Seek Systemic Change, and Other Actions for Allies
Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally.
1. Seek systemic change
On my journey to be a better ally, I’m inspired by stories of people who seek systemic change instead of “one-and-done” acts of allyship. This change often means more work, but the impact can be substantial. Here’s an example.
In a blog post, Dr. Eileen Barrett described meeting two students whose first languages were not English. One was raised in a Spanish-speaking home, and the other in a Navajo- and English-speaking home. Barrett had heard of a medical school that planned to say the Hippocratic Oath in several languages during graduation, and she asked if these students would want that to happen at theirs. They both said yes.
That interaction led Barrett to investigate which languages the World Medical Association (WMA) maintained for the Physician’s Pledge. Spanish was available, but not Navajo.
Barrett then worked with a translator to create a Navajo version and requested that her university read both Navajo and Spanish along with the English version at their upcoming graduation. She could have stopped there, providing a more inclusive experience for at least two students and their families. But doing so wouldn’t help others who speak Navajo at other medical schools.
To have an even more significant impact, Barrett asked the WMA to accept this newly translated Navajo version as an official translation of the Physician’s Pledge. Which they did.
By the way, Barrett didn’t stop there. She collaborated with a former resident to get the Pledge translated into Arabic, and she’s also working with a leader in Zuni Pueblo on another Indigenous language translation.
The importance of Barrett’s allyship may be understated, but it’s impactful. Remember that student who was raised in a Spanish-speaking home? She told Barrett, “the only part of any of her graduations her mother has ever understood was when the Pledge was said in Spanish at her medical school graduation.”
Allies, with any single act of allyship, let’s also be sure to step back and think about a more systemic change we can advocate for.
Share this everyday action on LinkedIn or retweet it.
2. Lead with a question
In Be Brave: 3 Strategies To Speak Up For Yourself And Others, Forbes journalist Holly Corbett acknowledges that “Speaking up is hard to do. So hard in fact, that many of us stay silent rather than risk alienating ourselves from the group or damaging our relationship with another person.”
I get it. Yet staying silent when we see non-inclusive behavior means we’re okay with the status quo. It means the opposite of allyship.
Corbett interviewed Amber Cabral, an inclusion strategist, coach, and author of the new book, Say More About That…And Other Ways To Speak Up, Push Back, And Advocate For Yourself And Others. Cabral recommends speaking up by asking a question to invite discussion:
“It could be something like, ‘I appreciate you sharing that with me. Are you open to another perspective?’” says Cabral. “Most people will say yes, and now I’ve created an opportunity for you to invite me into the dialogue to share what I want to say. When I’m talking to my leader, I might not be comfortable saying, ‘No, that’s wrong,’ but I might be more comfortable saying something like, ‘Can you say more about that? I’m not sure I follow what you mean.’ This encourages the person to rethink what they said, how they framed it, and the impact of that. Simply asking a question invites the person to share their perspective, and that’s what people want — to be heard.”
Cabral explained that a well-positioned question could create an environment where you both get to hear and be heard. Allies, let’s embrace this approach the next time we might feel uncomfortable speaking up.
3. Call attention to in-group bias
Recently, a newsletter subscriber reached out for advice: “One of the members of a search committee has a relationship with a person in the hiring pool (think a previous colleague or even someone they used to supervise). In situations like this, our protocol is for the person to disclose the relationship but then take full part in discussions of all candidates. This feels like a space for bias to creep in. What should an ally do?”
In my book, The Better Allies® Approach to Hiring, I explore some best practices for mitigating bias during interviews. Perhaps one of the easiest ways is to call attention to it.
I first learned about this approach from Google. At the start of their talent discussion meetings, everyone receives a brief handout describing common errors and biases that assessors make and how to fix them. Simply reminding managers of potential biases is enough to eliminate many of them.
In addition to what Google has on this handout, I’d recommend reminding people about “in-group bias” or “affinity bias.” As Melinda Briana Epler explained in her book, How To Be An Ally, this bias leads to in-group favoritism and out-group discrimination. It might mean taking a chance on someone from an in-group while requiring others to provide more extensive proof of their qualifications.
And to ensure you’re evaluating candidates objectively, identify the specific requirements you’re looking for and apply them consistently. Regardless of whether they’re “in-group” or “out-group.”
4. Don’t penalize women or people of color for being angry at work
Given Serena Williams’ announcement this week that she’s retiring from professional tennis, I thought back to the 2018 U.S. Open finals. That tournament showed us how a woman, specifically a woman of color, can be treated differently than her male counterparts.
As you may remember, an umpire warned Serena Williams for getting a hand signal from her coach and then penalized her when she got angry about it. But did you also know that same umpire had been on the receiving end of similar anger from male players and had not docked them for it? That’s right. Multiple male tennis players came forward to say they’d said and done much worse during their matches and never been criticized.
Management scholar and author Adam Grant summed it up perfectly by saying, “When a man argues with an umpire, it’s passion. When a woman does it, it’s a meltdown. When a Black woman does it, it’s a penalty.”
Furthermore, as explored in How women and minorities are claiming their right to rage, men who display anger at work gain influence, whereas their women peers lose influence.
Allies, if we’re okay with men expressing rage at work, we also need to be okay with others doing the same.
5. Do something impactful for heritage months
We’re about a month away from the start of Hispanic Heritage Month here in the U.S. (Sept 15 — Oct 15, 2022). If your organization plans to hold an event to honor and celebrate Hispanic culture, consider this advice from Daisy Auger-Domínguez.
In her book Inclusion Revolution, she wrote, “Some diversity advocates use the calendar as a way to make inclusion sustainable in the form of Black, Hispanic, and Asian heritage months, Pride month, women’s history month, and so on.” She went on to emphasize the importance of being both tasteful and sensitive. “Having Taco Tuesday during Hispanic heritage month is one big eye roll.”
Auger-Domínguez advice? Do something impactful. For example, hold a Wikipedia edit-a-thon to add entries and update information for people who are part of the demographic you’re celebrating. As she pointed out, you can “literally change the narrative of history.”
That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward.
— Karen Catlin (she/her), Author of Better Allies®
Copyright © 2022 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.
I wrote this article in what is now called Burlingame, California. It is on Ohlone territory.
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