This is How You Can Show Up for Your Colleagues

Sep 9

*pictured: obvious metaphorical ladder of collective power designed to scale the equally metaphorical walls of systemic power imbalance*

None of us, or our organizations, are immune to bias. Even if we educate ourselves, grow awareness of our privileges, listen actively, and promote inclusive mindsets within ourselves and our teams (and we should be doing all of the above), the reality is we will never be 100% in the clear.

Wait! Don't go!

This isn't a defeatist proclamation or an excuse to throw up our hands and give up on the critical work of active allyship, people!

It's merely an acknowledgment that there's always more work to do to make our organizations & communities more inclusive and equitable. Leaning into that knowledge may reduce some of the internal barriers that often stop us from taking collective action to push our organizations in the right direction.

So, let's take a second to do that right now, focusing on ways to practice sharing power instead of just leveraging it. Most organizations and institutions have built up serious walls designed to maintain power within a select group; we can do the work of dismantling them while showing up with a handful of everyday allyship practices (and maybe a ladder) to lift each other up and over in the meantime.

Here are three simple-but-subversive tactics the research shows we can all adopt to help combat unconscious bias and act in solidarity with our colleagues, especially those whose voices may be marginalized or silenced:

Amplify through repetition

What to do: When someone (especially someone who is marginalized or underrepresented) makes a key point in a meeting, and it's not acknowledged, repeat it with credit.

What to say: "As Olivia just noted, the budget for this project doesn't account for the increased staffing requirements..."

Suppose the phrasing example above feels too obvious or risky for your workplace. In that case, a similar tactic is to frame the repetition as a question, e.g., "Excuse me, but Olivia, you were saying something about the budget, and I didn't quite catch it. Can you please repeat that?"

A Washington Post article about female staffers in the Obama Whitehouse who used this strategy in meetings made rounds a few years ago. This Vox write-up highlights the amplification strategy and several examples of gender biases that can prevent teams from benefiting from underrepresented members' ideas.

What I love about this tactic is that it's so simple. It still takes courage to speak up to amplify someone, but ultimately, making it a habit to repeat someone else's point is pretty easy to do. It's a great way to prevent the all-too-common meeting when an undervalued team member shares an idea, is ignored, and a more powerful team member claims the idea as their own (see: bropropriation).

To get even more mileage out of this tactic, try banding together with a few others and being intentional about doing it in every meeting. Make it noticeable. Don't let any unacknowledged point slip by without at least one repetition. If someone comments on what you're doing, use it as an opportunity to encourage everyone to pay attention to statements that aren't acknowledged by the rest of the team and to amplify them with credit "so we don't miss out on any good ideas that could accidentally get lost in the shuffle."

Pass the mic

What to do: Look for opportunities to share the floor (and your power) with others who may have a more difficult time being heard in a meeting.

What to say: "I have some thoughts about the tech. implementation plan, but Eva, you have the most IT experience here, so would you like to share anything before we continue?"

Sometimes it may be easier for you to get attention in a given meeting than for others because of your role, privileged status, relationships, undeniable charisma, etc. If you find yourself in that position, use the opportunity to lift someone else, especially if you notice that they're being ignored, aren't engaged in the conversation, or their role/experience/demographics are underrepresented.

No-interruptions rule

What to do: Introduce a no-interruptions ground rule, especially in group brainstorming or pitch sessions.

What to say: "One of our ground rules for this meeting is zero interruptions. If you think of a question or point to share when someone else is speaking, please write it down, and share it when they indicate they are finished."

If you can lead a meeting, manage up to someone who does, or take on any role that allows you to influence a group discussion, try introducing this simple rule to avoid the common problem of interrupting underrepresented folks and introverts of all kinds.

There are decades of research out there that show women and others with lower social power tend to be interrupted, talked over, and undervalued for speaking, which ultimately silences many valuable perspectives. Introducing a universal rule like this can help curb those (often unconscious) behaviors and ensure everyone has a chance to contribute.

What else, though?

This is just a few small ways we can all practice sharing power and showing up for our colleagues as amplifiers. Still, there are TONS more, especially for those who already hold positions of leadership or authority. I would love to learn what tactics you folks use in your own workplaces, because when we work to reduce bias and increase inclusivity, we all benefit, so please share your own ideas in the Cultivators Community!

Sources

Culture

Kris Benefield

Kris is an equity-focused researcher and educator with over a decade of experience in learning design & professional training. They have a Master's in Education, a Certified Change Management Practitioner credential, and are currently completing their Ph.D.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisbenefield/