Voice At The Table

By Rina Goldenberg Lynch

November is Men’s Health Awareness month – and later this week it’s International Men’s Day.  We want to take the opportunity to honour men, to ensure that they too harness the benefits of Diversity and Inclusion.

This is particularly relevant because the statistics around men’s suicide are harrowing.  According to a UK government website, around three-quarters of registered suicide deaths in 2020 were for men (3,925 deaths; 75.1%), a trend that has been consistent since the mid-1990s.

There are, no doubt, myriad reasons for this.  One such reason, as reported by the Samaritans, is what they refer to as Masculinity.  The report states:

• Men compare themselves against a masculine ‘gold standard’ which prizes power, control and invincibility. Having a job and providing for the family is central to this, especially for working class men.
• When men believe they are not meeting that standard they feel a sense of shame and defeat.
• This type of masculinity may propel men towards suicide, as a way of regaining control in the face of depression or other mental health problems.
• More than women, men respond to stress by taking risks or misusing alcohol and drugs. They use more lethal, violent and ‘effective’ methods of suicide

So I wonder, can our efforts on Diversity and Inclusion also help change some of the attitudes around Masculinity?

How can we improve men’s mental health?

Phil Cox, Voice At The Table D&I Consultant as well as coach and therapist, says that society’s image of what it means to be a man (powerful, dominant, aggressive, independent, efficient, rational, competitive, successful, in control and never vulnerable) is no longer consistent with the values that men hold today.  Phil’s research suggests that men value family relationships, happiness at work, openness, being loved and having purpose as much as women do.  Yet these values are in stark contradiction with society’s image of what it means to be a man.  Society continues to espouse old-fashioned ideals of masculinity – directly and indirectly.  Here are a few examples:

• Men are quietly discouraged from taking parental leave, working flexibly or part-time or taking on responsibilities that are routinely performed by women, like taking notes at meetings or organising social gatherings.
• Men are judged by their status at work, their titles, the size of their offices and bonuses.
• More privately, men might joke about women and their looks, boast to each other about their sexual conquests and drink heavily after work.

All these ingrained norms and behaviours continue to reaffirm our views of the ‘gold standard’ of Masculinity.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that men who might prefer to work more flexibly, or spend more time with their families, or freely express their emotions, might feel uncomfortable doing so and, as a result, feel trapped and resentful.

Research shows that men are generally happier when they share with their partners the type of work and caring that is typically reserved for women.  Michael Kimmel’s TED Talk on Why Gender Diversity is Good  For Everyone, Men Including famously showcased this research back in 2015.  But the research remains by and large just that: research.  Yes, we have made some progress, particularly with the younger population of men.  But the older generations continue to insist that men remain in what Phil endearingly refers to as the ‘Glass Mancave’.

So, as we mark Men’s Health Awareness this month, let’s start conversations about gender diversity with men in mind.  Let’s talk about how we all would benefit if men were ‘allowed’ to be more human in the workplace;  if our boys were shown that success is not just about being able to afford a Rolex or Porsche but equally about finding happiness, purpose and contentment in the small things in life.  Every step we take towards empowering women to be more liberated must also allow a step towards a redefined version of Masculinity – one that is more consistent with men’s values today.

By Rina Goldenberg Lynch

Empathy is the most important leadership skill!  a Forbes magazine headline claimed.  Instantly, I looked up!  That sounds interesting, I thought.  I have been talking about Empathy – one of our eight Inclusive Behaviours – for a long time.  And now there’s research supporting our view of its importance?  Oh yes, that is of interest!

And not just to us!  To you, I hope, too.

What does the research actually say?

The Forbes article explains that Empathy is an essential skill for leaders that, in addition to being a valuable people-skill, also drives innovation and retention.  The reason?  Elevated stress levels in recent times have made it difficult for people to find happiness at work.  An empathetic leader can be the gateway to reinstating this elusive characteristic and improve performance.  Here is how:

1. Empathetic leaders can inspire employees to innovate.
2. Empathetic leaders can drive engagement.
3. When women feel that their life circumstances are respected and valued by their organisations, they are less inclined to leave.
4. Those with empathetic leaders feel more included and attribute that inclusion to the organisation.
5. Empathy makes it easier for people to juggle conflicting work/life priorities and more successfully navigate demands on time from family and colleagues.
6. Empathy begets empathy and increases cooperation when introduced into the decision-making process.
7. Empathetic leaders contribute to improved mental health of their employees.

All of this is logical and most of us understand it.  But here’s the thing that I found incredible:  research suggests that showing empathy is an important part of our human condition.  When we empathise with others, our brain is triggered in the same way as when we experience what the person with whom we empathise experiences.  It’s emotional telepathy!

