3 ways to be a better ally in the workplace | Melinda Epler

234,768 views ・ 2018-10-25

TED


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

00:12
In 2013, I was an executive at an international engineering firm
0
12640
4296
00:16
in San Francisco.
1
16960
1376
00:18
It was my dream job.
2
18360
1576
00:19
A culmination of all the skills that I've acquired over the years:
3
19960
3296
00:23
storytelling, social impact, behavior change.
4
23280
3016
00:26
I was the head of marketing and culture
5
26320
1896
00:28
and I worked with the nation's largest health care systems,
6
28239
2977
00:31
using technology and culture change
7
31240
2096
00:33
to radically reduce their energy and water use
8
33360
2696
00:36
and to improve their social impact.
9
36080
2176
00:38
I was creating real change in the world.
10
38280
2120
00:41
And it was the worst professional experience of my life.
11
41720
3720
00:48
I hit the glass ceiling hard.
12
48120
2416
00:50
It hurt like hell.
13
50560
1440
00:54
While there were bigger issues,
14
54200
1496
00:55
most of what happened were little behaviors and patterns
15
55720
3976
00:59
that slowly chipped away at my ability to do my work well.
16
59720
4056
01:03
They ate away at my confidence, my leadership, my capacity to innovate.
17
63800
5096
01:08
For example, my first presentation at the company.
18
68920
2936
01:11
I walk up to the front of the room
19
71880
1656
01:13
to give a presentation on the strategy that I believe is right for the company.
20
73560
3776
01:17
The one they hired me to create.
21
77360
1576
01:18
And I look around the room at my fellow executives.
22
78960
2496
01:21
And I watch as they pick up their cell phones
23
81480
2256
01:23
and look down at their laptops.
24
83760
2256
01:26
They're not paying attention.
25
86040
1936
01:28
As soon as I start to speak, the interruptions begin
26
88000
2496
01:30
and people talk over me again and again and again.
27
90520
3160
01:34
Some of my ideas are flat out dismissed
28
94480
3536
01:38
and then brought up by somebody else and championed.
29
98040
3240
01:43
I was the only woman in that room.
30
103640
2336
01:46
And I could have used an ally.
31
106000
1560
01:48
Little behaviors and pattern like this, every day, again and again,
32
108680
3736
01:52
they wear you down.
33
112440
2016
01:54
Pretty soon, my energy was absolutely tapped.
34
114480
2600
01:58
At a real low point, I read an article
35
118360
2096
02:00
about toxic workplace culture and microaggressions.
36
120480
3456
02:03
Microaggressions -- everyday slights, insults,
37
123960
3056
02:07
negative verbal and nonverbal communication,
38
127040
2336
02:09
whether intentional or not,
39
129400
1696
02:11
that impede your ability to do your work well.
40
131120
2320
02:14
That sounded familiar.
41
134400
1856
02:16
I started to realize that I wasn't failing.
42
136280
3696
02:20
The culture around me was failing me.
43
140000
2600
02:23
And I wasn't alone.
44
143920
1536
02:25
Behaviors and patterns like this
45
145480
1616
02:27
every day affect underrepresented people of all backgrounds in the workplace.
46
147120
4376
02:31
And that has a real impact
47
151520
3216
02:34
on our colleagues, on our companies
48
154760
2256
02:37
and our collective capacity to innovate.
49
157040
2600
02:41
So, in the tech industry, we want quick solutions.
50
161680
3056
02:44
But there is no magic wand for correcting diversity and inclusion.
51
164760
4216
02:49
Change happens one person at a time,
52
169000
2136
02:51
one act at a time, one word at a time.
53
171160
3080
02:55
We make a mistake when we see diversity and inclusion
54
175240
2976
02:58
as that side project over there the diversity people are working on,
55
178240
4336
03:02
rather than this work inside all of us that we need to do together.
56
182600
3840
03:07
And that work begins
57
187600
1656
03:09
with unlearning what we know about success and opportunity.
58
189280
3000
03:13
We've been told our whole lives
59
193400
1936
03:15
that if we work hard, that hard work pays off,
60
