November 10th, 2009
Earlier in my career, I had the good fortune to work for a graduate school in Vancouver, BC. A recent visit to this world-class city reminded me that global leaders must operate with a clear understanding of nationality.
The history of our nation is our meta-story, the tale of our family’s context, our community’s ecosystem. While a lot of great diversity and inclusion work in the U.S. has focused on the differences among Americans, the international economy calls all of Earth’s citizens to own the legacies we carry from the country from which we hail.
For example:
• I had the amazing opportunity to lead a refugee resettlement program in California for five years. Living and working among survivors from Cambodia and Vietnam taught me about their cultural stories, and it was humbling and exciting to watch them become Americans and join the story of my own nation, which I had previously taken for granted. We can learn a lot as we live and lead among immigrants.
• A friend with deep experience in the Peace Corps once told me this tale: she led a group of twenty Americans, evenly split among black and white folks, for a month-long project in Ghana. The black Americans expected a ‘roots’ experience, anticipating similarity with their African hosts. Instead, they mostly encountered cultural difference with African people, and were shocked to find deep cultural similarity with their white American peers. Nationality was at work; the meaning of differences like race within our country can transform beyond our borders. We are connected by a heritage that, in part, shows our divisions.
• As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, we should remember that a powerful expression of commitment to nation is service in a nation’s military. When a person puts their life on the line for their country, such a commitment shapes who they are for the rest of their lives. When we lead with nationality in mind, we need to remember this link to military service.
Those leading across international boundaries should do so with confidence in their own nation’s story, and with a teachable temperament toward the other nation’s culture. We will lead more effectively when we understand our own nationality, and respect the national legacies of our colleagues and customers.
Posted in Leadership, Nationality | No Comments »
October 14th, 2009
I’m certain that being a ‘talking head thought leader’ has little to do with real leadership.
Fox News commentator Glenn Beck can unequivocally assert that President Obama “has a deep-seated hatred for white people”, and then equivocate in stating that he doesn’t actually think that Mr. Obama “doesn’t like white people.” Even if we dismiss the thoughts Mr. Beck is leading us toward, we can admit that the talking head commentators are entertaining. But they are not accountable for results beyond ratings, or to relationships outside their own inner circle.
I’m equally certain that you and I would corrode employee engagement and drive away talent if we led with Glenn Beck’s loose lips and mental laxity.
I’m also certain that there’s a lesson for leaders as we observe both conservative and progressive thought leaders. It’s a case study in the role of certainty in leadership work. How should we lead with certainty?
For leaders, certainty has three facets:
1) Certainty is about what you know and believe.
Rev. Al Sharpton and Rush Limbaugh advocate with crystalline clarity for what they know and believe to be true. We, too, should lead from absolute clarity about our values, our expertise, and our expectations for our direct reports. Such a leadership point of view motivates others to follow our authentic leadership.
2) Certainty is about the degree of confidence you apply to what you know and believe.
Sarah Palin and Nancy Pelosi speak from opposing beliefs, but they both show a deep confidence in their respective paradigms. They share a deep certitude. We, too, should forthrightly express our certitude of belief as we lead others. This is about leading confidently from the inside out.
3) Certainty is about the way you bring what you know and believe to your
relationships of influence.
Here’s where the case study turns rich. Beck, Sharpton, Limbaugh and Palin (for now) are thought leaders, so they can spout their certainties without accountability for outcomes beyond talk.
But Speaker Pelosi, like you, holds a real leadership job.
• She must manage her beliefs and knowledge to achieve results through working with people (a simple definition of the leader’s work).
• Like you, she must calibrate when to push with certainty, and when to pull others to contribute from their knowledge and beliefs.
• Like you, she is accountable for building and maintaining relationships, so she can stay in the game and have the chance to lead again tomorrow. This requires mutual respect, straight talk that honors those with conflicting opinions, and being open to the influence of others. This is especially intriguing for Ms. Pelosi, as social expectations are narrower for the way women lead with certainty.
• And like you, Speaker Pelosi’s performance will be evaluated by the results she delivers.
How do you lead with certainty? How does the strength of your certitude animate your leadership? How do you leave room for the certainties of your colleagues, customers and constituents?
I’m certain of one more thing: when those of us who are white men lead with effective certainty, it will be easier for our diverse colleagues to follow us. And to lead us from their own certainty.
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September 30th, 2009
Respect is like sunshine: we feel it’s warmth, but we don’t think carefully about where it comes from.
With disrespect a growing pandemic among many political leaders, maybe it’s time for all of us who lead for a living to dig into the DNA of respect. What is respect? Why does it matter to great leaders? And why is the discipline of respect so critical to leading effectively among diverse colleagues and customers?
