Microvalidations vs. Microaggressions

 from Harvard Business Review

Microvalidations to Affirm Your Colleagues

Most of us are aware of microaggressions: subtle comments or acts of exclusion that can negatively impact the well-being of people who belong to historically marginalized groups. To go farther than simply recognizing and avoiding microaggressions, try using microvalidations: equally subtle but powerful actions or language that affirm and encourage your underrepresented colleagues. Acknowledge people’s presence. Give a nod, a warm smile, or a greeting when your colleague enters a room or a virtual meeting. In many cultures, simply addressing someone by name and making eye contact signals positive regard. And when someone is speaking, give them your full attention—put your phone away, close your laptop, and listen. Validate people’s identity. Refer to people in a way that’s in line with how they think of themselves. For example, call your colleagues by their preferred names. Don’t use unsolicited nicknames or anglicize names that are less common or difficult for you to pronounce. And respect people’s gender identities by being aware of—and using—their pronouns. Voice your appreciation for people’s contributions. Share directly with your colleagues how they’ve made important contributions, influenced decision-making, or helped build a strong team culture. Thank people for challenging the status quo. Hold people to high standards. Don’t shy away from assigning challenging work. Do provide the resources and developmental feedback people need to succeed.

Disagree Productively

 From HBR:

Disagreements in the workplace don’t have to fuel conflict. If you handle them well, they can be opportunities to build closer relationships and come up with better ideas. Here are some strategies for navigating these difficult conversations. First, approach the exchange with a willingness to learn, rather than a persuasive or combative attitude. Be humble. It’s possible that you’re missing something, and an open mind will invite your counterpart in instead of pushing them away. On the flip side, don’t underestimate their interest in learning from you. Give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove that they haven’t earned it. This kind of generosity will make the exchange more pleasant for both of you. Finally, be explicit about your intentions. For example, before making your own argument, you might say: “This is an important topic. I’m curious to hear what people who disagree with me think about this issue.” Then you could close your own argument with: “I recognize that not everyone sees this in the same way, and I would like to better understand where other people are coming from.”

How to build feedback into team culture

 from Harvard Business Review email

Build Feedback into Your Team’s Culture

As a manager, how can you help your team become more comfortable giving and receiving feedback? It’s all about making the process less formal and intimidating and the feedback more frequent and actionable. To embed feedback into your team’s culture, start by creating a shared understanding of what feedback really is. Host an open discussion where you ask questions like: What does feedback mean to you? When feedback is effective, how does it feel? When does feedback feel forced or scary? The answers will help your team come up with a definition that works for everyone. Next, develop a new process that makes it faster and easier for everyone to give useful insights to each other. This might mean dedicating time in meetings or creating space on virtual channels for people to request feedback, deliver specific praise, and raise ideas for improvement. Finally, in your one-on-one meetings with direct reports, you can take the fear out of feedback by starting the conversation with thoughtful questions rather than your observations. This approach gives your employees more agency in the feedback process and allows the conversation to happen on their terms, rather than yours.