Why (a lot of) Diversity Training Misses the Mark

There’s no shortage of problems in business. Whether it be with a product, a person, or a service line. And what must meet problems? Solutions. With lackluster numbers of women and minorities in leadership positions across the US, a solution we have turned to is diversity training. And while I agree that education is indeed a strong tool for changing behavior, we must be wise in how we approach teaching essential concepts. Regrettably, some training(s) — with antiquated approaches — can offer short-lived solutions to an ageless and rampant problem. 

Researchers have been examining whether people who undergo training shed their biases. In fact, this has been researched for over 90 years in thousands of studies. It turns out that diversity training can indeed elicit people to respond correctly to questionnaires about bias, but those right answers are soon forgotten – in as soon as a day or two. What’s more, studies suggest that this training can activate bias.

Regardless of the not-so-compelling data for diversity training, many companies participate (nearly all the Fortune 500, for example). What gives? Why is diversity training contributing to the problem? For starters, three-quarters of training use negative messages– drawing upon figures around lawsuits and large settlements in their training. The idea is that fear will motivate. And guess what? Just as in management, threats or “negative incentives” do not encourage people to listen to the message at hand.

Another reason your training may be missing the mark? Making the training a requirement. The general response to compulsory courses is met with anger and resistance and actually makes animosity grow toward other groups after these sessions. Further, and this is even scarier, when corporations require training, an inverse reaction occurs: Minorities in leadership positions decrease. 

Being a leadership consultant means I bet my livelihood on the efficacy of leadership education (which includes many facets of DEI knowledge). Including tidbits like this. If your consultant or training group incorporates damning facts about the risk to the bottom line if you do not participate in diversity training, keep looking. This is not the motivation your teams need. Further, if you sign up for diversity training and make the training a requirement, think again. While it may seem counterintuitive to not make it mandatory, rely on data to steer you in the correct direction with your DEI efforts. Studies show that optional training is associated with an increase in women and minorities in leadership positions.

Now that you’re clear on the things not to do in diversity training, what type of education should your sessions include? More to come.

The Value of Intention Setting

What’s the value of intention setting? Well, for starters let’s define it. It is a process used to reach a specific goal or outcome. The aim is to increase the likelihood of achieving said intention by putting your thoughts and energy toward the desired outcome. 

How does it work? There are actually a number of ways you can approach intention setting. You can leverage meditation, visualization, or even personal affirmations. The key, however, is identifying a specific goal and then focusing your thoughts accordingly. 

My coachees are encouraged to set intentions when I commence working with them. We want everything we work on together to be aligned with an overarching theme: an intention. Do you want to earn 20% more this year? Do you want to improve your executive presence? Are you ready for that next step in your career? 

While goals may be finite, intentions are holistic. It lives and breathes with you – and you let it be the guide in your decision-making. Intention setting can help you better understand your own goals and priorities. And once you visualize and verbalize them, you’re more motivated to achieve those goals.

There are even physiological benefits to intention setting: Having clear intention(s) can decrease stress and anxiety – a sought-after goal in this day and age. Further, intention setting can revitalize your motivation, fuel your purpose, and boost your confidence. Research shows that human intention can have a profound impact on physical reality, so it really is worth the hype. 

*To intention(ing)*

The Importance of Acknowledgment

When is the last time you acknowledged a team member? 

Corporations, namely those state-side, miss the mark on acknowledgment. Unsurprisingly, this matters in management. An old-school philosophy and management tactic is to note only areas missed or errors made, foregoing the recognition of small wins and successes. Unfortunately, we’ve grown so accustomed to looking for what was done incorrectly, that we skip over all that has been done well… and this talk track and practice is then repeated as team members become managers. This approach reflects a criticism model and it’s time we phase it out. There’s undoubtedly a case to be made for acknowledgment. 

While we may associate acknowledgment with awards or moments of more notable public recognition, acknowledgment can be far less formal. In fact, the act of acknowledging can be fairly frequent. The truth is, we need to see and recognize our team members as whole people, not just people who accomplish work on our team. 

The benefits of acknowledgment include loyalty and increased team inclusion. What’s more, it’s been shown that when managers regularly acknowledge team members, the company culture takes a hit (in a good way): The act of acknowledgment encourages a ripple effect of kind discourse. When we seek to find the pieces of a job well done, we create not only more tolerance for one another, but we create a sense of belonging. 

Please do not interpret this as a call to blow smoke or ignore less-good work. Instead, this is an opportunity to change how you communicate, still with the need to be sincere and authentic. When managers make acknowledgment a regular occurrence, it’s no wonder team camaraderie follows.

Are you Transacting as a Leader?

Clients are often faced with challenging circumstances at work, and each week we use  these obstacles as learning opportunities to ensure appropriate management. Sometimes in the minutiae of every day life, it’s difficult to allow time for future planning. This is, in part, a job of mine: amidst weekly learnings about effective management and resolving conflict, intention setting is important. 

What’s interesting about the phenomenon of learning is you truly do not know what you do not know. When considering what type of leader you want to be, you might think of descriptors such as charismatic, motivational, or servanthood. But there are actually a number of formalized leadership styles. What’s the benefit of being aware of these differing styles? It allows you to reflect on what you want to be (the intention-setting part). Similar to behavior, you can change your leadership style, but not without the awareness of what direction you want to head in.

Knowing your style helps direct your decision-making, and as a leader, that is paramount. There are numerous styles of leadership that aren’t inherently good or bad—they’re just different. They all have their benefits and drawbacks, as well as their appropriate uses in certain scenarios.

Today, I am sharing information about Transactional Leadership. It is not uncommon for me to see this type of leadership, especially for high performers (who often become leaders of teams due to their impressive track record). 

Simply put, transactional leaders give X and expect Y in return. 

Transactional leaders give instructions to their team members and then use different rewards and penalties to either recognize or minimize what they do in response.

Think of a leader offering praise to applaud a job well done, or mandating that a group member handles a despised department-wide task because they missed a deadline. Rewards and punishment are the way a transactional leader thinks. 

This is a “telling” style, but is often correlated to high-result work environments. So, a natural pro is that confusion is eliminated. Tasks and expectations are clearly mapped out by the leader. An undeniable con is that with such rigidity, creativity and innovation can be stifled and trust decreases. 

Food for thought: Do you transact as a leader? Where might you be falling short?