Company Talk about Police Shootings, as Target and CEO

I was reading Ellen McGirt’s post in Fortune, Why Employers Need to talk about Shootings of Black People, buoyed after 24 hours of drifting in waves of despair about the murders of Alton Stewart and Philandro Castile. And then I realized — “I’m the employer”.

As CEO of Truss, with 50% women engineers and a diverse workforce along multiple dimensions, my cofounders and I have worked hard to make our company inclusive, using “radical candor” to address issues that many companies avoid. But this required more of me, because while I am feeling unmoored, part of a CEO’s job is to set the tone. Unfortunately, there isn’t a playbook of great crisis speeches when the CEO is also the target, so it feels like very new ground.

So, I’m publishing what I wrote this afternoon to the Trussels, our employees. I offer it in transparency, with the hope that it moves you to write your own message to your team, your pair programmer, your client or your company. Real or perceived indifference is one of the enemies, so as we say in our values, Show Up and Step Up, and Act Without Fear.

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I posted this just now in FB, but I also want to address this for all the Trussels.
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‘Many of my friends are “calling in black today”. Much respect. For those who can’t or who choose not to, it’s a hard hard day to grapple with two police murders of black men while still maintaining our professional demeanor and standards of excellence (note: We do that every day. Today is harder)

If you have a work colleague that is black, or who is connected deeply to these shootings, please read this article. We’re all “whole people” and understanding how trauma affects work can make a better company for everyone.’
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We can’t have the benefits of a diverse and vibrant company without acknowledging when it gets hard. Today is one of those days for me, and “as an employer” it feels awkward, challenging — and necessary — to address it. Personally, I’m exhausted, so I’m not up for engaging in conversation. But I *can* create a tone and a space where Trussels can engage without fear of reprisal, toxicity, or indifference. Let it be so. However you choose to engage, at minimum read Ellen’s article and take a moment to reflect, and take care of each other.