Dear Leader: The time is now. 10 thoughts on how to respond.
Dear Leader,
This week my conversations with colleagues have had a similar theme. That theme is this; What can I do? As a black male psychologist, military officer, father, husband, and business owner I have a lot of thoughts about showing up in critical moments.
My hope for this brief blog will be to highlight some practical ways to lead in such a time as this. I fully understand that the cultural and occupational context for each of you is unique, however, the following thoughts are meant to be descriptive guidelines rather prescriptive mandates.
Ultimately, I hope you take the time to listen. I hope you hear my desire for you and I to be forerunners of change for our teams and organizations. I hope you do not become overwhelmed by your feelings of inadequacy or guilt but focus on the change that we can make.
1. Start with empathy. As a psychologist, this is the first thing that we learn. We start any dialogue seeking to understand. Seeking to listen, not to solve. This may seem like a misnomer, but sometimes the best approach in any global, local, or individual conversation is to truly listen with humility. Discovering where is the source of the pain? Where is the hurt? How is our work environment repeating systemic patterns of racism? How can we change a policy, ritual, or norm to stop this pattern? Start with empathy.
2. Remember that silence is loud. People are watching. They are watching how their organizations will respond. Now is not the time to be complicity silent regarding racial equity and equality. Break the cycle. It may be a challenge. You may say something that’s regrettable along the way, but saying something is important.
3. Establish and develop a Social Quick Reaction Force (SQRF). In the military, certain units are set aside on a rotational basis to respond to global operations in 24 hours or less. These are called Quick Reaction Forces. Each unit knows when they are the QRF, and have a planned operational rhythm when they get the call to respond. The same should be done in businesses for critical social moments. Many companies and organizations have a stifling bureaucratic funnel for responses. Mountains upon mountains of approvals and authorizations drown out the authenticity and have a stench of organizational liability and performative justice. There should be one designated person to respond to a critical social event. That person can have a trusted aid or consultant to help craft the response and one additional decision-maker who provides the final approval. Each context is different, which will contribute to variance, but the bottom line is to remember that this is about people.
4. Keep the main thing the main thing. If you are starting your briefings or meetings talking about riots and looting…you are missing it. Every situation will have opportunist. People who will exploit the pain of others to hijack the conversation. Can I encourage you to not make this detestable action of looting the main thing? Because it is not. Black suffering, racism, inequality, and devaluing of black people in this society is the main thing in this moment. Lead with that. Speak powerfully to that. Sit with that reality in your private conversations and your public statements.
5. Don’t say trivial comments. “We’re all part of the human race”, “all lives matter”, “we all should be colorblind”. All of these comments come from a well- meaning place, but frankly, they are unhelpful at this moment. If you have questions about this, start with #1 and then go to #4.
6. Do your own research. Black leaders, coworkers, and colleagues are not solely responsible for educating white people on issues of racism and injustice. Find ways to read and listen to podcast regarding black scholarship on race, work environments, and racism in organizations.
7. Invite black leaders to speak with your team. Representation matters. Research has continually demonstrated that collaboration and face-to-face exposure is one of the best ways to break down barriers of racial division. The primary interaction between black suffering and your team cannot be moderated through a television screen. Tackling racism in the work environment is not a task that can be completed in racial isolation. Hearing the stories and career trajectory challenges of black workers is a vital component of reconciliation. If you have black leaders in your sphere that are willing to talk, invite them. If you do not, seek out black leaders that will.
8. Develop multicultural competence and humility. Take time to develop multicultural humility and competence. Take time to reflect on your own cultural development. Take time to reflect on your feelings about other cultures, and how that influences your day-to-day beliefs, thoughts, and behavior towards others. Explore this individually and within your leadership teams on a continual basis.
9. Don’t focus on your guilt or apologize for privileges you hold. Comments like “I should’ve known”, “I should’ve done something sooner”, and “I’m sorry” diatribes do not help us to move forward. Don’t solely apologize for your privilege, do something with it. Do something to change your work environment. It’s easy to make ourselves the subject, but we’re not. This is a larger issue than an individual. Keep perspective of the global need for change and focus on that key principle.
10. Take risk and commit to exploring this reality. As a leader, you are not a bystander. You are fully a part of what is happening in our society. Your organization has an opportunity to be a forerunner for justice and model an embodied response of strength and fidelity. Recognize that if you are curious about what to do, and feel activated, you are not alone. There are more than likely people on your team who feel the same way. They are waiting for their leaders to take decisive action by exploring and fumbling through intentional conversations on race, racism, and racial reconciliation.
Dear leader the time is now. Your authority and influence in your work environment has the capability to co-create change. I hope you will reflect. I hope you will respond.
Dr. Cedric Williams is a Consulting Psychologist & CEO of Legacy Consulting & Research Group. His work and research interests are in the domains of Multicultural Competence, Resilience, Leadership, and Occupational Thriving. Dr. Williams provides coaching and consulting services for individuals, teams, and organizations. For more information fill out the service request sheet below.
Dr. Cedric Williams
Founder + CEO
Legacy Consulting & Research Group LLC
