People
No matter who we are or where we come from, our assumptions and beliefs are shaped by our experiences, our upbringing, our race, our gender, religion, culture. Those beliefs help us navigate and make sense of everyday life. But they can also mean that we believe that there is no difference between our perceptions and reality. For leaders, that means we must continuously question our assumptions and value the voices of people who are not like us to help us assess reality correctly. That requires creating a culture that is not only more diverse, but more importantly, more inclusive, so that our employees are encouraged to express their ideas and share their insights.
Here are five resources we recommend to help you develop a more diverse and inclusive culture.
1. Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change by Jennifer Brown
What it’s about: A roadmap for anyone seeking to understand the objective reality of what diversity and inclusion mean, why it matters, and how to make it part of your organization’s DNA.
Why pick it up: To learn about how to build systems that embrace diversity in all its forms, from identity and background to diversity of thought, style, approach, and experience, that tie directly to the bottom line.
2. Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
What it’s about: I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality.
Why pick it up: To reveal how our unconscious minds influence our beliefs and behaviors, and remind us to think twice about our instinctive reactions.
3. Is It Possible to Unravel Unconscious Bias? TEDTalk by Yassmin Abdel-Magied
What it’s about and why watch it: Abdel-Magied is an engineer, motorsport enthusiast, writer, broadcaster, boxer, and black Muslim woman. Her TEDTalk makes the case for how, if we want to live in a world where the circumstances of your birth do not dictate your future and where equal opportunity is ubiquitous, each and every one of us has a role to play in making sure unconscious bias does not determine our lives.
4. Can We Solve for Unconscious Bias in Tech? TEDTalk by Andreas Ekström
What it’s about and why watch it: We think of search engines as unbiased sources of information. But they’re not—and they can be manipulated. Andreas Ekström asks: who should hold the burden of addressing bias in search engines?
5. How Does Bias Affect the Way We Listen? TEDTalk by Tony Salvador
What it’s about and why watch it: We have to start every conversation fresh. We have to be vulnerable. We have to listen to ideas that we may not like and entertain them and struggle with them and keep them in our heads for a period of time until we develop a mutual understanding.
Bottom line. To lead effectively today, you need to constantly recalibrate your ability to assess reality correctly. Exercise your diversity and inclusion muscles by building your library of resources that challenge your perception of reality as a human being and as a leader.
Question: What resources do you use to challenge your perception of reality?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
People
Commencement ceremonies for the graduating class of 2020 will look markedly different this year. Parents won’t strain to pick out their daughter or son from a sea of identical cap-and-gown-clad graduates. The solemn program on stage won’t be interrupted by the sudden appearance of a bouncing beach ball. There’ll be no Silly String wars, random air horn blasts, or cap tossing after the diplomas have been handed out.
This graduation season will be anything but ordinary. But, that’s all the more reason why the Class of 2020 deserves extraordinary advice, heartfelt encouragement, and hard-won wisdom about facing new challenges in an uncertain world. Ryan Reynolds kicked things off on May 1st with a funny and sweet commencement speech for his alma mater, Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia. The video ended with a crawl saying that Reynolds missed local fave Nat’s Pizza, and every graduate would get a large pizza on him.
Here is a lineup of some of the other virtual events planned to lift up those celebrating graduation milestones this year.
A one-hour livestreamed event on Saturday, May 16th, at 8 p.m. Eastern, will feature President Obama with Lebron James, Pharrell Williams, the Jonas Brothers and Megan Rapinoe. Called Graduate Together, the program will celebrate high schoolers who have earned their diplomas. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox will all broadcast it live.
Earlier that day, at 2 p.m. Eastern, President Obama will appear in a two-hour virtual commencement honoring graduates from 74 historically black colleges, called “Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition.”
Oprah is also making an appearance. On May 15th at 2 p.m. Eastern, Facebook is hosting a #Graduation 2020 for both high school and college grads. Oprah will appear with Lil Nas X, Jennifer Garner, Miley Cyrus, Simone Biles and Awkwafina.
For podcast fans, there is iHeart Media’s May 16th launch of “Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020,” featuring inspiring words from a long list of celebrities, sports stars, entertainers and business titans including Hillary Clinton, Eli Manning and John Legend.
On June 6th at 3 p.m. Eastern, the First Couple will appear on a YouTube virtual commencement, Dear Class of 2020. Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Malala Yousafzai and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai are among the guests.
Until then, both grads and non-grads can draw inspiration from the tongue in cheek advice of Trevor Noah and friends, like, “You are much stronger than you think. Just like that off brand toilet paper you found on the dark web.”
Question: What words of advice would you give the graduating Class of 2020?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
Leadership, People
Picture a leader. Do you see a woman? If not, you aren’t alone. A 2018 study published in the Academy of Management Journal confirms that getting recognized as a leader is more difficult for women than for men.