Simply put, respect shows up as deferential regard. It is evidenced in esteem for the people reporting to us, valuing their contribution, honoring their potential. Respect considers and appreciates our customers. Respect is the heart of inclusion.
When we, as leaders, consistently and intentionally demonstrate respect, we set up a contagious success. If I’m confident that my boss knows who I am and what I can deliver, I’m much more likely to give her everything I’ve got. And when I make a mistake, I take her corrective feedback to heart, because I know she values my character and performance.
The discipline of respect may seem like a ‘soft skill’ until things get hard: high-performing employees flee when they encounter contempt, conflict festers and corrodes team performance, and productivity slips when leaders fail to recognize and reward folks. Sales revenues decline when our customer’s needs are disregarded.
Fortunately, when dimensions of diversity are on the table, the discipline of respect deals us a winning hand. For example, when I learn, as a white male leader, to carefully tune into each of my reports with due regard for their integrity, skill, and distinguishing traits, they step up. They’re engaged, committed, ready to bring their skills to fuel everyone’s excellence. To have followers like that is a winning proposition – and diversity becomes a measurable asset.
Alternatively, everyone loses if:
• employees see their manager consistently prioritize task over relationship,
• diversity is ignored or exaggerated, or
• the boss simply fails to find the time to acknowledge direct reports.
In a low-respect environment, human differences more often devolve into conflict. And then talent leaves. The origins of a 2012 retention crisis take root in 2010.
The good news is … we have a choice. We can seek to lead with the discipline of respect, and equip our team to deliver stellar results. We will lead successfully among diverse colleagues and customers, as we deepen our competence in honoring them.
May the sun shine warmly through your regard for the people you lead.
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September 21st, 2009
Every day I talk to leaders who struggle with fears fueled by human differences in their organizations. I hear stories from white men who are afraid to provide corrective feedback to a “diverse” colleague, for fear of offending. I’m told tales about employees of color who aren’t completely sure that inclusion should include white men in leadership jobs. I know that many women live with a daily and tangible concern for their physical safety. So we’re still lighting fires over differences in race, gender, and other dimensions of diversity.
Our nation is in trouble when civil dialogue breaks down, when every difference of opinion turns into a fight. We’re in trouble when diversity drives us underground, when we go quiet and flee behind closed minds and doors. And America is in trouble when we start to fear 100% inclusion – I honestly believe we’ve arrived at a time when it is dangerous for all of us when white guys feel excluded and disengage from constructive change.
Why is fear so powerful and prevalent?
First, it’s an ancient and wired-in survival mechanism – when we feel threatened, our bodies gear up to fight or flee. Second, actual loss or the expectation of loss evokes a powerful emotional response in us. Third, in times of financial turmoil, we’re less certain of our well-being, so we respond with anxiety. And fourth, demographic change comes hard: it’s a fearsome process for a racial majority (those of us who are white, that is) to accept a future when everyone will be in the minority.
I don’t’ see fear dissipating anytime soon – it has too much social and psychological momentum. For those of us in leadership jobs, we simply cannot lead from a place of fear. We have to find our way through it. What to do? Three ideas.
• Acknowledge fear, your own and other’s. We can’t wish fear away, or pretend it’s not percolating in us and in our organizations. We need to identify actual risks and perceived dangers. We should anticipate and respond to such apprehensions as part of our change management and diversity work.
• We can also build conversational skills to handle tough discussions with respect and candor. Train your colleagues to lean into controversy, confident in their conflict resolution skills. Hold folks accountable for behaving with respect and candor.
• Finally, sell out to safety. Apply your people smarts and organizational savvy, and deliver on these promises at work: that colleagues can bring their whole selves to the job every day, that they can believe what they want, and that they can say what they really think. And then make sure everyone keeps these promises, together. That’s a powerful cure for fear.
Let fear become a fuel for leading on diversity. Trust will grow, and fear will dissipate.
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February 6th, 2009
A February 2nd column by Jerry Large in the Seattle Times featured my book and told a bit of my story. Check out the column and the amazingly reactive comments at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrylarge/2008696817_jdl02.html
When race comes up, we as white people tend to infer blame. This happens because we have been blamed unfairly at times, and it happens because we still need to learn how to deal with blame, guilt and shame. This visceral defensiveness is actually a price we’re paying today for racism’s legacy.
The Obama era invites us to find our way beyond blame.
There may be moments when people of color blame white folks for being white. All stereotyping says more about the perpetrator than the person being caricatured. Implicit in having a black President is the invitation to African Americans to raise the issue of race only when racial dynamics are actually operating. There should simply be no ‘race card’ to play.
