Being Human with Your Teams During Global Transformation

Written By Krys Burnette

#BlackLivesMatterMovement, Covid-19, and Economic Downturn

I was inspired to write my thoughts after a friend shared this Instagram post, by Cassandra Corrado with me. After scrolling through, I felt compelled to share something similar for leaders who are working within teams and businesses impacted by the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Covid-19, and the economic downturn that has spanned across the globe.

A quick history lesson of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement

The movement for Black lives which began in 2014, following the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has reached parts of Germany, France, Britain, Palestine and beyond. This time, recent protests have begun on the heels of the recent deaths of Amaud Arbrey, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Dominique Fells, and Tony McDade.

The movement is calling for the basic human rights and dignity, that is reserved for White people, to be afforded to all Black people. We are also seeing this happen at a time where those same communities, Black communities, have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 among other economic stresses related to the impact of the global shutdowns.

The context of today

As you can imagine, communities are grieving, both Black, non-Black POCs, and White allies. Your teams might be feeling a range of emotions — sadness, grief, anger, disconnection, distraction, rage — all of these emotions are valid. As a leader, it is important to understand the issues, the context, and how to hold space for your teams as they navigate the social and cultural changes happening globally.

Leadership shows up in many forms throughout our careers, in this instance, I’m encouraging leaders to be human. Show empathy, compassion, vulnerability and remain open to learning, making mistakes, and growing with your team.

Leading a Conversation with your Team

If you plan to have a conversation with your team, be sure to set aside enough time for the topic, share the context or agenda before the start, and make it optional, but encourage participation.

Before you get started, set ground rules that allow everyone the opportunity to speak. Do not call on folks of marginalized groups to share their experiences and educate others unless they explicitly offer this information willingly.

Remember, it’s okay to not be okay and that showing vulnerability will not affect anyone’s role and be sure to share your thoughts and join the conversation. Likely, your team isn’t expecting you to know everything and have all the answers — and its okay to acknowledge that — but showing support and empathy can have a huge impact.

Some suggested prompts that you may consider:

  • What might be distracting you today?

  • Can you describe how the recents events have made you feel and why?

  • What issues, concerns, fears or worries do the events of the last few weeks raise for you?

  • What would you like to see happen next in our world, team or company?

  • What do you think we could do to help create change?

If you feel you need support with facilitation and holding a safe space, ask a trusted HR partner to join the discussion, or consider an external facilitator to support you.

What to do Next

Now that the team has expressed their feelings (or if you're observing these behaviors), here's what you can do to support your teams.

If your team is feeling distracted… Scrolling Social Media, Constantly Reading Texts or the News

  • Suggest a break for individuals who are particularly distracted, set a timer and avoid phones and computer for the duration

  • As a leader, be open to listening to what your team needs — encourage time off, encourage saying no low-priority meetings, set boundaries for turning off at the end of the day (especially if you are still working remotely)

If your team members are feeling alone… Unsupported, Not Connected with the Team

  • Encourage connection with mentors or other leaders they feel safe with

  • Support your team members by finding internal ERGs or external local/virtual organizations where they can connect with other like-minded people

  • Check in with any team member feeling especially disconnected at least once per day

If your team members are feeling numb… Disconnected, Not expressive as usual

  • Acknowledge that holding back feelings or not knowing how to feel is ok and you are available to lend an ear when necessary

  • Encourage self-care and mindfulness practices — music, journaling, reading, meditation, yoga, etc.

  • For those who are into sport, there are many training apps that are still offering 90-day trials for free including - Peloton app, adidas Traning app, and all Trails are just some that I like. There are more on this list.

If your team members are feeling stressed… Jittery, Out of Breath, Sweaty

  • Contact your HR partners and encourage team members to utilize any free mental health services your company offers

  • Encourage time off. When taking time off, encourage team members to completely log off of email, Slack, WhatsApp, Teams, etc.

  • In a pinch, try relaxation techniques that offer immediate relief — drink a cold glass of water, do breathing exercises together, turn on slow tempo music (in the office or at home)

  • As a leader, set reasonable delivery expectations and offload low-priority tasks/projects that can wait

If your team members are feeling stuck…Indecisive, Overwhelmed, Frozen

  • Suggest a 10–15 minutes of movement (walking, stretching, light exercise) to get the heart rate up to boost creativity. For those with limited mobility, ask how you can support them in sparking creativity.

  • Help your team members create a manageable list of tasks for the week and set reasonable goals and deadlines

  • For someone feeling particularly stuck, check in with them daily, ask how you can help, and be sure to listen

Resources for self-education and self-reflection

Lastly, I wanted to leave you with a short-list of resources that can get your started on your self-awareness and self-education journey. We are all learning, myself included! Here are some resources that I and close peers have found to be particularly insightful.

Krys Burnette
Previous

Tips to get started on your culture transformation initiative
Next

Becoming Agile: Mindsets over Processes