Why Some Of You Were Unhappy With The Way I Talked About Race

You can’t please all of the people all of the time!

Find out why some people don’t like the emphasis I’ve placed on race and ethnicity in the workplace.

Here are some key messages from this episode:

  • Why some listeners really didn’t like some recent shows
  • Why we need to think critically and challenge accepted thinking
  • The challenges that await us on our journey in this space and much much more

Play the episode for more.

Here are some key takeaways from this episode:

The Need to Think Critically.

“When I say critical I don’t mean being negative, I’m talking about recognising the bias and the norms that are so taken for granted that they often don’t get challenged or even recognised”

Generic Research has its limitations

“I raised the question in the show but I spent more time highlighting that most leadership research to date is performed on a homogenous group, typically white males. This means that it’s unclear if generic leadership advice is useful for stigmatised groups and the paper suggested that it might not be useful all of the time.”

A Pragmatic Approach is required:

“Part of the challenge in what we talk about here is managing the discomfort of operating in an unfair workplace while balancing the pragmatic day to day experiences of crafting a career.”

Check out these related episodes of the show.

Why Having a Babyface Helps Black Leaders in the Workplace

Diversity and Authenticity: Why Employees May Hesitate to Open Up About Themselves

Covert Discrimination Part 1: Garlic Bread & The Normalising Gaze

Covert Discrimination Part 2: Qualified Compliments & Masked Prejudice

Covert Discrimination Part 3: Tokenism: When Your Identity is Welcome and Your Ability is Not

Book Review: Racism at Work: The Danger of Indifference

Whenever you’re ready, there are a few ways I can support your Inclusion Journey:

The Elements of Inclusion #4

Leaders must collaborate innovatively to leverage cultural expertise and drive business performance.

  • Why inclusive outcomes are driven by innovation
  • How developing a business case for diversity and inclusion specific to your organisation is a competitive advantage
  • Why novelty is at the heart of your inclusion journey

The Elements of Inclusion #3

Leaders must establish systems to ensure that everyone shares the same advantages and benefits. These processes will create incentives for inclusive behaviours.

  • How to augment your team with the tools and insights they need to prevent structural disadvantage
  • Why reinforcing generative norms ensures everyone belongs in the organisation
  • How inclusive representations can be embedded to promote an inclusive culture

The Elements of Inclusion #2

Leaders must redefine career development relationships to support inclusive performance.
  • Why traditional mentor relationships must be revised for an inclusive workplace
  • How leaders must embrace networks of developmental relationships for individual growth
  • Why established workplace norms must evolve for inclusion in the modern workplace

The Elements of Inclusion #1

Leaders must properly socialise people and socialise inclusive ideas by providing an environment for the cultural learning needed for an active role in an inclusive organisation

  • How your socialisation processes must evolve to encourage the sustainable cultivation of inclusive competencies
  • Why Leaders must consistently negotiate the line between organisational commitment and personal authenticity to promote performance
  • How developing intersectional self awareness can help leaders to leverage individual employee experiences