Closing keynote from Agile People Sweden 2015.
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at diversity & inclusion, and the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Neurodiversity: The Next Frontier (Agile People Sweden)Meri Williams
We already know that diverse teams are more creative and deliver better results. We’ve seen this play out in repeated studies and real life. Sadly many organisations lag behind in adequately representing the population in terms of diversity, but those that are making strides are also outperforming the competition. But what about less visible diversity? The topic of neurodiversity is increasingly on our minds (if you’ll excuse the pun). How do we create work environments and cultures that embrace the full spectrum of neurodiversity and enable all our colleagues to perform at their best?
Agile improves how we work, can it also improve how we manage and develop people? A look at stealing some elements of agile, and working out how best to develop & manage people who are working with agile.
Given as a conference talk at Agile on the Beach, September 2014, in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
My keynote from the Digital Project Management Summit 2014 (http://dpm2014.com/) looking at what lessons we can steal from advances in artificial intelligence, for reapplication in project management.
Modern Management: Creating Space for Everyone to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
Practical Diversity -- Expanded EditionMeri Williams
Stopping discrimination is important, but tolerance is a terrible word (who wants to be tolerated?). What can we do to create more inclusive environments? Presenting some practical, pragmatic things that really work, based on real world experiences.
Updated expanded talk, given to GE Oil & Gas Women's Network in Florence and Booking.com Annual Meeting internal tech conference in Amsterdam, both in Dec 2013.
Creating Space to Be Awesome - Tech Talent EventMeri Williams
Talk given at Augmented Vacancies' Tech Talent Event on 30 June 2016, looking at how to create an environment in which your people can be high performing.
Neurodiversity: The Next Frontier (Agile People Sweden)Meri Williams
We already know that diverse teams are more creative and deliver better results. We’ve seen this play out in repeated studies and real life. Sadly many organisations lag behind in adequately representing the population in terms of diversity, but those that are making strides are also outperforming the competition. But what about less visible diversity? The topic of neurodiversity is increasingly on our minds (if you’ll excuse the pun). How do we create work environments and cultures that embrace the full spectrum of neurodiversity and enable all our colleagues to perform at their best?
Agile improves how we work, can it also improve how we manage and develop people? A look at stealing some elements of agile, and working out how best to develop & manage people who are working with agile.
Given as a conference talk at Agile on the Beach, September 2014, in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
My keynote from the Digital Project Management Summit 2014 (http://dpm2014.com/) looking at what lessons we can steal from advances in artificial intelligence, for reapplication in project management.
Modern Management: Creating Space for Everyone to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
Practical Diversity -- Expanded EditionMeri Williams
Stopping discrimination is important, but tolerance is a terrible word (who wants to be tolerated?). What can we do to create more inclusive environments? Presenting some practical, pragmatic things that really work, based on real world experiences.
Updated expanded talk, given to GE Oil & Gas Women's Network in Florence and Booking.com Annual Meeting internal tech conference in Amsterdam, both in Dec 2013.
Creating Space to Be Awesome - Tech Talent EventMeri Williams
Talk given at Augmented Vacancies' Tech Talent Event on 30 June 2016, looking at how to create an environment in which your people can be high performing.
Studies in Terror: Becoming a People ManagerMeri Williams
I was first given “people management” responsibility when I was in my 20s—and my first two “direct reports” were guys older than my Dad. As it slowly dawned on me that I was responsible not just for “people management” but for these folks’ careers—which were a major focus of their lives—I was terrified.
Once I saw through the corporate euphemisms, I realised:
1) how important being a good manager is (after all, most people don’t leave their company, they leave their boss)
2) that I was so scarred by my own poor experiences with managers that I didn’t know what “good” looked like.
Over the following years I did a bunch of research, got some great mentors, and tested a bunch of different approaches. Let’s talk about how scary and how important great people management is, and how we can get better at it.
Brilliant People Management in an Agile SettingMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Creating Space to Be Awesome at QCon LondonMeri Williams
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Awesome People Management with Agile at Agile North EastMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Creating Space for People to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
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.
Session from Women of Silicon Roundabout 2017.
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Practical Diversity at Thinking Digital Women Meri Williams
How do we build inclusive environments that can not just tolerate but positively encourage diverse teams to do their best? We'll look at some practical things you can do to make things better.
Practical Diversity: Creating Space for Everyone to be AwesomeMeri Williams
How do we create space for EVERYONE to be awesome? Some practical tips on improving diversity & representation, and building inclusive environments. From my talk at Personalverardagarna in Stockholm, April 2016.
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & Culture - at Turing FestMeri Williams
In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting?
Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri talks through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier..
