What’s your privilege and how do you use it?
Let me start by saying: I am privileged. It is important for me to acknowledge this as part of this conversation. My privilege is also significant. I benefit from it in many forms. I have white privilege and male privilege as well as heterosexual and socioeconomic privilege, to name only a few.
I have come to learn (driven by curiosity and to a degree shame, following the harrowing events of last summer) that even acknowledging white privilege, for example, is often dismissed as a radical view. Addressing these unearned advantages is an important part of addressing the inequality that characterises our society. Most of us in this industry benefit from privilege in one form or another yet the mere act of recognising this can be difficult and uncomfortable for many.
Whatever kind of privilege we focus on, gender race, class, disability, education, the first step is acknowledgement. Having privilege often means you aren’t required to talk about these topics. So it’s also constructive to “Lean-in” to some of these conversations with your friends and colleagues. Have the courage to have such discussions. I for one found them enlightening and yet at the same time it was worrying to reflect on just how blind I was to such issues.
To encourage this kind of engagement with each other we undertook a “Privilege Walk,” where we answered a series of personal questions which forced us to face our own privilege head-on. I’d like to personally thank the many colleagues who engaged with us on these difficult conversations, and want them to know just how valuable they have already been in improving my leadership. Without these dialogues, I believe that I could make decisions that would not consider a wider perspective. Essentially a biased decision based on my background and experiences. That’s not to say the decisions would be flawed (they may be!) just not fully considered.
The next step is to take action. Recognising that privilege has conferred you with a certain advantage is no good if you don’t leverage this power to help those who don’t benefit from it. Societal structures that facilitate racism, ableism and sexism can only be dismantled once the benefiters of such systems begin to take responsibility for their part in the equation. As someone in a position of leadership, it is my responsibility to support this change at my company and in my industry.
In the workplace, this looks like fostering an inclusive environment where everyone is able to achieve their full potential. Our Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) group has created the AMBITION network to improve the inclusivity space for existing employees with non-visible disabilities and make the recruitment process more inclusive for people with all types of disability. This is one of several employee networks supporting D&I at SFS, including EMPOWER and SPARK. Likewise, our BEAUT (Black Equality Allies United Together) was formed by six black women to drive equality and unity through conversation and education. These initiatives are only the beginning and of course much more work will be needed to trigger profound change — but making a start now, however big or small, is the only way forward.
I’d love to hear how you’re addressing privilege in your organisation and how these learnings have impacted the way you lead.
