Shaping Culture in the Margins

Hello all,

This week I'm focusing on culture. I'm sharing 2 resources for a quick reminder of how important culture is- it's the air we breathe... and that it's something we can influence from all levels of an organization.

First, You’re Not Just Managing Tasks. You’re Shaping Culture This content is from some marketing material for The Inclusive Managers Toolkit- a program offered by DeEtta Jones & Associates, but marketing purpose aside- it's great content! I learned about this program when the SUNY Libraries offered it a few years ago- and it was terrific. How we do things in the workplace is as important as what we do in the workplace!

"If you think your job as a manager is just to move projects forward, assign tasks, or hit KPIs—you’re only seeing the surface. The truth is, you are shaping culture. Every single day. The way you hold meetings. The way you give (or don’t give) feedback. The way you make decisions. The way you respond to pressure, failure, or conflict. These aren’t neutral behaviors. They’re signals. And over time, those signals become your team’s reality—how people treat each each other, how they speak up (or don’t), how safe or valued feel, how connected are to the mission. Culture Is Built in the Margins We tend to talk about organizational culture as something set at the top or “baked in” through values statements. But culture is created—and reinforced—in the day-to-day micro-moments. "

Another resource I recommend is 10 Tips for Creating a Feedback Culture Again- it's a business website, but an easy read with practical, logical tips that anyone can use. I'll give you tip Number 2 as an enticement to go read the full blog!

" Provide feedback training. Both giving and receiving feedback are skills. Like any ability, they must be developed and practiced. To support a feedback culture, provide training and resources to your employees.

• Share how-tos on giving and receiving employee feedback
• Show videos or let employees observe examples of good and bad feedback interactions
• Train employees on how to communicate feedback effectively
• Help employees understand their resistance to feedback
• Train employees on asking questions, seeking examples, and clarifying meaning
• Develop manager skills in setting development goals for employees and help them achieve those goals"

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Keep learning, and keep doing your part to create a more inclusive culture here at SUNY.

All the best,
Holly

Honoring Juneteenth

Hello all,

We are about to celebrate Juneteenth, an important historical event in our country.

From the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture we learn that "On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day." People were denied their freedom for almost two years longer, and we cannot forget the legacy of oppression that still lingers.

And did you know... NYS has many Juneteenth Celebrations, including one of the world's largest in Buffalo? This web link has many wonderful celebrations listed around the state, but if you are more of an online person... you can go virtual as well!

These celebrations are reminders of our history, tributes to the resilience and vibrancy of Black Americans, and great learning opportunities for all of us.

I hope you have a wonderful Juneteenth!

All the best,
Holly

Microaggressions and Bias Interupters

Hello all,

This week's focus is on microaggressions and bias interrupters.

This first resource gives us some good information about microaggressions, including a few scenarios that can help make the concepts clear.

Microaggressions in the Workplace

From the website, "In today's diverse workplaces, recognizing and addressing microaggressions is crucial for fostering an inclusive atmosphere where every individual feels valued and respected. "

We often don't know that we are holding assumptions about groups of people that influence how we treat them, talk about them, and what opportunities we offer them. And because of these assumptions, we can hurt them and limit their success with microaggressions. We have to learn more in order to do better- so I hope you'll take the time to read through this website.

This second resource offers great tips for how to interrupt bias as it shows up in meetings.

Bias Interrupters Toolkit: Meetings

From the website, "Having expertise increases men’s influence—but decreases women’s. This is just one way subtle biases play out in meetings.Research also shows that men interrupt women, more than vice versa. And across industries, women in our studies consistently report that someone has gotten the credit for an idea they originally posed. In our survey of architects, half of women of color and white women reported having their ideas stolen, compared to less than a third of white men and men of color. Multiracial women reported an even worse experience: almost two-thirds reported that they had an idea stolen."

This website also offers specific toolkits for performance evaluations, Hiring & Recruiting, Flexibility, Compensation, and Access to Opportunity.

We can do better for all our colleagues!

All the best,

Holly

The Harm of Inflating Language

Hello all,

I'm sharing another great tip from the Better Allies website, and as always, I encourage you to visit and then subscribe to Karen Catlin's weekly email tips.

This one is focused on inflating language, which I've certainly used. Like when I call a work disruption a "disaster" or a bad budget "an impossible situation", or telling my son he's "on my last nerve!"

That's no fun for anyone relying on me to get things done, and it increases my sense of helplessness rather than positioning me to better handle situations. So I'd like to stop doing that!

But applied to people, inflating language can cause real harm.

Something we really need to stop doing!

So read on friends...

" I regularly learn from my friend and inclusive language expert, Dr. Suzanne Wertheim. Today, I want to focus on what she wrote about Inflating Language, a linguistic distortion that creates serious problems in the workplace.

Inflating language is when someone describes perfectly appropriate behavior so that it seems inappropriate or threatening — for example, calling someone “intimidating” for just working at their desk without smiling. Or saying someone is “aggressive” for politely disagreeing with a colleague.

As Wertheim wrote, “In my data collection, I’ve found that inflating language is applied most frequently to Black people and to female people, especially Black women.” She went on to explain, “These distortions affect hiring decisions, everyday interactions, work assignments, promotions, and more.”

Let’s look out for inflating language in our workplace. Ask, “What makes you say that?” to get someone to confront their bias."

All the best,

Holly