Allyship in Action

In this week's episode, we unpack the discomfort about privilege, and share Pete Buttigieg's (white gay man running for President) story on privilege. We also share our take on what it means to lead like an ally and talk openly about the "P" word.

I share my own discomfort talking about this topic and what I have done to lean into this tough conversation. The privilege walk is an excellent way to talk about diversity and inclusion at work.

We also share some tools to keep this dialogue flowing in your organization with our "Unpacking Privilege" free online workshop with my ally Ericka Young and my ally Karen Catlin's "5 Ally Actions" newsletter.

Learn how to lead like an ally and talk about the "P" word at work!

Get the "5 Ally Actions" weekly newsletter:

https://betterallies.com/

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unpacking-privilege-how-are-you-using-yours-to-lift-us-all-up-tickets-61233861127

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xSSB5R3rL8

This week, I had three interesting conversations with clients about gender equality and diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

1) I brought my daughter to work with me this week when speaking at a conference, and was met with unexpected applause from the audience. Despite my nerves and apprehensions, I was so proud to have brought her to see Mama in action. More on this experience in our "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" blog: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/blog/

2) I was then met with some unexpected feedback on how to engage men in our Women's Leadership Academy. We came up with dual tracks for women and men as allies as a result based on key skills needed to be a successful women leader and be an inclusive leader. More on our Pivot Point Women's Leadership Academy: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/womens-leadership-academy/

3) I had a conversation with a diversity, equality, and inclusion officer that has created a full diversity and inclusion road map for her organization. They are pushing beyond check the box unconscious bias and empathy training. With only 50% of organizations do any equality training with their employees, there is an opportunity to differentiate with a holistic strategy and intentional set of activities that embed inclusive leadership skills into the culture. Video on Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Road Maps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8kQ3sWxAZ0

Being an ally is a journey, think about:

What does it mean to be an ally for you personally?

How can you bring allies into the conversation and when is it the right time to do it?

How can you embed equality education and create a road map of activities beyond bias and empathy?

Is your industry male-dominated?

Name an industry that is female-dominated...

The usual answers are: non-profit, health care, and education. While women are employed at higher levels in these industries, they are not equally represented at a leadership level.

While women make up 76% of teachers in the US, they are only 16% of university presidents and 52% of principals. Women are 70% of the health care industry's workers, and just 30% of leadership team members. In non-profit, women are just 18% of CEO's while they are 75% of the workforce.

Lead like an ally, and challenge the perception of this excuse. There is no such thing as a female-dominated industry. Measure gender equality in your organization, check bias in the workplace, and call out microaggressions (non-inclusive behaviors) that tend to affect women.

We are stronger together. We are ONE.

McKinsey Women in the Workplace: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/gender-equality/women-in-the-workplace-2018

Kyle Korver captured the world's attention as he led like an ally publishing an article privilege about his experiences in the NBA with racism. He advocates for himself and other leaders to be better. We share our take on the story and ideas to lead like an ally. Also, we take candid feedback from an ally on our #MeToo story last week and address the lack of gender equality in the AI industry.

You will not want to miss these hot topics!

Read Kyle's full story here: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/kyle-korver-utah-jazz-nba

Learn more about gender equality in AI here: https://www.wired.com/story/artificial-intelligence-researchers-gender-imbalance/

And, check out last week's episode here on #MeToo here: https://www.nextpivotpoint.com/pivot-point-podcast/

With the recent allegations of Joe Biden violating women's personal spaces, it is a good time to take a perspective on where we are at with #MeToo in the workplace.

This story serves as an example of what allies do - listen to learn - and what not to do - enter people's personal spaces that do not want to be touched.

So, how do you discuss this at work? In this episode, we unpack key strategies to be an ally and have this candid conversation. Including, the infamous workplace hug scenario.

We have two hot topics to share in this week's episode. We're unpacking the gender spectrum as well as gendered language.

The words we use matter. When we say "guys" and "girls," we send signals that those that are underrepresented do not belong. Being inclusive as a leader requires us to address groups inclusively with words like "you all," "team," or "we." Those words help everyone feel more included.

I offer tools to take gender out of your vocabulary. Instead of thinking of "he" vs. "she," think of gender as non-binary. Recognize it is a spectrum and many fall in the middle of masculinity and femininity. Be okay with that ambiguity.

We are all allies in training. I love what one of my clients said this week, "I have some work to do." That is what an ally does. Starts inside and starts to change the outside through shifts in behavior.

We are stronger together. We are ONE.

Two times this week clients stated that we need more women to be allies for women.

Whenever a subject surfaces more than once, I have to dig in. I get curious.

We need more allies for women. Women alone cannot solve this problem. 50% of the population will only solve 50% of the problem.

So, why does this happen?

The tug of war gender bias exists in many organizations. The perception that there is only room for one woman to be on the leadership team.

What can you do about it?

Surface this hot topic and ask questions like, "how are we building a culture of allies here with women being allies for women?" "what are things we can do to be more inclusive and support across genders?" or simply share this episode and ask a team member or ally what they think.

Inclusive leaders have candid conversations. They listen to learn.

This week, I unpack the first female-led superhero movie from Marvel - Captain America.

I discuss why this movie matters for women and young girls. We have to see it to believe it. And, it features people of color and white women as allies. Powerful stuff. No spoilers, promise!

My call to action is to have discussions in the workplace about the film - what people thought of it, what it means for diversity, and how we can have more diversity and inclusion in our organization.

If you are not having this conversation at work, you are behind. Take this easy segway to having a more diverse and inclusion workplace. Diversity is a candid conversation, leaders need to be the first to step into the conversation.

We are stronger together. We are ONE.

International Women's Day is March 8 every year. What did you do to celebrate?

My clients had women led panels, had a podcast or video discussions, Lunch & Learns, or invited me to speak.

Yesterday, I spent the day with my clients at Caterpillar, Zoetis, my very own Women's Leadership Academy, and wrapped up with Indiana Society of Association Executives on "Bolstering Your Authentic Confidence," "Leading with Influence," "Asking for What You Want," and "Building a Winning Career Game Plan."

Keep the conversation going beyond this one day. If you want to promote real positive change, keep the dialogue going.

If you are a leader or want to be more of an ally, ask questions like:

- What is it like to be like you?

- How can I support you?

- Where do you want to go with your career?

Celebrate success. Keep it up. Be candid. Join us here for the next hot topic next week!

Season three will bring you our point of view on newsworthy topics that affect equality in the workplace.

In this episode, we share the inspiration for the shift. You will meet my podcast thinking partner, Jen Edds. And, we drop some knowledge on what happens when you do not talk about these things in your workplaces.

Every episode this season is 5-10 minutes. You can listen and learn quickly. And, take action on what you can do to promote positive change.