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What’s In It for Me? A Self-Interest Primer for White Men Who Lead
Chuck Shelton, 09-13-2009
When diversity is for us, we’re for it. When diversity lines up against us, we avoid being the nail sticking up so we don’t get pounded.
It may be painfully obvious to you how diversity is against you as a white man: always on the verge of getting blamed for history’s injustice, concerned about giving corrective feedback to a person of color, discouraged about competing for a job for which a white man may not be preferred. It stings when inclusion seems to exclude us.
Beyond the blame and shame game, what’s in diversity for you? Why should you develop the competence to lead more effectively among diverse colleagues and customers? The bottom line is simple: sustainable collaborative advantage. Consider the tangible benefits that accrue to the white male manager who invests in developing his diversity competencies.
As you work more effectively with diverse people, you will:
- Correct the performance of diverse employees with confidence, instead of withholding your feedback for fear of putting them off or getting sued.
- Communicate respectfully with all employees to produce the impact you intend.
- Delegate more appropriately to develop your people.
- Deepen your insight and hone your skills to win, grow and keep diverse customers in global markets.
- Motivate stronger productivity, innovation, quality and continuous improvement from your diverse team.
- Resolve conflicts before they escalate.
- Relax and enjoy people as individuals, rather than suffer under stifling, make-nice censorship. Are you tired of walking on eggshells around certain people, unclear about how to avoid offending them by what you say or do?
- Decrease your risk of harassment or discrimination claims.
- Gain appointment to teams and assignments that would benefit from a white male manager who “gets it.”
- Multiply your diversity learning by living it out with your family and friends. Help the next generation learn to handle human differences; it will be important to their success. And your community needs more people with the capacity to build a society that works for all citizens.
- Understand yourself better, and lead with boldness and humility. Learn to lead from the inside out, grounded in your character and values.
- Show your boss you’re smart and talented enough to get with the diversity program. Such an ability to work successfully with human differences will factor into outstanding performance reviews and better compensation.
- Build a reputation as a promotable leader in a company that takes diversity among employees and customers seriously. The honest truth? Such a reputation will give you a career advantage over many white male managers who ignore or resist diversity.
Adapted from Chuck Shelton’s Leadership 101 for White Men: How to Work Successfully with Black Colleagues and Customers.
