5 Things / Always Empathy
This week I delivered a keynote and I had a question from a manager who was struggling with an employee who was disrupting the team with negativity and hate.
I believe it always comes back to empathy, in this case, the manager having empathy for that employee. Whether we’re talking about conversations about politics or race, or whatever, inclusion always comes back to empathy. After all, I only know my lived experience, and it’s been full of privilege.
My mom used to say, “You can't understand someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes” – and I think that message is still accurate.
What I believe is that each of us was born a pure kind soul, and then life happened. Maybe we felt left out from our older siblings or cousins. Maybe someone at school called us a name, and that was the first time we knew we were different. Maybe there was addiction in the family. Maybe grandma was the parental figure because the actual parent was in prison due to mass incarceration. Any of the above. And worse. We’re all walking around with our baggage, our Traumas big and little. It’s been said that hurt people hurt people. Just trying to protect ourselves.
It can be incredibly hard to be empathetic, especially if we find ourselves in fight or flight mode. That’s where mindfulness comes in. Breathe, breathe, breathe. I’m working on this myself. Always a work in progress.
From that empathetic space, we can become more curious about what’s going on, and then lead with compassion. That’s how people change behavior.
Here are the good vibes I found this week:
How the MCA Chicago Transformed Its Collection at Unprecedented Speed to Better Reflect Its Audience
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago made headlines for collecting work by Black female artists at seven times the national average. This represents about 25% of its acquisitions over the past 12 years. This requires commitment and intention from leadership. Their process, including how they diversified their Board and trustees, is outlined in this fantastic piece. This matters because 90% of the museum’s collection is by white artists – and that number is low relative to other museums. Why? Centuries of systemic racism and unconscious bias.
Reviving Sales at Kay and Zales: How Signet CEO Gina Drosos Pulled America’s Biggest Jeweler Out of a Long Slump
Signet, the parent company behind such brands as Zales, Kay Jewelers, and Jared’s, has had quite the turnaround behind CEO Gina Drosos. When she took over, the company was led by men, despite most employees and customers being women. The company had a toxic culture and rampant sexual harassment issues. Under her leadership, the percentage of women in leadership increased to 42% at corporate and 76% in retail, due in part because diversity and inclusion goals becoming part of every leader’s evaluation. This is a great turnaround story for business nerds.
Vancity Employees Will Receive $10K in Mental Health Coverage Starting July 1, 2023
Vancity, a Canadian credit union, recently unveiled best-in-class mental health benefits for employees. Each Vancity employee and dependent now receive $10k coverage annually for mental health support, which is now decoupled from other services like chiropractic, naturopathy, etc. 68% of Millennials (50% in 2019) and 81% of Gen Zers (75% in 2019) left roles for mental health reasons (HBR) in 2021. A disproportionate number are historically marginalized folks who experience greater workplace challenges like microaggressions and bias, unconscious and otherwise. Great mental health benefits are simply equitable and destigmatize mental health struggles.
Publicis Groupe’s CEO Has Launched an Initiative to Remove the Stigma of Working with Cancer
This week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a new pledge was unveiled: Working With Cancer, a cross-industry commitment to end the stigma of cancer at work. The CEO of Publicis Group led the charge, which has been signed onto by companies as diverse as Walmart and Disney. I was impressed to learn that Walmart provides employees and their family members impacted by cancer with free 24/7 counseling with a licensed therapist. This matters to the 50% of people who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. With death rates falling, more people than ever are working with cancer, yet there’s a big stigma around talking about health issues like cancer at work, and a very real fear that sharing a diagnosis will cause a loss of power and influence.
L'oréal Made A Handheld, Motorized Device That Helps People With Disabilities Apply Lipstick. It's Meant To Give Users Independence
At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, L’Oreal unveiled Hapta, a handheld, robotic lipstick applicator designed for people with limited arm and hand mobility. This new product matters to the 10 million+ Americans with cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, tremors, who are affected by a stroke, and others. These folks can now have the option to apply lipstick independently.
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