This week's Leadership Office Hours opened an ongoing conversation in this community about what we can do to make Customer Success and the broader tech community more divers, equitable and inclusive.
@Emily Campos shared that a survey at her company produced surprising results when some respondents shared that they don't feel comfortable "bringing their whole selves to work." This, I think, is a core element of being inclusive, and it raises questions about how we can act as leaders to be welcoming of differences and ideas.
I want to share a story from my own experience below.
Male members of a business development team in a company I worked for conducted outreach using sales videos recorded by female team members. This product is sold to a male-dominated industry, and the data showed that videos featuring females had better response rates. A non-inclusive way of thinking about this situation: "Whatever works, right? It our job to maximize sales." The real impact of this behavior though is the women felt objectified. Objectification is the opposite of intellectual respect, which is what we all deserve in our workplace. In addition to being disrespectful, it's driving up employee churn, and those who remain tend to be those who tolerate sexism. The inclusive way to handle this is to value the perspectives and boundaries of all team members and very clearly forbid toxic, unwelcoming behaviors ESPECIALLY when they may produce short-term results for your business. That's how you send the right signal.
Who else has faced scenarios and decisions that impact inclusivity?
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Lauren Mecca
Boston, MA
LM Startup Advisory
lauren@laurenmecca.com
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