6 steps leaders can take to become anti-racist

© Courtesy of Charlene Wheeless.   Charlene Wheeless. Courtesy of Charlene Wheeless.

By Charlene Wheeless, Business Insider

• Charlene Wheeless is a communications expert, author, and speaker with more than three decades of experience in corporate communications.

• During this watershed moment, where the Black Lives Matter movement is shining a spotlight on systemic racism, leaders must take action and be anti-racist.

• Beyond stating you are anti-racist, you need to communicate with your team with empathy and educate yourself on the Black lived experience.

• Face system racism in your organization head-on, implement deeper allyship, and utilize your corporate clout for social change.

We are experiencing a watershed moment in our society, and it's something very different than what we've seen before. As the Black Lives Matter movement shines a spotlight on deeply ingrained issues of racism, police brutality, and social inequities, these efforts are effecting positive change in government and corporate policies, as well as in the hearts and minds of Americans.

But this movement has uncovered another sinister truth: the fact that racism is also pervasive in the American workplace. Not just systemic bias, but racism. And it can no longer be ignored. As a business leader, how you respond to this critical moment will have far-reaching repercussions — on your employees, your organization and society as a whole.

Not only are the words and actions of corporate America under public scrutiny, your organizational response will influence employee recruitment, engagement, loyalty and retention. Employees can't give 100% if they don't feel safe in the workplace, which means your business can't operate at 100% either. Businesses are run by people — and when your people are at risk, your business is at risk.

So, how do you step up and seize this opportunity to make real, lasting change as a leader, especially if you're a white executive? It begins with shifting your mindset about race and allyship. It's no longer enough to be non-racist. You're either racist or you're anti-racist, but you get no credit for being non-racist. That gray area is gone. And it isn't enough to simply espouse anti-racist beliefs and platitudes. You need to take action.

The whole world is watching, and we will hold our leaders accountable. The new question is: "What are you doing to be anti-racist?"

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

1. Take a stand as anti-racist

When things get uncomfortable, corporate leadership tends to get silent, at least until they consult their legal team. But releasing a toothless statement about inclusivity on the company website or social media and then moving on to business as usual would be entirely missing the point of the present moment.

As a leader and as a company, it's essential to clearly state that you are anti-racist and share the actions you're taking to support equality. Communicate this in official statements, through updated company policies, and in your daily workplace interactions. Saying you're non-racist or inclusive means virtually nothing. People need to hear your personal and professional commitment to anti-racist action.

2. Communicate with genuine care and compassion

When CEOs run their statements through general counsel and call it a day, there's always a telling lack of compassion. But this is a human moment and a human movement, and it requires a human response. It's not only essential to take a stand as anti-racist, but to communitcate this with empathy and humanity, both to the public and within your organization. Keep it professional, but make it personal.

In addition to an announcement, hold in-person or virtual meetings with your employees so they can see the empathy and emotions on your face when you speak about these issues. So much is communicated in our facial expressions that gets lost in text, so face-to-face meetings will go a long way to connecting with your team on a human level.

3. Understand the Black lived experience

A crucial element that's been missing from companies, including their diversity and inclusion programs, is an understanding of the Black experience. What you see in the news and in society today may be new to you, but it's certainly not new to your Black employees.

It's never been a good time to be Black in America — not 400 years ago, not 50 years ago and not today. Not a Black man gets in his car to go to work who isn't worried about being pulled over by the police. (And if that happens, whether or not he's going to live or die.) Living this way causes severe mental anguish and stress. Your Black employees are going to work with these kinds of things on their minds, and it's important for leadership to make an effort to understand this perspective.

Take the time to educate yourself on the Black experience and realize that we do not live in a fair and equitable society for all. Start by reading books such as "How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi, or "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo, as well as consuming essays and articles, novels, podcasts and films from Black voices that embody the Black experience. But you have to do the work yourself — don't rely on a Black employee or your Black friend to educate you.

4. Examine and address systemic racism in your organization

Face systemic racism in your organization head on by examining company policies and procedures to determine if outright or implicit racism and bias is written into them. Create a committee to examine your operations and policies and weed out or flag problem areas. Are paths to upward mobility structured to disenfranchise people of color, and Black people in particular? Consider what efforts you're making to hire people of color, as well as how you're ensuring these employees are thriving instead of heading right back out the door.

Then, make visible change to support a truly diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist workplace. This doesn't mean strengthening your diversity and inclusion program, and then blaming your continued lack of diversity on a pipeline issue. It means making drastic policy updates to stop disenfranchisement, encouraging uncomfortable conversations, working with organizations that benefit Black communities, and actually striving to hire, empower and promote more people of color. It's about accountability and results. Don't just enact anti-racist policies, act on them.

5. Embrace allyship

In addition to addressing racism on an organizational level, address it on an individual level by embracing allyship as a leader and teaching your team to be anti-racist allies. Go beyond typical diversity and inclusion programs, and instead implement microaggression and unconscious bias training to delve deeper into the everyday interactions that fuel racism and inequality. These sessions will introduce a new shared language to help employees call out microaggression and bias when they see it and spur the conversations that are vital to progress.

Create a safe space where your team can get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations in small group settings, perhaps bringing in a third-party moderator to encourage greater honesty and openness. General Mills implemented a great corporate program called "Courageous Conversations" to open a dialogue and elevate differing perspectives in the company. These discussions not only provide opportunities for employees to hear from the leadership team, but also to learn from one another and ensure everyone feels heard. As a leader, it's critical to embrace the discomfort and keep these conversations going — even when you don't think you need them anymore.

6. Use your corporate clout to change social norms

Businesses have the power to use their resources, power and privilege to help drive real systemic change in society. Consider developing a public-private partnership with community leaders, such as the recent Minneapolis Forward: Community Now Coalition, or perhaps launching a scholarship fund or a mentorship program for students in disenfranchised communities (who are unfortunately often people of color). 

If your company has a political action committee (PAC), utilize it to support local candidates who espouse anti-racism. If you don't have a PAC, meet with your mayor, representatives, and governor to leverage your lobbying clout instead. Exert your influence as a leader by educating employees on the political process and making voting a company priority. Give employees time off to vote to encourage participation, or even make election days company holidays. In addition, diversifying your supply chains is a great way to make a sustainable difference beyond your organization.

There is no quick fix for ending racism. It's going to take governments, companies, communities and individuals coming together and committing to make significant, systemic change. What gives me hope is that I see allyship in the making. So many people who haven't spoken up before are finally waking up to the reality of the Black experience and saying enough is enough.Companies are uniquely positioned to help change social norms going forward, so it's important for business leaders to recognize this moment for what it is, embrace it and take meaningful action. There's so much to do, that you can do, and that you can encourage your employees to do to support anti-racism. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

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