Five ways leaders can confront institutional racism
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew something about speaking up about things that matter. His leadership helped build a movement that began as a protest of the transportation system in Montgomery, Alabama and ended with a world spotlight on racism and the successful passing of U.S. civil rights legislation.
Unfortunately, the work of King and other civil rights leaders of the 1960s did not put an end to institutional racism. It has continued to grow and fester. However, the recent murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by an American police officer has renewed the need for confronting this evil. It is not a time for silence. It is a time for leadership.
I recently posed this question to my online community, “Why don’t most companies’ D & I initiatives cover or discuss the issue of racial diversity?” I appreciate the thoughtful responses I received.
A frequent response that stood out across all platforms was that people are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Others said that the leaders are complicit white males, and that’s why they are quiet. Some commented that the issue of race is too complex and difficult to discuss. Another said that some white people live in denial of the current situation.
Many global leaders have condemned the recent act of police brutality and called out for racial justice. Some leaders have been bold enough to start the conversation about race. Yet many more corporate organizations remain silent.
It’s not okay to be silent.
True leadership is not a title. It is about using your voice and position to drive social changes. As a business leader, you have the unique opportunity to drive change within your organization, no matter whether you have five employees, 500 or more.
The time to put an end to institutional racism is now. As a business leader, the change must start with you. Silence is no longer an option.
Here are six ways leaders can confront institutional racism.
1. Begin by listening
Now is the time to have a conversation about race in every workplace and every institution. We all learn by hearing the stories of others. Every black person has a story to tell about the discrimination they have faced in their professional and personal lives.
We need to listen to these stories; really listen. If you are white, please resist the urge to share stories about your own experiences. While you may have experienced hardship, it is not the same thing as racial discrimination. Listen more, talk less. The best way to listen is to invite your co-workers to lunch and listen to their experiences.
Another way is to invest in resources like books and movies that explore the civil rights movements and the oppression of blacks around the world. As American political activist Angela Davis puts it, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist.”
2. Show empathy and compassion
The word that keeps coming up as I hear all the stories of discrimination people are sharing today, and as I recall my own experiences, is “exhaustion.” Many of us are so tired from fighting this uphill battle all our lives. We are tired of living with fear — fear for ourselves and, most especially, for our children.
If you are a parent, you know what it means to worry about your child’s safety. All parents of every race and color share this concern for their children’s safety. But do you know what it means to be afraid that your child will not come home at all? What about for something as innocent as going out for a jog or experiencing a minor traffic violation? Many parents of color have faced this agony every day.
As a leader, you can do much to build up your professional team by demonstrating genuine empathy and compassion.
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes. It helps you to treat others right. In our fight to uproot discrimination and create equal opportunities, we ask that current leaders put themselves in the shoes of those who have been discriminated against solely because of the color of their skin. Think about how that would feel and how it would affect everything in your life.
Compassion takes that ability to feel for another human being and prompts you to do something to help. A compassionate person looks for concrete ways to alleviate suffering or injustice.
Today’s leaders should take a big step toward compassion by conducting an Equity and Inclusion Audit. This process will help you go beyond the diversity issue to deeply investigate how inequity plays out in your company policies and values. The results will give you a clear understanding of where your organization stands and what changes need to be implemented to end biases that exist.
3. Build a culture that fosters equity and inclusion
No one is saying that discussing racism is easy. As many of the leaders admitted during my recent study, the topic — and the conversations that follow — are challenging. Those conversations have to happen.
Remember that you set the direction and pace of your organization as its leader. When you use your position to speak out against racial injustice, you are a leader. Today, many organizations have focus groups that deal with ways to support women and the LGBTQ communities and to close those gaps. You can create such a focus group that deals specifically with racism — just make sure that it is inclusive.
In business school, I learned that we should not discuss race, religion or politics. I sincerely hope that the recent worldwide protests will end this ridiculous rule. We need to speak up about racism — loudly and clearly. An inclusive culture is not about befriending the only black attendee at a conference or hiring that one person of color. It is about building a new workplace culture, one that is a safe place to discuss — and fight against — racism.
Our work environment should be a safe space where all employees can speak up freely if they’re uncomfortable with a task or a situation — without fear of backlash. According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, when employees feel safe to speak up about problems, they are more inclined to share their ideas for solutions. However, racism plays a part in an ugly cycle. People of color often think they will put their employment at risk if their complaint is seen as a challenge to their managers. Therefore, they don’t speak up and the workplace does not benefit from their insight and ideas.
For decades, we have believed that emotions do not belong in the workplace. We bottle up our pain and just get on with our work. But we are humans, and, as humans, we need to acknowledge and work together to solve valid complaints.
4. Hire and promote through a racial equity lens
All too often, black people are judged by the color of their skin and not by the substance of their work.
For example, as a business owner with over 20 years of experience, an entrepreneur and a leadership expert, I have built different successful businesses both in my home country, Nigeria and in my current home in the Netherlands. I have strong business relationships with colleagues throughout the world. I have mentored many young professionals and female entrepreneurs and watched them grow in their careers and brands. However, I often need to prove myself to people who have not achieved even one-fourth of my accomplishments — just because I have a different skin color.
The same story is true for other women of color professionals. Many are passed over for promotions while they serve under people who have far less experience. When these women speak out, however, their complaints are labeled as forms of micro-aggression.
Did you know that a racially diverse team is good for business? A McKinsey’s research study shows that racially and ethnically diverse companies outperform industry norms by 35 percent.
As a leader who wants to do better, you must review your hiring, retention and promotion practices through a racial equity lens — in the same way that we advocate you do for gender equity. Ensure that you have a diverse hiring team, invest in AI tools to ensure neutral selection.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) hiring tools can limit hiring bias by searching for candidates who may otherwise be ignored in a traditional recruiting process. They also screen job applicants based on specific data, skills and abilities, preventing conscious or subconscious biases from creeping into the hiring process.
No one is asking for special privileges. All black people want is equality. As a leader, you set the standards for who you hire, whose career you develop and who you promote.
In addition to recruiting and hiring through a racial equity lens, you can take it a step further. Encourage mentoring among your team. Keep in mind that when you invest in women of color, you help build a culture in which women can gain economic independence. We all benefit when that happens.
5. Commit to lasting change through sustained and inclusive actions
Even as protests continue throughout the world, many people are asking, “Will this be enough?” and “Will change really happen?” It is easy to be afraid that things will “go back to normal.” After all, protests followed the police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1992 and the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2013 — to name just two examples.
As leaders, we can make 2020 different. We can remain steadfast in our fight against institutional racism by:
- Calling out colleagues — and clients — when you notice their acts or words of racism.
- Promoting tools and resources to help all team members understand and deal with racism.
- Becoming more comfortable with uncomfortable conversations about racism.
- Beginning the deep work of unlearning racism by providing antiracism training.
Over the past few weeks, my emotions have run the gamut from rage to despair to hope. As one of the leaders rightly stated on my LinkedIn post, “unfortunately, many corporate leaders will continue to be silent and just wait for the issue to go away quietly. Others will look for the right non-committal platitudes to say to prevent their shares from sliding in this period”. They recognize what some people may not — real change will not come from nice, fuzzy, sympathetic feelings. It will only happen when existing laws, structures and institutions that oppress black people are changed. Many of the leaders who are silent now benefit from these criminally unjust structures.
I am daring to hope that this time of pain and frustration will lead to some sweeping and lasting reforms in our business world. Don’t be the kind of leader who sits back and watches what others do. Be mindful that not taking action is an action. When you lead with courage and purpose, others will follow. And the time is now.
