Rivers of Thought
Life, Leadership, Business & Technology
Last week’s Leadership Thought “I Have No Words” sparked a lot of email, texts and comments. Many of you, like me, are struggling to find the words, to know how to react to the unrest around us, and to know what actions to take. Many of the messages contained an explicit or implicit question: But, what about the violence and the looting?
Let me respond, first by saying, I am a self-proclaimed pacifist. I abhor violence and destruction of any kind. I wish we all could just get along (you know, hold hands and sing “Kumbaya”). I wish that for the neighbors in a dispute, our political parties, the countries of the world, and certainly the races of the world. Like John Lennon I “Imagine all the people living life in peace”.
However, I am also a realist. There are wars (and, yes, I wholeheartedly support our troops, I come from a long line of those who have served our country), there is conflict, and yes, there are riots, violence and looting. History is filled with examples of rioting and looting going back thousands of years.
Don’t believe me? Google “riots throughout history”. There are so many of them, they had to divide them up by century. There were riots in Rome when Julius Caesar was assassinated.There were riots in Canada after a loss in the Stanley Cup. There were riots in the U.S. over a tax on…whiskey.
The Boston Massacre occurred because colonists were frustrated with the presence of British Soldiers in their neighborhoods and threw snowballs at Soldiers. The soldiers responded and killed five colonists.
The Boston Tea Party was a result of growing resentment between the colonies and British taxation. 342 chests of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor. It started a revolution.
As my wife and I watched Ken Burns’ Civil War this week, I was reminded of the riots that took place in the North in response to the draft of Union soldiers.
As I researched this post, I learned of “Red Summer”, a series of riots and looting in over three dozen cities that took place 100 years ago at the end of World War I. Whites were fearful the black soldiers returning from the war would take their already scarce jobs. (Interesting that was at the same time in history as the Spanish Flu pandemic…history repeats?)
Riots and looting have occurred because of political differences, because of hatred of another people, because of team affiliations (football, soccer, basketball, hockey), and yes, because of race. Sometimes, the oppressed have rioted, and sometimes the aggressors have rioted.
I have to ask the question, what would have happened if the armed protesters who protested in state houses recently against “stay-at-home” orders were met with aggression instead of silence?
Would I ever feel anger or hopelessness, or feel passionately enough about a cause to resort to violence? I’d like to say “no”, but what I can say is “never say never”.
I, for one, have felt anger. However, I can’t imagine what it feels like to be oppressed. Oppressed for hundreds or even thousands of years. I have felt hopelessness. However, I can’t imagine the hopelessness of generation after generation who are suffering and yet, are unheard.
What I can do is listen with empathy and compassion to the voices of generations.
I have no words. Perhaps a funny thing to say, coming from a writer. I have no words…I don’t know what to say. Even now I struggle to find the words.
Our nation, in the midst of perhaps the biggest crisis in the last 100 years, certainly in the last 50, has exploded. When news of George Floyd’s murder came across my television, just weeks after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, I did what I always do. I showed my support, first by liking others’ posts on Facebook, then by sharing a post. I’ve done it for years…
The murderous attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris? Changed my profile picture to “Je suis Charlie” in support.
The confrontation at Standing Rock that escalated into violence? Joined others who checked-in at Standing Rock to show support.
I could list dozens of others. Doing my part to show support. But cautiously. Wouldn’t want to draw furor. Wouldn’t want to upset my “friends”. Afterall I have a business to run and many of those “friends” are my readers.
Doing my part. Cautiously. Rarely, if ever, on LinkedIn. That’s for business. Can’t get personal, can’t get political, can’t take a stand. Would not want to alienate anyone, they might buy my books, they might hire me for a keynote, they might…
This time was no different. Until it wasn’t.
I shared a “Black Lives Matter” gif on Facebook. A bit later a “friend” commented “All Lives Matter”. I did not know what to say in response. I use quotes around “friend” because I haven’t seen this person in 50 years and just recently reconnected on Facebook. I really didn’t know him. I was at a loss for words. On one level, yes, all lives matter. But that was not the point. The point is right now an entire race of people are hurting. Saying “all lives matter” diminishes their pain. I was frozen.
And then, my son spoke up and commented on the post. A discussion of sorts started, then someone else chimed in. His tone was decidedly sharper. This back and forth went on for a couple of days…and I remained silent.