195360
2256
03:17
we'd get what we deserve, we'd live our dream.
61
197640
2160
03:21
But that isn't true for everyone.
62
201080
2176
03:23
Some people have to work 10 times as hard
63
203280
1976
03:25
to get to the same place
64
205280
1696
03:27
due to many barriers put in front of them by society.
65
207000
3536
03:30
Your gender, your race, your ethnicity,
66
210560
2216
03:32
your religion, your disability, your sexual orientation,
67
212800
3176
03:36
your class, your geography,
68
216000
2216
03:38
all of these can give you more of fewer opportunities for success.
69
218240
4056
03:42
And that's where allyship comes in.
70
222320
2336
03:44
Allyship is about understanding that imbalance in opportunity
71
224680
3616
03:48
and working to correct it.
72
228320
1360
03:50
Allyship is really seeing the person next to us.
73
230440
3496
03:53
And the person missing, who should be standing next to us.
74
233960
3496
03:57
And first, just knowing what they're going through.
75
237480
2696
04:00
And then, helping them succeed and thrive with us.
76
240200
3640
04:05
When we work together to develop more diverse and inclusive teams,
77
245400
3416
04:08
data shows we will be more innovative, more productive and more profitable.
78
248840
3920
04:13
So, who is an ally?
79
253680
1296
04:15
All of us.
80
255000
1216
04:16
We can all be allies for each other.
81
256240
1696
04:17
As a white, cisgendered woman in the United States,
82
257960
2496
04:20
there are many ways I'm very privileged.
83
260480
2016
04:22
And some ways I'm not.
84
262520
2096
04:24
And I work hard every day
85
264640
1256
04:25
to be an ally for people with less privilege than me.
86
265920
2736
04:28
And I still need allies, too.
87
268680
1520
04:32
In the tech industry, like in many industries,
88
272240
3216
04:35
there are many people who are underrepresented,
89
275480
2176
04:37
or face barriers and discrimination.
90
277680
1920
04:40
Women, people who are nonbinary --
91
280320
2056
04:42
so people who don't necessarily identify as man or woman --
92
282400
3096
04:45
racial and ethnic minorities,
93
285520
1656
04:47
LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, veterans,
94
287200
3336
04:50
anybody over age 35.
95
290560
2176
04:52
(Laughter)
96
292760
3160
04:57
We have a major bias toward youth in the tech industry.
97
297040
3456
05:00
And many others.
98
300520
1216
05:01
There is always someone with less privilege than you.
99
301760
3216
05:05
On this stage, in this room.
100
305000
1600
05:07
At your company, on your team, in your city or town.
101
307440
2920
05:12
So, people are allies for different reasons.
102
312440
2496
05:14
Find your reason.
103
314960
1456
05:16
It could be for the business case,
104
316440
1656
05:18
because data shows diverse and inclusive teams
105
318120
2656
05:20
will be more productive, more profitable and more innovative.
106
320800
3536
05:24
It could be for fairness and social justice.
107
324360
3336
05:27
Because we have a long history of oppression and inequity
108
327720
3976
05:31
that we need to work on together.
109
331720
3080
05:35
Or it could be for your kids,
110
335640
1416
05:37
so your kids grow up with equal opportunities.
111
337080
3576
05:40
And they grow up creating equal opportunities for others.
112
340680
2920
05:44
Find your reason.
113
344520
1496
05:46
For me, it's all three.
114
346040
1216
05:47
Find your reason and step up to be there for someone who needs you.
115
347280
4280
05:52
So, what can you do as an ally?
116
352400
1976
05:54
Start by doing no harm.
117
354400
2336
05:56
It's our job as allies to know what microaggressions are and to not do them.
118
356760
5056
06:01
It's our job as allies to listen, to learn,
119
361840
3376
06:05
to unlearn and to relearn,
120
365240
2656
06:07
and to make mistakes and to keep learning.
121
367920
3080
06:12
Give me your full attention.
122
372240
1680
06:15
Close your laptops,
123
375840
1296
06:17
put down your cellphones and pay attention.
124
377160
2520
06:20
If somebody is new or the only person in the room like them,