Science indicates that we are neurologically-linked to other human’s emotions, so it’s not surprising after all that when we are shown empathy, it improves our wellbeing and our performance.  Similarly, when we are deprived of it, our emotional wellbeing and all related physiological and emotional responses suffer as a consequence.

What does this mean for leadership?

Empathy is undoubtedly part of any good leadership development training.  It is most certainly part of our Inclusive Leadership programme.  So if you’re a leader, or are developing to become one, think of strengthening your empathy muscles.

Here are a few suggested ways to do that:

1. Step into the shoes of another. Ask yourself: If the roles were reversed, how would I feel?  This is something  we can practice not only in the work context but anywhere and anytime.  The more we practice this, the better we get at Empathy.  And, before we know it, we no longer have to ask ourselves the question, we simply understand what the other person must be going through in order to act ‘that’ way.

2. Ask the question. When it is unclear why or what another person is doing – and particularly if that person is a peer or a colleague – allow them the space to explain.  A simple question such as What is really bothering you? or What are you trying to achieve? or similar will afford them the opportunity not only to respond but to reflect and understand their own motivation.  The ability to provide someone a space to reflect is in itself an act of empathy.

3. Showing empathy doesn’t mean agreeing. When we show empathy, we show the other person we understand them.  But it doesn’t necessarily follow that we have to agree with them.  Constructive feedback is much better received in an environment where perspectives are understood and acknowledged, even if disagreed with.

Empathy is an important part of Inclusion.  So when you celebrate International Men’s Day or mark Transgender Day of Remembrance (or the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) later this month, use your empathy to reach out and try to understand the meaning behind the event and what it could teach you.  In the end, the person who is able to empathise  benefits just as much as the person on the receiving end of empathy.

By Melissa Jackson

When young climate activist Greta Thunberg dropped the F-bomb outside the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, it was clear that, once again, she meant business. Her chant of “No more blah blah blah. No more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there,” gave her mission the oxygen of publicity she coveted. But she wasn’t the only young woman rallying the world and its leaders to take action.

As international delegates were arriving in Glasgow, a petition was launched, asking the world to wake up and smell the methane, urging global leaders to “face up to climate emergency”. It’s since gone viral, with nearly two million signatures.

The individuals ringing the global alarm bell were four exceptional young women: Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, Uganda’s Vanessa Nakate, Poland’s Dominika Lasota and Mitzi Tan from the Philippines.

We’ve heard a lot about 18-year-old Greta, who’s now one of the most influential and renowned climate saviours on the planet. We’ve witnessed her rise from teen activist to global climate leader. But what about the other young women, who are taking a stand over what they perceive to be the wanton indifference to the global warming crisis by world leaders?

Vanessa Nakate, 24, was in Scotland after releasing her book, A Bigger Picture: My fight to bring a new African voice to the climate crisis.

In an interview with The Independent newspaper, she said: “If leaders are going to talk about going net zero, then they have to start now. They must put an end to investment in new fossil fuel projects.

“Something that I always say is that we can’t eat coal, we can’t drink oil and we cannot breathe so-called natural gas.”

Miss Nakate’s book highlights how people living in Africa and other parts of the global south are already having to live with serious climate impacts.

“The climate crisis is more than statistics, it’s about people,” she said.

“I hope to get people to understand what the climate crisis does to individuals, families and communities. I hope they can understand the interconnections between the climate crisis and other issues like poverty eradication, gender equality and peace building.”

Polish activist Dominika Lasota chided world leaders attending the UN summit, who agreed to a “coal phase-out pledge” at COP 26, saying it was “a complete joke”. She attacked her own government in Poland, saying that although it had signed the pledge, it had found a loophole to circumvent it.

“It shows they are just going to keep business as usual and they will just keep destroying ecosystems and communities and producing the climate crisis that we are facing right now,” she blasted.

Miss Lasota, 19, who is a member of the Fridays For Future (FFF) movement founded by Greta Thunberg, said she first got involved in climate activism at the start of the pandemic.

Commenting on the COP26 proceedings, she told PA News “We’ve been hearing so many empty promises, empty speeches that sound nice.

“I think the most distressing thing to see is Boris Johnson and Joe Biden not coming forward with adequate action. They are betraying us.”

Mitzi Tan, 24, is a full-time climate justice activist based in Metro Manila, Philippines. She is the convener and international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), the FFF organisation of the Philippines.

