Flexability | Influencing high-stakes decision-making as a woman or a person of color

Here’s a question that I’ve been thinking about: how do you, as a woman or a person of color, influence high-stakes decision-making, especially when you are new to an executive position?

Census data shows that by 2050, there will be no racial or ethnic majority in the United States, and the Center for American Progress reports that between 2020 and 2030, immigrants and their children will make up 97% of workforce growth.

Having more women, and specifically women of color, at executive level in a business helps to ensure that the company’s products and services are better suited to a broader range of potential customers – increasingly important, given the demographic changes of our future. Companies that have a DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) strategy and execute on that strategy are likely to build a business that is more attractive to a wider talent pool.

The question is: How do you use your experience, skills, subject-matter expertise, and unique perspective to add value to your company, especially when you are a new hire? You want to do this with authority, but without being presumptive or threatening.

I have found that there are three critical tasks in this quest to, at its essence, quickly understand the organization’s culture so that you can tailor your approach to have a positive impact. I approach each of these critical tasks from a point of view of observation and curiosity – I find people respond positively when I show that I am actively listening and asking questions for understanding.

Understand the mission

First off, you need to get a grip on the driving force of the organization. Does what drives the people who work in the business match its mission statement? What do they understand as a win?

When you are starting out in a new executive position, especially if you are a new hire, meet your colleagues at all levels of the organization. Ask them questions that explore what they view as success, and how they go about getting there. Ask for stories that exemplify each of the business’s core values.

My preference is always for meeting people face to face. If your company has subsidiary offices in other locations, make a point of visiting satellite offices if you can. Otherwise, use modern technology such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom to do this. Obviously, these technologies can also be used to meet up with staff members who are fully remote.

Understand the business

Get to truly understand the business in all its facets: what it does, and why and how it does what it does. Again, listening skills are vital here.

Ask people at all levels of the business why they believe the business is successful and what they would change if they could. Ask what’s working and not working from their perspective. Ask to join meetings as an observer, and during your initial fact-finding period, be strict with yourself about resisting the urge to comment. You’re there to learn, not to fix. Ask how you can help.

Know your stakeholders

All this listening will offer you vital clues to knowing the different personalities that run the business, and the different business units. If you listen closely and ask open-ended questions in a way that indicates you are interested in learning, you will discover invaluable tips, such as how to approach the CEO and what the predominant communication style of the organization is.

The first 100 days

Of course, this fact-finding mission cannot go on forever. At some point, you need to switch from listening and learning to using the information you have gathered to do the work for which you have been hired.

I’m not saying reinvent the wheel, nor should you try and fix what is not broken. But, if you are a new hire, or an organization’s first DEI executive, you have been employed to make changes where they are needed.

Traditionally, there is a 100-day onboarding period. Use it to your advantage. During this time, you should be able to figure out who the early adopters are – remember the innovation adopter curve? The early adopters are the 13.5% of people who are both open to change and willing to ask probing questions.

These early adopters typically have some degree of persuasive power or leadership status. They can be your allies as you work to bring about change because they are willing to go with what I like to call the Swiss cheese model – they are willing to make changes when there are known unknowns. Get them on board, and it is likely they will persuade the rest of the team to follow.

According to the innovation adopter curve, the two sets of people who follow on from the early adopters are the early and late majorities, which together make up nearly 70% of an organization. They will follow the early adopters when they believe that an innovation is beneficial.

This is a solid way to bring change to an organization, and leaders often don’t do it intentionally enough.

Command and control versus consensus-making

Finally, you must figure out when to use your authority in a command-and-control manner and when to seek consensus. Not all decision making requires the same leadership authority.

Command and control is important when a situation is urgent, and consensus-seeking when long-term, systemic change is required. Use them strategically. If you have done the groundwork in showing that you are willing to listen and learn first, the right people will appreciate both.

Good luck!