125
380520
2936
06:23
or they're just nervous,
126
383480
1256
06:24
this is going to make a huge difference in how they show up.
127
384760
3376
06:28
Don't interrupt.
128
388160
1216
06:29
Underrepresented people are more likely to be interrupted,
129
389400
2736
06:32
so just take a step back and listen.
130
392160
2816
06:35
Echo and attribute.
131
395000
2016
06:37
If I have a great idea,
132
397040
1736
06:38
echo my idea and then attribute it to me, and we thrive together.
133
398800
3600
06:44
Learn the language I use to describe my identity.
134
404040
3256
06:47
Know how to pronounce my name.
135
407320
2016
06:49
Know my pronouns -- he, she, they.
136
409360
3296
06:52
Know the language I use to describe my disability, my ethnicity, my religion.
137
412680
4280
06:58
This really matters to people, so if you don't know, just ask.
138
418520
4200
07:04
Listen and learn.
139
424360
1600
07:07
An executive told me recently that after doing allyship on his team,
140
427200
5176
07:12
the whole team started to normalize calling themselves out and each other out
141
432400
4176
07:16
for interrupting.
142
436600
1200
07:18
"I'm so sorry I'm interrupting you right now, carry on."
143
438720
3976
07:22
"Hey, she's got a great idea, let's listen."
144
442720
3160
07:27
Number two, advocate for underrepresented people in small ways.
145
447320
3736
07:31
Intervene; you can change the power dynamics in the room.
146
451080
3096
07:34
If you see somebody is the only person in the room like them
147
454200
3536
07:37
and they are being belittled, they are being interrupted,
148
457760
2656
07:40
do something, say something.
149
460440
2040
07:43
Invite underrepresented people to speak.
150
463680
2256
07:45
And say no to panels without underrepresented speakers.
151
465960
4640
07:51
Refer someone for a job
152
471800
1456
07:53
and encourage them to take that job and to take new opportunities.
153
473280
4056
07:57
And this one's really important -- help normalize allyship.
154
477360
3456
08:00
If you're a person with privilege,
155
480840
1856
08:02
it's easier for you to advocate for allies.
156
482720
2696
08:05
So use that privilege to create change.
157
485440
2800
08:09
Three, change someone's life significantly.
158
489160
2936
08:12
So, be there for somebody throughout their career.
159
492120
3056
08:15
Mentor or sponsor them, give them opportunities as they grow.
160
495200
3680
08:19
Volunteer -- volunteer for a STEM program, serving underserved youth.
161
499720
4216
08:23
Transform your team to be more diverse and inclusive.
162
503960
2496
08:26
And make real commitments to creating change here.
163
506480
3096
08:29
Hold yourself and your team accountable for creating change.
164
509600
3360
08:34
And lastly,
165
514160
1456
08:35
help advocate for change across your company.
166
515640
3016
08:38
When companies teach their people to be allies,
167
518680
2376
08:41
diversity and inclusion programs are stronger.
168
521080
2896
08:44
You and I can be allies for each other,
169
524000
2135
08:46
whether we're inside or outside of work.
170
526159
2361
08:52
So, I realized recently
171
532320
2479
08:56
that I still have lingering shame and fear
172
536480
3336
08:59
from that moment in my career when I felt utterly alone,
173
539840
3336
09:03
shut out and unsupported.
174
543200
1680
09:06
There are millions of people out there, like me, right now, feeling that way.
175
546320
3696
09:10
And it doesn't take much for us to be there for each other.
176
550040
3256
09:13
And when we're there for each other, when we support one another,
177
553320
3056
09:16
we thrive together.
178
556400
1536
09:17
And when we thrive, we build better teams,
179
557960
2976
09:20
better products and better companies.
180
560960
2240
09:24
Allyship is powerful.
181
564680
2080
09:27
Try it.
182
567600
1200
09:29
Thank you.
183
569760
1416
09:31
(Applause)
184
571200
3280
About this website

This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.

https://forms.gle/WvT1wiN1qDtmnspy7