My Monolith is Melting - PIPELINE CONF 2015Meri Williams
Bringing change to legacy systems and monolithic waterfall programs is daunting, but doable. In this session we’ll look at a real world example of how we undertook the technical, cultural and process challenges to move to continuous delivery in a big organisation. You’ll hear about the epic battles with the dreaded CAB (Change Approval Board), the fight to move architecture discussions from Word documents to the whiteboards, and the myriad smaller skirmishes along the path to delivering features to our users faster, safer & more measurably.
Modern Leadership & Team Science: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
5 Things I Wish I Knew Sooner About Scaling Teams & CultureMeri Williams
Keynote at #ScaleSummit8 looking at the people side of scaling teams and organisations, with five key lessons that I wish I had learnt sooner in scaling teams & orgs & culture
DPM UK: Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
Slides from today's talk at the Digital Project Management UK conference, on what project management lessons we can steal from artificial intelligence.
Practical Diversity: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Practical tips for improving diversity & inclusion in your organisations, with a focus on creating environments in a broad variety of people can be themselves and be successful
Baking Accessibility In Using Agile - Fronteers 2014Meri Williams
Slides from my #fronteers14 talk in Amsterdam, October 2014.
Looking at how we bake accessibility and other good practices into how we work day-to-day, so they aren't an afterthought.
More info including links to books on blog.geekmanager.co.uk
Facebook Business Briefing with Mari Smith - March 2018Mari Smith
The Future of Facebook: What Marketers Need To Know for 2018 and Beyond
Watch the companion Facebook Live here:
https://www.facebook.com/marismith/videos/10155226323975009/
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & CultureMeri Williams
In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting? Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri will talk through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier...
Studies in Terror: Becoming a People ManagerMeri Williams
I was first given “people management” responsibility when I was in my 20s—and my first two “direct reports” were guys older than my Dad. As it slowly dawned on me that I was responsible not just for “people management” but for these folks’ careers—which were a major focus of their lives—I was terrified.
Once I saw through the corporate euphemisms, I realised:
1) how important being a good manager is (after all, most people don’t leave their company, they leave their boss)
2) that I was so scarred by my own poor experiences with managers that I didn’t know what “good” looked like.
Over the following years I did a bunch of research, got some great mentors, and tested a bunch of different approaches. Let’s talk about how scary and how important great people management is, and how we can get better at it.
Brilliant People Management in an Agile SettingMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Creating Space to Be Awesome at QCon LondonMeri Williams
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Awesome People Management with Agile at Agile North EastMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Creating Space for People to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
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.
Session from Women of Silicon Roundabout 2017.
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Practical Diversity at Thinking Digital Women Meri Williams
How do we build inclusive environments that can not just tolerate but positively encourage diverse teams to do their best? We'll look at some practical things you can do to make things better.
Practical Diversity: Creating Space for Everyone to be AwesomeMeri Williams
How do we create space for EVERYONE to be awesome? Some practical tips on improving diversity & representation, and building inclusive environments. From my talk at Personalverardagarna in Stockholm, April 2016.
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & Culture - at Turing FestMeri Williams
In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting?
Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri talks through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier..
My Monolith is Melting - PIPELINE CONF 2015Meri Williams
Bringing change to legacy systems and monolithic waterfall programs is daunting, but doable. In this session we’ll look at a real world example of how we undertook the technical, cultural and process challenges to move to continuous delivery in a big organisation. You’ll hear about the epic battles with the dreaded CAB (Change Approval Board), the fight to move architecture discussions from Word documents to the whiteboards, and the myriad smaller skirmishes along the path to delivering features to our users faster, safer & more measurably.
Modern Leadership & Team Science: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
5 Things I Wish I Knew Sooner About Scaling Teams & CultureMeri Williams
Keynote at #ScaleSummit8 looking at the people side of scaling teams and organisations, with five key lessons that I wish I had learnt sooner in scaling teams & orgs & culture
DPM UK: Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
Slides from today's talk at the Digital Project Management UK conference, on what project management lessons we can steal from artificial intelligence.
Practical Diversity: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Practical tips for improving diversity & inclusion in your organisations, with a focus on creating environments in a broad variety of people can be themselves and be successful
Baking Accessibility In Using Agile - Fronteers 2014Meri Williams
Slides from my #fronteers14 talk in Amsterdam, October 2014.
Looking at how we bake accessibility and other good practices into how we work day-to-day, so they aren't an afterthought.
More info including links to books on blog.geekmanager.co.uk
Facebook Business Briefing with Mari Smith - March 2018Mari Smith
The Future of Facebook: What Marketers Need To Know for 2018 and Beyond
Watch the companion Facebook Live here:
https://www.facebook.com/marismith/videos/10155226323975009/
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & CultureMeri Williams
In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting? Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri will talk through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier...