Yet, history is filled with women who defied the norms like the eight women below who persisted in claiming their leadership role. How many did you learn about in school?
1. Elizabeth Jennings, Sued a Railroad Company for Segregation (and won)
A little over 100 years before Rosa Parks took a stand by sitting on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, Jennings, a young African-American schoolteacher, struck her own blow for justice after she was forcibly thrown off a segregated streetcar in lower Manhattan. Jennings teamed up with future president of the United States Chester Arthur to sue the Third Avenue Railroad Company, paving the way for integrated transportation in New York.
2. Victoria Woodhull, First Woman to Run for President (among other firsts)
Victoria Woodhull was a leader of the women’s suffrage movement. She was the first woman to own a brokerage firm, Woodhull, Claflin & Co., on Wall Street, the first woman to start a weekly newspaper, and an activist for women’s rights and labor reform. At the peak of her political activity in the early 1870s, Woodhull is best known as the first woman candidate for the United States presidency. She ran in 1872 as a candidate from the Equal Rights Party.
3. Eliza Scidmore, First Female Writer, Photographer and Editor of National Geographic
When she began her career as a journalist, Eliza Scidmore (pronounced “Sid-more”) submitted articles using only her initials to avoid the common bias of her day against female journalists. Her passion for travel took her to the Alaskan frontier in 1883. She traveled solo at the age of 20 and published the first Alaska travel guide. At 26, she journeyed to Japan and submitted an article for the September 1896 issue of National Geographic, introducing readers to the Japanese word tsunami.
4. Lois Weber, First American Woman to Direct a Feature-Length Film
An innovative visual storyteller whose films tackled social issues, Weber was also one of the most respected and highest paid filmmakers in the industry. Her name was routinely mentioned alongside that of Cecil B. DeMille as one of the top talents in Hollywood. In 1916, she was the first and only woman elected to the Motion Picture Directors Association, a solitary honor she would retain for decades.
5. Shirley Chisholm, Educator, Author, First African-American Congresswoman, and First Major-Party Black Person to Run for President of the United States
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties (1972). Her motto and title of her autobiography—Unbossed and Unbought—illustrated her outspoken advocacy for women and minorities during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Discrimination followed Chisholm’s quest for the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nomination. She was blocked from participating in televised primary debates, and after taking legal action, was permitted to make just one speech. Still, students, women, and minorities followed the “Chisholm Trail.” She entered 12 primaries and garnered 152 delegate votes—despite an under-financed campaign and contentiousness from the predominantly male Congressional Black Caucus.
6. Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights Activist and Co-Founder of the United Farm Workers
Dolores Huerta was born into the activist movement. Her father Juan Ferånández, was a union activist who ran for political office and won a seat in the New Mexico legislature in 1938. Huerta’s mother, Alicia, was an active participant in community affairs, involved in numerous civic organizations and the church in the Stockton, California community.
By the time 20-year old Huerta met César Chávez in 1955, she had founded the Agricultural Workers Association, set up voter registration drives and pressed local governments for barrio improvements. In 1962, Huerta and Chávez launched the National Farm Workers Association (now known as United Farm Workers). Her adept lobbying and negotiating skills were a vital part of the growth of the farm workers’ movement. Yet, the challenges she faced as a woman did not go unnoted. In one of her letters to Chávez she joked, “Being a now (ahem) experienced lobbyist, I am able to speak on a man-to-man basis with other lobbyists.”
7. Kathrine Switzer, First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon (and fight off a race official on the route)
In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially run what was then the all-male Boston Marathon, infuriating one of the event’s directors who attempted to violently eject her. In one of the most iconic sports moments, Switzer escaped and finished the race. She made history then and has continued to run the race with No. 261 emblazoned on her shirt nearly every year since, including last year at age 72.
8. Nonny de la Peña, Founder/CEO of Emblematic Group
Another norm defying woman is the enigmatic Nonny de la Peña. Like Eliza Scidmore, de la Peña relied on her storytelling skills to launch her career and her company. Emblematic Group is a digital media company focused on immersive virtual, mixed and augmented reality. In laymen’s terms, it’s a company that produces films in which the viewer is virtually immersed. In her 2015 TED Talk, de la Peña describes how she created the first virtual reality documentary Hunger in Los Angeles that made its way to the Sundance Film Festival.
Question: What women have you known who have changed the world despite the odds?
People
A little girl named Jennifer grew up in Cleveland in the 1970’s. At age twelve, her family moved out of the city which meant Jennifer had to change schools. Like most 12-year olds, she was anxious about making a good impression on her new schoolmates and hoped to make friends quickly. Fortunately, Jennifer’s new classmates went out of their way to welcome her. Unfortunately, however, Jennifer struggled. She couldn’t remember who was who. She’d pass classmates in the hall without speaking. She’d call students by the wrong name. She couldn’t remember names of the people she’d sat next to just the day before during lunch.
