Talent Need 1: Being "Seen" at Work

Dear Friends,

Over the next few weeks, we’ll use this newsletter to dive deeper into the 4 Talent Needs The Waymakers Change Group discovered over years of proprietary research: To Be Seen. To Be Respected. To Be Valued. To Be Protected.

In my book, The Waymakers, I share a story about an Indian American woman who spoke about her talent journey during an experience our consultancy designed to build empathy and understanding across differences inside her company. Her journey aligns with the first of the 4 Talent Needs: To Be Seen.   

Her experience included all the usual suspects—marginalizing comments about being a diversity hire, others taking credit for her work, overt racism, gender bias, so-called “microaggressions.” And as is true with all Black and Brown people, the barriers to inclusivity and equity she shared extended far beyond the workplace. They were also in her home and in her neighborhood. Everywhere she went, the -isms and xenophobia (even though she was born in the United States) went too.

Toward the end of her story, she made one statement I wrote down because of its awful simplicity: “Because I'm different, I stick out in a crowd, but I feel invisible at the same time.”  This, friends, is the dilemma of underrepresentation. People notice you when you do something wrong or differently and ignore you when you do something right.  In the workplace, this feeling of invisibility leads to isolation, detachment, “quiet quitting,” and leaving in search of (hopefully) better opportunities elsewhere.

Feeling invisible stems from intentional acts of rejection—being belittled, scapegoated, or targeted—as well as through passive forms of exclusion, like being ignored, not having one’s efforts noticed, or lack of complete communication from colleagues. Invisibility also happens when work is claimed by a peer or manager, or when one is constantly being talked over, redirected, disregarded, and plainly, gaslit.    

Conversely, moments of visibility motivate us. Our Waymakers narrative inquiry study with Brandtrust, a research firm that helps companies solve complex business challenges through applied social and behavioral science, showed that study respondents developed a newfound or increased sense of confidence in their work when they felt seen. In some instances, they were inspired to strive for even greater success in their roles. Feeling seen also made them feel understood and cared for as a person, beyond output, which culminated in a sense of purpose and a belief that their work mattered.  

How do we, as leaders, facilitate moments of visibility? What leadership skills might we tap into or further develop, and what new questions can we ask ourselves to be more effective liaisons between our talent and the moments of visibility that matter to them?    

Four leadership skills that help people not only feel seen but BE seen are inclusion consciousness, influence, responsibility, and bridge-building. 

INCLUSION CONSCIOUSNESS  

An acute awareness of the human need to connect and contribute; the acceptance of multiple realities; a constant awareness for ensuring everyone is included.   

Because many leaders have not yet developed a mind, heart, or eye for inclusion, we must be intentional about diversity. This means being more proactive, thoughtful, and thorough in everything we do—in the big things like ensuring representation in product development and talent planning, and in the small things like responding to emails and creating meeting invitations.  

INFLUENCE

Impacting the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. 

Speak up and show up for those who have different lived experiences than you. Use your position, power, and privilege to create opportunities for others in tangible ways. Suggest someone new for an important assignment or make sure someone is not left out of critical conversations. Use your position to open a door and usher someone successfully through it. Ask colleagues who are different from you who in their communities you should get to know. Then consider how you can use your influence to support them.  

ACCOUNTABILITY  

The willingness to own your own choices and behaviors and to intentionally align actions with stated goals. 

Our great ideas for making meaningful progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion will remain exactly that—ideas—if we don’t hold ourselves accountable for implementing them. You are the leader you have been waiting for. Not sure how to start making changes? Start by asking yourself some new questions and responding to the truthful answers accordingly. 

• How am I combating bias in talent search, identification, selection, development, and assessments? Where else can I look for qualified talent that can fill our current perspectives and lived experience gaps? 
• Am I leaning into and cultivating the potential someone has and not expecting perfection? Am I tapping into their passions? Identifying transferable skills? Can I expand a team to increase visibility for more and different employees? Am I making room for fresh perspectives?  
• Am I staffing teams and projects with visible and invisible diversity and partnering with others who can help me see beyond my own experience?
• What do I have to know, do, and monitor to increase visibility for underrepresented talent? Who should be involved or on board? How will I know—how will we know—when we are successfully helping more people feel seen?  

BRIDGE BUILDING   

Navigating the complexity of cross-boundary connection and cultivating common ground. 

Connectedness is one of the most powerful equity tools at our disposal. Connectedness makes people feel seen. If we got to know and truly care about human beings who are different from us, we might be more willing to spend our capital (time, energy, advocacy, and resources) on their behalf. This sharing of capital is one way to clear the path to equity in our organizations and in our societies too. Do something today to build a new relationship on purpose. 

There are many ways we, as leaders, can help people feel seen at work. Building our inclusion consciousness, leveraging our influence, holding ourselves accountable for doing the work, and building bridges across differences are four tools in our Waymaking toolkit that ensure people feel and are seen at work.  

Friends, embarking on a new path, asking new questions, and embracing new behaviors is not easy—but it is simple. When we lean into inclusion consciousness, influence, accountability, and bridge building to develop a lens for what makes employees feel seen, we can start to create workplaces where all people can contribute fully, freely, and fairly.   

Would love to hear how you put these suggestions into action in your organization. Share your story on LinkedIn or Instagram, and tag us @thewaymakerschangegroup. We look forward to sharing our insights on the second of the 4 Talent Needs: To Be Respected, in our next newsletter. Together in Waymaking,

Tara Jaye & The Waymakers Change Group

Tara Jaye Frank is author of The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence and founder of The Waymakers Change Group, a human-centered management consulting firm that supports mid-sized and large companies who seek to transform their employee experience and build capacity to lead all people well.  Our proprietary approach, grounded in behavioral research and decades of inclusive leadership expertise, challenges and equips leaders to unleash the potential of all people, thereby promoting healthy workplace cultures and fueling sustainable businesses. Visit www.twchg.com to learn more.