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Reenfranchising Your Company’s Disenfranchised

If 2016 taught me anything, it’s that I may have overestimated how tuned in I am to large segments of the population. I would not call this group a silent majority (as they are neither “silent” nor a “majority”), but recent political events have reinforced my need to engage and find common ground with those who feel alienated.

In his recent movie, Imperium. Daniel Radcliffe plays a FBI agent who goes undercover in a white-supremacy group. According to Radcliffe, “…my biggest takeaway from this film is that, as much as we want to demonize these people and in a way demonize their views, we should try and find a way of getting them into this conversation, unfortunately as awful as that sounds, because the more you ostracize them and aggressively dismiss them, the more it just plays into their worldview that everything is a conspiracy against them.”

Before you send me your oppositional emails, let me be clear: I am not equating, comparing, or in any way associating those who feel disenfranchised with white supremacists or racists-at-large. What I am saying is that Radcliffe makes a valid point about demonizing people without engaging in a conversation to understand their point of view.

Imperium’s Director, Daniel Ragussis, added that characterizing those on the fringe with insults like “monster” is not helpful.—“They don’t give you any access as to the mechanism that’s going on there and why the people are behaving the way they are. I think if you’re going to try to dismantle that or change it, you have to understand what’s going on and what’s happening.”

A mutually beneficial workplace culture is not determined solely by the leaders; the employees ultimately decide what practices and habits they will adhere to… and this includes those who don’t feel welcomed to participate. Therefore, companies must focus their resources to involve these individuals.

To help us encourage those who believe they are estranged from the decision makers, we must be mindful of one important concept: Don’t confuse feeling disenfranchised with feeling disengaged. The disengaged are not willing to put in extra effort for success. They don’t like work and they aren’t afraid to show it. The disenfranchised, on the other hand, believe they are deprived of rights and/or privileges. They want to contribute, but either don’t know how to initiate, don’t think they are allowed, or don’t feel welcomed into the process.

To reenfranchise, start by listening to their concerns. Actually, that’s too easy. Your really need to start by withholding judgment. It’s easy to dismiss those who disagree with us, especially when they are not in a position of power. An effective leader, however, cannot disparage or ostracize these individuals. They are part of the organization, so either treat them like they are part of the organization or release them from your condemnatory sentencing.

Once you are able to withhold judgment, you can begin listening to their concerns. Schedule one-on-one’s to figure out what they need to feel embraced. Ask questions, focus on their concerns, and formulate an ongoing plan.

After you know their hindrances and have a plan in place, it is your responsibility as the leader to change how you manage. However you led before resulted in a disenfranchised populace, so figure out what you can do differently to be more inclusive. And follow up frequently to ensure that your efforts are effective.

If attitude is an indication of success (and it is) you will get more bang for your buck if you concentrate on reenfranchising the disenfranchised then engaging the disengagement. Since the disenfranchised crave involvement, involve them. If you don’t, they will find their voice, with or without you. Why wait for them to be an organized opposition? Make them allies and strengthen your team.

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5 Leadership Lessons: Listen, Learn, Lead

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! We all go through life half-aware sometimes. We have to – there’s so much input these days that if we actually paid attention to it all, we’d be in a straightjacket within weeks. Advertising, social media, music, TV, mobile devices and apps, games, big data, the crazy-quilt cacophony of social media life — a million voices all competing for our hearts, minds and pocketbooks. It’s all too much to handle. So we don’t. We basically hit the mute button on the vast majority of the sensory tsunami. It’s really a matter of self-preservation.

Except when it’s a matter of self-destruction. For a leader – or anyone else who wants to succeed at hiring and retaining the very best talent – listening is a crucial skill. Because when you tune the wrong people (talent) and information out, you’re depriving yourself of priceless tools that will enable you to take your career, and life, to new levels of workplace fulfillment, reward and fun.

To reach our full potential, we must master the art of listening. Really listening. Which means awareness. Which means thinking about what we hear. Which means applying it, if possible, to the leadership challenges at hand.

The art of listening isn’t difficult to master. And when you have, new worlds open up. It’s exciting.

Here Are 5 Steps To Help You Keep Your Best Talent Happy:

1) Take An Input Inventory. There’s just too much stimuli and information coming at us. We would drown in the tidal wave if we tried to absorb it all. So take an inventory of where the valuable information and insight lies. Who in your work life should you be listening to? Who in your personal life? Which social media channels are relevant? Can you apply online filters to automatically filter some of the useless clutter that assaults us? Write down your inventory. Expand or contract it as your listening skills improve.

 2) Stretch Your Muscles. Now that you have an idea of who and what you should be listening to, start to practice. Within the next 24 hours, seek out someone who you think is smart and insightful and pick his or her brain on a specific topic. Thank them, and then go write down what they said and anything actionable that you have gleaned from it. This exercise starts to train our ears and brains to be in sync. It gets easier with time. And it’s fun!

 3) Listen To What Is Unsaid. In both our professional and personal lives, absolute candor can be tough. For a variety of reasons, we often communicate obliquely, especially when a topic is uncomfortable. Disagreeing with your boss, expressing unhappiness with a project, colleague, or assignment can be tough.  Successful leaders learn to listen between the lines. They encourage direct expression, but understand it can feel risky for people. In the next 24 hours, have a conversation in which you’re listening for what is unsaid. Then go write down what was said and what you feel wasmeant. This exercise is closely related to emotional intelligence. Master it and your learning and leadership toolbox will have a powerful new tool.

4) Refresh Your Ears. We all fall into patterns, which can lead to stale performance and career ruts. The visionary, contrarian investment manager Dean LeBaron, who founded a local company in my universe Batterymarch, shuffled the cubicles (including his own – I know this for fact btw) in his office every few months. This workplace culture reorientation refreshed everyone’s creative juices and boosted employee morale. It also communicated loud and clear that LeBaron cared about his people and understood human nature. Refresh your ears by changing your listening patterns. Tune to a new radio station as you drive or ride to work. Trade Lady Gaga for Bach (or vice versa) for a day. Visit a new social media site. Trade Under the Dome for Storage Wars for at least one episode (yes, you can record Dome!). Ask the cashier at CVS how she’s feeling and really listen to her answer. Ask a follow-up question.

5) Keep An Open Ear (And Mind). Moliere said, “I take my good where I find it.” Smart words. Start listening to people who you never listened to before. (Yes, I know this seems to contradict Step1, but actually it compliments it, and keeps it fresh and spontaneous.) This means seeking out people who you never really paid a whole lot of attention to, and actively soliciting their input. You’d be surprised at what people have to offer when asked. The receptionist, the cleaning guy, the head of another department, someone you don’t click with on a personal level, an acquaintance who works in a completely unrelated business, a high school classmate you reconnected with onFacebook. This exercise works best when applied to a specific challenge. Ask for ideas. Listen to them. Write them down. You might be surprised at what you learn (yes, 90 percent of it may be useless, but …remember the 10 percent)

Learning to listen is a blast. It makes us fuller, smarter, more empathetic, more successful people and leaders. Lets all take our earplugs out and tune in to the wondrous wealth of inspiration that surrounds us. Your future and current employees will thank you.

A version of this post was first published on Forbes on 08/04/2013

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