We are more than pale, male stale

Quote diversity.

For your blog, presentation, proposal or slide deck … when you want to quote someone, quote with diversity. There’s a bias here and we need to act on it to counter it.

Not all your quotations need to come from Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein or Henry Ford. It’s worth finding greater diversity. You don’t need to choose from the first 4 quotes that come up when you Google ‘innovation quotations’ or ‘leadership quotes’. It’s lazy … and biased.

Source unique quotes from podcasts, interviews, books, blogs, articles, videos. When you do Google ‘leadership quotes’, go further than the first 4 or 24. Go deeper and wider to get diversity.

If a woman, a person of colour, a person with a disability, a person of a different cultural background, an LGBTQIA person is reading your proposal or reading your blog where you quote the same old quotes that are 'pale male stale’ ... good luck with that.

And ... if they are your target market, audience or decision maker, oops .. good luck with that.

Go for greater relevance and connection to more people; not that are quick or convenient to 'copy and paste'. It’s actually not that hard ... once you notice it, and then work to remove the bias. 

Beware the thieves of clarity

Are you tuned in to what steals clarity in your team, unit or organisation?

Is it meetings?

Lengthy reports?

Status updates?

Decks and presentations with complicated models, too much text, too many chevrons, arrows and ‘pillars’ or icebergs? 😜

The race is on for meaning and understanding. The sooner we understand, the sooner we can make decisions, get into action and get feedback and insights on that action.

But how much might we hiding behind work, tasks and activities that actually steal clarity, create ambiguity and generate more confusion? Do we busy ourselves working on stuff that doesn’t really support clarity … but rather steals it?

In this complex world, it’s better to be known for being able to cut through and get to clarity; not overly simplified, not dumbed down … just c-l-e-a-r. Today, be on the look out for the thieves of clarity. Don’t let them get away with it. Bring it back, hold onto it, keep it together because other people in the room, in the team, across the organisation need you to … stand up for clarity.

What do you see that steals clarity and understanding in your world of work?

Stop throwing your status around

Careful throwing your status around.

Leaders in organisations, wherever they go, wherever they walk, sit, stand, eat ... come with status attached. It can't be hidden.

At a client workshop, the senior leader tip-toed in after about two hours, trying not to disturb the session. But really? They couldn’t be missed. Their status comes in the door first! At other sessions, leaders have said, ‘ I’m not participating today, I’m just observing’.

What's that caper!?

Now even more status is pouring out of you. Stop making yourself even more separate, different and higher. Make a decision: either be IN it with the team in the room, or get OUT of it and leave them to do the work of the workshop.

Why and what are you 'observing'? Why not get involved? I don’t see any need for leaders to be 'on the fringes’ of a workshop, doing this watching, checking, observing, judging. Participate, do the work, connect and listen to people, get your hands dirty, hear their stories. Your special title isn’t special when it comes to working with the team in a practical session.

Remove yourself and your status completely. Or reduce your status and sit at the table. How else do leaders throw their status around, perhaps unknowingly?

You will need all types

You might like tables and spreadsheets, but other people don’t.

We often default to our preferred way of communicating to influence, engage and bring people up to speed. But the problem is, it’s our default… not theirs. While we’re banging on with our information in ways that work for us, they’re sitting there going, ‘What the? Huh? Don’t get it yet.’

In this world of cultural and linguistic diversity, and different ways of processing information, it serves us and them to pause before barrelling on with information.

Thinking of your audience first can sound a bit cliched; it's often overlooked; we hope people will just ‘get it’.

We must put information in ways, packages and modes that work for diversity.

🍎 So your spreadsheet, if you love it, may not work for others.

🍊Your list of dot points, that you love, may not work for others.

🍉 Your stories, may not work for others.

🍋 Your imagery, may not work for others.

We need it all. Skim, step and fly across all of these styles. Heartfelt stories, captivating and clear imagery, meaningful data, useful lists. Don’t dwell anywhere, in any one sphere for too long. Bob across all types. Suspend the default.

What's your preferred type of comms? 

The secret to leadership is simple

'The secret to leadership is simple’. So said Seth Godin ... and he says many wonderfully frank, clear and compelling things.

The concept, behavior and practice of leadership can get complicated and confusing - especially when you’re in the thick of it.

Like when you’re dealing with the human side (which is most of the time), or handling conflict and tension or leading through a significant and unsettling time of change (which is most of the time).

The slide deck from that leadership program or your ‘colour’ from that diagnostic tool might not help you so much when you’re waist deep in the tricky stuff.

Seth’s quote below here has been a helpful guide to me. So much so, I “elevated” it : that is, I took the words and made an artifact, an anchor, a reminder of it, and put it in front of my face where I can see it...to remind myself to not make leadership too complicated.

Has leadership become too complicated? What helps you with leadership?