Lean Leadership to Combat and Overcome Structural Racism
Recently the media has shown some outrageous cases of racism that have been mobilizing society in the important fight to break racial paradigms long rooted in global culture. The cases exposed recently are not new and are far from being exceptions to the rule. This is not the first time society has mobilized for the Black cause, but in every previous instance the result was invariably the same: a few months after the events, society forgets the fight, and everything goes back to the way it was, as if nothing had happened. Reflecting on these past failures, we now have one more opportunity to keep the flame of this debate alive and try to bring about in the world the change we so badly need to ensure diversity and inclusion for everyone. This time, we have to turn outrage into action. It is high time to make things happen.
We live in a country where most of the population is not white, with approximately 55% declaring themselves Black or brown. Even so, what we see in companies, in leadership positions, is an overwhelmingly homogeneous white male majority. Sometimes leaders proudly display reports showing the diversity in their company, but when you visit a leadership meeting, you cannot find a single Black person. Black people are in service positions, the role society has assigned to them, and not in leadership positions.
In fact, it is so unusual to see Black people in leadership positions in Brazilian companies that, in the rare cases when it happens, it is met with disbelief and surprise. Deives Rezende Filho, Founder of Condurú Coaching Executivo, during his participation in the webinar “Leadership and Structural Racism”, held on June 25, shared with us an experience he had a few years ago, when he was invited to work at a large bank. When he walked into the president’s office for the first time, Deives caused something of a stir; the president could not understand what Deives was doing in his office and, without inviting him to sit down, asked whether he was there to fix the air conditioning. Deives explained that he had been invited to work at the bank, and, after a mere five minutes of conversation, the confused president dismissed Deives.
Deives’s story is representative of the reality we live in, and the situation becomes even more critical when it comes to a Black woman; the situation of women in general is already extremely unfavorable in Brazilian companies, with research showing that only 1.6% of managers in Brazil are women. Roberta Anchieta, Superintendent at Itaú Unibanco, has many interesting stories about what it is like to be a Black woman in a leadership meeting and about how the fact that she is a Black woman is the first thing that reaches the participants’ ears, even before her competence.
As a Black woman, Roberta has a few extra steps to prove her competence before being put on an equal footing with the other participants. First of all, Roberta needs to prove that she speaks Portuguese and English well, which surprises people because it breaks a stereotype firmly established in their minds. That initial effort is just so that Roberta can reach the level of a white woman in society’s eyes. After that, she will still face all the strain and difficulties that women face in companies and in society, such as mansplaining and manterrupting. All this initial effort by Roberta brings her to a level naturally already occupied by a straight white man, and she has to prove herself all the time.
Given the structural racism found in Brazilian society and companies, breaking these paradigms so that Black people have more opportunities is everyone’s responsibility, working together to achieve a common goal. All of this is very reminiscent of the foundations of the lean philosophy, which fosters teamwork and respect for people. It is true that all the racial diversity and inclusion programs in the world so far have failed; if they had succeeded, we would not need so many people in the streets demanding equity and saying that Black lives matter. This shows that no one, anywhere in the world, has the right answer on how to do this effectively. That does not mean, however, that there are no paths that have borne good fruit and that can be followed in the pursuit of a more diverse and inclusive world. If we really want to effect change in the world, we need to focus on three fronts: awareness, opportunities and empowerment.
Awareness
The first focus in the fight against racism is closely linked to education. Not only school education (although it is one of the main means of promoting change), but that of the entire population. Society imposes labels on Black people that everyone, consciously or unconsciously, ends up reproducing. If, for example, we ask people to think of a successful Black man, it is very likely that the first people who come to mind will be soccer players. This implies that this is the only path to social mobility available to a Black man, and these labels urgently need to be broken for future generations.
The question of how to do this is sometimes not so clear and makes people very uncomfortable. First of all, school plays a fundamental role in deconstructing stereotypes. What is studied in schools about Black people largely begins and ends with slavery. The impression left is that Black people did not exist before it and ceased to exist after it. Educated people will have more grounds to question: why are there no Black people in my meeting room? Why are there no Black people in leadership positions in my company? Why don’t we get Black candidates to fill the positions we have open?
