As our country continues to navigate momentous issues, from racial justice to LGBTQ rights, it’s time for business leaders to consider their role in driving change. In our latest episode of the Flexible Advisor Podcast, we were thrilled to welcome Shundrawn Thomas, President of Northern Trust Asset Management, to discuss his advice on how leaders can advance diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace. Throughout his 16+ years at Northern Trust, Shundrawn has been an inspiration as an authentic leader fully committed to racial and gender equality through both his actions and his words.
Recent protests and court rulings have shed a new light on injustices in both our country and our industry, making compassionate leadership more important than ever. But what exactly does that mean?
To Shundrawn, it means leaning into the true definition of compassion, which is “to suffer with.” It goes beyond listening and acknowledging what others are experiencing. You need to show you’re actively engaged by initiating a real dialogue with them to truly try to understand their suffering. It requires those in power to have the tough conversations and admit where they’ve fallen short on racial and gender issues. As Shundrawn describes it, “How leaders communicate matters. People need to know they’ll hear the truth even if it’s uncomfortable.”
By speaking out yourself, with honesty, transparency and humility, it makes the environment emotionally safe for people to share and engage with you. People most directly impacted are often reluctant to speak up out of concern they’ll be seen as politically incorrect. Shundrawn believes that when you show up and take that risk of being vulnerable yourself, people will follow in your example.
Shundrawn’s recent open letter on LinkedIn – Breaking the Silence – was his own example of speaking out in an authentic way. In this post, he shares some of the experiences he has encountered as an African-American man in the hopes of giving a voice to the silent pain that many of us are currently experiencing.
Initiating a productive dialogue is a key starting point, but from there leaders need to be prepared to back up their words with actions. Take another look at your culture and processes with the following steps in mind:
We recognize that cultural change won’t happen overnight, but the important thing is a commitment from leaders to continually strive to do better. Initiate the dialogue, identify a path toward improvement and hold yourself accountable for real, measurable progress.