She is also an organiser with FFF International and FFF MAPA (Most Affected Peoples and Areas) making sure that voices from the Global South, especially, are heard. She decided to fully commit her life to activism in 2017, after integrating with the Lumad indigenous leaders of her country, who made her realise that collective action and system change is needed.

She is committed to fighting alongside the most marginalised towards a system that prioritises people and planet, not profit.

Speaking from Glasgow, she told news organisation Democracy Now, “Again we’re seeing that even if there are some young people here, we’re still not being listened to because if we were… then we would be seeing action, bug again we’re just hearing empty words and empty promises and that’s why MAPA is here to make sure the voices of the most affected people and areas are amplified and centred, because that’s how we impress upon people that the climate crisis is already here. It’s not a problem of the future, it’s a problem of today.”

We should be grateful to these young women – all under the age of 25 – for being bold, for refusing to be passive and for taking a stand to ensure young people’s voices are heard in this great debate. Far from being a foul-mouthed teenager, Greta is an angry young woman with an agenda that she wants to trumpet for the survival of humanity. As COP26 has shown, she has strong allies who fear that time is running out to save the planet. Future generations need our commitment now.

Guest Blog By Dr Howard Haughton, Holistic Risk Solutions Limited and King’s College London

It has been nearly two years since the first outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, whose impact has had significant human/social and economic costs around the world. Not only has the pandemic affected the way we socialise but it has also modified the working practices of many organisations. What might have been frowned upon, in some organisations two years ago, is now taken for granted as it relates to working from home.

The last year and a half also witnessed near-global self-reflection by governments, businesses and civil societies, following the brutal murder of George Floyd. In many instances this reflection arose from demonstrations, constant media attention and the naming and shaming of individuals/organisations with legacy connections to the slave trade and those perceived as perpetuating systemic/institutional racism.

The confluence of the above events created a perfect storm for a call to action on other social issues including climate change and sexual abuse. This led to several organisations announcing plans for the introduction of targets for and initiatives to promote diversity among their ranks. Although well- intentioned, the introduction of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategies are likely to fail in most organisations without a corresponding change in organisational culture driven by a new kind of leadership that facilitates inclusion.

Reports from organisations such as Business in the Community (BITC) highlight the growing awareness of the importance of wellbeing leadership whereby the mental as well as physical welfare of employees are prioritised by leaders. Surveys from UNISON and others also reveal continued discrimination against Black, LGBT+ and disabled persons.

What kind of leadership is required?

 Leadership as usual – with EDI strategies as an add-on alone – will not work, as employees increasingly value authentic leaders who are sympathetic to social issues, encourage reflective thinking and empower their staff. These characteristics are not typically associated with traditional styles of leadership. Empowered by the protection of the Equality Act 2010, employees are expressing their legal rights to manifest their identity. Those organisations with transformational leaders will understand that this creates an opportunity to make their organisation more representative of wider society with benefits such as improved creativity, innovation, and sustainability.

The type of leadership that can more easily facilitate the changing nature of the workforce is one based on the principles of being woke.

What is woken leadership?

 Woken leadership is a term that I use to describe the application of the principles of being woke to organisational leadership. Since being woke involves being aware of racial and other social issues a woken leader actively encourages employees to bring their true selves to work by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment within which staff are empowered and supported to grow and contribute to organisational excellence.

In my book: Woken Leader: Wake up the Leader in You, I describe the four cornerstones of woken            leadership comprising:

• Empowering leadership: where a leader seeks opportunities to invite, include and develop the leadership qualities of staff. They do this by actively seeking to understand the aspirations (financial and non-financial) of staff and facilitating for their growth in a manner which plays to their strengths whilst better managing their weaknesses.
• Reflective leadership: where a leader encourages staff to challenge the status quo and their own way of thinking with a view to understanding how teams can better work together in achieving organisational and personal excellence. A direct consequence of employing reflective thinking is to identify impediments to personal growth and team cohesion such as prejudices and
• Wellbeing leadership: where a leader leads in a manner which is sensitive to the physical, mental, and social constraints or desires of staff. Examples of this include facilitating flexible working, the provision of creche facilities, subsidised gym membership and workplace
• Stakeholder leadership: where a leader makes decisions based on understanding and incorporating the views of key actors (stakeholders) that form part of the organisation’s ecosystem.  Examples include outreach programmes which serve to improve social outcomes in the local or wider geographic area of an organisation, initiatives to reduce carbon footprint and partnership schemes with local civic organisations which can be used to provide mentoring and guidance on diversity.

