I help leaders create equitable & inclusive workplace cultures. I'm a bias-busting, liberation-loving coach and advisor who teaches people the skills needed to create a more joyful, equitable, just, and inclusive world, one organization at a time. I believe we deserve to pursue our passions, live out loud, and thrive without the threats of identity-based harms.
Your Black Employees, Misogynoir, Simone, and Kamala
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It's a lot Reader, When Simone Biles chose her mental and physical health, and decided to stop competing in the Tokyo Olympics after winning a silver and bronze medal, critics and social media keyboard warriors alike said she abandoned her team and the United States. It seemed, they would have preferred she risk her mental and physical health in death-defying tumbles and flips, to prove some sort of American Invincibility. Only, she wasn’t invincible. She was human. And she was sick. Upon quitting, she was called many names beyond the one given to her by her family. And many of those names were both racist (anti-Black to be specific) and sexist. Black women live at this unique intersection of double identities that create unfair targets on their bodies. For those that would hate and harm Black people, they are included. For those that would hate and harm women, they too, are included. And this plays out in our organizations as well. And, sometimes it’s combined with another term we see–especially after 2020. The Glass Cliff. The Glass Cliff is a phenomenon we see when Black women, and other women of color, are promoted to senior positions during times of crisis when the risk of failure is high due to lack of institutional and structural commitment and investment. Misogynoir, The Glass Cliff, and regular ol’ bias and racism impact Black women the hardest in American Workplaces, as noted Every. Single. Year. in the joint McKinsey and LeanIn report called “Women In the Workplace.” Each year they find the experiences and the outcomes for Black women in the workplace are getting worse because organizations aren’t making the right leadership and culture choices to create equitable and supportive environments. This excerpt from Lean In’s summary of the report was too strong to paraphrase. “By almost any measure, Black women are facing disproportionately high barriers in the workplace.
They are heavily impacted by bias in hiring and promotions; Black women are promoted at a significantly lower rate than white women at the first step up to manager, and more than a quarter of Black women say their race has led to them missing out on an opportunity to advance.
They experience more microaggressions than other groups of women, and are three to four times as likely as white women to be subjected to disrespectful and “othering” comments and behavior. They are also less likely to report that their managers check in on their well-being or help them balance priorities and deadlines.” https://leanin.org/article/women-in-the-workplace-black-women As opposed to the renegotiation and disavowing that some organizations are making when it comes to their culture change efforts, I’d argue this is exactly why we need an increase in leadership development and DEI investments.
Specifically, investments to create the conditions inside of organizations so that the Black talent you’ve recruited are supported and are given the resources and the high-quality management they need to thrive which I call “Equitable Leadership”. Now that Kamala Harris is the current Democratic frontrunner for President of the United States, we are already starting to see Misogynoir show its ugly face. And it’s only been a few days. Just yesterday on LinkedIn, a Senior Director of an organization publicly called her appointment to VP a “DEI Hire.” And I’ve seen worse. Why this matters for those who are leading and managing organizational culture, is that when Misogynoir began to proliferate in our mainstream culture, it seeps into our organizations and amplifies what was already there. And that creates an even more toxic work environment for your Black staff who may have already been struggling. As leaders who care about creating a workplace culture where everyone thrives, this is yet another opportunity to understand intersectional identities, and the various forms of bias and discrimination that impact your people. So the question then becomes, what are you doing in your organization to vaccinate your culture and your people against the virus? If you want to explore ways that I can help you, here are a few: 💫Join my “ask me anything” session on Thursday August 1st here: 💫Book a private strategy session with me here for $350: 💫Reach out to develop a custom consultation and training program for your leaders here: https://www.wilson-and-associates.com/contact |
Hi! I'm Chrysta!
I help leaders create equitable & inclusive workplace cultures. I'm a bias-busting, liberation-loving coach and advisor who teaches people the skills needed to create a more joyful, equitable, just, and inclusive world, one organization at a time. I believe we deserve to pursue our passions, live out loud, and thrive without the threats of identity-based harms.
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