Do we need to be brave to be inclusive in our workplaces?

Hello! Much conversation is swirling about DEI efforts in workplaces as of late - Justin Ponder , our Chief Information Officer contributes to the Uplifting Conversations article again this week as his take on a facet of pushback we all may be feeling or have experienced, is insightful I believe! Read on...

Fifty rectangles filled my computer screen. In them: fast-paced professionals who called themselves gladiators. They took pride in their “toughness” and said it was the key to their success. When I discussed the value of inclusion, psychological safety, and belonging, it didn’t take John more than 40 minutes before he interrupted, “I’m sure this is all very important, but at the end of the day, we’re running a business, not a feelgoodery.”

Many have heard the political, philosophical, and professional arguments against DEI, but this story addresses another obstacle we must address. There are those who claim inclusivity is propaganda. Others argue it lowers standards. But John’s argument raises another accusation we must be able to address. There are people who assume DEI is “feelgoodery.” For them, inclusion does nothing more than try to make everybody happy. 

We can present data to show how DEI improves business outcomes. We can create guardrails to ensure it benefits everyone. But even after all that, there are many situations where gladiators want us to prove DEI isn’t weak. When I asked John why he opposed inclusivity, he said, “If someone isn’t brave enough to tell me the truth to my face, I don’t care to hear what they have to say.” For years, we’ve had to prove DEI is the non-political, moral, professional, and smart thing to do. But there are also situations where we have to prove it’s also the brave thing to do. For readers who have these kinds of leaders, here are some ideas.

Appeal to Competitiveness

“We’re running a business, not a feelgoodery.” When John said this, he implied a contrast between “running” a business” and psychological safety. Many traditional leaders seek productivity through intimidation (Marquet 2020). They think they get good work by treating workers badly. According to this thinking, belonging compromises growth. But research shows the opposite. DEI improves innovation, accuracy, productivity, recruiting, retention, and the ability to engage new markets (S. Levine 2014; M. Nathan 2013; Boston Consulting Group 2021; M. Bush 2021; M. Phillippi 2019, D. Jacimovic 2021).

Even if John thinks inclusivity, belonging, and basic human decency are “feelgoodery,” there are plenty of leaders who think they’re essential. Compound that reality with the rise of remote working and platforms that make it easier than ever to change jobs. That means that quicker than ever before, exclusionary team managers find themselves without a team. And a leader without followers isn’t long for leadership. 

But in John’s dismissiveness, there was desperation. Even as he scoffed at the changes I proposed, he understood the world had changed. No matter how tough leaders think they are, their teams can apply to a 1000 jobs in 30 minutes, interview with three by the end of the day and get a new job by the end of the week. We have shifted from an employer’s market to an employee’s market in ways we’ve never seen in all of human history. Gone are the days where gladiators can throw their weight around because they run the only show in town. In fact, new technology means I don’t have to work “in town” at all. Some assume running a business effectively means they can’t develop diversity of thought, psychological safety, or belonging. But they lose team members to organizations who know running a business in the 21st century requires these things. 

When I responded to John with these ideas, the gladiator became receptive. Gladiators thrive on competition. They might not fear risking consequences, but they abhor the idea of losing to competitors. So I started hinting at how John’s resistance to inclusivity could make him lose to other leaders who embraced it.

When trying to get that more inclusive hiring, performance evaluation, or mentorship process approved, you might have to convince gladiators. To do so, appeal to their competitiveness. Note not just statistics about how inclusivity will help workers feel better. Point out how other leaders who foster psychological safety and belonging end up winning over those who don’t. 

Point Out that Inclusivity Requires Toughness

Many can prove that DEI is about more than making people feel good. But few admit the ways in which it can make people feel bad. Members of heterogeneous teams report greater frustration, confusion, and miscommunication than members of homogeneous ones. Diversity creates challenges. It slows productivity. It increases disagreement (Horwitz & Horwitz, 2007; Williams & O’Reilly, 1998; Phillips, Liljenquist & Neale, 2009). Why? Not because diversity is bad. Not because it’s antithetical to “running a business.” It’s because diversity is uncomfortable. 

But it is precisely this discomfort that produces benefits. It causes challenges, slowness, and disagreement, but those are exactly the things that generate better thinking. It is unusual, but that’s the only way anyone gets extraordinary results.

Bandwagon bias, groupthink, conformity, overconfidence, and complacency undermine organizational success. But being able to embrace discomfort, friction, and challenges is important. In this regard, John is wrong. DEI isn’t about making people feel good. It’s about pushing people. It presses them to stop coddling deep-seated biases. It spurs them to defy centuries of segregation. It inspires them to finally muster the courage to embrace difference. 

Tough leaders face these difficulties. They power through fears. They overcome confusion. They embrace a diversity of identity, but they also preserve a diversity of ideas. They use safeguards against mockery, dismissal, retaliation, and self-silencing to encourage people to share their underrepresented perspectives (Breman & Edmondson, 2022). They have the grit to create structures that normalize heterogeneity and even make it fun. Why? Because they know that’s how any innovative idea ever came to be. Because organizational success means having the fortitude to ensure you don’t surround yourself with sycophants you’ve intimidated into agreeing with every terrible idea you have. Because you only become a great leader when you have the courage to encourage people to save you from yourself. 

In convincing gladiators, it’s important to adapt behavior. DEI can help people from underrepresented groups feel belonging. But it can also make gladiators assume they have to be weak. Persuade them by appealing to courage. To do so, have the courage to admit the complications that arise from greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. It causes fear. It slows processes. It increases confusion. But those who have the discipline to go through those initial challenges realize greater growth than those who take the easy way. If your audiences value toughness, point out that inclusivity demands it.

New Tactics

Like John, there are many self-professed gladiators. To appeal to them, adopt new tactics. If they value competitiveness, appeal to competition. If they pride themselves on their toughness, point out how DEI requires being tough. 

Beyond changing your assertions, also change your approach. Gladiators thrive off of opposition. They expect their resistance. But what most catches them off guard is verbal jiu-jitsu. Instead of countering attacks, redirect them. And few things stun argumentative gladiators like saying, “You’re right.” 

When John claimed, “We’re running a business, not a feelgoodery,” I replied, “You’re right, and inclusivity helps you run a business better.” When he insisted that he wasn’t about “holding hands and singing kumbaya,” I said, “You’re right, and creating psychological safety about is about achieving organizational success.” He snapped, “If someone isn’t brave enough to tell me the truth to my face, I don’t care to hear what they have to say.” And I said, “You’re right, that’s why you’re brave enough to be inclusive.” 

That changed the conversation. He assumed DEI was about weakening himself to help others feel better, but inclusivity is about fortifying yourself enough to get through the challenges of heterogeneity.

It’s important to admit how many of us have to convince gladiators. Most often, we have to prove inclusivity is the morally, professionally, and financially right thing to do. But as much as we fail to recognize it, there are plenty of us who have to convince others that DEI is also the courageous thing to do. For the gladiators who insist on doing more than “feelgoodery,” become brave enough to be inclusive.

Resources to improve DEI practices in your organization:

·     Download the Bridge Builders eBook

·     Take our free DEI Assessment

·     Try the 7-Day Challenge

Being an #ALLY is ongoing work. Any uplifting impact we make now, no matter how big or small, will build a better world for future leaders and generations to come. Let’s keep working together to affect change.

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