Book Review- Inclusify by Stefanie Johnson

The reading this week was Inclusify by Stefanie Johnson. Her book is about how well-meaning people trying to create thriving work cultures and results, still get it wrong. Johnson discusses how to adjust leadership methods to get the job done better and the team working smother. People/workers want to feel both uniquely special and a part of the team; included in the culture, but also seen and respected as individuals. You get the best out of people when they are engaged and bring a variety of ideas from their variety of experiences. (Data on this point is in the book!)

Leaders who focus too much on a single perspective, produce a combination of belonging and uniqueness; just not at the same time and not for all people. Minor adjustments will put things on a healthier course. 

Our categories of myopic leader philosophy:

Meritocracy- Only the best!

How it goes wrong? - There are many ways to be the best, not one.

How to fix it? - Define several objective criteria and score people in anonymized ways.

Culture Crusader- Find and create the right fit!

How it goes wrong? - The right fit is usually most like the leader.

How to fix it? - Choose culture builder activities that include more types of people and add some lovable rogues.

Team Player- A person who gave up themselves to fit in to the culture.

How it goes wrong? - They often judge people harshly who have not yet given up their uniqueness in the same ways.

How to fix it? - Get back your empathy and don't be a passive bystander.

White Knight/Shephard- Out to help the downtrodden.

How it goes wrong? - Special treatment and favorites.

How to fix it? - Restore a balance to mentor and coach, rather than savior, and support the creation of communities so you aren't doing the work alone.

Optimist - It will all work out on its own.

How it goes wrong? - Completely ineffective.

How to fix it? - Get serious.

I want to conclude with a point I stole from a hero of mine. "If you have a quarter that flips heads 95% of the time, you have a broken quarter." The flipper of the coin isn't the issue, it is the system and the tools. The coin flippers needs to see the problem to fix it, but then the focus goes to the system. The leader is the change agent and part of the system, but there is more to do than personal behaviors.

Who would work for a leader who accepts a clearly underperforming system? No self-respecting leader is going to sit around and watch something fail. Individuals, particularly leaders, should control what they can control, their own behaviors and responses, but also be a change agent for the gears of the system. This book is about individuals, adjusting how they lead. It's a beginning, not an end.

I saw a company educate for 20 years on hiring and promoting women in tech without progress, but by adding a diverse interview panel and a neutral rubric for hiring and promos, they made progress overnight.