Police Chief Critiques Course on Cultural Intelligence
Amy Narishkin, PhD
Superpower: Empowering Diverse Work Teams with Skills for Navigating Cross-cultural Conversations Increasing Productivity, Innovation and Profit.
Empowering Partners, LLC is pleased to announce we've just launched a complete online self-study course, "Awkward to Awesome: Boost Productivity, Diversity and Collaboration with Cultural Intelligence," on how to acknowledge and support cultural differences and see them as an asset for your organization. Chief Carter (not his real name at his request), a #police chief in the St. Louis metro area, was kind enough to be an early reviewer of the course. The following conversation followed his review.
Chief Carter said: “We need to overcome the ‘defensive posturing’ of people in my profession. I find police officers actually do want to explore the topics of policing and #race, #diversity, #bias and minority engagement but are unsure of how to engage. So often though #conversations don’t get past judgment, blame and finger-pointing which is what puts people on the defensive. So I’m always looking for ways to learn how we can be and do better.”
Amy: “I understand. Blame and shame drive people away. Can you give me an example of what you’re on the lookout for?”
Chief Carter: “Last year I was at a Police Chief conference with over 100 Police Chiefs and over 100 School Resource Officers. The Anti-Defamation League [ADL] offers a course entitled ‘Implicit Bias.’ Only seven of us showed up for the class and perhaps two of us were Police Chiefs. I think so few showed up because of that perception: 'This’ll just be another one of those classes where we’ll be criticized and judged for being in law enforcement.'
During the class, I noticed a lot of engagement, though, because the instructors from the ADL were accepting and not judging. They asked questions and allowed the participants to share their perspectives and become educated on issues that relate to law enforcement. It was a great interaction, but that perception of blame prevented many from attending.”
Amy: “Sounds like acceptance and #curiosity opened up an opportunity for constructive conversation, at least for those showed up. Too bad more conversations aren’t like that.”
Chief Carter: “Yes, that’s why I like how you started your online course teaching openness and curiosity. I like the five C’s for constructive conversation.” He was talking about…
“I think this is an accurate description of what it takes to stay open and talk through tough topics with people who have different opinions. In your course, I like how you immediately provide an example of how to use the 5 C’s to overcome the defensiveness people feel—and not just people in law enforcement. Your story “Connection, not Correction” is a good example of the kind of interaction that’s possible with cultural intelligence.”
Amy: “How do you use curiosity?”
Chief Carter: “This definition from your course is good, ‘Curiosity is the interest, intrigue and wonder about people, places and systems that are new and different.’ When I read that definition, I was reminded of the two Black coordinators I worked with from a group called Stand United. They came to our area for a protest march. After the protest, they asked to talk with me and other police chiefs about law enforcement perspectives, culture and reform.
I recall many police officers and their chiefs and the people representing Stand United wanted to engage in these discussions. We were all genuinely curious and recognized the opportunity to learn more about the other side. We were all in the same boat—we wanted to be educated on the other culture without being criticized or judged. This led to amazing discussions and understanding for both groups."
Amy: “It’s awesome how you all were able to overcome any defensiveness and learn together. To come to that place of shared understanding, it sounds like everyone was more than just curious. It took #courage to slow down and open up the space for listening and learning together. In that space, you found #compassion for each other’s different contexts and vantage points. All five C’s were in play there.
“Was there a part of the course that helped you slow down to learn more about each other?”
Chief Carter: “Two things. I liked the one-minute meditation videos. They're of high value in my opinion, because they allow reflection and focus. We have training where they teach us combat breathing for high-stress situations. Also, I liked the questions you have in the section, ‘How to Express Curiosity and Wonder.’ You said: ‘To get more information so you can appreciate about another person’s experience, you can ask:
“That was helpful, especially the last question. Law enforcement, and people in general, don’t realize how their words are coming across to other people.”
Amy: “It sounds like you’ve become aware of the impact of words. Do you have an example?”
Chief Carter: “In our talks between minority communities and law enforcement, we’ve discussed ‘trigger words,’ words that can instantly put people on the defensive and yet we have no idea of their impact. I noticed one of the first things you did in the course was build a common vocabulary.
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“When I was talking to a member of the Black community, he relayed to us that he felt defensive when he heard a White person say 'All Lives Matter.' To him, the White person was minimizing the traumatic history of Blacks in America. Similarly, I’ve had White people who have said that they felt the term 'Black Lives Matter' minimized their belief that their life was equally important because it didn’t include everyone else. Both valued lives and wanted to feel seen and heard but didn’t seem to know how their words impacted others. There are words and concepts which have been relayed to me through various conversations that destroy communication by instantly putting participants on the defensive. It’s valuable to have discussions to identify these inflammatory words and phrases so we can understand one another’s perception."
Amy: “It is important to understand how our words impact people. What tool in the course stood out to help with softening and learning how others perceive things?”
Chief Carter: “One tool I particularly liked was the S.T.O.P. technique. It’s a good de-escalation strategy that can be applied in law enforcement and the private sector:
“This example in the course of how to use S.T.O.P. could prevent many different issues that law enforcement may have to eventually intervene on. Good job on that." He was referring to this conversation:
Amy: “Mandy slowed down with S.T.O.P. and showed she really felt for the guy, didn't she? How does that kind of compassion come into play in your work?”
Chief Carter: “Compassion is definitely one of the foundations for dropping that defensiveness and opening up dialogue. #Dignity and #respect in all situations work great. I suggest to my command leaders to take a breath, get centered and quiet and then take a look at the different sides to an issue before acting.”
Amy: “Like S.T.O.P.”
Chief Carter: “Exactly."
Amy: “Is there anything else you’d like to highlight about the course?"
Chief Carter: “One thing I appreciate is how you help people think about hiring, retaining and promoting culturally diverse people without creating an environment where those of us who are of the dominant culture don’t feel left out. I appreciated the section about the need for diverse perspectives." He was talking about this section:
"When we hire, we look for experience for some roles, but, in all roles, we look for unique perspectives, personalities and passions that truly believe the next best innovation or process could come from anyone, even themselves. From there, we keep shaping an environment of active listening, experimenting, collaborating and applauding mistakes as a step on the road to success. We also build a system to document our successes so we know how to replicate them and our mistakes so we only make them once.”
“Also," the Chief Carter kindly added, "I want to offer my sincere appreciation for your endeavor to unite diverse groups through the prompting of needed discussions on sensitive topics. Your compassion and motivation to bring people together is a testament to your good core values and is evident throughout the course.”
Amy: “Thank you, Chief Carter. Coming from someone in your position of influence, your words mean so much. Also, I deeply appreciate your willingness to review the course and help me understand how curiosity, contemplation, courage, context and compassion are vital to the work you do to keep the public safe." -Amy Narishkin, PhD
To learn the skills and feel confident working with anyone who seems different, click here to register for or learn more about the course, "Awkward to Awesome: Boost Productivity, Diversity and Collaboration with Cultural Intelligence."
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11moAbsolutely amazing Amy Narishkin, PhD
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11moDr. Amy — your intelligence, open mindedness & heartedness, and vulnerability - especially through the questions you ask the manner through which you ask them - is a gift. Thank you for all you do