staff in her division were a bit intimidated by her. I often heard how intimidating she could be and how serious she was about productivity, deadlines and everything else. No one wanted to have to answer to her on anything that went wrong so they worked extra hard to make sure everything went right. My experience with Lisa was different. I found Lisa to be somewhat reserved at times, yet clearly expressive when the question needed to be asked or a point made. She was in deed no nonsense and serious. I liked her. She was easy to talk to and seemed fascinated by the many diversity and inclusion topics she was being exposed to. One day Lisa stopped me in an obscure, empty hallway. As we were passing each other, we said our usual greetings and she stopped, making it a point to keep the conversation going. I believe she asked about something I was working on. She shared a few personal thoughts and opinions with me, almost in code, and ended by saying there were some things she just could not say in front of the rest of the group so she was glad she ran into me and could share her thoughts.
What Lisa shared was not anything I did not know. What I did not know, however, was how Lisa felt, personally, about the issues she shared. I appreciated her candor. I was saddened by her discomfort in sharing that same candor in the presence of other executive leaders.
Top Down Leadership Can Help Drive Change
I am a firm believer that diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) work should be implemented using a top down method of change, with a grass roots or bottom up approach sprinkled in on some aspects of the change process. Due to the complexities of DE&I and the psychosocial realities involved in changing an organization and its people, resistance and confusion must sometimes be met with a policy and enforced accountability.
With that said, it is therefore important that the people at the top have a clear understanding of their role and authority in the process of change. Executives are key in driving change. They are change agents in every organization. It goes back to what we have discussed many times about the role of a leader. A leader has to take charge without being controlling; influence others without bullying; create a desired culture without forcing engagement. They do all of this by leading others to the change they want to see and by modelling the behavior they wish to see.
Leaders who possess a more collaborative leadership style may find greater success in implementing change than those who prefer to work more independently. Involving others in helping to create a plan of action can have considerable impact. People will take your change efforts more seriously and become more invested when they have participated in the process.
1. Communicate the Urgency
The CEO, President, Pastor, Business Owner or whomever is the top level leader in an organization is the key change agent to drive the message of change for DE&I as well as any other area of change. Those who are direct reports to that top level leader should follow suit and actively spread the same message, all being careful to include much emphasis on the why as well as the what. Each of these individuals should be well versed on the content of that message and all messages following. They must be attentive and vocal about the change that is taking place at every stage, which means they may need additional training, support and resources to undergird their knowledge. Some work can be done beforehand to provide a template for all levels to work from as means and methods of operation and interaction get flushed out throughout the organization.
2. Communicate the Expectations
Part of the message in driving DE&I change is to make it clear to everyone, what is expected and what will happen if those expectations are not met. This is for every person at every level. In sharing expectations, emphasis should be placed on the meaning and importance of inclusion. Every opinion, every viewpoint is allowed to participate. Every idea and every perspective is welcomed without ridicule. As Andrés T. Tapia stated in his book “The Inclusion Paradox,” “It’s one thing to acknowledge the diversity already here, quite another to make the most out of it. Diversity is the mix. Inclusion is making the mix work.”
3. Expose Every Level to a Better Reality
We all run the risk of becoming complacent. When change is necessary, rest assured, complacency has somehow found a seat at the table. The way to get beyond that complacency is to come to the realization that there is a better way for efficiency, excellence, engagement, etc. We come to this realization when we see that others are doing things better and we are forced to evaluate the deficiencies and how we can close the gaps.
4. Understand the Importance and Value of Diverse Perspectives
Driving change without instituting varying perspectives can lead to a circular motion in which you end up right where you started. Inquiring minds want to know while complacent minds want to maintain. Mixing up your team by adding diverse team members with differing viewpoints, ideas and experiences can introduce new and inventive ways to approach the change you are striving for.
5. Make the Commitment
The work can be done faster in a top down method of change but utilizing groups and diverse perspectives and approaches will help make it more meaningful and impactful. The danger with any change initiative is the loss of energy and momentum along the way. When it takes five years to see one result, people sit down on the process and conclude it is not working. Top level executives must commit to making the change happen, making some aspects of the change happen quickly and not to give up until the culture has become what the change process is aiming for. Don’t give up even if key players leave, the remaining key players have to take up the mantle and push forward. This is why it cannot be one or two executives it has to be all execs and it should be spread downward throughout the organizational hierarchy. The same level of commitment and exuberance should be evident at every level.
What often happens in change efforts in larger organizations, is that the top level leader may make the mistake of leaving the change effort to others and allowing those others to be the voice behind the change as well. In other cases the top level leader lends his or her voice but only on occasion and otherwise pays little or no attention to what is actually happening with the process.
As much as we may hate to admit it, people pay attention when the top leader is listening, watching or is otherwise engaged in anything the team or teams are doing. They like being noticed. They welcome the recognition. When the top level leader makes it known that they are paying attention, the people are often more motivated to respond and engage. Most people want to be successful and they want to do well. Helping to drive important initiatives and reach major milestones can be seen as a means of success.
Closing Thoughts
Lisa shared valuable insights and key questions with me in a private conversation. That conversation would have been a rich foundation for learning in a group with her peers yet she was uncomfortable sharing in that forum. I know her peers had no idea they made Lisa feel this way but I also recognize that Lisa probably represented multiple others on that team who felt the same way. How much more could we have learned, shared and accomplished had everyone felt comfortable enough to share their thoughts and ideas. This is the perfect example of what happens on every level in every organization when change is in progress but inclusion not enacted. It’s hard to gauge but still must be addressed and driven out of the culture. It’s a tough process and it’s a challenge but it’s not impossible!