Note: We published an updated version of this article in 2024. You can find it here: Managing When Things Are (Still) Not Okay<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We are in a moment of reckoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While we\u2014The Management Center\u2014can\u2019t undo the harms of nearly half a millennium of the degradation and dehumanization of Black people in the United States, we can help envision a path forward for managers and leaders. We can create and share tools for managers that honor the humanity of their teammates\u2014especially those who are Black, including Black women, men, and non-binary people, Black queer and trans folks, and Black people with disabilities (among many other intersecting marginalized identities).*<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we share our best thinking on supporting your staff at a time when things are not okay (and haven’t been for a long time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we jump in, here are some things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acknowledge to your whole team what\u2019s happening and why it matters. If there\u2019s one lesson we\u2019ve learned from the pandemic, it\u2019s that who we are outside of work can\u2019t be separated from who we are at work. And yet, many of us have mastered the art of compartmentalization. Sometimes, our privilege enables us to set aside horrific news and go about our days as usual. Often, compartmentalization is a survival mechanism. And for many Black staff, managers, and leaders, it is a suffocating performance of professionalism<\/a>. As a leader or manager (especially if you\u2019re not Black), merely naming what\u2019s happening can help lift the burden of pretending that everything is okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you do say something, keep the following in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s happening isn\u2019t just about a recent eruption of police brutality. As a country, we are grappling with the result of hundreds of years<\/a> of systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence against Black people. The uprisings that have been happening and will continue to occur in response to these systemic injustices are part of long lineages of resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn and say the names and pronouns of those that we\u2019re mourning: Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Dreasjon Reed, George Floyd, Tony McDade, David McAtee. Remember that these are just the ones we know. These are just the ones we\u2019ve heard about in the last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people are intimately familiar with what is happening, while others are just starting to see the contours. Some are tired of (maybe triggered by) talking about it, and others are itching to join the conversation. Some need rest; others need action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acknowledging the situation is only one step. Beyond that, there are concrete, helpful things that managers can do over the next few weeks and beyond. But before you proceed, stop and evaluate your relationship with the person you want to support. Accepting help from someone when you\u2019re going through a rough time requires a degree of trust. Real talk: if you haven\u2019t already demonstrated your commitment to anti-racism, your Black staff and colleagues might not want<\/em> you to check in on them<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever the case may be, there are some things that you can do right now to support your Black staff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To non-Black managers: don\u2019t ask Black staff to solve your DEI problems or educate non-Black staff on allyship. To Black managers and staff: choose when and how you want to engage so that you can preserve your energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What people need can change from day to day and person to person. That’s why you should ask regularly in multiple channels, such as via check-in, email, or survey. Here are questions you can ask in a check-in meeting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n During team meetings, try a check-in question like: \u201cWhat do you want everyone else to know about what you need or how you\u2019re showing up today?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Talk to all of your team members about what\u2019s on their plate. Do it for yourself, too. True reprioritization<\/a> will require redistribution of work, so ask yourself: what can you adjust to lighten the load for your Black colleagues or yourself, if you are a Black manager? Work with non-Black colleagues and direct reports to do the same. Consider dedicating a team meeting to revisiting priorities and division of labor. If you\u2019re a Black manager to Black staff, modeling moving things off your plate might be what they need from you right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While some people may turn to work as a coping mechanism, most people would probably benefit from more space. That’s why you might consider making time off the norm\u2014something that your Black staff members don’t need to opt into or request as an accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone on your team\u2014not just Black folks\u2014needs to process and reflect because addressing systemic racism requires everyone\u2019s efforts. Think about how to spend group time, whether it\u2019s compulsory (staff meetings) or optional (lunch gatherings). Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make space to organize, grieve, heal, and\/or celebrate Black joy and humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At TMC, we recently held a gathering of non-Black indigenous people and people of color on our team. Here are some questions that prompted our discussions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to (or instead of) convening non-Black folks, if you are a non-Black manager, consider raising these questions in 1-1 conversations with your colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Repurpose existing forums for discussion, reflection, or action (perhaps your next virtual happy hour could be a phone bank to defund the police, or an upcoming community panel can focus on connecting your organization’s key issues to the Movement for Black Lives<\/a>). At the very least, remove the optional just-for-fun events (no one wants to play trivia right now, Andy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that the above are ideas for the short-term\u2014in the medium- and long-term, you\u2019ll need to offer spaces for education, reflection, and renewing commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check-ins and caucuses are not enough. As we said, this is a moment of reckoning\u2014especially for historically white, predominantly white, and white-led organizations, but also for organizations led by or mainly composed of non-Black people of color and indigenous people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With your leadership team, examine your internal systems and your external impact. Now is not the time to re-write your mission statement, but it is<\/em> the time to assess where you are on your racial equity journey and get clear on how your mission serves to advance racial justice. Here are some questions to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guess who\u2019s probably been to an implicit bias or diversity, equity, and inclusion training? Amy Cooper. Derek Chauvin. Tou Thao. We know that diversity training alone doesn’t usually work to change behavior<\/a>. Racism in America is older than “America” itself, and a daylong seminar won\u2019t stop the weaponization<\/a> of white womanhood, the complicity<\/a> of Asian Americans in anti-Blackness, or the disregard of Black humanity. Training is one stop on the journey, but we need to do more. Find ways to create and foster habits of anti-racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While some people are newly seeing systemic racism for what it is, still many others have been talking, organizing, and mobilizing against it for a long time. Some of these folks are inside your organizations. Some of these people are you. If you\u2019re a Black manager (and if you\u2019re up for it), take the space that you need\u2014ask the questions, carve out the time, say the thing. If you are not Black, make space for Black folks\u2014especially Black women, Black trans people, queer Black people, and disabled Black folks. Seek their feedback and perspectives on how you and your organization can do better (but don\u2019t force them to be problem-solvers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, here is a (non-comprehensive) list of resources:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
How to talk about what\u2019s going on with your team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Acknowledge history.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Be specific and accurate.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Hold the different experiences and journeys on your team.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to offer support as a manager<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Be protective of their\u2014or your\u2014labor and energy.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Ask what people need and share options.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Reprioritize.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Give time off\u2014no questions asked.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to use team time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Support Black colleagues to be in community with each other.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Create spaces for non-Black folks to examine their role in combating anti-Blackness.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Review your organizational calendar.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What to do at the leadership level<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Take an honest look at your organization\u2019s commitment to racial justice.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2. Expand beyond DEI workshops.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Make\u2014or take\u2014space for Black voices.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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