1 – Society is Changing — So Must We
As business leaders, we don’t have to look far to see that interactions, thinking, and expectations are evolving inside and outside of our work environments. Change is accelerating. We must adapt to stay relevant.
2 – Opportunity is Waiting
There are signs of opportunity everywhere. You just have to know where to look.
To shyft:
- we must acknowledge that what goes on outside the four-walls of our organizations will impact what goes on within them.
- we must acknowledge that past approaches have not brought about the changes needed to create diverse and equitable cultures.
- we must engage on hard topics like diversity, inclusion, and equity.
- we must develop our awareness of the reality of what it, so that we can transition to the possibilities of what can be.
We have the ability and capacity to embrace shyfting social dynamics. When we embrace diversity and create inclusive cultures, we will benefit from increases in things like engagement, productivity, retention, satisfaction, commitment, innovation, and creativity.
3 – Avoiding Crises
Signs of crises are everywhere. Stories of deception and abuse by social media giants, car and airline manufacturers, police, and pharmaceutical companies are plaguing headlines. Individual misconduct is bringing corporations and organizations to their knees with lawsuits and PR nightmares.
People are losing faith in corporate America and leaders to do the right thing at the right time. Organizations are in crises for lack of adequate response. They have swept misconduct, sexual harassment, toxic work environments, bias, and prejudice under the rug for far too long.
4 – Leaders of Industry are Already Shyfting
Leaders of industry are:
- innovating in ways to embrace social change
- building social awareness
- embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion
- committed to having a positive impact in their organizations and in the communities
Take a look at leaders of industry like Marc Benioff or Hamid Ulukaya to find stories of inspiration. Benioff, CEO of Salesforce TM, committed his organization to eliminating inequality and the pay gap for women and minorities. He also uses his position to help other leaders create positive sustainable change. (Check out his book Trailblazer).
Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani TM Yogurt, challenges CEOs to take care of their employees and the communities first; the rest will fall into place. Ulukaya invested resources in a defunct yogurt factory in upstate New York, against the advice of traditional pundits. He not only succeeded, he made a positive impact in the community and in the lives of 1,000s of employees as the brand grew.
5 – We Have the Capacity
Throughout history, we have seen businesses rise to the occasion and innovate to solve problems. When the women entered the workforce in large numbers, it did not displace those that were already there. It opened doors to new opportunities.
We have the capacity to help everyone thrive.
6 – The Status Quo Has To Go
It is becoming more and more clear that the status quo is not longer tenable. Traditional methods of change and diversity training are failing corporate America and the people they are meant to help. We need to take a closer look at socialization and group dynamics to lead change.
The status quo has left too many on the sidelines for too long. Assessing the reality of what is within a social, cultural, and historical context will allow us to shape a future full of possibilities.
We Need to Shyft
- To create inclusive cultures where everyone thrives
- To capitalize on shyfting social dynamics
- To overcome the unconscious bias and barriers that are holding us back
- To flourish in an equitable and innovative world
It is time to ….
…and shyft the status quo.
By Kristin Heck Sajadi, Founder and CEO at Shyft Strategies, LLC Sajadi is a sociologist, entrepreneur and developer of the Shyft5 TM program – helping individuals and organizations build social awareness as a business asset to shyft the status quo.
Shyft5 TM program tackles challenges and builds awareness—the benchmark for effective communication, productive interaction, and thriving cultures in today’s organizations.
At Shyft Strategies, we help you uncover the obstacles and barriers preventing you from reaching your goals. We help you navigate today’s new business and human capital reality. The first step to moving forward is increasing awareness. Awareness isn’t just learning a new fact or statistic. It is connecting the dots between what is and why, so that we can consciously and cognitively shyft to what can be and how.