Max Masure Doesn’t Want to be Accepted. They Want to Belong.
Expert Interview for Sharehold’s Redesigning Belonging Research
Curated by Aly Hassell
This post is part of an ongoing series in which Sharehold is publicly sharing our in-progress research that seeks to explore and answer the question: What does it mean to belong at work in a time of uncertainty? Are you interested in receiving our research insights when they’re released? Sign up here.
Meet Max Masure
Max Masure, who uses pronouns they/them, is Co-Founder of the trans inclusion company Argo Collective and an ethical, antiracist, trans liberation Design Strategist. They exclusively collaborate on people-centered projects with inclusive companies where they have an impact on the leadership decisions and where ethical design is part of the core values with a focus on the healthcare and civic tech fields. Max’s clients include Talkspace, Octave, Monument, the New Jersey Office of Innovation, Essilor, Johnson & Johnson, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and more.
As part of Sharehold’s research on what it means to belong at work in a time of uncertainty, we interviewed Max as an expert in gender inclusion in the workplace. The themes Max surfaced in our interview include how power influences belonging, the change in our expectations for what belonging is, and why the business case for belonging and inclusion… well, doesn’t really matter.
Read on for select quotes from Max’s interview:
How do you define belonging at work?
“Belonging is still seen as ‘accepting’ different people. The more I embrace my own transness and queerness and the magic that it is, I see also that belonging for me is not cis, white, straight people being okay with me sharing a desk with them. That is not belonging.”
“Belonging is that the company is intentionally building their leadership with diverse identities [with] Black, POC, indigenous people, queer, trans, gender non-conforming folks, people with disabilities, older people, single parents and having a lot of perspectives so that the company will be way more accurate with the population that it serves… belonging is about making space for others.”
What does belonging at work specifically mean in this moment of growing uncertainty with COVID-19, US police brutality and the murder of Black civilians, global protests, and increased unemployment and financial insecurity?
“Finally, [with COVID-19] there was enough pause — the great pause — so people are paying more attention to what’s happening for Black folks. And I love that this is not just a protest: it’s not going to slow down. Where we’re reaching now is that there are thousands of organizations and communities led by Black people that know what has to be done.”
“White folks in power have to step down and make some room for people who know what has to be done to be able to implement what should be done. That’s where there’s a lot of tension because the binary of white versus Black and POC and others is still about power.”
White folks in power have to step down and make some room for people who know what has to be done.
“I see a crack that could happen if people in power realize that sharing your power doesn’t make less power for you. There is a scarcity [mentality] for people in power, that they hold onto that power as their only survival. [They think that] if I just give away my power, I won’t be in power anymore. Like yes! That is true. But you’re still believing that capitalism is the only way to drive and assuming that being in power is the only way to be successful in life. As long as people hold onto that too tight, they’re going to miss the boat. I want to see more Black people in leadership and not because a white person ‘accepted’ them in leadership but because they will be better leaders.”
What do you prioritize above belonging and why?
“This is breaking my heart, I hope it will change. I still see that the north star [for many companies] is making money…
Over two, three years of running Argo Collective with gender inclusion workshops, we tried a few things. Like, how can we make the need to be more inclusive an economic benefit for the company? It felt disgusting because there are human beings that are suffering from not doing things the proper way. Is that not enough for you?”
Further Reading
More from Max:
- Max is available for collaboration on ethical design strategy projects.
- In 2021, Max will release “Wake the F*ck Up!” 8-step workbook to reclaim our inner power. Sign up to be the first to know when pre-orders are available here.
Throughout our research, we’ll continue to share peeks into interviews and resources. Here’s the latest:
