5 Things ANYONE Can Do to Be More Inclusive By Raven Solomon When I thought about writing this piece, I originally intended it to be “5 DE&I Focused New Year’s Resolutions Anyone Can Make.” Then I did a little research and found that less than 5% of Americans actually stick to all of the New Year’s Resolutions they make. Aside from feeling personally attacked (It is me. I am admittedly in the 95%), I did not want to contribute to the list of great-sounding things that 95% of us will not follow through on. I, instead, wanted to give everyone… anyone… 5 things you can do every day to practice inclusive and equitable behavior. Learn about, and begin to check your own bias Whether you want to admit it or not, whether you know it or not, we all have biases. If you have a brain, you have biases. It is simply a part of how the human brain functions. In light of the millions of pieces of information we are bombarded with at any given minute, our brains are hardwired to take shortcuts based on a number of factors - our past experiences, our emotions, our exposure, our preferences, and more. But these shortcuts can be harmful to others, our organization, and even ourselves as it impacts how we make decisions, how we engage with others, and how we respond in certain situations. Becoming aware of your biases is the first step to managing the detrimental effects they can have on those you work with, those you serve, and the performance of you and those around you. Potential Actions: • Take a few or several Implicit Association Tests (IAT) to identify your potential areas of bias. I promise you’ll be surprised. • Learn about how bias works scientifically. Two books I would recommend are: Blindspot by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Khaneman. Other great books to learn more about bias include The Person You Mean to Be by Dolly Chugh and The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias by Pamela Fuller & Mark Murphy with Anne Chow.
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• Commit to slowing down, reflecting, and asking yourself tough questions in the midst of important decisionmaking, highly emotional moments, or moments of overload and/or overwhelm. Questions like: Am I demonstrating an automatic preference at this moment? If this comment were made by someone more like me, would I listen differently? Am I truly listening with an open mind right now? Diversify your network
For many of us, our professional and personal networks often reflect our own identities, sharing key facets of who we are - our age, our race, our gender, our education level, our background, etc. This tends to feel very natural because of in-group favoritism, also known as in-group bias, and identity theory. In order to disrupt in-group favoritism and limit the inequities it can produce, one should seek to diversify the groups with which they regularly fraternize, to increase their awareness of the experiences & challenges of others and how they can potentially help. This requires work, humility, discomfort, and intention but is well worth it if you are truly committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Potential Actions: • Audit your network to identify areas of homogeneity. Do a spot check of those you follow and those who follow you on social media outlets like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. • Intentionally attend events and meetings to meet and build connections with people who are unlike you. Consider ERGs (employee resource groups), professional associations, and community organizations. Set aside the time and energy to truly cultivate the relationship. Consistently, actively, and intentionally ally for a marginalized community Let’s face it… there are too many marginalized groups. And simply put, that needs to change. In order for that change to happen, we need everyone active somewhere. After the awakening that was 2020 for many, maybe the Black community is the marginalized community you feel compelled and called to consistently, actively, and intentionally ally for. Maybe it is the transgender community… or women… or those who are differentlymay 2021
