Do you have a respectful culture?

That includes supporting men?

I started writing this newsletter on a plane from Brisbane to Mackay, Australia. I’m essentially “on tour” to train mostly men, (mostly white men) in a male dominated industry about:

1. Why Diversity & Inclusion is essential for their business and their industry, and

2. Training on Respect at Work, the name given to Australia’s push to banish sexual harassment and discrimination from the workplace, and create respectful workplace cultures.

It's good stuff.

But as I sit on the flight, I’m conscious that these men may feel a bit attacked by both topics. The first, Diversity & Inclusion being about employing and including more people in the business not like them.

From many years of experience in male dominated industries, I know this topic can make men feel uncomfortable and threatened and like they don’t belong in their workplace or their profession anymore, and that career opportunities that would have come to them, can be given to others, and that they have worked hard to earn these opportunities, and that somehow the situation many traditionally male dominated industries find themselves in, are all the men’s fault.

This IS NOT the intention of Diversity & Inclusion work. Well not here at The Culture Ministry.

Perhaps the Respect at Work training could be perceived as even more problematic.

Workplaces with the biggest risks of sexual harassment, and related discrimination are those with gender inequality. In short, workplaces when most of your workers are men, most of your managers and leaders are men, when your workplace overall lacks diversity, and when your industry is traditionally male.

There are other risk factors too, but many of us would feel attacked if we were told that the main reason for our workplace having culture issues was because of us. Well, wouldn't you?

If I was a man being told all this I might feel this way AND resist this work. Who would be inclined to change? To do things differently. To be vulnerable and consider a different way when you are feeling attacked.

It is never my intention to make men feel small, or threatened, even when at times I might have felt this way myself, throughout my career. I have been successful in my career, and now in business because of how I have influenced and supported leaders, mostly male, to lead their part of the business in an inclusive way, as much as possible.

So how did the first training session go?

The people leaders at the training were fantastic. I had around 20 engaged men and women who contributed to the conversation, told stories and made the session better than I had imagined. I received such positive feedback afterwards including ways to make it better, which I so appreciate.

In my view making workplace cultures better, improving diversity and opportunities, shouldn’t be at the expense of the group in the majority. It’s usually no individual’s fault that things are the way they are (except for Trump. I can point to many things that are his fault).

Society norms around gender roles are strong, and something we all need to be conscious of. Change can’t happen without ALL of us acknowledging and challenging them. Change can’t happen if we lay blame at one group.

And now I'm finishing this newsletter at an airport on the way to my next city.

Lisa xx