

“Why would that argument not work?” Dishman asked Johnson, who examined the issue from a feminist perspective as one example. Citing the “ Lean In” initiative, which began seven years ago, Johnson said, “We’ve seen the research since then that when women lean in, and they try to be just as aggressive and negotiate just as hard, then they’re actually viewed negatively because they’re violating their gender roles.” However, Dishman noted that many from “majority groups” and people with privilege seem to wonder why more progress doesn’t come from bottom-up initiatives–as if it’s easy for underserved, undervalued populaces to “rise up” and “take action” to achieve equality. Managers who are more intentional about identifying objective criteria for hiring could help change company culture in a positive direction. “And then when there’s this huge disparity–and there usually is–it kind of shocks people into the reality that maybe they were unwittingly using criteria that are not at all meritocratic, like similarity bias.” “Probably the biggest thing that I’ve done that has changed people’s mindset is showing them who they would end up with if they selected based on totally anonymized résumés–or just based on whatever it is that they define as merit–and then comparing that to the people that they actually chose,” Johnson said. But the leaders doing the hiring might be better served by parsing through their criteria, examining it on a more granular level, while being mindful of inherent bias within each of those prerequisites. Many well-meaning leaders and their HR staff might declare the goal of hiring simply “the best person” for the job and strip away concern over race or gender in the process, Johnson observed. Speaking with Lydia Dishman, a writer and editor at Fast Company, Johnson suggested that corporate leaders rethink their recruiting approach. “It’s easy to have everyone belong when you’re all the same, or it’s easy to all be yourselves when you don’t care about creating a cohesive team,” Johnson said, “but the magic is really in finding a way as a leader to allow people to belong, but as their true, best self.”įor the employee, this can begin at the very start of the hiring process. Johnson, at right, in a From Day One interview with Lydia Dishman of Fast Company (Image by From Day One)

These dueling truths aren’t easy to accommodate, but leaders willing to take risks and create an environment for sometimes-uncomfortable conversations will reap the rewards of a more creative workforce, said Johnson, who also teaches at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. You don’t want to have to hide or mask at work.” “Those core things, that are part of your identity.
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“All humans have these two basic needs, and that is we want to belong–we want to be accepted and valued–but we also want to be unique, which means we want to be our full selves,” said Stefanie Johnson, author of the new book Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging to Build Innovative Teams, during a fireside chat during From Day One’s July virtual conference, The New Push for Workplace Equity. To start, they could try a little empathy about universal human needs.
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Yet even the most open-minded, conscientious allies might require more insight about how to make this a reality.

The reinvigorated racial-justice movement in America has given new energy to many parallel conversations, notably about cultivating workplace equity more broadly for people from underrepresented and underserved communities.
