Hot Topic Friday: August 28

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Happy Friday! Here are our August 28 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Announcement!: Building Extraordinary and Adaptive Cultures Course Available Now!

Hot Topic 1: What Every Leader Interested in Diversity and Inclusion Needs to Consider.

Source: Harvard Business Review. Michael Slepian.

What It’s About?: This is a very important article based on research to be published in a forthcoming issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science. The data shows that inclusion may also fall short because it does not necessarily lead to a sense of belonging. Ta-Dah! When my qualitative observations get backed by solid science, I want to dance a jig. 

The research emphasizes: “When employees felt included, involved, and accepted (real inclusion), they felt like they belonged in the workplace. When employees felt like others asked for their input only because they were supposed to, or sought their opinion as someone who can represent their social group (surface inclusion), they felt like they belonged less. When being included for surface-level reasons, such as seeking a minority opinion, people can feel singled out on the basis of their demographics. This reduced sense of belonging works directly against inclusion efforts.”

So What?: The following are straightforward, sensible, data-based and intuitively reasonable conclusions from the study: 

  1. People want their social groups to be included in the conversation, but they do not want to be individually included solely on the basis of their category memberships

  2. Leaders should focus on the creation of identity-safe environments… The  solution is to make all employees’ concerns feel heard, and not single out only minority individuals, or expect them to always take the lead on diversity questions.

  3. ALL employees need their concerns to feel heard, rather than dismissed or diminished.

  4. Rather than treating an employee as a representative of people like them, instead consider their unique experiences and frame requests for input along these lines.

Now What?: ACT on the four recommendations. It’s not that hard conceptually, however it requires a mindshift and intentionality. Remember as the research points out: “People want their social group to be included and their individual self to belong. These are two different things. Managers can hit both targets when diversity initiatives do consider social identity, but inclusion initiatives focus on the individual. Managers should not only signal that a social identity is valued, but also that the individual is valued, as a person, not just on the basis of the social group they represent. Support and recognition from coworkers, particularly those in leadership positions, foster feelings of inclusion and belonging.”

One Millennial Response: I’d argue that if you’re seeing another team member as anything but a colleague with the same targets, values and goals, then you’re really looking through a misinformed lens. Trust that everyone on your team is there because their position is earned.

Hot Topic 2: Applying Moments of Genuine Connection (MGC).

Source: Cultofpedagogy.com.

What It’s About?: My observation is that people are hungry for personal, emotional connection more than ever. This is more than pandemic related. For numerous reasons, this desire for real connection between all people, including people at work, has materially increased. I was interested in this article about a teacher trying to do the same thing with students. Teacher Dave Stuart Jr., developed an approach called Moments of Genuine Connection (MGCs) out of necessity. He knew how important relationship building was, but the time it took to do it well was overwhelming. This is a challenge I frequently hear from managers. “‘The first three years of my career,’ [Stuart] says, ‘I would spend 10, 15 hours per week solely focused on building relationships with students… before school, after school, during lunch. Massive amounts of time, time that I could not invest into feedback on student work or planning lessons.’” He worked on a more efficient approach, (one to three minutes/day/student) . His comment: “It ended up working really well, allowing him to make many more students feel valued, known, respected, and safe.”

So What?: Now, years later, Stuart has established clearer protocols for MGCs. To work best, your MGCs should fit these criteria and I’ve taken the liberty to amend this to the workplace rather than classroom: 

MOMENTS. No more than three minutes with each team member working for you per day.

GENUINE. You have to mean what you say to them. 

CONNECTION. What you’re after in these encounters is that set of feelings: Valued, Known, Respected. Call out specific things that we notice about the employee, specific things that we know about them from information that they’ve given you.

EMBEDDED, NOT EXTRA. The moments are embedded inside the tasks you’re working on.

TRACKED. Keep notes on what you talk about.

PERSONAL AND BUSINESS. Attempt connections about both personal and work topics.

 Now What?:  How about Ways to create MGCs Online? What’s cool, is that there are ways to facilitate these MGC in your current digital way. Again, inspired by Stuart: 

  1. Waiting Rooms. Be there to connect with people as they arrive in the waiting room. 

  2. Brief Office Hours. Publish time you’re open for people to come digitally connect with you.

  3. Embedded in Feedback. Attach audio and Burdock clips about the quality of people’s work. 

  4. Personal videos. Genuine mini-videos to each of your direct reports, telling them how you feel about them. 

Most leaders have far less employees than a teacher has students. If Stuart can effectively apply MGCs, how about us? 

One Millennial Response: I totally comprehend that concentrating on tasks and getting results is our main priority at work. However, I have never understood the aversion to believe in multitasking. There are likely daily work duties we can complete, while simultaneously discussing light personal matters/funny things, etc. with co-workers. This is very achievable. But, even in my experience, it’s sometimes countered with “shhhh, this is an office!” Yeah, so what!? Unlike Stuart’s students, we’re not in the library anymore, we’ve graduated, and nothing sucks more than a stale work environment without MGCs. The idea that if you’re not quiet, you’re not doing your job, is subjective at best. If Wall Street and sales floors can operate while people scream on the phones and bang on gongs, I’m going to guess whatever you’re doing can tolerate a little MGC banter.

My Weekly Wine Recommendation.

Rombauer Vineyards Zinfandel 2018.

And finally! Here’s Cecil’s Bleat of the Week!

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“When I work at home, I maybe dress a little nicer now.” - Michael Slepian

Bye for now!

— Lorne and Garrett Rubis

Incase you Missed It:

My latest Lead In podcast.  

My latest blog.

Season 3 of Culture Cast. 

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