Speaker: Michelle Kim, CEO & Co-Founder @ Awaken

1. Managing Inclusively: Leading
Your Team Through Volatile Times
Michelle Kim
Co-Founder & CEO,

2. There’s a saying…
“People leave their managers,
not their jobs”
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

3. Numbers prove it
70%
93%
State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders by Gallup¹
National Research by Ultimate Software and The Center for Generational Kinetics²
of employees say trust in their direct boss is essential
to staying satisfied at work and doing their best work²
of variance in employee engagement score is
due to managers¹
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

4. 20172 0 1 7
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

5. Today’s workplace is becoming more polarized
and volatile
1. Blurred boundaries between workplace and politics
2. Heightened level of tension among workforce
3. Diversity not leading to inclusion
4. Exclusion leading to talent turnover
5. Inclusion is now a requirement for being a great manager
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

8. Don’t just take my word for it.
87%
52%
46%
69%
of employees are distracted reading political social-media posts during the day¹
of organizations indicated a greater political volatility in the workplace ²
report worsening workplace relationships, post 2016 presidential election ³
of managers report feeling uncomfortable communicating with employees in general 4
Politics in the Workplace Survey by American Psychological Association¹
Society for Human Resource Management²
Workplace Bullying Institute³
National Research by Ultimate Software and The Center for Generational Kinetics4
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

9. In case it’s not obvious...
Being inclusive
makes you a great manager.
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

10. And yet…
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

11. So how can you be an inclusive leader?
Checklist?
It’s a journey.
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

12. Tip #1: See people, not workers
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

13. Think of a time when…
 You were falling behind on a high-visibility project
 You felt disrespected by a colleague, boss, or direct report
 You or your loved one was sick
 You lost someone you loved
 You wanted to challenge a popular idea
 You were impacted by a political event
 You experienced a microaggression at work
 You were “stuck” on something that happened earlier in the day
 Your life outside or inside the office got turned upside down
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

14. Lies we tell each other when we fear
repercussions
How we really feelWhat we say
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

15. We are not just workers.
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
Whether we acknowledge or not,
our personal and interpersonal experiences
impact our professional experience.

16. Calibrating Personal and Professional Boundaries
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
Awaken’s Scope of Concern Model
SELF
(PERSONAL)
WORK
(PROFESSIONAL)
• Identities
• Life History
• Passions/Hobbies
• Trauma
• Tasks
• Projects
• Job Responsibilities
• Job Performance

17. Calibrating Personal and Professional Boundaries
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
SELF AT WORK
(INTERPERSONAL)
• Identities
• Life History
• Passions/Hobbies
• Trauma
• Tasks
• Projects
• Job Responsibilities
• Job Performance
• Identities
• Team Dynamics
• Belonging
• Perception
SELF
(PERSONAL)
WORK
(PROFESSIONAL)
Awaken’s Scope of Concern Model

18. Calibrating Personal and Professional Boundaries
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
SELF AT WORK
(INTERPERSONAL)
• Identities
• Life History
• Passions/Hobbies
• Trauma
• Tasks
• Projects
• Job Responsibilities
• Job Performance
• Identities
• Team Dynamics
• Belonging
• Perception
SELF
(PERSONAL)
WORK
(PROFESSIONAL)
Boundaries set by employees Boundaries set by managers
Awaken’s Scope of Concern Model

19. “What do personal identities have to do with the
workplace?”
 “Are you bringing your boyfriend to the holiday party?” (Assuming heteronormative relationships)
 Evening and weekend work / social events (Not considering familial / caregiving responsibilities)
 Alcohol-centered events (Not considering people in recovery and/or religious practices)
 Reimbursement policies (Assuming people can front the money)
 “Where are you really from?” (Assuming what “American” looks like)
 Team events involving physical activities (Assuming same physical abilities)
 Non-accessible work spaces (Assuming everyone has the same accessibility needs)
 Misgendering people (Assuming binary and cisgender identities)
 Biased dress codes and appearance regulations (Categorizing certain cultural practices as “unprofessional”)
 Travel assignments (Assuming everyone has documents to travel internationally)
 Using alienating language (e.g., “that’s crazy,” “transgendered people,”)
 “We don’t talk politics at work” (Assuming politics, professional, and personal are separate)
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

20. Practice expanding the circle of concern
“If you really knew me right now you would know that…”
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

21. Tip #2: Practice thoughtful allyship

22. What is Allyship?
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
An active and consistent practice of being in
solidarity with people with less power and privilege.

23. Learn how you can practice allyship
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
Understand your positionality
to practice thoughtful allyship
for your team and peers.
Awaken’s Spheres of Allyship Model

24. Introspection requires intentional effort
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
 As a currently able-bodied person, I can be an ally to people with disabilities
 As a cis person, I can be an ally to the trans community
 As someone with a citizenship, I can be an ally to those who are undocumented
 As a manager, I can delegate work and promote people equitably

25. Introspection requires intentional effort
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
 Understand how your own identities and experiences have shaped your
perspectives and beliefs
 Acknowledge you have biases: actively explore and unlearn them
 Explore your privileges and marginalization – they can coexist
 Use your power and privileges to practice allyship
 Educate yourself -- Google all the things!!

26. Endless opportunities to practice allyship
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
 Interrupt harmful language, bias, or behavior in the moment
 Affirm and amplify underrepresented voices
 Give credit where credit is due
 Delegate work equitably and thoughtfully
 Disrupt processes or practices that perpetuate biases
 Challenge norms established for privileged groups

27. Tip #3: Lead through Tension

28. When sh*t hits the fan, don’t ignore it.
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
“I feel like I should say
something but I don’t know
what to say.”
Lead through it.
“I feel like talking about
politics at work is
inappropriate.”

29. Leading through Tension
1. Acknowledge what is happening
2. Check-in with your team using various channels
3. Create space to discuss it, take a break, or action plan
4. Reduce or redistribute labor / emotional burden on your team
5. Host safe(r) discussion spaces
6. Develop a formal response as a leadership team
7. Get support for yourself
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo
Awaken’s ”Managing Teams in Times of Political Trauma”

30. Tension between caring for your team and caring
for yourself
“We can’t practice compassion with other
people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly.”
Brené Brown
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

31. Self-care for managers
1. Know when you need it
2. Create a self-care tool kit
3. Develop a habit to practice self-care proactively
4. Model vulnerability
5. Form a supportive community
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

32. Managing Inclusively: Leading Your Team
Through Volatile Times
1. See your team as people, not just workers
2. Practice thoughtful allyship
3. Lead through tension

33. Advice from Mission High School 11th graders in
Ms. Tom’s class…
“Move on.”
“Stop being stuck in the past.”
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

34. Is your organization ready?
Can you afford to wait to find out?
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo

35. Q&A
Get in touch!
Awaken: www.visionawaken.com
Awaken Twitter: @AwakenCo
Michelle’s Twitter: @mjmichellekim
Michelle’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mjmichellekim
@mjmichellekim @AwakenCo