Over the last week I have watched my son find his voice…on Facebook, and yes, on LinkedIn. I have seen countless others raise their voices. What I have seen, what I have heard, tells me there ARE words. I was just stuck waiting for the RIGHT words.
As leaders, we have to lead…even when we don’t know the RIGHT words.
To those of you who were like me…waiting. STOP. Add your voice to the conversation!
To my friends of Color. I am sorry. I have no concept of what it is like to walk in your shoes. I know you are hurting. I know you are afraid. I know you are angry. I want to learn. I am committed to learning, so that I might lend my voice and my support to make this a world that recognizes all people have been created equal!
I will speak by listening! I WILL find my voice. I WILL listen.
Other resources to read:
Masking language and “keeping it professional”
Leadership Reflections on George Floyd and the Minneapolis Riots
I am one person. What can I do?
TIME for Kids Age-Appropriate Resources
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” We don’t, but we can.
Is Culture tied to place or space?
It’s a question that I have asked myself many times over the last two months. The question was sparked during a virtual roundtable with a group of business leaders. Several of them expressed anxiously they could not wait to get back into the office, they couldn’t wait to get their staff back into the office. Why? Not because they missed everyone (though they did express that they did miss everyone), but, rather because their culture demanded it. Their culture was built on open collaboration, the buzz of activity, close interaction among team members.
It got me thinking…Is culture tied to place or space?
It’s been said that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” (actually, Peter Drucker is the one that said it). Without a doubt, your corporate culture can have a dramatic impact on the success or failure of your strategy and therefore your company. But what IS culture?
There are about as many definitions of company culture as there are people in the workplace. The definition I like the best is by Susan M. Heathfield, in her post: Culture: Your Environment for People at Work
“In many ways, culture is like personality. In a person, the personality is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, interests, experiences, upbringing, and habits that create a person’s behavior.
Culture is made up of such traits shared by a group of people. Culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of generally unspoken and unwritten rules for working together.”
So, is culture tied to place or space? I believe if culture relies on all of your employees being in the same place and sharing the same place, you are doing it wrong. Can place and space impact company culture, absolutely! A few years ago, as a new CIO the first thing I did was replace all the workspaces for the IT team. It made a world of difference on the mental health of the team. Just recently, I was with a company who moved into brand new office space. I can tell you, it made a huge impact on my own mental health, outlook, and desire to be there. So, yes, place and space CAN influence culture, but it can’t (or shouldn’t) define culture.
That mentality creates a very exclusive mindset, even at a time when we are all trying to be inclusive. If you can’t be in the workplace, you can’t be in the culture. What of team members who can’t be in the office? What of team members who are afraid to be in the office? What of geographically dispersed staff? How do they become a part of the culture? Even companies who have more than one office..the cultures are going to be different, the “vibe” is going to be different…and that is OK.
So, how do we create and maintain a company culture that extends beyond the walls of our office?
Intentionality – Be intentional about including remote employees. This has been easier with everyone being remote, but as we return to the office, be intentional to include those who aren’t there. How many times have you been on a conference call, and forgot to tell those on the phone the meeting was over? It happens! But don’t let it! Make sure to include them in the pre-meeting chatter and the post-meeting debrief. Make sure to call on them. Be aware of time zones when scheduling meetings.
Technology – You might have guessed I would have technology in here somewhere. It is one thing I think we have all learned over the last two months. While video is not perfect, it does create a connection. I believe we have connected at a far more personal level virtually than we ever have face-to-face. We have been invited into each other’s homes. We have a window into each other’s lives…dogs, cats, kids, spouses. Far more personal than a picture of my grandkids on my desk is my grandson entering my office and saying “hi” to all the people on the video call.
Creativity – Be creative in including everyone. If your office is known for donut Friday…send donuts to those who aren’t there. If you are having an after work gathering (post physical distancing, of course), open up a video conference and let the virtual employees participate. If there is energy in the office, make sure the energy crosses through the connection.
There are numerous articles on workplace design and its impact on culture. Extend those design concepts to the remote worker. Do they have all of the equipment to do their jobs as if they were sitting in the office? The answer should be yes.
I would love to hear from you. What ideas do you have for extending culture beyond place and space? Send me your thoughts!
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Insights is the weekly, thought-provoking newsletter from Jeffrey S. Ton.
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Leadership Thought – A lesson-learned, an insight shared
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