Hot Topic Friday: June 12

Happy Friday! Here are my June 12 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Hot Topic 1: Allies Need to Show Up at Work (And Everywhere)!

What It’s About: Columnist Charles Blow asks this tough question: “Many white people have been moved by the current movement, but how will they respond when true equality threatens their privilege?” He points to the way many privileged whites backed away from active support when the principles of equality and justice landed at their back doors historically. During the civil rights movement in the US, many progressive whites pointed with disgust at the egregious south, but disappeared when asked to stand up for the same principles near “home.” Blow writes, “When Martin Luther King Jr. moved to Chicago to begin the Chicago Campaign to push for fair housing, he was met by vicious, violent protests from white mobs and resistance from many of the same white legislators who had supported the Civil Rights Act.”

So What?: Blow: “One of the most hopeful and heartening features of the current protests has been the images of people of all races, in this country and around the world, openly supporting anti-racism, carrying Black Lives Matter posters and using more sophisticated language in discussing the matter of state violence against black people.

The challenge here is to sustain the current sentiment and not let this version of Freedom Summer be yet another moment when allies fail.

We must make sure, make a statement, that this is a true change in the American ideology and not an activist-chic, summer street festival for people who have been cooped up for months, not able to go to school or graduate, not able to go to concerts or bars.

This is not the social justice Coachella. This is not systemic racism Woodstock. This has to be a forever committed, even after protest eventually subsides.”

Now What?: I’m a privileged white senior male. The lack of effective, consistent historical allyship lies right at my doorstep. It’s been too convenient for me to close my eyes and swim in my own comfortable lane. Thinking I’m not a racist and/or believing in justice and equality is simply NOT enough at all. Action is what really counts. I’m helping to facilitate the uncomfortable discussions on racism, Black Lives Matter, inclusion, belonging, and related topics at our college, inviting all to join in open live stream conversations. I may stumble, but I’m inspired by the following from the advice found in the blog True North Intercultural:

“When people in Minimization—especially those from dominant groups—lean into the discomfort of listening, speaking up, moving toward difference instead of away from it, or putting action behind good intent, yes, they may make mistakes. They may offend someone. But the upside is that it spreads out the discomfort, shifting the burden so the discomfort does not all lie with the most marginalized groups. And that’s what’s necessary for racial and social justice to occur!”

Speak up, stand up, do not let racism win! Do not let marginalized groups go it alone. Do the work too.

One Millennial Response: Y’know, it’s been great to see the real (and brutally honest) conversations that are taking place. Without virtue signaling, I think a lot of people are truly listening when we’ve only previously heard, and asking some tough, uncomfortable questions that will hopefully lead to deeper understanding and equality for all. I know that I need to work on my own dismissive tendencies, and unintentional biases. I’ll make mistakes along the way, I’m sure, but I want my intent and actions to be positive and a continued learning process.

Hot Topic 2: Culture is Like Air Quality: Sometimes it Stinks!

Source: Forbes, Sesil Pir.

What It’s About?: Pir notes: “When it comes to human evolution in context of culture, research validates three key primary factors at play for us: biological evolution (independent individual), psychological evolution (interdependent individual) and social evolution (interdependent collective). This is why a company culture often only evolves if it can truly develop in a way that is good for its people, good for its teams and good for business at the same time.” I totally agree with Pir!

So What?: More Pir: “While culture strategies, aspirational seminars and motivational events may support a company’s culture forming, we must recognize such events will not be sufficient to sustainably evolve a work culture. Though many of us would want to take a pill to ‘up-do’ our cultures at this particular time in history, evolutionary change rather calls for consistent, repeatable and pro-longed behavior patterns, where desired characteristics are retained, undesirable ones allowed to regress, and undeveloped ones encouraged. More importantly, the future of work requires us to challenge the status quo and reinvent and engineer new ways to formulate our individual and collective experiences. Ironically, those attempts to lead a culture evolution by directives or from a linear, program management perspective can actually move the organizational culture backwards... Culture lives in the heads, hearts, and hands of its people as well as their summoned perceived views.

Now What?: A real cultural strategist is a cultural experience architect. Sign up for my new online course “Building Extraordinary and Adaptive Cultures” (late June 2020). I will share 40 years of experience and in the form of a culture system you can apply to your unique circumstances. It’s powerful and it works! People can write about what’s needed. Humbly and confidently, I can show you how to do it!

One Millennial Response: I think most leaders and companies are capable of developing a great company culture, but unfortunately they’ve also never seen one, or especially worked in one. How many of your friends, when talking about work, say things like “work sucks, what do you expect?” or “it is what it is.” It’s like we’re conditioned to accept rooms with cubicles are environments to be suffered through. When you get a glimpse of what an extraordinary and adaptive culture can really be, it clears the smoggy pollution from a lack of ever breathing in clean, quality company culture.

My Weekly Wine Recommendation.

Rabble Rose 2018

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[Ed Note: Find it at your local wine shops.]

And finally! Here’s Cecil’s Bleat of the Week!

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“Emotion regulation is a hot topic these days. One of the under- lying factors in emotion regulation is self-compassion, or inner compassion. Just reflect for a moment,” From the Foreword by Christopher K. Germer, Ph.D. in Eileen Beltzner’s book, “How to Tame the Tumbles.”

Bye for now!

— Lorne Rubis

Incase you Missed It:

My latest Lead In podcast.

My latest blog.

Season 3 of Culture Cast.

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Happy Friday! Here are my June 12 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Hot Topic 1: Allies Need to Show Up at Work (And Everywhere)!

Hot Topic 2: Culture is Like Air Quality: Sometimes it Stinks!

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