ThinkNation: "Women quotas in tech" Meri Williams from Chromerose and M&S Dig...Lizzie Hodgson
Diversity isn’t just about the numbers. Though it’s been clearly shown that organisations with better gender representation outperform the competition, somehow this isn’t enough of a “carrot”. Do we need the “stick” of quotas, as has been somewhat successful in the Nordics? How do we build our organisations to be inclusive, so we don’t just place a meat grinder at the end of the pipeline? Meri’s talk looks at these questions and more.
If you are representing a large brand how do you appropriately handle representing them on social media? This presentation discusses how to look at social media communication therapeutically, how to know your audience, how to focus on the people while protecting the brand, how to define your own outlook, how to be prepared for times of crisis, how to plan for community and also how to focus on self preservation.
Managing Design 2016 - building a respectful design team cultureCameron Rogers
In this presentation, I’ll discuss in detail how a less-than-respectful culture of design can unintentionally evolve. I’ll touch briefly on some of the established tools, techniques, and gurus you can call upon to set up your own respectful design culture. Finally I’ll discuss the hard yards you, as a Design Leader, need to put in to avoid or change this culture from crippling your company, and the continual steps you’ll need to take to ensure your respectful design culture remains intact for the long haul.
Building Your Personal Brand/Online Presence - For College and High School St...Kelly Barrett
I spoke with college and high school students about how to build their personal brand online, using the web and social media. With humor, this presentation accessibly covers everything from building a website to maintaining appropriate/clean social media platforms and touches on how students can use these tools to increase their professional opportunities and position themselves as a successful leader at their organizations and eventually, an ideal candidate for their future dream job.
Scrum and Personal Agility are simple frameworks for getting good at getting the right things done. Scrum is team-based framework, Personal Agility is an individual or pair-oriented framework. How are they similar? And how does Personal Agility help you in contexts where Scrum is not appropriate?
Learn specific strategies and vehicles for recruiting board members and concrete steps your organization can take to set the board, and your nonprofit, up for success.
What is the rulebook for being a successful talent leader during a crisis like the COVID 19 pandemic? How can you arm yourself with the right tools, and cultivate the right skills to help both yourself and your team? That is what our speaker for this webinar, Morgan Massie, discusses in this session.
How to Conquer Interviews - Top 10 QuestionsKeith Fechtman
You’ve Come to the Right Place
If you are wanting to improve your interview skills
If you want to improve your resume to stand out in a crowd
If you have an interview and want to perfect your skills
Finding My Voice + Learning to Trust my Gut - from LeanIN Toronto LaunchIdeas 2 Propel U
I gave this talk at the LeanIN Toronto Launch party on September 24 to a group of 300 amazing women. It is all about finding your voice and being yourself and not letting anyone else tell you otherwise.
Similar to Creating Space for EVERYONE to be Awesome - Agile People Sweden (16)
10. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Across industries, across
countries, the best
performing teams
answer certain
questions positively
11. 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 recognition 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 committed 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 opportunities to learn and grow?
14. 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
15. 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 committed to doing
quality work?
• In the last 6 months, have I talked with
someone about my development?
• At work, have I had opportunities to learn
and grow?
16. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
And What Else?
OTHER FACTORS:
• In the last 7 days, have I received recognition 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.
17. 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
18. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CREATE SPACE FOR EVERYONE TO
BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE
Our mission…
19. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_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 opportunities to do
the thing right? And to get better 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)
20. 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?
INCLUSION:
• In the last 7 days, have I received
recognition 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?
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 committed to
doing quality work?
• In the last 6 months, have I
talked with someone about my
development?
• At work, have I had
opportunities to learn and
grow?
23. 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
27. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WE’RE GOOD AT WHAT WE
PRACTICE, PROVIDING WE CAN
LEARN FROM IT
28. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
DELIBERATE PRACTICE
• You must be motivated to attend to the task and exert effort
to improve your performance.
• The design of the task should take into account your pre-
existing knowledge so that the task can be correctly
understood after a brief period of instruction.
• You should receive immediate informative feedback and
knowledge of results of your performance.
• You should repeatedly perform the same or similar tasks.
29. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
IS THE WORK DESIGNED IN A WAY
THAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE
DELIBERATE PRACTICE?
CHALLENGING? FEEDBACK?
LEARNING?
30. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
CULTIVATE INCLUSION
Help people to succeed as themselves.
Best predictor of recruitment AND retention?
Someone’s ability to agree with:
“Someone like me can be
successful here”
33. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
I’m A Bit of a Diversity Statistic
Woman… (working in tech)
Gay…
Foreign…
Employed (this is a bad thing if you’re foreign…)
Disabled…
Atheist…
BUT grew up hugely aware of (unasked & undeserved)
privilege I had growing up white in Apartheid South Africa.
34. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
My childhood
was FULL of
signs like these
Horrible & horrific
but impossible
to escape
35. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
I CANNOT DENY THAT PRIVILEGE
In fact, the most useful thing I can do is assess,
understanding & acknowledge that privilege
36. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check out the original article from Peggy McIntosh:
http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html
In Apartheid South Africa,
ALL systems were set up to
actively & blatantly give
advantage to white folks and
disadvantage non-whites.
We are less good at spotting
this when it isn’t so blatant.
37. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“We have to aggressively, and uncompromisingly,
attack the pernicious lie that the technology
industry is a meritocracy. Perpetuating 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
40. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
BUT TOLERANCE IS A
TERRIBLE WORD
Would YOU want to be tolerated?
41. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WOULDN’T A FULLY
INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT
BE BETTER?
PROTIP: Helps Everyone!
42. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Diversity is a Spectrum
Active hatred &
discrimination (*isms)
Micro
aggressions
Indifference
Active inclusion
Tolerance
43. 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
pretty. ”
- Faruk Ates @kurafire
44. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
So How Do We Move Right Way?
1. STOP allowing underprivileged groups to be
pushed away
(actively/deliberately OR passively/unintentionally)
2. START building actively inclusive
environments
46. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Reduce Fear
Increasing opportunities is worthy & important.
But reducing fear is equally so.
(tips: reduce impact of failure, risk of
humiliation, acknowledge risk IS DIFFERENT for
those in underprivileged groups)
47. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
EDUCATE YOURSELF & OTHERS
ABOUT PRIVILEGE & IMPLICIT BIAS
If you keep doing what you always did, you’ll keep
getting what you always got
49. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Privilege = Difficulty Setting of Game of Life
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/15/straight-white-male-the-lowest-difficulty-setting-there-is/
51. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Implicit Bias
Very interesting Harvard research into implicit
bias – we don’t realise it, are not ACTIVELY but
rather PASSIVELY discriminating
There is a site with tests you can do that reveal
your bias: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
53. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check the Signals You Send
• Logistics matter – do all your events exclude
people in particular groups? (e.g. those with
caring responsibilities)
• People can’t judge your intent – only your
actions (you can harm without meaning to)
• Language matters (what default are you
assuming?)
54. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Check If Systems are Loaded
Companies that assess effectiveness / performance and then
AUTOMATE pay rises based on this tend to reduce the gender
pay gap.
One interpretation:
“Pitching for a pay rise” inherently favours men, who tend to be
more confident in their abilities 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 little bit of English,
Don’t be scared of a suit and tie.”
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 STRAIGHT CIS
AMERICAN WHITE GUY”
Finding a way to be successful and still be yourself is
important
59. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Frame Guidance Altruistically
• Advice which focuses on how to “do better for
yourself” has a very limited appeal. (a la
“steal more pie”)
• Altruistic advice (a la “bake more pie”) appeals
to a much broader audience (including non-
individualistic cultures…)
61. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
The Most Important Question
Best predictor of recruitment AND retention?
Someone’s ability to agree with:
“Someone like me can be
successful here”
62. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
VALUE THE WHAT OVER THE HOW
Know when people need telling what to do
(Hint: it’s not often)
Help them get what they need the rest of the
time (Hint: not just someone else telling them what to do)
Learn, practise, use coaching skills
63. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
As much as 40% better
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
Role Modeling Matters
• When a woman presents/represents at
recruitment events, more women apply
• When you present a monoculture, people
make assumptions you won’t like
65. 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.”
66. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Practical Diversity
1) Assume fear. Understand risk. Then focus on reducing.
2) Advise people to bake more pie, not steal more pie.
3) Understand & educate about privilege & implicit bias.
4) Connect people with role models.
5) Grow more role models. Encourage them to be visible.
6) “Someone like me can be successful here?”
7) Tell people you believe in that they can.
8) Tell people you believe in that they are there because of their
skills. (no one likes being a diversity stat)
9) Find ways for ALL to be true to self AND successful.
10) Look at whether your processes/systems discriminate. Fix.
67. 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
68. 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
70. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
GO!
SHAPE/MAKE SPACE
BE AWESOME
BE INCLUSIVE
And thank you for participating
Need help? meri@chromerose.co.uk
Then I became a people manager … and got worried that I would revisit the sins that I had suffered
Great, now I’m drowning in questions to ask myself all the time! Thanks Meri!!
And connect the desires & skills of your people to the overall purpose of the company
Be a matchmaker between purpose and people
If the strategy & direction don’t make sense, or don’t map to the purpose – push back until they do
Rachel in Friends
Make sure the tools, environments etc are there
There is nothing more important than serving your people