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HomeMy WebLinkAbout00.a.-2 (Handout) Inclusive BehaviorsInclusive Behaviors' (summary) For Everyone 1. Acknowledge, connect, and engage with others. Greet them. Get to know them. 2. Listen deeply and carefully, as an ally not a critic. Check for understanding. 3. Engage a broad range of perspectives. Invite new voices. Provide space for dissent. 4. Openly share information. Share your intent and process. 5. Be curious. Learn how other people and groups may see and experience the world differently than you and your groups. 6. Become comfortable with discomfort. Use discomfort as an opportunity for learning. 7. Increase your self-awareness. Understand your biases, assumptions, cultural background and areas of privilege. Be aware of how your verbal and nonverbal behavior communicate to others. 8. Be willing to learn and be influenced by others. Ask others about what they know, think, and feel, especially when their perspective may be different from yours. 9. Be respectful and demonstrate fairness. 10. Foster interdependence & teamwork. Move from an "I" to a "we" mindset. For Leaders 1. Hold yourself and others accountable for creating an inclusive culture. Use your power and position to challenge inequities at the individual, group, and system levels. Create safety for self and others. Question traditional assumptions regarding what performance and performers look like. 2. Invite engagement and dialogue. Take the time for authentic conversation. Explicitly consider and ask who else needs to be included—continually ask who is missing. 3. Model bringing one's whole self to work and give permission for and encourage others to do so. Be vulnerable. Be intentional about where you show up and where you are visible. 4. Foster transparent decision-making. Model not having all the answers. Share data and information to the fullest extent possible. 5. Understand and engage with resistance. Have a goal of creating the best possible option rather than influencing others to agree. 6. Understand and talk about how inclusion connects to the mission and vision. 1 This document is an adaptation of Inclusive Behaviors and Practices (Version 1.1, April 2009) by B. M. Ferdman, J. H. Katz, E. Letchinger, and C. Thompson (created for The Institute for Inclusion and presented in Ferdman, B. M., Katz, J. H., Letchinger, E., & Thompson, C., 2009, March 9, Inclusive behaviors and practices: Report of the Institute for Inclusion Behavior Task Force. Presentation at the Institute for Inclusion 4th Conference, Arlington, VA). Ferdman Copyright © 2020 by Bernardo M. Ferdman, Ph.D. All rights reserved. P. 1 of 5 CONSULTING Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission. Inclusive Behaviors2 For Everyone: This is a list of behavior that everyone can exhibit to foster inclusion for themselves and others around them. (All of these behaviors should be grounded in an understanding that we are similar and different from others in group -based identities as well as in individual ways.) 1. Acknowledge, connect, and engage with others. Being present in the moment demonstrates respect. • Greet people (in culturally appropriate ways). • Take time to get to know and connect with people before beginning tasks. 2. Listen deeply and carefully. when we listen to others carefully, we really hear the other person, demonstrate interest, and make it more likely that we are creating safety and connection and building the possibility of dialogue and learning. • Listen more as an ally than as a skeptic or critic. • Be present and focused. Avoid distraction. • Bring cultural understanding to your interactions, noting that aspects of communication (both verbal and non-verbal) vary from person to person and culture to culture. Attend to the message more than to the style of delivery. • Listen for understanding before you judge or try to decide whether you agree or disagree. Ask questions for learning and clarification; check for clarity and assumptions. 3. Engage a broad range of perspectives. Multiple points of view enhance the possibility of better decision-making and problem -solving and increase people's feeling of engagement and belonging. • Ask who else needs to be part of the conversation or process. • Actively invite new voices and different and alternative perspectives. Provide room for dissenting voices. • Have the courage to say what you believe needs to be said. • Continue to check whether people feel included. • When speaking with others, connect your comments to what the person who spoke before you said. 4. Openly share information; seek clarity and openness. To build trustpeople musthave the information needed to make good decisions. The more open and transparent the process and the information, the more people can add value. • Communicate relevant information. • Share your intent and process. 5. Be curious. When we are curious (rather than closed or judging) we have the opportunity to learn more about others' points of view. • Get to know people, especially those who are different from you. • Identify, share, and test your assumptions. z This document is an adaptation of Inclusive Behaviors and Practices (Version 1. 1, April 2009) by B. M. Ferdman, J. H. Katz, E. Letchinger, and C. Thompson (created for The Institute for Inclusion and presented in Ferdman, B. M., Katz, J. H., Letchinger, E., & Thompson, C., 2009, March 9, Inclusive behaviors and practices: Report of the Institute for Inclusion Behavior Task Force. Presentation at the Institute for Inclusion 4th Conference, Arlington, VA). Ferdman Copyright © 2020 by Bernardo M. Ferdman, Ph.D. All rights reserved. p. 2 of 5 CONSULTING Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission. Learn how other people and groups may see and experience the world differently than you and your groups. When someone expresses a different perspective, ask or try to learn why the person holds that perspective, rather than arguing or trying to prove them wrong. 6. Become comfortable with discomfort. Leaning into discomfort enables people to take risks and to speak the truth. It takes courage to be willing to speak up, and some discomfort in the process may be critical to enable more authenticity and connection. • Find and use your voice (even if it is different from others). • Encourage others to speak up and use their voice. • Put yourself in new situations (and make old situations new). • Use discomfort as an opportunity for learning. • Openly address disagreements—don't avoid differences, engage them. • Don't expect perfection. Be forgiving of ourselves, and of -others. 