Creating Space for People to Be Awesome
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Transcript of Creating Space for People to Be Awesome
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
People, Careers & Diversity In The Trenches:
CREATING SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO BE AWESOME
Highland Fling: Sessions Edinburgh, 19 April 2014
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
hNp://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3667608102/
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WE ALL HATE BAD BOSSES WE DESCRIBE THEM AS • Clueless • Empty suits • Pointless • Seagulls
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
hNps://twiNer.com/Caterina/status/6715084157
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
GOOD MANAGERS ARE BULLSHIT UMBRELLAS.
BUT THEY ARE ALSO A LOT MORE
THAN THAT.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
TradiZonal management beliefs are a pile of crap
hNp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_Dung.JPG
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WHAT DOES WORK? Sooo….
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Across industries, across countries, the
best performing teams answer certain
quesZons posiZvely
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Predictors of High Performance 1. Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2. Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? 3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4. In the last 7 days, have I received recogniZon or praise for good work? 5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? 6. Is there someone at work who cares about my development? 7. At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important? 9. Are my co-‐workers commiNed to doing quality work? 10. Do I have a best friend at work? 11. In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development? 12. At work, have I had opportuniZes to learn and grow?
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
UNDERSTAND MOTIVATION • Purpose • Autonomy • Mastery
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
MOTIVATION = + PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?) + AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?) + MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?) -‐ ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Predictors of High Performance (remix) PURPOSE • Does the mission/purpose of
my company make me feel like my work is important?
AUTONOMY • Do I know what is expected of
me at work? • At work, do my opinions
seem to count?
MASTERY • Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my
work right? • At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do
best every day? • Is there someone at work who cares about my
development? • Are my co-‐workers commiNed to doing quality work? • In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone
about my development? • At work, have I had opportuniZes to learn and grow?
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
And What Else? OTHER FACTORS: • In the last 7 days, have I received recogniZon or praise for good work? • Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? • Do I have a best friend at work?
ESSENTIALLY, AM I RESPECTED & REWARDED HERE? CAN I BE MYSELF AND SUCCEED HERE? I CALL THIS INCLUSION.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CREATE SPACE FOR YOUR PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE
Your job as a manager…
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
FIND & SHAPE SPACE WHERE YOU CAN BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE
Maybe you’re not a manager. As an individual, you need to…
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
As An Individual, Ask Yourself • Do I believe in WHY we are doing this
work? • How can I shape WHAT we/I do here? • How am I genng beNer at HOW I do
things? • Do I BELONG HERE?
(PURPOSE) (AUTONOMY) (MASTERY) (INCLUSION)
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
As A Manager, Ask Yourself • Do my people know WHY we are doing
this? • Do my people get a say in the WHAT? In
doing the right thing? • Do my people get opportuniZes to do the
thing right? And to get beNer at the HOW? • Do we do a good job of making all our
different people feel included & like they BELONG HERE?
(PURPOSE) (AUTONOMY) (MASTERY) (INCLUSION)
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SO WHAT’S NEEDED?
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
PROTECT PURPOSE
BE A TRANSLATOR – MAKE PURPOSE, STRATEGY & DIRECTION MAKE SENSE
CONNECT WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING (AND
CAN DO!) TO OVERALL IMPORTANT PURPOSE
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
ENABLE AUTONOMY & MASTERY
Skills/Knowledge
Direction
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Skills/Knowledge
Direction
Know what to do, don’t have all the skills to do it
Know what to do and equipped to
do it
Got skills, need direction
Huh? Where are we? What are we
doing?
CLUE / SKILLS MATRIX
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
hNp://www.flickr.com/photos/8250578@N06/8625641442/
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
hNp://www.flickr.com/photos/provoost/2246718091/
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SKILL DEVELOPMENT UnconsciousIncompetent
ConsciousIncompetent
ConsciousCompetent
UnconsciousCompetent
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
DELIBERATE PRACTICE • You must be moKvated to aNend to the task and exert effort to improve
your performance.
• The design of the task should take into account your pre-‐exisKng knowledge so that the task can be correctly understood aper a brief period of instrucZon.
• You should receive immediate informaKve feedback and knowledge of results of your performance.
• You should repeatedly perform the same or similar tasks.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
IS YOUR WORK DESIGNED IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE DELIBERATE PRACTICE?
Ask yourself…
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SWEAT THE “SMALL” STUFF Autonomy, mastery & purpose can’t overrule or compensate for poor tools / environment / lack of
inclusion / lack of caring forever
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CULTIVATING INCLUSION • If you’ve got Purpose, Autonomy & Mastery, then what else maNers?
