7 ways to be a real pal
Diversity, it’s true, can be broken down into strategies and roadmaps… but it’s tried, tested and developed on a day-to-day basis via myriad human interactions. Each of us has a role to play in creating a genuinely inclusive environment and living up to the stated values. How?
- Curiosity: think about the biases and discrimination suffered by people who aren’t like you, and about the historical and social context that lie behind them.
- Introspection: pinpoint your own conscious and unconscious biases.
- Acknowledgement: have you ever been hamstrung by your age, name or the way you look? If not, you are privileged and should recognize the fact with a humble heart.
- Empathetic engagement: if you witness a prejudice-driven micro-aggression, ask the right questions in the right tone so you can bring out the implicit biases.
- Honest conversations: be open and don’t judge when listening to someone giving an account of discrimination.
- Vulnerable interactions: create a circle of trust where you can get to grips with your own biases.
- Courageous responsibilities: use your circle of influence to open up opportunities for colleagues who don’t have any.
To go further
“7 Ways to Practice Active Allyship”
by Poornima Luthra, Harvard Business Review, November 8, 2022
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