When Waymaking Matters Most

Dear Friends,   

Early in The Waymakers book, just after introducing the Waymaker principles of empathy, fairness, courage, ownership, and integrity, you will find this phrase: “ …a Waymaker acts by making a way every day.” (p.75).  

Every. Day. That’s a significant commitment. But that consistency is what’s required to make a way for others--to ensure all people have what they need to thrive at work. Every day is what makes Waymaking a journey instead of a list of things to check off or a fixed destination. And it’s a journey full of myriad commonplace encounters as well as a handful of life-changing inflection points.  

In the talent journey, there are pivotal experiences that can either draw an employee closer to a company or push them farther away. Waymaking at those critical times can serve as the difference maker. Beyond our everyday opportunities, those critical times are 1. when employees are starting something new; 2. when they’re chasing their career aspirations; 3. when stakes are high and patience is low; and 4. during times of major change.

DOING SOMETHING NEW

If you’re a new employee or are new to a team or assignment, you may take extra care with your learning approach. This is especially true if you don’t represent the dominant group. You may overthink the questions you ask and of whom (Will they think I should already know?), when and where you seek clarity (Maybe it will become clear if I just wait?), and the risks you’re willing to take (How will it affect others’ confidence in me if I make a mistake?).  In this fragile time of “getting up to speed,” Waymakers are navigators. They demystify cultures, processes, and even people. They take the guesswork out of how success is defined and assessed and by whom. They point out the mile markers and are honest about when people are getting close to the marker and when they’re going too far or too fast. When employees are doing something new, Waymakers make things plain.

CHASING DREAMS

When employees are chasing dreams, the role of a Waymaker is to help define the landscape of opportunity and broker relationships. This often looks like inquiring about the person’s aspirations, passions, and skills and providing insight on existing divisions and roles, while sharing business strategies that might lead to emerging bodies of work. Waymakers help employees translate their aspirations into tangible goals they can work toward. 

HIGH STAKES AND LOW PATIENCE 

When an otherwise successful and productive employee is suddenly described as “difficult,” leaders should become curious. It’s not always the fault of the employee. There are racist or sexist or xenophobic or homophobic managers who see fault in people no matter what they do. There are others whose biases may be more latent—they just know an employee “rubs them the wrong way” but can’t explain why. In both cases, the employee needs Waymakers to offer protection from personal and reputational risk. Gather more information. Recognize that one manager’s opinion of a person, especially if they are of a different race or gender or lived experience, is not sufficient evidence to sideline talent when they’ve been successful in the past. And never require someone to convince one leader to accept them for their careers to progress, because if that leader doesn’t like them for any reason, you’re condemning them to stagnation. Waymakers seek the truth and shine a light on and disrupt biases.

DURING TRANSFORMATION

When organizations are going through major or rapid changes like reorgs, strategy shifts, acquisitions or even the dreaded downsizing, what was once certain can be completely disrupted. Everyone—and especially underrepresented talent—feels uprooted, uncertain, afraid. Waymakers can be the anchor in the storm. Stand against the tendency to rush into consequential decisions. Hold firm, or plead with colleagues to hold firm, until you explore the options. Assess the possibilities before your company loses proven talent and the invisible value—the credibility—you sometimes lose with them. Waymakers think in terms of long-term impact on talent, even and especially when short-term solutions seem easier.

We all need people to help us navigate new terrain, expand our vision, avoid pitfalls or recover from them, and to be an anchor in the storm. This is what Waymakers do. The better we understand the many ways underrepresented employees can get lost along the talent journey, the more responsive we will be to their needs, enabling us to keep talent in our pipelines and grow our people and our businesses.

Still unsure how you can make a way at critical times for all people? Click here and scroll to the bottom of our resources page for access to our Bridge to Aspiration tool. It will help you be a Waymaker by naming the skills, knowledge, experiences, behaviors, and relationships that will enable your talent to grow from where they are now to where they want to be. Start using this tool with your teams in the next 30 days and message us via our LinkedIn page to share the results you see over time. We look forward to celebrating your successes!

Together in Waymaking, 

Tara Jaye 

& The Waymakers Change Group   

Tara Jaye Frank is author of The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence and founder of The Waymakers Change Group, a human-centered management consulting firm that supports mid-sized and large companies who seek to transform their employee experience and build capacity to lead all people well.  Our proprietary approach, grounded in behavioral research and decades of inclusive leadership expertise, challenges and equips leaders to unleash the potential of all people, thereby promoting healthy workplace cultures and fueling sustainable businesses. Visit www.twchg.com to learn more.