NH Business Review Column: How We Can Lead on Race

With the recent deaths of George Floyd and others at the hands of law enforcement, our country faces another crisis requiring us to step up and make a difference. In my leadership workshops, I emphasize embracing personal change in order to grow. That principle clearly applies to this situation.

“Back to the Future” is one of my favorite films. It has a powerful underlying message – actions today do change the future. A recent meme has the character Doc telling Marty, “Whatever happens, don’t go to 2020.” While we might prefer to be living in a different year, crises create opportunities for positive change. I hope this one will.

A couple of years ago, I took the free online Harvard Implicit Association Test which concluded that my biases against people of color run pretty deep. I think of myself as a good and fair person, so this was a bit of surprise. But it reinforced that the racial divide is built on a long history, including subtle (and not so subtle) messaging and socialization. If we are going to change the future, it requires all of us, especially white people, to do some serious work to better understand unconscious bias.

We can also do better with diversity and inclusion training. These workshops typically have a “check the box” feeling, scratching the surface, but rarely engaging people in meaningful conversations that change behavior, hearts or minds.

If we want to build a better country, all of us, especially leaders, need to become better educated and look deeper within ourselves for unconscious bias. We need to get out of our comfort zones and courageously encourage meaningful conversations with people different from ourselves. If we act to end this pattern of injustice, we can create a better future.

You can read Dr. Teschner’s full column at https://www.nhbr.com/how-we-can-lead-on-race/