We’ve all been the new kid at one time or another. It’s not easy to match faces with names while taking in the newness of it all. But, for most of us, we start to add people to our memory bank within a few days or a few weeks at most. Not so for Jennifer. For an entire school year, she was at a loss. For the first time in her life, she was stripped of the most basic skill of separating the faces of other people. But, why? That’s the question that Jennifer dedicated her life to answering.
Today, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt is a professor and researcher at Stanford University. In her recent book, Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, she writes, “I’d struggled to recognize my white classmates’ faces because black faces were all I’d been routinely exposed to in the twelve years before I moved to the suburbs.” By the time she changed schools as an adolescent, Jennifer’s brain had been shaped by her exposure to people who looked like her. Learning to distinguish the facial features of people who were not black was simply not necessary to navigate life in her Cleveland neighborhood. As Eberhardt writes, “We reserve our precious cognitive resources for those who are ‘like us.’” Otherwise, she explains, “we see categories.”
Categorization, it turns out, is a natural function of the brain that allows us to organize and manage the overload of stimuli. It helps us quickly sort safety from danger by relying on patterns that seem predictable. As Jennifer Eberhardt’s story illustrates, categorization is natural. In the workplace, however, categorization can lead to stereotyping, or holding positive or negative beliefs about social groups. Taken further, stereotyping can lead to bias, or acting on the beliefs we hold about social groups.
In the context of the workplace, bias is bad for business. Not only are members of the workforce excluded from opportunities to make an impact, but research shows that teams that lack diversity are more susceptible to making flawed decisions.
As the graphics above illustrate, homogeneous teams and diverse teams were given the same problems to solve. The diverse teams achieved a significantly higher rate of accuracy, yet the homogenous teams had a higher rate of perceived effectiveness and higher confidence in their decisions. The homogeneous teams were less likely to challenge one another’s perspective, while the diverse teams tended to examine facts and remain objective.
Entrenched thinking can blind us to key information and lead to errors in the decision-making processes. Though it may seem easier to work with people who share our background, working on diverse teams produces better outcomes precisely because it helps us pause to question our assumptions.
Question: When was the last time you caught yourself being biased?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
![The Honor Foundation: Heroes Ready for Hire by Your Organization]()
People
Last week, I attended a graduation ceremony held by The Honor Foundation (THF), a San Diego-based nonprofit. THF is a unique transition readiness institute designed to serve Navy SEALs and other members of the U.S. Special Operations community. Since 2013, every aspect of the 120-hour, MBA-style program has been inspired by the way Special Operators work in the field. The graduation ceremonies are no exception.
The commencement speech was given by Mohan Nair, an author, TEDx Speaker, and Chief Innovation Officer for Cambia Health Solutions. “Missions are given. Causes are taken.” With these six words, Nair summed up the real challenge of readying heroes for hire. After serving up to 30 years as a member of the Special Ops community, the path to finding fulfilling work requires more than a paycheck. It requires looking for people who are working on causes versus objectives. Nair suggested that the graduates find an organization based on a transformative model instead of a business model. “If you can do that,” Nair said, “you’ll find your way back to your buddies.”
Thanks to The Honor Foundation, graduates of the program have the tools they need to translate their experience and enter the workforce with confidence. If you are part of a purpose-driven organization bent on making a positive impact in the world, the chances of accomplishing your mission will be greater by considering these heroes ready for hire. Here’s a snapshot of the talents and aspirations of six recent THF graduates, in their own words:
What I bring to the team: My ability to communicate effectively across diverse backgrounds enables me to build and foster relationships between people promoting improved alignment of goals and expectations through teamwork, values, and enthusiasm.
Areas of interest: My ideal role is in Sales, Marketing, or Operations in Technology, Healthcare, Sports or Entertainment. These industries excite and appeal to me in the following ways: helping companies achieve goals through cutting-edge technology, promoting healthcare, fighting disease, and my lifelong passion for sports, fitness, and the outdoors.
Education: B. S. Sports Medicine, Radford University. MBA Candidate 2022, Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business.
Preferred Geography: San Diego, Denver, Salt Lake City, or Austin.
What I bring to the team: Effective communicator, well-versed at understanding and translating complex data and technology. Strong ability to absorb, understand, and interpret technical information and skills in dynamic environments.
Areas of interest: With my military career coming to an end, I am exploring a variety of education paths that will set me up for success in my next career. I am passionate about Economics and Finance, as well as Technology. It is my intent to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at a Tier One school. While doing so, I am interested in exploring opportunities for internships and part-time work in the fields of Analytics, Finance, Banking and Fintech.
