How White Men Can Be Courageous Leaders In An Age Of Political Correctness

A rising tide floats all boats

During the first Republican debate in the runup to the 2016 presidential election, then-candidate Donald Trump faced a tough line of questioning regarding his views on women. Unlike a typical politician, Trump didn’t explain away or apologize for his history of disparaging comments. Instead, Trump criticized this country’s habit of moderating public speech. 

“I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct,” Trump said. “I’ve been challenged by so many people, and I don’t, frankly, have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time, either.” The debate audience reacted with loud applause.
 

In response to Trump’s comments, researchers at Fairleigh Dickinson University conducted a nationwide survey gauging the country’s attitude towards political correctness. Their results showed that 68% of respondents agreed with the statement: “A big problem this country has is being politically correct.” The survey appeared to justify Trump’s comments. However, under closer scrutiny, the picture isn’t so clear.

While the survey’s main findings received most of the attention, they didn’t tell the entire story. When researchers amended the question by asking, “Donald Trump said recently: A big problem this country has is being politically correct,” the results changed dramatically. Now, only 53% agreed, with many more self-identified republicans agreeing than democrats. This reveals how politically loaded the term politically correct actually is.

Years ago, being politically correct meant using language fitting a plurality definition of culture, ethnicity, gender or other differences. Thanks in part to our hyper-partisan discourse, political correctness has been transformed. Today, even among well-meaning people, being politically correct means speaking half-truths while hiding our actual experiences. In some circles, the term has devolved into a sort of slur and refers to an approved party line. 

One of the consequences of this evolution is that we’ve lost the ability to talk about the difficult issues surrounding race and identity — especially in the workplace.  

One of the biggest challenges of our politically correct culture is that it sets up issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as problems we can fix. This attitude has all kinds of downstream consequences, especially among people (mostly white) who resent being lumped in as part of the problem.

In my DEI work, I like to frame these efforts differently. It's akin to creating a culture of safety on a construction site. In these environments, there are safety problems to address. However, if workers fix these problems and then never discuss safety again, people will still get hurt. That's why the construction industry builds a culture of safety, where workers address the topic through everyday actions and attitudes. The same principle applies to DEI.

We must change our mindset from merely talking-the-talk and fixing perceived problems to approaching DEI as a journey we're all on together. That way, we can achieve better results for everyone.

It's no secret that white men hold the majority of leadership roles within the workplace. This arrangement sets up a kind of feedback loop, wherein white men tend to hire and promote people who look and act as they do. Sometimes this is intentional. However, even well-meaning leaders fall into this trap. That's why I work closely with white men to help uncover their blind spots so they can work as agents of change in the workplace. To do this, I encourage white men to focus on three specific actions.

If we're talking about loaded words, courage would undoubtedly rank near the top. Most men are encultured to equate courage with being the manliest possible version of themselves. However, in this instance, I'm asking white men to have the courage to be vulnerable in the workplace. This isn't an easy task.

In our society, we reward leaders for acting like they know what they're doing, even when they don't. This sets up a dangerous dynamic when it comes to DEI issues. If leaders are afraid to admit what they don't know, they'll never develop the empathy necessary to see the world through a different set of eyes.

White men can begin testing themselves in this area by surveying how much time they're spending in inquiry versus advocacy. Leaders who are in advocacy-mode are telling people what to do rather than listening. By contrast, leaders who are in inquiry-mode ask others what they might be missing. Through these questions, white men can begin displaying vulnerability, which leads to empathy as they build their curiosity towards the experiences of others.  

Many white men are raised to equate a firm handshake and looking someone in the eye as signs of strength or talent. However, in some cultures looking someone in the eyes is disrespectful or even an outright challenge. You can see the problems this creates. If white men assign positive values to certain insider-group behaviors, they'll automatically exclude entire groups of perfectly competent individuals. So how do leaders begin disrupting these unconscious biases?

To start, white men should monitor what's happening internally and ask themselves how they feel when confronted with these differences. In most cases, feelings of anxiety are a good indicator of where to start working. So, whenever possible, move towards whatever causes that unease.

Then, start paying attention to what's happening outside your body and inside your organization. Pay attention to who's talking, who's not talking and who commands attention. Look at how things are structured to find larger patterns. In many ways, this is all part of staying in the inquiry mindset as you develop personal vulnerability and a greater sense of empathy for those around you.

The final piece of this puzzle comes into place as white men build their skills and behaviors to become better partners and leaders across differences. This last component isn't a pass/fail test. Instead, it's the ongoing work of personal improvement. However, as you demonstrate vulnerability and develop empathy for others, you'll be more equipped to build on the mistakes you'll inevitably make. What matters most is your willingness to remain open to change as you take this journey of inclusion. 

These topics are confusing, especially for people who don't live the everyday experiences of an outsider group. That's why one of the critical skills I teach is becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. So, as you work through these complicated questions on your journey of self-improvement, allow your confusion to drive your curiosity.

One of the biggest challenges we face during this age of political correctness is the entrenched impression that DEI is a zero-sum game. In other words, minority opportunities can only rise at the expense of white men. This is simply false.

By creating a culture of full inclusion, everyone — including white men — has the opportunity to be wholly themselves in the workplace. As that opportunity spreads out across differences, we can begin to see new levels of cooperation, new synergies, and new accomplishment. That rising tide will lift everyone higher. 

Then, the divisions endemic within that compromised politically correct framework won't matter anymore. Because, when everyone is free to be themselves, we can all communicate effectively regardless of the differences that exist between us. 

Bill Proudman is the CEO and Founder of White Men as Full Diversity Partners. Starting in the 1990s, Bill began pioneering white-men-only diversity learning labs after noticing white male executives were not actively engaged in their organization’s diversity & inclusion efforts. Bill’s innovative work led to co-founding White Men As Full Diversity Partners, and the development of WMFDP’s provocative approach to engaging white male business leaders in inclusion efforts. For over 35 years, he has served as a leadership development consultant, coach, and facilitator to countless organizations and executives around the globe on issues of team effectiveness, cultural competency, and inclusion. He is a sought after speaker, writer, and thought-leader at the intersection of diversity & inclusion and leadership. Visit https://wmfdp.com/ Connect Bill Proudman