To move beyond blame, we can also choose to act with courage, respect and candor when other white people blame us for seeking to converse on race. In the online comments to Mr. Large’s column, some gave into the temptation to simply react, calling me a “buffoon”, an “opportunistic quack”, or “another fool playing the race card.” It’s just easier to accuse me of “white-bashing” and “cashing in on hate”, without engaging what the column actually says, without exploring this website, or even looking at the book. Such reaction is their choice.
I get to choose how I respond. Some options: react in kind, ignore the controversy, let it silence me, or seek to be part of conversations that move us ahead.
Here’s how I’m seeking the way beyond blame. I’m learning that the real opportunity underneath the conflict is the willingness to care and grow. (In me, the work of God drives this impulse.) Wonderfully, if we want to be better people and build a better country and world, we will.
We can choose to react, to avoid empathy and resist growing. Gut reactions on race don’t help move us beyond the blame game. Since we don’t want to eat the blame that people push at us, let’s refuse to dish it out to others.
Honest, respectful conversation moves us forward into due regard for race: don’t ignore race, and don’t exaggerate it.
Can we lead the way beyond blame? Yes we can.
Posted in Race Relations | No Comments »
January 22nd, 2009
So now we sift through the stirring images and new thoughts that arrived as we inaugurated an African American president: his refined and sober demeanor, his consistent focus, his confidence and ease; the vision of the Obama family as America’s Family; the deeply-moving reflections from black citizens about the meaning of the moment; a quiet encouragement and wondering among us white Americans about what all this means.
It’s a great moment for leading and following – we’ve installed Mr. Obama in The Job, and now he clearly expects us to lead our own lives responsibly and for the common good.
One of my favorite inaugural moments was during Rev. Joseph Lowry’s benediction, when he quoted the Civil Rights ‘rainbow’ saying, about black, brown, yellow and red … and white. Did you catch our part in the drama? “White will get it right.”
Let our teachable time commence.
I was intrigued by a CNN poll from the Dr. King holiday. http://www.edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/19/king.poll/index.html They asked “Has Dr. King’s dream been realized?” In March of 2008, 34% of black people and 35% of white people agreed. This month, 69% of African Americans concurred, while agreement among white people moved up to 46%.
CNN’s analysis focused on the doubling of the affirmative from black folks. That truly is a wonderful measure of a promise kept. But what explains the current 23-point gap between black and white respondents?
Remarkably, this study quantifies that, for our part as white people, we see that we have a long way to go in realizing Dr. King’s dream.
• We understand that we need to stereotype and judge black people less.
• We can welcome them and learn with them more.
• We can lead and follow among them with more emotional intelligence.
As this new inter-racial landscape of unfolds, each one of us is personally responsible for assessing our own mind and heart. Historians will note 2009 as the time when white Americans came to grips with the price we ourselves have paid for the legacy of racism.
So the Inauguration and the CNN study remind us that we have a lot to learn about relating across racial lines. Our nation needs us white folks to step into this teachable time.
That’s how I see it. How about you?
Posted in Race Relations | No Comments »
November 3rd, 2008
We’ve been interviewing candidates for the world’s top leadership job. Today is the day we make the hiring decision - make sure your views are heard in this selection. Come January 20th, we will all be his followers, whoever he is - some of us thrilled, some of us grumpy.
If Mr. McCain wins, here’s one question that will be loose in the land: “So how much of the vote went against Mr. Obama because he is black?” We might take a longer look at the fact that web traffic to white supremacist websites tripled following Senator Obama’s primary victory. Or we might wonder why so many white Americans indicated to pollsters that they would vote for Obama, and in the end did not do so. (Let me be clear: these factors in no way reflect on Mr. McCain.)
But I don’t think Mr. Obama’s blackness will prevent his election. In my work with white America, there is a refreshing openness to diversity, the younger generation is now engaged (Boomers should celebrate), and economic risk will trump latent concern over skin color.
And if Mr. Obama wins, as expected, the next four years will be a teachable moment on race in America. Dr. King’s dream that we would judge a person on the basis of character rather than pigment will come true right before our eyes. The skin of every American should get goose bumps about that.
The U.S. will make this hiring decision on the basis of competence and character, and both candidates are qualified. But the economy (a deficit for Senator McCain as a Republican) will trump race (that is, Mr. Obama’s blackness, which up until this moment in our history would have been a disadvantage).
Today is a pivotal day on race in the American story. Make sure your voice and vote speak into the moment.
Posted in Politics | No Comments »