Education: Defense Language Institute, Associate of Arts Korean Language with Honors
Preferred Geography: Open
What I bring to the team: Highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps senior leader with 22+ years of extensive experience leading change in large, multidisciplinary organizations faced with complex operational, logistical, and personnel challenges. Responsible for a 700+ member counterterrorism organization that equips, trains, and deploys elite forces around the globe. An approachable, engaged, values-driven leader who leverages strong collaboration and communication skills to deliver results in intensely competitive environments.
Areas of interest: I look forward to working for a company whose mission I firmly believe in; one that values building trust with both clients and teammates while fostering a fast-moving, dynamic culture. I ’m looking to broaden my experience through consistent challenges that allow me to bring the same commitment I had to defending this great Nation.
Education: Marine Corps University, Master of Military Science
Preferred Geography: Southern California
What I bring to the team: I have an emphatic desire to learn new knowledge and skills and then actively seek challenging opportunities to apply these additional skills. My inspiration comes from working with motivated people on challenging problems to achieve superior results. I am intrigued by finding innovative ways to solve problems; whether that means working with subject matter experts or gaining alternate skill sets. By leveraging best in class resources and constantly upleveling my skills, I am a resource who can work in collaboration as well as autonomously to deliver results.
Areas of interest: I am looking to be a member of a team that continues to gain knowledge and diligently contributes to resolve thought provoking projects.
Education: University of California at San Diego, BA Biological Anthropology
Preferred Geography: San Diego County
What I bring to the team: I empower people with positivity and turn great teams into superb teams. With contagious enthusiasm, I understand what drives employees and I bring out their finest strengths.
Areas of interest: I am looking for a leadership role in Business Development and want to showcase my experience as a Special Operations Officer with 30 years’ experience in Naval Special Warfare. I’ve held numerous leadership and managerial positions as a Task Unit Commander, Officer in Charge, Surface Programs Analyst, and Training Officer. Additionally, I just renewed my Top Secret/SCI security Clearance.
Education: Excelsior College, BS in History, Cum Laude
Preferred Geography: Greater San Diego
What I bring to the team: I am able to accomplish goals by leveraging the individual skills of the team members I work with and ensuring that we are early adopters of best in class technology and lean processes. In doing so, I am able to empower the individuals on my team to make autonomous decisions and enable them to derive incremental value from their accomplishments.
Areas of interest: I would enjoy leading a team in an environment that is on the cutting edge of technology testing and adoption. I thrive in an environment that is constantly changing and one where the best ideas are leveraged for decision making and to identify the best path forward.
Education: Gulf Coast State College, Associate of Arts
Preferred Geography: Greater San Diego
If your organization could benefit from service-minded, adaptable, problems solvers like these, there is no more elite group of talent than the graduates of The Honor Foundation. Contact The Honor Foundation here to learn more about employing, mentoring, coaching and sponsorship opportunities for the world-class program.
Question: How much better would your team perform by adding someone with Special Ops experience?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
People
On Thanksgiving Day, most of us look forward to enjoying plenty of good food. But, plenty of good conversation? Not on the menu.
With family and friends of all generations and mixed political persuasions coming together for the holiday, avoiding conversational controversy can be tricky. Even once safe topics like the weather can quickly turn into a stormy debate. As much as 64% of Americans report that their mental stress levels rise this time of the year. But conflict mediator Priya Parker suggests that we use gatherings like Thanksgiving to connect meaningfully, take risks, and be changed by our experience.
In her 2019 TED Talk, Parker offers three steps to turning everyday get-togethers into transformative gatherings.
Step 1: Embrace a specific, bold purpose. Instead of focusing on all of the little things — menu, music, seating arrangements — focus instead on the conversation, connections, and purpose that’s bringing everyone together. Take a pause to incorporate meaning beyond the “off the rack” Thanksgiving Day goals. Ask yourself, “what is the purpose of gathering with friends and family today?” or, “who can I learn something new from today?”
Step 2: Cause good controversy. “Human connection,” says Parker, “is threatened as much by unhealthy peace as it is by unhealthy conflict.” Around the Thanksgiving table, ask people to share stories rather than opinions. Ask for stories about when their opinions changed or their paradigm shifted. Give people a way into each other to share vulnerability and connect on a human level.
Step 3: Create temporary structure using pop-up rules. These are one-time constitutions such as, whoever brings their phone to the dinner table does the dishes. Pop-up rules like this allow us to harmonize our behavior and gather across differences without having to be the same.
“At their best,” Parker suggests, “gatherings allow us to be seen for who we are and to see.” Gatherings flourish when real thought goes into them, when structure is baked in, and when a host has the curiosity, willingness, and generosity of spirit to try. Read more in Parker’s book, “The Art of Gathering: Create Transformative Meetings, Events and Experiences.”
Question: What tips do you have on how to make your gatherings less routine and more meaningful?
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, subscribe to receive CEE News!
