Blog - Reflejos
Time to Act Is Now!
Time to Act is Now!
The events of this past week and countless others like it have made what I am about to suggest even more salient right now. We find ourselves in a time when we should make the time to be reflective in applying what we are learning to be the change we want to see.
Please take a moment to read this and think about what steps you will be taking to develop a deeper cultural understanding so that you can make the change you would like to see in yourself and the organizations you serve.
Do you find yourself wondering how to take the things listed in the recent blog post 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice and make them actionable? Have you ever found yourself at the end of an intense diversity, equity, and inclusion workshop/training thinking to yourself, “I really want to take what I learned and apply it, but I don’t know what or how to do that”? The same could be said if you are reading a book such as Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist or Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. These are excellent books that can lead to great learning opportunities that can help you develop and strengthen your cultural humility and understanding, but for many reading a book on your own is not enough.
I am certain that you have asked yourself those questions. What can you do to take what you’ve learned and apply them? You may choose to discuss what you learned with your colleagues or professional mentors. You could also take the time to journal about your experience and write down your reflections. This is a good way to not forget what you learned, but what if you want to go deeper and ask harder questions about your identity or maybe something you may have disagreed with that was said by a colleague or a facilitator or that you read in a book? In my coaching practice and in conversations I have had with White colleagues there may be a fear of being labeled a bigot--or worst yet--a racist, if you share your questions or something you may have disagreed with. This may result in not sharing or processing with someone your questions or reflections, which could lead to a missed opportunity for deep learning.
In 2018 Forbes Magazine’s Coaches Council published an article entitled “Put it into practice: 14 Actionable Ways to Implement Your Learning,” which include some excellent suggestions:
Identify your top strengths
Enlist a feedback partner to make the learning stick
Figure out your why
Create metrics for learning
Supplement your learning with continuity training
Do some honest self-reflection
Establish an action plan and review your goals
Seek out experiential learning opportunities
Write about it
Put yourself in the right mindset to start taking action
Find a mentor
Get out in the world and make some mistakes
Set long and short-term goals
Pay attention to changes in your behavior
These important steps can and should be taken to put what you are learning into practice. What I have learned along the way is that if you don’t have someone or a group of people to help you process and provide the accountability, these things tend not to happen.
I would say that in the case of developing cultural humility and understanding, you can benefit from having a coach to keep you accountable and moving in the right direction. A coach can help by creating a brave space for you to process the things you have been reflecting on. A coach can also help you by asking you questions to bring clarity and in setting achievable goals to take your learning deeper and move you toward being a stronger ally and advocate. They can also help you identify how your implicit bias creeps into your everyday interactions. This can be done by asking you questions that can help you identify your biases and how they may be impeding the development of your cultural humility and understanding.
It is time to act, let me partner with as your coach. I seek to listen, bring clarity and provide support.