It is important to keep in mind that this fight belongs not only to Black people, but to everyone. Non-Black allies are essential, not least because we have so few Black people in power. Most of the time, when important decisions are made on the subject, it is only white people talking to white people. People often even have good intentions but, for fear of making blunders, say nothing about the subject. Racism has ended up becoming a taboo. This is where we distinguish non-racists from anti-racists. The non-racist does not discriminate; the anti-racist does not tolerate discrimination around them, no matter where it comes from. We need more non-Black anti-racist allies. We need them to speak without fear; after all, it is much better for the subject to be discussed with blunders than not to be mentioned at all. At the end of the day, it is about doing what is ethically right and practicing diversity and inclusion.
Opportunities
Working on awareness is not easy; in fact, it is painstaking work that has been carried out for generations. In recent years, we have seen large corporations starting to talk about diversity and inclusion, and this is a very worthwhile step toward deconstructing stereotypes, but the truth is that we are already at a point where we need to practice more than we talk. We cannot simply run awareness campaigns on November 20 and a diversity week during the year and expect that to solve the problem. The time has come for action, for providing opportunities to the Black population, but how do we do that?
First, we need to understand the meaning of the term unconscious bias. As people, we have a natural tendency to validate and draw closer to people who are very much like us. This trait of ours, precisely because we have a white majority in positions of power, creates a vicious circle that needs to be broken.
If you set as a strict hiring condition that the candidate come from a public university, you will most likely have few or no Black candidates. It is at these requirements, such as requiring a degree from a public university and fluent English, that Black people often fall and do not even get the chance to show their worth, because they did not have the study opportunities that white people had. The selection needs to be broadened to include more people. It is no use bringing in employees from the “top” colleges using meritocracy as a justification and including a few Black people just to look good. In this case, we are talking about privilege disguised as merit.
Start the transformation in the corporate world, giving opportunities to Black people, not because of the color of their skin, but because of the competence they have and do not get the chance to show. Executives need to go to universities, but not to USP. It is in the colleges considered “second” and “third” tier that you find brilliant people who have not had as many opportunities. Sometimes the stereotypes are repeated so often to Black people that they come to believe them: “there is no room for me on Faria Lima; this is not my place”. Well, the place of Black people is indeed on Faria Lima; and everywhere. We need to break down barriers and take the conversation to where the real Black talent is: in the outskirts. Only then can we ensure that this talent can reach every place; if not out of love (which is the right thing), do it for the financial potential. How much Black talent are we wasting because of racism?
Empowerment
The words “diversity” and “inclusion” are often used interchangeably, but there is an important difference between them. Diversity is about “inviting someone to the dance”, while inclusion is about “teaching them to dance”. In companies, diversity statistics are sometimes even good; however, the biggest problem is not the percentage of Black people within the company, but the representation they have in meetings. Black people are all at the bottom. Companies often practice diversity, but not inclusion. Today we need to talk much more about inclusion than about diversity.
To practice inclusion we need to practice empowerment: empowering Black children, teenagers and adults so that they know their history, and educating white people so that they become anti-racist. Why are there no Black people in meeting rooms? Why do Black people have no representation in companies? This is a process that must span from school to the workplace. Black people must be placed as agents of transformation and change and, for that, they need to be the protagonists. But how do we promote Black protagonism?
First, by listening. One of the foundations of the lean pillar of respect for people is active listening. Executives need to listen to Black professionals in day-to-day work and create a debate so that everyone can hear them. Second, through mentoring. Viviane Moreira, Senior Manager of Corporate Resilience at UnitedHealth Group, for example, takes part in a mentoring program for middle leadership, coordinators and highly rated managers. Through a racial lens, these Black employees began to be mentored by the institution’s superintendents, regardless of race, with the aim of developing these professionals to their full potential.
The cases of racism that have been in the media spotlight in recent weeks are representative of a much broader social problem, and this racism is very present in companies too, often in a structural way. We cannot once again waste this opportunity for discussion without implementing concrete anti-racist actions. This is a matter of ethics and integrity, and this article is a call to action: white people – speak out against racism without fear and learn to listen to those who really have something to say, Black people. Black people – do not lower your heads and do not accept less than you deserve. Through awareness, the offer of opportunities and empowerment, we can change the reality around us.
This article was inspired by the talks of Deives Rezende Filho, Roberta Anchieta and Viviane Moreira, three great Brazilian leaders, during the webinar “Leadership and structural racism”, hosted by Lean Institute Brasil. You can watch the webinar here.
