Re-Leveling the Playing Field
We used to say for years (and still do) that we need to level the playing field. It is most often used in the context of diversity and inclusion context, but also applies in many ways that impact all of us.
Depending on the culture you are from, you may believe in either “the nail that sticks our gets hammered” or “the squeaky wheel gets the oil”. Work style biases get in the way of people doing good work, being recognized and growing their impact.
Talker vs. Doer:
In meeting-heavy company cultures, the better presenters get the credit while the people who focused on getting the work done gets, well, the opportunity to get more work done.
Vocal vs. Reserved:
Employees are typically considered for promotions based on performance and potential, but potential assessment tends to be subjective and calibrated based on impressions made at meetings. Those who speaks up more gets perceived as more engaged and opinionated, while those less vocal or prefer channels outside of meetings, his/her leadership style will not be recognized the same way.
Proactive vs. Reactive:
People who anticipate and prevent issues from happening in the first place don’t tend to get credits because management dislike being presented problems without solutions. Meanwhile, people are recognized for “going above and beyond” to “dive and catch” because they make good examples for reinforcement.
Individual vs. Collective teammates:
Selfless People who put the team and others ahead of themselves get penalized while others who are protective of their own work plans get ahead. While the capability and capacity gaps put stress on those who care about the organization more, in survival mode the right long-term things do not get done and it becomes a downward spiral.
Enter the New Landscape
The nature of our work has been shifting – Success depends on our ability to leverage the collective wisdom of our teams.
Do Less and Think More:
We add value not from completing physical tasks but making decisions based on broad and complex information.
Distributed and Dynamic Teams:
We organize ourselves less based on location, function or seniority but more on purpose, values and skills.
Asynchronous Collaboration:
We will move status update meetings to collaboration tools to keep everyone on the same page and focus our time together on creative tasks.
Power to the Writer:
Real time updates and one-to-many relationships make effective writers ever more influential. Well thought out ideas and business cases can carry much further than an impressive presentation.
Will the Introverts please reveal your secret powers?
Whether Heros make History or History makes Heros is a debate of circumstances and perspectives, but this may be the time when some of the qualities of the stereotypical “introverts” can shine in the new brave workplace environments.
Style vs. Substance:
The use of structured collaboration tools and processes will make deliverables more visible. Those have not made progress can no longer hide behind a good explanation at a team meeting anymore. And as the old saying goes – If you want something done, give it to the busy person.
Active Listening, Reflective Thinking:
A key to asynchronous collaboration is the benefit of independent thinking. The heat and pressure to “say the right thing” give way to listening, learning, and clarifying one’s own thoughts independently. There is a true opportunity to reduce groupthink and biases that are inherit with meeting-based decision making
Relate vs. Woo:
Being physically separately actually creates opportunities for us to engage more in 1:1 manner and build deeper relationships. The context becomes less of making an impression but how can we listen to, learn from, and help each other.
Leveling the playing field is not about seeking “justice” but rather helping everyone contribute their talents most effectively.
How can we create the environment, culture and practices to create growth for everyone?
How can we curate and facilitate the experience to leverage all of our strengths?
