Should You Respond to Employee Activism?

-

 

When employees speak out about political and social issues, when and how should you respond as a senior leader? Take a pause with your leadership team and consider five factors before making a public statement.
 
Authority: How much authority, power, or status do we have in thewider organizational system compared to other stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, and investors)? And how do we want to use that authority?
 
Concern: Is this issue of concern to us, or to stakeholders? Do we really know how much stakeholders care about this issue?
 
Theory of change: Do we feel we can make a difference? Do we feel we can resist change in the “outside” world, or do we see how we participate and are influenced by it? What role do we believe we can play in influencing change?
 
Identity: Do we consider ourselves to be activists? What do we stand for—and what don’t we?
 
Field: What is happening in the organization, industry, country, and world that impacts the action we feel we should take? For example, is this in the news? Are our competitors acting?

Popular posts from this blog

Handling a Condescending Coworker

-
  Working with a condescending colleague is irritating at best and detrimental to your career at worst. How can you deal with an overconfident coworker who always talks down to you?     First, take a moment to (internally) roll your eyes. Try to be ligh the arted about it. Remember:   The ir attitude has more to do with   the m than it does with you.   The n decide whe the r it’s really worth it to speak up. Is this a recurring pattern, or just a one-time occurrence? Distinguish between interactions that are mildly irritating and those that affect your well-being or prevent you from doing your work.   Next, try to separate what   the y said from how   the y said it. If you choose not to address   the ir condescension, respond to   the   information or feedback   the y’re communicating, and disregard   the ir tone.   Finally, schedule a conversation about how   the ir communication style affects you. Plan wha...
Read more

Overcoming Overthinking

-
  Overthinking can take three forms: rumination, overanalyzing, and future tripping. Here’s how to spot and handle each one—before they cause you to spiral, stress, and ultimately burn out.   Rumination.   This is a mental loop where you dwell on past events, particularly negative or distressing ones. If you tend to fixate on negative feedback, bring up past failures in conversation with others, or you’re overly cautious about work, you might be a ruminator. To diffuse your rumination, set aside 15 to 30 minutes to grapple with these negative thoughts. This will help you compartmentalize and stop yourself from ruminating constantly throughout the day.   Overanalyzing.   Procrastinating, over-relying on others’ approval, and experiencing difficulty prioritizing are all tendencies of overanalyzers. To break the cycle, shift your aim from “perfect” to “good enough.”   Future tripping.   If you spend excessive energy planning for every possible scenario, o...
Read more

How to Productively Disagree with Colleagues

-
  Disagreements in the workplace don’t have to fuel conflict. If you handle them well, they can be opportunities to build closer relationships and come up with better ideas. Here are some strategies for navigating these difficult conversations. First, approach the exchange with a willingness to learn, rather than a persuasive or combative attitude. Be humble. It’s possible that you’re missing something, and an open mind will invite your counterpart in instead of pushing them away. On the flip side, don’t underestimate their interest in learning from you. Give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove that they haven’t earned it. This kind of generosity will make the exchange more pleasant for both of you. Finally, be explicit about your intentions. For example, before making your own argument, you might say: “This is an important topic. I’m curious to hear what people who disagree with me think about this issue.” Then you could close your own argument with: “I recognize that n...
Read more