Choose to challenge and BE challenged on gender diversity in 2021.
The value of gender representation in the workplace is hard to ignore. With a business model based on the science of workplace performance and a majority female workforce, at We Are Unity we reap the benefits of a diverse workforce every day – from a broader range of perspectives, to a more inclusive and psychologically safe work culture – all with an impact on our bottom line.
This International Women’s Day, the opportunity presents itself for organisations to take action and evaluate how they can better drive gender equality in the workplace.
‘A challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change’
This year’s theme, #ChooseToChallenge is a rallying cry to push back against ‘the way things have always been’ and actively challenge norms, systems and behaviours that unfairly impact women in efforts to drive positive change. It’s a powerful theme, but our belief is that #ChooseToChallenge is only half the story. Because to give people the space they need to choose to challenge, each of us must be comfortable to #ChooseToBeChallenged as well. By opening ourselves to challenge from others, we can learn more, drive self-improvement and build a culture of gender equality and diversity that lasts long beyond just one day in the calendar.
To get you thinking about how you and your organisation can #ChooseToChallenge and #ChooseToBeChallenged, we have compiled some simple actions that can set you up to have difficult conversations and open yourself to change and feedback.
Setting the conditions for challenge and change
It’s one thing to encourage challenge and confrontation, but equally as important is setting the right workplace culture and conditions to enable it. Building and maintaining a psychologically safe workplace ensures that people in your organisation will feel safe and comfortable to challenge, speak up and share their diverse and valuable perspectives. Check out our blog for more on creating a psychological safe workplace.
Choose to challenge
Inaction is easy and often comfortable, but it doesn’t get us very far. By pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones and engaging in more challenging conversations, we can better identify what is holding ourselves (and others) back, and become a catalyst for growth and transformation.
A good way to enable more challenging conversations is with a simple conversational framework. Our own SIA feedback model is a simple 3 step process you can use to bring confidence and structure to difficult conversations, and more importantly, help you challenge a colleague, a process or a point of view that you feel is impeding gender diversity at work.
Situation |
Impact |
Action |
| Articulate the situation or observation you would like to discuss | Describe the impacts of the situation or observation | Suggest a solution or ‘next step’ to address the situation |
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Tips:
Think carefully about when, where and how you will choose to have a challenging conversation. For sensitive and confronting conversations about gender bias and equality, help others let their guard down by giving them time and space away from other work stressors (a 1:1 coffee catchup is a great place to start).
If you are challenging someone over a specific incident or occurrence, it’s not always best to engage them immediately. Allow a little time to pass, giving you both space to reflect on what has transpired.
Your #ChooseToChallenge opportunity:
Commit yourself to giving one person some constructive feedback this week. It doesn’t need to be about gender diversity if it’s not relevant but the more you practice you get providing feedback the better you’ll be at speaking up when you do need to challenge an issue around gender diversity.
Consider a recent challenging conversation you’ve had and re-examine it through a SIA lens. Did you communicate the impact of the issue and offer a plan of action? Would you do anything differently if you had it again?
Choose to be challenged
For a workplace to effectively drive change, challenging others is only the first step. Challenging yourself, and welcoming challenges from others is fundamental to enable personal growth and development. But if you want to open yourself to be challenged, you need to be ready to adapt a from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset
1. Consciously choosing my mindset:
When faced with a challenge to our ideas, beliefs or preconceptions, our default instinct is often to reject it. We like to believe our understanding of the world is largely correct, and anything that counters that can be threatening to our intelligence and our sense of self worth. This rejection of new information to keep us from showing weakness is what’s known as a Fixed Mindset – and put simply, it helps no one but our own egos.
By approaching confrontation with a Fixed Mindset, you will be more likely to:
Avoid challenging ideas or conversations
Give up when faced with challenging obstacles
Feel that challenges are a waste of effort
Ignore challenging, yet valuable criticism
Feel threatened by those that challenge you
As a result, you will struggle to reach your potential and feel less in control of your life and career.
Yet in each of those challenging situations, we have the opportunity (and the freedom) to consciously open ourselves to new information, invite challenge and channel a diversity of perspective – otherwise known as adopting a Growth Mindset. This enables us to:
Embrace challenging ideas and conversations
Persist in the face of challenging obstacles
Feel that challenges are a path to growth
Learn from challenging yet valuable criticism
Find lessons and inspiration from those that challenge you
This works to give you a greater sense of control over your life and career and helps you unlock your full potential.
TIPS:
The power of pause. Adopting a growth mindset isn’t always instinctual. Give yourself room to breathe to prevent yourself from reacting defensively and to help you make that conscious choice.
Asking open questions is a great way to drive a growth mindset, looking to your colleagues to invite feedback and understand context outside your own perspective.
Your #ChooseToBeChallenged opportunity
What is the idea or project that you are most attached to right now? Proactively seek input from someone you think will have a different perspective to your own.
Consider the last time someone challenged your thinking or an idea that you’ve held strongly. Did you approach it through a Fixed or Growth mindset? Now you know the difference, how could you have changed your reaction or your next steps?
2.Managing my micromessages
In life we’re all unconsciously drawn towards similarity and away from difference (affinity bias). Every day, our body language and actions send implicit micro-messages to others which deliver powerful signals of either inclusion (micro-affirmations) or exclusion (micro-aggressions). It is estimated that on average we send between 2,000-4,000 micromessages per day, largely subconsciously. And despite what we’d like to believe, we tend to send micro-affirmations to those we perceive to be similar to us and micro-aggressions to those we perceive as different.
One of the key ways we can invite challenge is to become more aware of the patterns in our micromessaging and focus on displaying micro-affirmations frequently and consistently. This helps create a culture of psychological safety, making it more likely for everyone to feel comfortable to challenge and be challenged.
Examples of micromessages:
| Micro-aggressions | Micro-affirmation |
| Lack of eye contact | Maintaining eye contact |
| Becoming distracted when someone is talking i.e. checking phone/email | Actively setting aside distractions |
| Closed off body language such as leaning back, crossing your arms etc. | Open body language such as leaning forward and ‘opening’ yourself to your colleague |
| Interrupting, talking over and not asking for input | Asking open questions, inviting input and creating space for others to participate |
| Eager to have your opinion heard | Engaging with what other have said |
| Using specific examples that are only relevant to a select few | Using examples everyone can relate to |
TIPS:
The first step to ensure your micromessages are positive and productive is to be aware and mindful of them.
Always consider the impact on the person rather than your intention. Most of the time people don’t intend harm but if harm is being done the intention doesn’t matter.
Your #ChooseToBeChallenged Opportunity:
Pick one micro-affirmation you would consciously like to do more. Keep it up consistently for a week and take note of how your interactions with others change.
Can you think of any examples in the last week of a micro-aggression that may have had a harmful impact despite your intentions? Think about how you could turn it around with a micro-affirmation next time you’re in a similar situation.
Keep Challenging
International Women’s Day is a fantastic catalyst for change, but progressive transformation requires consistent and ongoing work. Join in the conversation on LinkedIn see how others #ChoosetoChallenge and #ChoosetoBeChallenged today and everyday.
