552: The Way Managers Can be Champions for Justice, with Minda Harts

Nov 1, 2021

Minda Harts, Founder and CEO of The Memo, advocates for women of color in the workplace. In this conversation, she discusses actionable strategies for managers to promote inclusivity, highlighting the alarming statistics of black women in leadership. Minda emphasizes the need for courage in confronting injustices and the importance of allyship. She introduces the Manager’s Pledge, outlining six ways leaders can foster equity. The discussion delves into the resilience required to rebuild trust and challenge systemic biases for a more just workplace.

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ADVICE

Making Good Trouble

'Make good trouble' by addressing harmful behavior directly or indirectly.
Determine your comfort level, but inaction is unacceptable for allies and inclusive managers.

ADVICE

Prepare for Action

Prepare in advance for how you will respond to racially charged incidents.
Taking any action is better than inaction; find what feels authentic to you and commit to it.

ANECDOTE

Small Actions, Big Impact

Minda Harts shares a story of correcting someone's pronoun use for a transgender woman.
Small actions can have significant positive impacts without requiring grand gestures.

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Minda Harts: Right Within

Minda Harts is the founder and CEO of The Memo and an advocate for women of color in the workplace. She is a sought-after speaker and thought-leader, frequently speaking on topics of advancing women of color, leadership, diversity, and entrepreneurship. She was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for Equity in the Workplace and was honored as one of BET’s Future 40. She has been a featured speaker at TEDx Harlem, Nike, Levi’s, Bloomberg, Google, SXSW, and many other places.

She is an adjunct assistant professor of public service at NYU. She also hosts Secure the Seat, a career podcast for women of color. Minda is the author of the bestselling book The Memo* and now her new book Right Within: How to Heal From Racial Trauma in the Workplace*.

In this conversation, Minda and I discuss the daily actions that managers can do to support inclusion in the workplace, especially for women of color. We explore the unfortunate realities of systemic racism that still show up in many workplaces and how we can all do better. Plus, Minda invites us to consider the Manager’s Pledge and six key ways we can bring more equity into our organizations.

Key Points

The State of Black Women in Corporate America report finds that in 2020, Black women held 1.6 percent of vice president roles and 1.4 percent of executive suite positions.
When someone says something racially charged, one of two things tend to happen: laugher or silence. We can do better.
You don’t need to be the hero, but you do have a responsibility to start.
All of us will mess up. Take inspiration from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where the broken pieces reassembled become more beautiful than the original.
We often miss the opportunities that are right in front of us. Starting there is how each of us bring justice into the world.

Resources Mentioned

Right Within: How to Heal From Racial Trauma in the Workplace* by Minda Harts
Minda’s website

Interview Notes

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Related Episodes

How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404)
How to Support Women of Color, with Minda Harts (episode 506)
How to Reduce Bias in Feedback, with Therese Huston (episode 510)

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