Anti-Racist Leadership by James D. White

Author:James D. White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Published: 2022-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

Create intentional symbols and artifacts

Visual communication is massively powerful. Be highly intentional in determining the images that employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and society—all stakeholders, in short—are going to identify as representative of what this company produces and what it stands for. What people see when they enter the lobby is more than just window dressing; it reveals the formal culture. I’ve often talked with Duis about this aspect of inclusiveness, and she says it’s especially problematic if no one pays attention to decor that’s dated.

“Think about what new hires see when they come through the front door,” she says. “Do they see a series of portraits of every former CEO and they’re all white males? How am I welcoming people into the organization? Do they see what the company is most recognized for? If you’re trying to build a diverse organization, do people of color come in and see others who look like them?”

I once spoke on a panel at which other participants talked about their company bringing in its first African American executive. He told them that as he walked through the halls, he could spot the lack of diversity just in the way the company laid out the product design. No one had thought about how the product photos showed only white people.

Look to the future in the way you showcase the company. And although it might seem paradoxical, connecting with the company’s past is also a way of keeping the culture moving forward. Staff and other stakeholders like to know that the present-day CEO’s vision is a continuation of the best of the founding ideals.

Several years into my tenure at Jamba, I invited Kirk Perron, the founder, to come back as a consultant, because I knew he was passionate about what the company stood for. He wanted Jamba to be a fun experience for customers, a place that inspired healthy living. In rebuilding the culture, that message became a touchstone that helped us recruit the diverse and impassioned workforce that we needed. Tell the founders’ stories to showcase what they did that was courageous and innovative, and how you are carrying on the tradition with a company that you’re rebuilding for the world we live in today.

These days, I’m pleased to see a number of companies starting new traditions that point to a more equitable future. One of the most powerful examples is Schnuck Markets. When you walk into any one of the company’s supermarkets, you will find the managers, the cashiers, and the people stocking shelves all wearing the company’s T-shirt that says, “Unity is power” on the front and “We stand together against racism” on the back. Could there be a clearer statement about what this company stands for?

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