Lori Nishiura Mackenzie

Sometimes we focus more on expectations of success and forget to build resilience, an essential skill for managing setbacks. In fact, you could say resilience is an essential skill for taking risks. But that doesn't mean it's fun when we face a career failure. Often, resiliency starts with practice. If it's difficult to ask for developmental feedback, practice asking! Start with a trusted friend who is willing to be honest but is also open to having you share your upsets. Then, once you build comfort, get ready to ask others. It's also important to celebrate the small wins as you rebuild for what is next. This can help you keep up you momentum. All of us need resiliency. And we often only see its value after we've built it.

Many people aim to value diverse ideas when innovating, but may lack the specific "hows" or inclusive behaviors. Oftentimes, it's the small, thoughtful acts, consistently performed, that create the ecosystem for innovation and inclusion. Take, for example, meeting dynamics. While we aim to have all voices contribute, research shows that in a group of 8, 3 people speak 67% of the time. Thus, intentional practices, done regularly, to hear from everyone, can spark opportunities for innovative collaborations. Round robins. Assigning roles like pros/cons. Keeping open a document for continued collaboration between meetings. All of these small acts can add up to big wins for inclusion and innovation.

Bias is often out of conscious awareness, but not for those experiencing it. It is a double burden to experience bias and address it. Thus, we need to collectively identify and mitigate bias. Age bias is often invisible. We don't realize that many words imply youth: passionate, dedicated (at all costs), tireless. Thus, we may not notice that we enact bias with phrases like, don't hire them because "We need new ideas" or "We don't want to get stuck in old ways." Bias can also be present when we think of "entry level." It can be difficult to get a job after a pause or career switch, if people associate "entry" with young. Thus, gut reactions about age are often errors. Let's stop reacting to gut reactions and consider talent as ageless.

Many people find networking overly instrumental, like a quid pro quo. Yet, when we are asked for something and can in return help, it makes us feel good. So how do we bridge the gap between discomfort and a mutually beneficial exchange? It often starts with a reframe. Instead of focusing on your discomfort, start with curiosity. How might the connection help you and them? What can you offer and receive? When I meet new people, I imagine we might have something in common. Then I start with an orientation of wondering, What might that commonality be? That has me approach them as a future friend as opposed to a provider of something I need. It's often our starting point that makes the biggest difference.

To start, I suggest setting your mindset. As a supervisor, do you have your employee’s growth and development in mind? Check to see if you’ve been influenced by stereotypes that make some behaviors seem less or more skillful based on the identity of the person you’re evaluating. And finally, put some checks and balances in place. Use a scorecard to ensure your criteria are fair and used equitably. Then, ask not only how you could help your employee but question what else you can do to support them. Have you explained the unwritten rules? Have you introduced them powerfully to allies and cross-functional leaders? There is a lot that can be done, together.

Start by preparing your mindset. Remember that our actions may be influenced by negative stereotypes, causing you to be inadvertently judgmental or distant. Before engaging, focus on values: Why is inclusion important to you? Or recall a time when you didn’t feel like you belonged and what happened to help you. From there, you are more likely to have a starting point of common ground as opposed to a “savior” who is there to fix. Then, consider a mindset of mutually beneficial curiosity. How will you be contributed to? Consider using a prosocial mantra, like “We can do this together.” Read about mantras here: https://bit.ly/3GDPPfb By starting from a mindset of mutual growth and development, you can engage with respect and grow together.