Performance Matters - Learning and Performance - 19

PERFORMANCE MATTERS / PG 19
VR: What does pervasive inclusion look like?
VR: What impact does leaning into this work at the intersection of
DE&I and learning have on you in a field that doesn't have a significant
amount of amplified BIPOC voices?
IM: It's creating space for others to tell me how I can create a safe
space for them. It's also about being vulnerable myself and sharing
what I need to have space and if I don't feel comfortable. I often say,
'challenge my thinking', and then I invite my team to have divergent
thinking. It's about acknowledging your blind spots and being humble
in that process.
VR: What are some of the biggest challenges for leaders who are
trying to create space and be humble?
IM: Being comfortable with the way things have always been, that's the
biggest challenge because there's a minority, right? There are always
things that you can overlook. Once you start to gel as a team, you can
lose the benefits of having divergent thinking and people who are willing
to challenge the status quo. It's about being transparent and creating
space for people to feel comfortable to call you out when your values
are misaligned.
VR: What's your perspective on the evaluation side of pervasive
inclusion in learning?
IM: A lot of companies talk about bringing your whole self to work.
Well, bringing my whole self to work comes with kids, other interests
and passions, and all sorts of things. It's thinking broader than typical
accommodations and asking about representation: Did you feel like this
class represented you? Did you feel like this was targeted toward you?
It's about broadening our lens of what we consider diversity. That's why
I say pervasive inclusion because it's beyond gender, race, and religion.
Our stores are very diverse because we're all over the country.
We always say, 'Reflect the communities that you're in.' We created a
series of learning videos, and they were great because they were
reflective of real associates with diverse perspectives. By casting a
wide net, we were able to include a diverse group of leaders to give
advice and have learners learn directly from them versus me trying to
create the training videos.
IM: One is being willing to have difficult conversations. Some people
feel like it's not their job to educate, but I invite that. I have to share my
experiences, be transparent, and educate. I have a seat at the table.
I'm the only Black woman on my director team of 10, and people can
get a little squeamish when everybody turns to you to be the
representative. I often say, 'I am not the representative. Someone else
may have a very different experience, but this is my perspective.' The
second piece that's helped me is trying to not let microaggressions
impact me. It's always served me well to do what I think is right and not
worry about the things I can't control or someone's perception of me.
It's a matter of two things: psychological safety and physical safety.
Some people experience more threatening things based on their
gender or race. We can have these dialogues and make it safe for you
to say what you don't understand and vice versa. We have to create
that safety for everyone.
VR: How do you create that psychological safety?
IM: For me it's about breaking down the barriers of hierarchy and
making it more of a democracy for my team by not speaking first,
letting other people chime in, and honoring when someone takes a
risk with divergent thinking. I also try to be transparent of my
development by letting my team know how I'm trying to improve. My
role is to support my team and enable them to do their job, which isn't
any more important than their role. I include them in decision-making,
and when we have uncomfortable moments, I'm intentional about
following up and asking for feedback: How could I have handled that
situation better? How did I make you feel in that situation? I also do
check-ins with them and ask questions like, Do you feel valued? Do
you feel like I appreciate the work that you're doing? If you don't feel
comfortable telling me, please tell my boss or my HR partner, because
that's a problem, and I want to know.
VR: I love it. Thank you for sharing.
Performance Matters - Learning and Performance

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