Want to truly succeed? Lift others up while you climb | The Way We Work, a TED series

126,051 views

2021-10-04 ・ TED


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Want to truly succeed? Lift others up while you climb | The Way We Work, a TED series

126,051 views ・ 2021-10-04

TED


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:00
- When it comes to our careers,
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the analogy we've been given is a ladder.
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We're climbing, climbing, climbing,
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seeing just how high we can get,
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but if we wanna be a part of organizations
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that are diverse and inclusive
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and truly reflect the world that we live in,
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that's simply not enough.
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While we climb, we also need to lift.
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(light music)
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It's no secret that our companies and organizations
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rarely have leadership teams that represent
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the communities they serve.
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That makes them less effective in their work,
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less innovative, and less profitable too.
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We need more women steering the ship,
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more people of color at the helm,
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more folks with disabilities in charge,
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more immigrants setting the tone,
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more queer and trans folks calling the shots.
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So whether you're a new hire who's a proud member
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of one or more of these groups
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or a longtime leader who is none of the above,
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each of us has a role to play in making this happen.
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Success is no longer about our individual ambitions,
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but about how we build something greater together.
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My mother introduced me to this concept
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of lifting while you climb.
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She was an absolute powerhouse in her work,
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and she spent so much of her time working with younger
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black women to help advance them too.
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She would remind me that the point of success
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isn't success for success's sake.
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She said that when you climb that ladder
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and you get to the top,
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you can take a moment to enjoy the view,
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but you must be principally concerned
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with using all of your might to throw the ladder
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back down for those who are coming behind you.
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There's no point in being the first
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if we're also the last.
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So here are three ways that all of us,
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whether you're a first in your company
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or a part of a deep legacy,
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can embrace this spirit.
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One, question your surroundings.
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One of the benefits and really the consequences of privilege
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is being around people whose experiences mirror your own.
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So when you're at the table,
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I wanna ask you to really examine who's there with you.
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And even more importantly, who isn't.
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Do you see women, people of color,
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people with disabilities, people who look like
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your customers, clients, patients, and community?
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If not, I need you to ask why.
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Calling it out matters.
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If we don't name it, we can't change it.
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Once you notice these disparities,
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let's do something about it.
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For example, we have a lot of data
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that women get interrupted during presentations
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more than men do.
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So make counting this an activity that you try
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in meetings where there's multiple people presenting.
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Keep a tally, how often do women or nonbinary folks
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get interrupted and how often are men getting interrupted?
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Add up your tally at the end of the week,
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and if you notice discrepancies, talk about them.
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Talk about them in the moment.
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Address it in the meeting if you can.
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Practice saying hey Fred, I think you interrupted June.
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June, can you repeat that?
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Or if that feels like too much,
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you can just hand the mike back to June.
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Hey June, what were you saying?
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I think I missed it.
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When you notice it happening, speak up.
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It's a chance to give yourself and others
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the opportunity to show up better.
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Two, aim for sponsorship over mentorship.
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Mentorship is making a connection for someone,
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giving them advice, helping them know
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when to ask for a promotion.
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It's great, but we can do even better.
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Sponsorship is using your privilege, your position,
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your power to give opportunities to someone else
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who's traditionally been excluded.
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It's not just saying that someone would excel
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in a make or break project,
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but getting in there and helping them make it
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across the finish line.
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It's sending their finished project to senior leaders
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and letting them know how strong you thought it was.
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When the work gets picked up and used,
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it's reminding people where it came from
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and who produced it.
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If mentorship happens behind the scenes,
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sponsorship happens right there in the front.
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Not just before the meeting but in the meeting.
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Not just on the private thread but in that big group email
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because the platitudes, the kind of half stepping,
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it's not cutting it.
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Finally, pass on the chance for glory.
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Think about how you can create opportunities
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for the people in your organization
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who might not get them as often.
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The next time you're asked to do a panel,
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consider offering your seat to someone
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who also has bold and imaginative ideas
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but might be overlooked because of their race or gender
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or disability and then help that person prepare.
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Take someone who wouldn't normally have access
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to the meeting and bring them in with you,
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not to observe, but to present with you.
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If you've been running an ideation session for awhile,
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pass it on to someone new.
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Keep the calendar invite intact, talk them through
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what's worked in the past and what hasn't
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so that they can excel too.
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Pass on your institutional knowledge.
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It's on the leadership of your company
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or your organization to set goals and metrics
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for hiring equitably and bringing in more diverse employees
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but when it comes to inclusion and celebrating others,
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you can help with that.
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You can go to someone who doesn't share your identities
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to partner on a project.
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You can amplify the work of a colleague
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who might be the only person like them on the team.
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You may think about where you first started in this work
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and feel so proud of what you've learned
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and how brave you've been as you've climbed.
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I need you to hold that feeling.
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Please hold that feeling,
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but also chase that feeling,
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because what good is our power and success,
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what use is it making it to the top
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if all it affords us is a bird's eye view
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of everyone we've left behind?
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If your journey in inclusion feels easy,
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you have packed too light,
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so feel proud, feel uplifted, feel accomplished
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in your commitment to equity,
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but also feel like you have more work to do
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because lifting, it's difficult.
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And your help, it's essential.
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(light music)
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