Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
6 <br />The Breakpoint Initiative <br />We seek open and honest feedback – which should also be the desire of each participant in <br />the training. When staff feel that they are victims of any kind of discrimination without <br />proper outlets to share this feedback with us, then diversity initiatives will be perceived as <br />the problem, not the solution. This is one of the reasons such initiatives are frequently met <br />with resentment and resistance. Beliefs, not reality, are what determine how <br />leaders/employees respond to efforts taken to increase equity. <br />Analysis (Examine the Foundation) <br />If systemic racism is not fully understood as a potential reason for an unhealthy culture, then <br />the mindsets and sentiments of people within the organization may reflect bias without their <br />awareness. Many things that make a company great require significant sacrifices. Your <br />culture should tell both sides of the story – sacrifices being made for career growth and the <br />sacrifices your organization is willing to make to educate rigid and inflexible mindsets. <br />While leadership support is essential to maintaining worker happiness, ignoring systemic <br />racism in policies and procedures can be a sign of a toxic environment. Analyzing ideals <br />disruptive to the cohesiveness of the team is necessary for leaders to encourage a supportive <br />culture. In an unhealthy culture it is more comfortable for systemic racism to go unaddressed <br />because those who benefit are not willing to forego their advantages. <br />Advantage arises out of the ability to force the organization to adapt to those with privilege <br />instead of being willing to adapt themselves to benefit the culture. By asking them to take <br />initiative to grow outside of their comfort zone and make positive changes, your organization <br />is not only invested in the progress of the individual, but the company as a whole. Our <br />analysis provides the leadership team with real-time strategies to bring outsiders into the new <br />culture and ensure insiders are mentally bought into the overall health of the network. <br />Plan for future opportunities (Foundation of Empathy) <br />Now is a time when business leaders need to show that they care about people – not revenue <br />growth, not client acquisition, and not enforcing traditions in the face of severe health <br />conditions in our society. Your business model may already have established initiatives <br />which reflect the buy-in of the leadership, network, and the employees – our job will be to <br />ensure the buy-in of the larger group outside of those who already understand the need for <br />this important step. Culture is often a reflection of the level of team belief that their <br />leadership cares about them. <br />How do you create a foundation of trust so that people feel okay being open and giving <br />feedback to peers and the leadership team? How do you enrich your culture with the <br />intention of using the input from your employees in a thoughtful way? Empathy is the <br />answer. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 6F871CCE-055E-46A1-A81E-C2ED2DA28D40