Enough About Me

What on earth were they thinking … they asked me back!

I imagine I feel the same sense of surprise that Rob Schneider experienced when he got told he was getting a sequel for Deuce Bigalow.

There’s no way LBB won’t come to their senses soon so I’m going to use this post to say something that is vitally important to the future and value of strategy, creativity and agencies. 

HIRE MORE PEOPLE OF COLOUR.

That’s it.

That’s all I want to say.

That’s all I should have to say.

And for anyone who thinks I’m saying this because I want to hit some D&I or ‘woke’ award, then please connect, because I’d love to have a chat.

Did that sound menacing? Did it? Oh I do hope so … 

Now this is where I’d love to end the piece but LBB have given me a word quota to hit and I’m miles off, so I’d better write some more.

So how about this: 

Don’t just hire People of Colour … pay them properly, set them up for success and create an environment where they can live their truth and be their best.

That last point is particularly important to me ...

You see, when I moved to America, I was coming from having lived in lots of different countries – from the UK to China and lots of places in between - so I thought I knew how build a department that was open, honest and strategically dangerous.

Then I met Maya.

Brilliant, smart, awesome Maya.

Oh I still remember the look she gave me when I told her I wanted to create an environment where she could be herself.

It was a look that said, “you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about”.

I should point out Maya wasn’t being confrontational. Or malicious. Or mean.

What I’d just described to her was something she absolutely wanted. However after years of being let down by people like me, her look was an unconscious reaction to hearing another privileged, white male – who this time happened to be her boss – say “be yourself”, without any appreciation of what it’s like to be an African American woman in America. More than that … an African American woman working for a company predominantly filled with white people and run exclusively by white people.

That look – intentional or not - was one of the most generous gifts of honesty I’ve ever received.

Fortunately my Mum had taught me to care about what others care about, so while nothing had been said, truths had been spoken so rather than ignore it, I walked right towards it.

Now please don’t think I’m trying to position myself as some sort of ramshackle saint. I’m not.

While I’m still angry at my ignorance towards Maya’s reality… I acknowledge I’d worked out that if I created the conditions for Maya’s talent to truly succeed, I’d succeed as a by-product. 

And not just me, so would the agency we worked for. Because we cannot ignore so much of what broader society finds powerful, interesting and influential is born from inside People of Colour culture, especially Black and African American culture.

Which leads to the point of this post ...

When you walk into someone’s home or office for the first time, there’s always that feeling of needing to hold back. To play to the hosts standards. To ‘manage’ your true self.

Conscious your every move is being looked at.

The clear but invisible line between you and them … reinforcing you’re in their space, not yours.

Uncomfortable isn’t it?

That feeling of your presence being a little squashed. Less valued. That the only way to be allowed to stay is to act like the hosts rather than you. ‬‬

The distinct feeling of being tolerated rather than welcomed. 

And yet this is what People of Colour face and experience EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.‬‬‬‬

Entering white spaces with white expectations and white rules.

And even if you don’t think that’s what happens at your place, ask yourself this: Who owns the house you’re inviting people into?

What colour is the CEO?

Who created the company?

How many People of Colour are there?

What levels of authority do they have? 

Diversity and inclusion isn’t about allowing People of Colour to act like white people, it’s about allowing People of Colour to be themselves.

Their real selves. ‬‬‬

Where they don’t have to act a certain way to be accepted.

Or use a different voice to talk to colleagues and clients.

Or keep quiet when blanket statements are made or nuances ignored.

And to be able to do this without being judged or devalued for who they are … but welcomed, respected and rewarded for who they are and what they bring.

Not too much to ask is it?

So instead of pointing at our D&I practices and thinking that is enough, the future of strategy is built around asking ourselves one question:

Are we asking People of Colour to step into our house or are we letting them equally own, create and build it with us?

If you’re not sure, may I suggest you contact Glenn Singleton – or anyone at Courageous Conversation®. I can say first-hand how they help companies identify, challenge - and then deal with - the unspoken issues that stand in the way of cultural respect, understanding and truth.

Tell them Maya sent you.

*Contributor’s note: Maya approved the retelling of this story and using her name. She also saw the piece prior to print.