• Making sure that all different kinds of people are able to succeed as themselves, authenZcally, is what culZvaZng inclusion is about.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
LET’S QUICKLY DIGRESS
BEFORE WE CONTINUE
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
I’m A Bit of a Diversity StaZsZc q Woman… q Gay… q Foreign… q Employed (this is a bad thing if you’re foreign…) q MulZ-‐lingual q Disabled… q Atheist…
q BUT grew up hugely aware of (unasked & undeserved) privilege I had
growing up white in Apartheid South Africa.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
My childhood was FULL of
signs like these
Horrible & horrific but impossible
to escape
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
I CANNOT DENY THAT PRIVILEGE In fact, the most useful thing I can do is assess, understand & acknowledge that privilege
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check out the original arZcle from Peggy McIntosh: hNp://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html
In Apartheid South Africa, ALL systems were set up to acZvely & blatantly give
advantage to white folks and disadvantage non-‐whites.
We are less good at sponng this when it isn’t so blatant.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“We have to aggressively, and uncompromisingly, aNack the pernicious lie that the technology industry is a meritocracy. PerpetuaZng this myth only serves to bolster the egos of those who have succeeded already, at the expense of saying that people who are underrepresented in tech today aren’t present because they aren’t good”
– Anil Dash
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
NOT DISCRIMINATING IS IMPORTANT Legally, if nothing else
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
BUT TOLERANCE IS A TERRIBLE WORD Would YOU want to be tolerated?
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WOULDN’T A FULLY INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT BE BETTER? PROTIP: Helps Everyone!
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Diversity is a Spectrum
AcZve hatred & discriminaZon (*isms)
Micro aggressions
Indifference AcZve inclusion
Tolerance
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“A micro-‐aggression is telling young boys that they are very smart, and telling young girls that they are very pre(y. ” -‐ Faruk Ates @kurafire
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
So How Do We Move Right Way? 1. STOP allowing underprivileged groups to be pushed
away (ac,vely/deliberately OR passively/uninten,onally)
2. START building acZvely inclusive environments
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Some Things That Work… (some of these surprised me)
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Reduce Fear Increasing opportuniZes is worthy & important.
But reducing fear is equally so.
(Zps: reduce impact of failure, risk of humiliaZon, acknowledge risk IS DIFFERENT for those in
underprivileged groups)
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
hNp://xkcd.com/385/
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
EDUCATE YOURSELF & OTHERS ABOUT PRIVILEGE & IMPLICIT BIAS If you keep doing what you always did, you’ll keep genng what you always got
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Privilege 101 The number one thing that privilege gives you is a belief that you CAN. (… go to university … work in the industry you want … marry who you want to … get out of bed each morning…) BELIEF YOU CAN IS A PART OF PRIVILEGE.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Privilege 101 The other thing that privilege convinces you of is that you are there because of your skills & abiliZes. BELIEF YOUR INNATE SKILLS GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE IS A PART OF PRIVILEGE TOO.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Implicit Bias Very interesZng Harvard research into implicit bias – we don’t realise it, are not ACTIVELY but rather PASSIVELY discriminaZng There is a site with tests you can do that reveal your bias: hNps://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check If Systems are Loaded Companies that assess effecZveness / performance and then AUTOMATE pay rises based on this tend to reduce the gender pay gap. One interpretaZon: “Pitching for a pay rise” inherently favours men, who tend to be more confident in their abiliZes and more comfortable talking up their results.
Shy/humble guys suffer too.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Johnny Clegg They taught us to forget our past And live the future in their image
… They said
“Learn to speak a li(le bit of English, Don’t be scared of a suit and ,e.”
Learn to walk in the dreams of the foreigner. I am a third world child.
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
MOST ADVICE READS AS “BE MORE LIKE A LOUD STRAIGHT CIS AMERICAN WHITE GUY” Finding a way to be successful and sKll be yourself is important
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Frame Guidance AltruisZcally • Advice which focuses on how to “do beNer for yourself” has a very limited appeal. (a la “steal more pie”)
• AltruisZc advice (a la “bake more pie”) appeals to a much broader audience (including non-‐individualisZc cultures…)
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
When We Reframed Networking…
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
The Most Important QuesZon Best predictor of recruitment AND retenZon? Someone’s ability to agree with:
“Someone like me can be successful here”
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Role Modeling MaNers • When a woman presents/represents at recruitment events, more women apply
• When you present a monoculture, people make assumpZons you won’t like
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“Did You Always Know You Wanted to Be So Senior?”
Men leaders tend to say: “Yes, I always knew I could do more.”
Women leaders tend to say: “No, but my mentors believed in me, and I trusted they were right.”
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
TELL THE PEOPLE YOU BELIEVE IN THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THEM – THAT THEIR SKILLS & THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE VALUABLE
If You Only Do ONE Thing Differently
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
As much as 40% becer Much energy is spent if you have to hide your private life, or pretend to be something you’re not
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
PAY ATTENTION TO ENERGY
Positive
High
Low
Negative
SHINEWHINE
toast coast
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CARE ABOUT
PEOPLE
And the Most Important Thing…
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SPACE TO BE AWESOME = + PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?) + AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?) + MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?) + INCLUSION (Do I BELONG HERE?) -‐ ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
GO! FIND/SHAPE/MAKE SPACE
BE AWESOME BE INCLUSIVE
And thank you for listening J Any quesZons?
Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager