The importance of workplace allies

mentoring

“There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” When former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright spoke these words during a 2006 keynote address, she shone a lasting spotlight on the essential role of successful women in enabling other females to scale the career ladder.

Fast forward a decade, and her remark still gives context to discussions about the importance of women’s networks, as well as the necessity of sponsors, mentors and female role models in the business world.

But in 2017, the focus on workplace allies transcends gender-to-gender alliances.

 

  • Since the launch of the United Nations’ #HeForShe campaign, so-named ‘male ambassadors of change’ have become prominent in the fight for gender equality.
  • Since 2014, professional LGBT network OUTstanding has featured ‘straight allies’ (non LGBT individuals who recognise the need for and champion LGBT diversity in the workplace) alongside its annual countdown of out and proud business leaders. In recent times, the LGBT acronym often includes a ‘+A’ to recognise the importance of such allies in ensuring that individuals of every sexual orientation are represented in an inclusive fashion in the workplace.
  • As world politics becomes more and more divisive with regards to minority groups, the terms ‘white allies’, ‘effective bystanders’ and ‘co-conspirators’ to describe individuals taking action to support causes they’re not directly affected by, have become mainstream. Though contentious, they represent a shift towards a diverse ‘allyship’ of people who take intentional action against particular forms of discrimination. As one black activist spoke to so-named white allies present at an anti-discrimination rally: “It’s not about being on the outside and saying ‘yes, I support you!’ It’s about ‘not only do I support you, but I am here with you, I am rolling up my sleeves. What do I need to do?’”

 

Women’s struggles are human rights struggles.

New Yorker, Spencer Edwards explains his decision for attending Washington’s Women’s March in January 2017 (Source: Vox.com)

 

What lessons can you and your workplace learn from this social shift?

 

Examine your cognitive dissonance

A report by Artemis Connection found that the vast majority (80%) of men agreed that there is a need to address the issues facing women in the workplace, such as the gender pay gap and low female inclusion rates in leadership positions. Of the same sample however, only 10% agreed that their own female colleagues are treated unfairly. The discomfort that arises from holding incompatible attitudes and beliefs is something psychologists call cognitive dissonance, and may be behind the reluctance on behalf of those surveyed to acknowledge an identified problem exists so close to home.

 

For those men and women who pledge to do what they can to improve gender equality, perhaps the simplest and most important thing to do is to acknowledge that many women in the workplace have a different experience, and that it involves bias. In other words, the first step is admitting there’s a problem. The next step is to make good on those gender equality pledges!

Georgene Huang, CEO and co-founder of Fairygodboss, writing in Forbes.

This discomfort, or cognitive dissonance, can easily lead to confirmation bias – a type of unconscious bias that makes us look for confirmation that our original belief was correct. In the above example, someone unwilling to accept widespread gender discrimination issues are present in their own workplace might focus on the rise of a successful female colleague as ‘proof’ that no such inequalities exist. This is where a devil’s advocate can be what Harvard Business Review describes as “a force for good: by challenging assumptions and helping to sharpen thinking”. Whether you’re exploring issues around diversity and inclusion or doing any strategic thinking or creative problem solving in business, you – and your solutions – can benefit from questioning your own deep-held beliefs, and drafting in the help of an unbiased third party when you need additional support.

 

Consciously seek common ground

As Dr Helen Turnbull, author of Blind Spots, writes in Diversity Journal, “We all have a predisposition towards affinity bias [for example, towards hiring and promoting in our own image], regardless of our race, culture, gender, or other diversity group membership(s). Affinity bias shows up in all kinds of subtle ways — often unnoticed — and can impact our choices of whom to trust.

Managing affinity bias seems to hold the same challenges as being an inclusive leader in that, in order to breathe more easily with people of difference, we need to get to know them and become comfortable with them. We will never totally rid ourselves of affinity bias, so what we need to do is feel affinity for more people of difference.

Finding common ground with individuals from walks of life different to your own is an essential leadership quality, requiring emotional intelligence, listening skills and an open mind, and enabling greater awareness of people and the world, better relationships and a more diverse support network.

When US banking chief Deanna Oppenheimer took over the reins at British bank Barclays, she entered a male-dominated world in an alien culture at one of the most turbulent times in the financial sector’s history. Already out of her comfort zone, she took another leap into unchartered territory – into the world of “proper (i.e. non American!) football”. Already a genuine sports enthusiast, investing time in understanding the nuances of the beautiful game became her passion, enabling her to begin conversations with new colleagues in a way that broke down barriers and created a platform from which relationships could flourish.

 

BECOME A SPONSOR FROM THE BEGINNING

Catalyst research describes a mentor as someone who provides career support; a sponsor as “an ally in your current company who will advocate for you at the decision-making table when it comes to staffing large, highly visible projects, promotions, and who has the power to effect change”. While it’s true that “the more senior your sponsor, the quicker you will advance”, it’s also true to say that through building strong alliances through a diverse network, you too can become a sponsor at any stage of your career.

A sponsor advocating for a diverse group of individuals told the Catalyst study team: “In my current case, those people are generally a few levels below me, and they open my eyes to many things going on in the organisation or things that I don’t get to touch day to day. That helps me be a more effective leader.”

Furthermore, the sponsored colleague isn’t the only winner. Research shows that sponsors themselves advance further and faster because they’re investing in talent that will lead the organisation in the future. “It provides a triple win for all involved – the protégé benefits, sponsors become better leaders, and organisations have more engaged talent, a stronger pipeline, and less turnover,” concludes a Guardian Women In Leadership special report on sponsorship.

 

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