Application of woken leadership in organisations

Since publishing my book on woken leadership, I have conducted dozens of training courses on the subject matter of inclusive leadership for a range of different types of organisations, including large global and domestic private sector companies, public sector entities and civic organisations. What many have in common is good intentions and policies but with less attention paid to fundamental organisational change through inclusive leadership.

There are some organisations that get the message. They understand that the introduction of inclusive leadership is not a project but a way of behaving that should be pervasive through the organisation in which all persons are to be held accountable for upholding high standards of diversity and inclusion. They understand that these behaviours must form part of the cultural identity of an organisation i.e., be embedded in its DNA. For these institutions, I see a bright future one which is woken and not broken.

Howard Haughton runs a boutique financial risk management consultancy in the UK and, for a number of years, has been a visiting senior research fellow at King’s College London specialising in computational finance and the application of mathematics to leadership.  His work, in the field of sustainable development, has enhanced awareness as to how sovereign contingent liabilities and financing for development can be better achieved.  He has provided policy advice to sovereign states around the world covering subjects such as sovereign wealth funds, infrastructure development, debt and capital management and project financing.  He has built an international reputation in the fields of mathematics, computer science and has held senior positions in large financial institutions.

Howard’s research extends to that of leadership, corporate governance and diversity and inclusion.  In this respect he has developed a framework for achieving inclusive leadership, maintaining wellbeing, and empowering staff, as detailed in his book Woken Leader.

Howard has published widely across a number of subject areas and holds a PhD in mathematical computer science from Wolverhampton University and Masters qualifications from the universities of York and Oxford.

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When it comes to being an ally for gender equality, believing in the cause is only part of the equation: men must both value equality, and actively work to achieve it.  Here, we offer five ways to be a more proactive ally to women.

1. Listen to people from marginalised groups and hear their stories. For example, look for opportunities to hear about women’s experiences in your workplace and seek feedback about how you can “show up” for them as an ally.
2. Recognise there is more than one experience. Transgender women or women of colour, for example, may have different needs.
3. Move beyond helping individuals. Act to disrupt oppressive structures in your environment and the status quo. For instance, if you witness inappropriate language by other men in the room, actively call out the inappropriate language. Don’t just dismiss sexist comments or acts as “banter” or jokes.
4. Empower women. There needs to be a concerted effort to elevate women, celebrate their successes, and actively promote them. JPMorgan Chase launched an initiative the company calls “30-5-1,” which is designed to bring women and men together to support their female colleagues. Employees are encouraged to spend 30 minutes each week meeting with a talented woman, 5 minutes congratulating a female colleague on a win, and 1 minute praising that woman to other colleagues.
5. Sponsor a woman.  Mentoring is when you talk to the mentee in the room.  Sponsorship is when you talk about your mentee when they’re not in the room.  If the right mentor can take a woman far, the right sponsor can take her even further. The difference? Mentors offer advice and time. Sponsors, in contrast, are more invested, and offer opportunities, visibility and connection. A US/UK survey by the Center for Talent Innovation found that 44% of women with sponsors felt comfortable asking to work on high-profile projects. That number fell to 36% for women without sponsors. If men want to help elevate more women to leadership, they should take a more active role in introducing women to the experiences and opportunities that help them succeed.

Let us know what you have done to be a proper ally to women and how that is going.

By Inge Woudstra

We know that it’s important to feel like we belong in the workplace.  We also know that, in order to make people feel like they belong, it’s also important to ensure they see tangible results of their efforts, such as financial reward or promotion.

Yet, in many of my focus groups, this is often a major point of frustration for people from under-represented groups. Many say, ‘I have all the qualifications and all the experience, and now I just don’t know what more I need to do in order to move up’.

A closer look at the promotion process reveals that it’s often similar types of people, with similar types of behaviours, who tend to progress.  Those, however,  who are different from the dominant type tend to be left behind.

Is there bias in the promotion process?

It’s not easy to understand why certain people get left behind, and most of my clients are genuinely keen to increase diversity at all levels. Some clients even appeared somewhat bewildered and asked me ‘Are women not interested in senior positions?’ Others have wondered whether the problem is that they are not providing enough support to those with different backgrounds.

Unfortunately, these types of enquiries rarely yield the correct insight.  Instead of looking at how to fix the individual, the better question to ask is, ‘Does all talent have an equal chance at being promoted?’ In my experience, meritocracy does not really exist; most promotion processes allow  a lot of personal preferences and bias to creep in.

If we want to get closer to a meritocratic system – and to be more fair – we need to remove bias the promotion process itself. This means making it more fair, more transparent, and more formal. That is not always easy, but it will help you find the best talent for the role.

How to remove bias from the promotion process.

