Predictable of course, but news coverage of the far-right riots this summer has evaporated. For many people the riots are already fading into a half memory of that time over summer when bad or misguided people did terrible, violent things. If you are one of those with fading memories, I envy you.
When the riots took place, social media was full of people expressing despair, horror and all those emotions that good people feel when dreadful things happen. What they said, they meant at the time. But ask yourself: since the media furore has died down, have you thought about the riots? I don’t just mean remembered them, but genuinely thought about them and the impact they might be having on those around you.
The reverberations of those horrific days in August continue to be felt by many people of colour. Some may have friends and family who live in or near areas where the riots took place, and be worried about their safety. But the hurt goes deeper than that.
Something broke that dreadful weekend.
I’m not sure I have the words to describe it. Feeling unsafe in ways that are new, a sense of wariness, losing faith in communities we are part of, losing trust in leaders who made no attempt to support or even understand what people of colour were going through. None of these statements fully describe it, because it is all these things and more.
Organisations working on EDI often talk about wanting to create a feeling of belonging.
What some forget is that feeling a sense of “belonging” is not something you can switch on when you walk through the office door or think about separately from the rest of your life.
The riots made many people of colour question whether they belong in this country or in communities they have lived in all their lives, let alone whether they belong in your organisation.
What has this got to do with leaders?
As many readers will know, the job of a leader is to create the environment for their people to thrive so they can give of their best in contributing to your mission. How people of colour feel is part of the environment as they experience it.
So what can you do? Below are ten simple suggestions of places to start.
Note: I said places to start. I’m afraid this is not a “one and done”
Take one or more of these actions and more ideas will emerge.
1. Proactively ask to meet any employee resource groups you have for people of colour. If full diaries mean you can’t meet straight away, that’s fine. Just get things in motion.
2. In talking to employees, in resource groups or more widely, spend more time listening than speaking. Please resist the temptation to talk “at” people or propose “easy answers”. These sessions aren’t about you, they are about your colleagues.
3. If you can’t meet people easily, record a video. E.g.:
o Make clear you have not forgotten
o Reemphasise your personal commitment to making your organisation a safe harbour for colleagues of colour
o Tell people your next steps. These steps can be simple. Something is better than nothing
4. Check in with the colleagues of colour closest to you informally more than once. If they don’t want to share their feelings, that’s fine. If they are OK or handling things well, that’s fine too. But they will appreciate that you asked.
5. Agree with managers and fellow leaders how they will support their teams and/or people of colour in their teams, then tell your employees what you have agreed
6. Tell colleagues you will check in with managers and leaders on how the agreed actions are working, then do it
7. Create spaces where managers can problem solve if they are struggling to support their teams
8. Ask employee resource groups for people of colour what help they need to be better able to support their peers
9. Create protected times when anyone who wants to reach out to you personally, can. Few are likely to take this up, but offering will tell everyone who you are as a leader
10. Make connections for people of colour, particularly if they are the only one or one of very few in your organisations. Can you reach out to fellow leaders and facilitate connections across organisations?
Actions don’t always have to be complex to be effective. And you may not always get actions right. Things that will work in one organisation may not in another. But please don’t let fear of failure stop you from even trying.
Can we help?
Do you want help with any aspect of your leadership and inclusion journey? Reach out to Izzy Taylor on [email protected] to arrange an informal, no obligation chat with Srabani Sen.