Networking these days is all the rage. Everyone now understands that an investment in networking can expand one’s sphere of influence, increase opportunities for development, and open doors to better career prospects. However, there is an inherent problem in the way most people are networking that is less recognized — and that is that most people don’t understand the impact that bias has on good networking practices.
Most of us tend to spend more time with and be more interested in people who are like us, and this human tendency limits diversity within our networks. The more time you spend networking with people like yourself, the more likely you are to: notice talent within, define talent by, provide mentorship to, and promote people within those networks of people like yourself.
Decision makers tend to hire people who are very similar to themselves. This leads to an environment with the same kinds of people hanging out with the same kinds of people. They go to lunch, go out after work, go on runs. This then becomes a huge barrier to diversity. It especially harms women and people of color. Why? Because, let’s face it — especially within industries such as tech — these “same kinds of people” we are talking about are white men.
When our networks are limited to only certain types of people, the way we are influenced by, and our ability to influence diverse populations, is limited. This is bad for the social good and bad for business. Making a change in the way we network requires a conscious effort. Here are some ways ensure your network is not your own unique version of the good ol’ boy club:
- Create personal goals around networking for diversity and inclusion
- Advocate for the business advantage of networking for diversity and inclusion
- Speak up to encourage inclusive practices
Create personal goals around networking for diversity and inclusion
If you are a decision maker for recruiting and hiring, you have a responsibility to mitigate bias and work to bring people with a wider range of backgrounds and expertise into your company. If there is a gap between this responsibility and what you are doing in practice, a good way to close that gap is to create personal goals for yourself that will ensure diverse networking is more of a priority for you. When setting the goals, be sure to answer the questions:
- What specifically do I want to accomplish?
- What actions will I take to accomplish this?
- How will I measure success with this, or how will I know if I have accomplished this?
Advocate for the business advantage of networking for diversity and inclusion
When people with different backgrounds and experiences work together:
- A broader variety of ideas are brought to the table
- People challenge each other more and are encouraged to question their assumptions
- There is generally more dissent and less groupthink, which compels people to be more innovative and creative
- As a group, you are more in touch with the needs and desires of your diverse customer base
- Companies become known as an organization that more appropriately reflects the diversity of the populations they serve
Speak up to encourage inclusive practices
When you notice networking practices being accepted and encouraged in your workplace that put women and people at color at a disadvantage, and perpetuate the cycle of the good ol’ boys club, speak up! Don’t attack the person for their well-intentioned efforts, but make suggestions like:
“Bob, it seems like your involvement in some of the same activities with this candidate has given you a lot of opportunity to assess his qualifications and has strengthened your rapport with this candidate. This could be good, but perhaps we should also spend some more time talking with some other potential candidates before offering this promotion. We might learn some others have just as much potential. Maybe we just haven’t spent as much time with them and don’t know as much about them yet.”
or
“John, I’ve noticed you invest your time as a mentor and help grow people to be better leaders in our company. I see how you make a positive difference, and noticing this has given me an idea for how you could help us out. We are working to make sure our talent pool of managers and directors reflects the diverse populations we are serving. We are particularly concerned with making sure our promotion practices are fair to women and people of color. Will you help us by consciously working to incorporate diversity and inclusion into your mentoring approach? I think you could help us really strengthen our inclusion efforts through your mentoring and leadership.”
Over the next several months, I will continue to blog about the practical steps employers can take to promote fairer interviewing, selecting, and hiring practices. Please join in the conversation.
Originally published at Jelani Consulting.