Increasingly, businesses face the need to establish an allyship, that is, being accountable for the support and inclusion of marginalized groups such as LGBTQ. To foster accountability, consider these four strategies:
- Be conscious of intersectionality. People often identify more with one group than another. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t likely to be effective. Instead, find ways to value people’s differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and more.
- Be proactive about inclusion. Include people from different backgrounds and identities to strengthen your teams, encourage creativity, and change how you think and approach problem-solving.
- When you have difficult, uncomfortable conversations, resist the urge not to respond or to be defensive. Have interactive conversations; don’t lecture or pontificate.
- Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Open, honest dialogue can be difficult. However, it also helps expand understanding and appreciation for each other. Create safe spaces to share experiences and views without fear of judgment or retribution.