7. Increase your self-awareness. The more we understand ourselves the more we can partner effectively with others. A key to knowing ourselves is to be involved in a continuous process of self -learning and increased awareness of self. • Continue to educate yourself; developing self-awareness is a continuous and never- ending process. • Understand your biases and assumptions. • Learn about your own cultural background and influences. • Understand your areas of privilege. • Be culturally sensitive/aware; some concepts don't translate well across languages/cultures. • Observe and understand the effects and impact of your behavior, language, etc. • Solicit feedback. • Be clear about how you are similar to and different from others. • Recognize that all of us have complex identities. Educate yourself regarding how your various identities relate to, enrich, and influence each other (for example, how does being a parent relate to being a man or a Latino?). s. Be willing to learn and be influenced by others. No one person has all the answers. The more open we are to learning and being influenced by others the more possibility there is for true connection and inclusion. • Be clear about your values and beliefs, and be willing to examine them based on new information. • Ask others about what they know, think, and feel, especially when their perspective may be different from yours. • Reach out to others. • Identify new people from whom to learn. • Recognize you may not always have the right or only answer. Remain humble and flexible. 9. Be respectful and demonstrate fairness. One of the keys to inclusion is that people feel that they are valued and treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. Be aware of your biases and how your verbal and nonverbal behavior communicate respect to others. Fairness does not equal sameness—be willing to be fair and equitable with each person without necessarily applying strict rules across the board regardless of specific circumstances. Ferdman Copyright © 2020 by Bernardo M. Ferdman, Ph.D. All rights reserved. p. 3 of 5 INSULTING Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission. • Speak up when others are excluded. • Be aware of your tone of voice and its effects. • Honor commitments and do what you say you will do. • Respond in a timely way to others' requests. • Be brave enough to give honest feedback to others. 10. Foster interdependence & teamwork. Understanding the role that each individual plays to accomplishing team success is critical to inclusion. Being mindful of the interdependence of all members is a key dimension of inclusion. • Move from an "I" to a "we" mindset. • Focus on shared outcomes and shared success. • Recognize who you rely on to achieve tasks and who relies on you. • Invite active participation of all team members. • Check in with all team members to assure they feel included. • Continue to solicit and give feedback on the degree to which each person feels valued and is adding value to accomplishing goals and objectives. For Leaders: Leaders, especially those in positions of authority, have an additional responsibility to practice inclusive behaviors, particularly those listed below, together with the inclusive behaviors for everyone listed above. 1. Hold self and others accountable for creating an inclusive culture. An inclusive environment must be seen as everyone's responsibility and all should be held accountable for their role in achieving its success. • Understand and learn about biases and how to reduce them. Expand your range of acceptance and appreciation. • Use your power and position to challenge inequities at the individual, group, and system levels. • Regularly ask for feedback. • Get coaching and mentoring; coach and mentor others. • Encourage and reward risk-taking. • Create safety for self and others. Notice potential and actual safety breaches and address them. • Make sure your behavior is aligned with values of inclusion and the values of your organization. • Be uncompromisingly ethical. • Question traditional assumptions regarding what performance and performers look like. 2. Invite engagement and dialogue. Leaders have a special role in creating a safe space that invites people to engage and to enable true dialogue to occur. • Create and participate in forums or other opportunities for dialogue and input. • Take the time for authentic conversation. • Acknowledge and learn from mistakes. • Ask questions; be curious. • Explicitly consider and ask who else needs to be included—continually ask who is missing. • Engage in continuous learning about diversity and diverse groups. • Learn how to engage in conflict skillfully; then do it. • Be open to uncertainty and ambiguity in conversations. Ferdman Copyright © 2020 by Bernardo M. Ferdman, Ph.D. All rights reserved. p. 4 of 5 CONSULTING Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission. 3. Model bringing one's whole self to work, and give permission for and encourage others to do So. By modeling bringing one's whole self to work, you will enable others to do the same. • Show up authentically. Be vulnerable. • Honor the full range of who people are. • Encourage individuals to express their identities and cultures. • Be responsive to people's individual and personal needs, and to their cultural and group origins. • Be intentional about where you show up and where you are visible. Intentionally spend time at a range of community and organizational activities and events. 4. Foster transparent decision-making. At the core of inclusion is enabling people to have insight into why and how decisions are made. Transparency permits individuals to know the "why" behind decisions. • Consider the impact of decisions broadly. • Make it safe for others to expresses different perspectives. • Model not having all the answers. • Share data and information to the fullest extent possible. • Identify and share signs of success. 5. Understand and engage with resistance. Learning about people's concerns and issues is a key element of inclusion. By being willing to understand and engage people's multiple perspectives, leaders can get a broader view of the issues involved as well as better address the underlying concerns. • Engage as many people as possible in your efforts.. Especially seek to engage those who have different views or ideas. • Don't label people as resistant. • Fully hear and respond to people's concerns and ideas. • Hear the emotions/reasons behind people's concerns (such as fear, passion, commitment, etc.). • Have a goal of creating the best possible option rather than influencing others to agree. • Recognize that no one person sees the whole picture. 6. Understand and talk about how inclusion connects to the mission and vision. Leaders have a key role in connecting everyday interactions and expectations to the organization's direction and vision. • Paint the big picture. • Share the benefit for people and the organization. • Consistently explain why inclusion matters. • Recognize your critical role in linking the effort to individuals. Ferdman Copyright © 2020 by Bernardo M. Ferdman, Ph.D. All rights reserved. p. 5 of 5 CONSULTING Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission.