Varying Perspectives at the Heart of Effective Leadership
By Robert J. Aldrich, Director of Operations and Campus Planning, Hackley School
Representing and celebrating the importance of diversity in the workplace and ensuring that the teams that I am a part of are inclusive and representative have been defining characteristics of my life. I joined the Hackley community in 2021 as the Director of Operations and Campus Planning overseeing Buildings & Grounds, our FLIK partnership, Information Technology, the Infirmary, and Auxiliary Programs, but twenty years ago I was in law enforcement.
In 2001, I was honored to be appointed one of the youngest Chiefs of Police in New Hampshire history. And at just 22 years old, I decided to come out publicly on the pages of Bay Windows — an LGBTQ+ newspaper published in Boston — to bring attention to the work that I was doing through a professional association of gay and lesbian police officers. The association provided training for law enforcement leaders around the world on the important work of supporting minorities in the workplace, providing a safe environment for LGBTQ+ police officers, and bringing attention to the alarming number of suicides in the profession.
I was fortunate to travel around the country and around the world — from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles and Brussels — to speak with law enforcement leaders and share the experiences of LGBTQ+ police officers, help shape progressive policies and inclusive workplace benefits, and advocate for a safer work environment for my fellow officers. I remember starting every training session with, “diversity is more than a necessary evil or the fashionable buzzword of the day, it is the reality of the society in which we live and work.” It is as true today as it was twenty years ago.
In his book Belonging at Work, Rhodes Perry writes, “I understood that I would be required to surrender some aspects of my personal expression to align with a prospective employer’s mission and values.” In law enforcement, a profession that is supposed to pride itself on integrity and honesty, the ethical dilemma this poses for LGBTQ+ officers is an all-consuming struggle. Officer Michael Carney, a friend and colleague who I traveled and trained with, appeared before the United States Congress to testify in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In his testimony he spoke specifically about this dilemma and the struggles he faced in a profession that did not value diversity and did not create an environment where he could be his authentic self. “The more I thought of these things, the more isolated and insecure I felt; I realized how singled-out and second-class I really was.”
The advice that we shared with law enforcement leaders is no different than the important work that any successful workplace leader should undertake:
- In any profession that has a long entrenched history — whether that’s policing or independent schools — it’s important to recognize that changes in attitude and culture take time and effort.
- There is no substitute for strong leadership from the top and throughout every level of management on issues of diversity.
- Only when the message is clear from the highest levels of the organization that there is a commitment to inclusion and a zero tolerance for discrimination or workplace harassment can employees feel safe to be themselves and contribute fully and authentically to the mission.
This is not extra work, this is the work. The important work of diversifying teams, elevating the opinions and talents of those who are under-represented, and challenging the way things have always been done must be on-going and ever present.
In school settings, I saw some of the same struggles in students as I saw in my law enforcement colleagues, but I was buoyed by the higher levels of acceptance and understanding that the next generation embodied. I had the ability to work as an advisor to the gay-straight alliances at Phillips Exeter Academy and as a dormitory parent at Miss Hall’s School, which allowed me to continue to support the LGBTQ+ community in new ways. And I also found myself leading teams that were inherently more diverse than those that were drawn to a career in law enforcement. I was now surrounded by students and colleagues from around the world, and I found new appreciation in the diversity of thought that everyone brought to the table.
Too often in law enforcement, decisions must be made alone and in the moment. These split second decisions can also have life and death consequences. Although this model for decision making was sometimes necessary in my previous career, I now value the environment, the time, and the space that allows for better decision-making as a leader in independent school settings. The ability to pause, to surround yourself with people smarter than you, to encourage dissenting opinions, to question yourself, to ask “what have we not thought of yet,” and, most importantly, to be able to better understand the impacts and consequences of a decision in advance will all lead to a better outcome. During our bi-weekly Operations Team meetings at Hackley, we bring together directors from across multiple departments to share information, support one another, and be a sounding board for decisions. The diversity of thought, as well as the collective personal and professional experiences, allows for collaboration and engagement and invites vulnerability in recognizing that someone else may have a better idea or solution.
This collaborative approach does not mean that the work is easier. However, just like in police work, success is often tied to those with whom we surround ourselves. This is why the commitments that we have made as a community in Hackley’s strategic plan, Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, is so important. The work that we are doing to recruit, hire, and retain diverse, talented, and passionate employees is integral to our growth and success as an organization and the impact we can have on our students and the broader community. For, as cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”
