Talk I gave at Highland Fling Sessions (19 April 2014) where I was asked to talk about people management & diversity "in the trenches" -- i.e. what really matters day-to-day, in the workplace.
Analyzing and Monitoring Processes through Time Value Mapping
Creating Space for People to Be Awesome
1. 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
8. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Across
industries,
across
countries,
the
best
performing
teams
answer
certain
quesZons
posiZvely
9. 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?
12. 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
13. 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?
14. 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.
15. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
CREATE
SPACE
FOR
YOUR
PEOPLE
TO
BE
THE
BEST
THEY
CAN
BE
Your
job
as
a
manager…
16. 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…
17. 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)
18. 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)
21. 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
23. 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
30. 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.
31. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
IS
YOUR
WORK
DESIGNED
IN
A
WAY
THAT
MAKES
IT
EFFECTIVE
DELIBERATE
PRACTICE?
Ask
yourself…
32. 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
33. 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.
35. 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.
36. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
My
childhood
was
FULL
of
signs
like
these
Horrible
&
horrific
but
impossible
to
escape
37. 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
38. 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.
40. 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
42. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
BUT
TOLERANCE
IS
A
TERRIBLE
WORD
Would
YOU
want
to
be
tolerated?
43. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
WOULDN’T
A
FULLY
INCLUSIVE
ENVIRONMENT
BE
BETTER?
PROTIP:
Helps
Everyone!
44. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
Diversity
is
a
Spectrum
AcZve
hatred
&
discriminaZon
(*isms)
Micro
aggressions
Indifference
AcZve
inclusion
Tolerance
45. 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
46. 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
48. 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)
50. 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
51. 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.
52. 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.
53. 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/
54. 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.
55. 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.
56. 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
57. 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…)
59. 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”
60. 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
61. 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.”
62. 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
63. 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
64. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
PAY
ATTENTION
TO
ENERGY
Positive
High
Low
Negative
SHINEWHINE
toast coast
66. 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
67. Meri
Williams,
ChromeRose
@Geek_Manager
GO!
FIND/SHAPE/MAKE
SPACE
BE
AWESOME
BE
INCLUSIVE
And
thank
you
for
listening
J
Any
quesZons?