Here are five recommendations that help remove bias from the promotion process:

1. Develop a promotion process that relies on objective evidence – instead of relying on anecdotes or the ability to self-promote during the interview, look for measurable skills and competencies, as well as transferable skills.
2. Develop clear career pathways – clarity in how to progress at work helps employees understand what they need to do to move up and helps them ask for specific feedback. It also shows them when they are ready for promotion, so they are not afraid to put themselves forward.
3. Advertise each role widely – it’s important to ensure that it’s not just the ‘usual suspects’ who know about a role or are asked to apply. Cast the net widely and then consider each candidate objectively.
4. Create a level playing field by helping candidates prepare for the selection process – inform candidates about criteria used and what is expected. Give them information on how best to prepare. This way, informal knowledge obtained via personal connections becomes less important and doesn’t give anyone an unfair advantage.
5. Promote in batches – this is a powerful psychological nudge. When hiring managers promote one individual at a time, they are more likely to choose their favourite one each time. When they are asked to promote a group of people at the same time, they are more likely to look for a variety of skills and behaviours.

Making changes to the promotion process is a delicate activity, and it’s never painless.  But getting it right ensures that you get one step closer to making your organisation more inclusive, more diverse at all levels, and that more people feel that they belong.

By Rina Goldenberg Lynch

Let’s talk about why it’s important to use inclusive words  – language that makes us feel part of the speaker’s circle.

The dictionary defines Inclusive Language as language that avoids the use of certain expressions or words that might be considered to exclude particular groups of people. Examples include ‘humankind’ instead of ‘mankind’, ‘boycotted’ instead of ‘blacklisted’ and ‘reasonableness check’ instead of ‘sanity check’.

Why it’s important to use inclusive words

Our language is riddled with words that are less than inclusive – and many of these are unintentional and even unsuspected by the user.  But there is good reason to try to be more inclusive with our words, especially in the workplace.

Non-inclusive language limits possibilities.  For instance, a job description for the role of a ‘chairman’ (instead of a ‘chairperson’) will be interpreted positively only by men.  Anyone else who is not a man might find the job title unsuitable, unappealing or even perceive themselves as unwanted or unqualified for the role.

Non-inclusive language can also be perceived as derogatory.  Calling a colleague paranoid or crazy is not just rude, it also belittles the mental condition.  In this way, non-inclusive language can alienate people and intensify feelings of inequality at work.

How we can learn to use inclusive words

Our words betray our thoughts, perceptions and biases. So, as we learn to  become less biased and more informed, we ought to try to reflect this in our language, too.  Here are 3 things that each of us can do to become better at using inclusive language:

1. Know your audience.  To be more inclusive, it’s helpful to understand your audience.   The use of industry-specific jargon, for example, might work with your immediate colleagues, but won’t necessarily be either inclusive or effective at a larger gathering, even if it’s an industry conference.  Using idioms and acronyms with people from different countries or cultures can make them feel under-informed and uninvited. And when speaking to someone you don’t know well, it’s helpful to be more universal in our language, using terms like partner instead of husband or wife.

2. Stop assuming.   One of the biggest mistakes we make with our language is to assume things about people.  We assume their gender, their background, even their education.  What might seem like a benign question such as Where are you from? to a person whose accent is different, can sound like an indictment.  Becoming more self-aware is the first step to mitigating bias.  This can also help us navigate non-inclusive pools of language. In the example above, for instance, we might want to find out where a person is from because they sound different and we assume the accent is a tell-tale sign of an interesting background or story!  What’s wrong with that?  Well, one person’s curiosity is another’s feeling of exclusion.  Our curiosity should therefore be balanced with the aim to be inclusive.  In this case, for instance, simply biting our tongue and continuing the conversation might be enough to find out where the individual is from, as it is likely to be volunteered later on in the conversation.

3. Beware of gender stereotypes.  The most common language faux pas tend to be related to gender.  There are words that, while used commonly, can be perceived negatively.  For instance, women tend to dislike the use of the term females or girls when referring to them.  It is also better to use gender-neutral language to ensure everyone feels included, such as children instead of boys and girls.  One term that trips up many of us is guys. Although this term is commonly used to describe a mixed gender group, it is not always perceived as inclusive of all genders and can even be seen to prefer men in the workplace.  A better term could be everyone or team or people.

Using inclusive language is not easy and requires a bit of personal reprogramming, but if it means making more colleagues and friends feel part of the in group – and therefore less self-conscious and even unwanted – then we should all make an effort.  All we’re being asked to do is to honour everyone’s backgrounds and identities – and by doing that we also enrich our own experiences.

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