A client recently told me about a leader who talks a lot about psychological safety, emphasizing its importance and encouraging their team to bring this approach to their work. There was just one thing. This leader had completely misunderstood what psychological safety is, had no clue how to create it and was delegating responsibility to junior colleagues who had no power, expertise or agency, and arguably no responsibility for creating it.
This example is not unique. I regularly come across leaders who claim to understand issues around equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). When you talk to them, it becomes clear, sometimes within seconds, that they know remarkably little given the profile of the issues in recent years. Fair enough. We can’t all know everything.
Where the danger lies is when leaders behave, take action and make decisions as if they are do know what they are talking about
It’s the equivalent of saying “I’ve played the children’s game ‘Operation’, so I know how to do an appendectomy.” In EDI terms, leaders who think and behave this way risk causing actual harm to their colleagues and their organisations, e.g.:
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inadvertently creating psychologically unsafe workplaces, causing stress and damage to people’s wellbeing
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making poor decisions because they are unaware of their own knowledge gaps
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higher staff turnover costing their organisation money and the loss of key talent
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loss of trust with staff and customers when the disjunct between what leaders say and how they behave becomes visible
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wasting time, resources and relationship capital on EDI plans that fail because they are based on knowledge gaps, causing resentment among colleagues and loss of faith in leaders
How can you be sure you have sufficient knowledge on EDI, or any other major aspect of being a leader? Ask yourself three questions.
1. How do I know I know?
What is the source of my knowledge? Can I trace back where and from whom I acquired this knowledge? Were they credible, or a known expert in their field? Is my memory of what I learned accurate? Is my “knowledge” actual knowledge or a set of assumptions I have made from snippets of things I have picked up over the years? When was the last time I read a book or did some studying on this topic? Could I hold my own in a conversation with an expert in this area or could I ask them insightful questions which go beyond the basics?
2. When did I last learn about this?
If the last time you looked into a topic was 25 years ago at university, chances are knowledge has moved on. When was the last time I looked into the topic? How regularly do I update my knowledge? Who are the newer experts in the field? Are they discovering or concluding new things?
3. How can I check my understanding of this topic?
Who do I know who is really knowledgeable about the topic, and can I test my understanding with them? Are there experts who do podcasts on the topic that I can dip into? Who in my networks has achieved results in relation to the topic and can I arrange a chat? Can I compare notes with others in my organisation who claim knowledge on this topic? What actions am I taking to apply this knowledge? Are these actions yielding measurable results? If not, why?
Being at the beginning of your learning journey on any topic, EDI or otherwise, is absolutely fine. Overestimating your knowledge, particularly when it comes to people management, can cause lasting harm to those you impact and to your organisation.
The first step in changing this is to recognise that you may know less than you think you do. Humility is key. The second step? If the topic matters to you, start learning. If you don’t have the time or the interest, but the topic can materially impact your organisation, hire an expert.
Whatever you do, please don’t take action unless you really know what you are doing, particularly on issues to do with EDI. The wellbeing of your employees may depend on it.
A little note on Full Colour Friday
Recently we asked readers for feedback, and one question we asked was around frequency. The majority of respondents said monthly Full Colour Fridays would serve them best, so from November, that’s what we will do.
I’ll be sharing some of the other feedback in coming weeks.
If you were one of the respondents, a heartfelt thank you.
Can we help?
Full Colour specialises in helping leaders get the best from people and from themselves so they can deliver high quality results and create a workplace culture people love. We do this by helping leaders build equitable, diverse and inclusive organisations.
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.