I was surprised that when I took the Gender-Leader Implicit Association Test from chapter 15 of Leadership: Theory and Practice (Northouse, 2019) that I had a score of -14 seconds. A negative time means that I have a slight association with female and leader then I do with male and leader. Concerning fostering recognition and a sense of belonging for women in your workplace, it seems that I have a natural inclination to do that anyway. For myself, I believe it\u2019s now recognizing why I do that, how I came to do that, and then how I can pass that on to others who have gender associations in regards to leaders and supporters.<\/p>\n
Nugent, Pollock, & Travis (2016) in their Catalyst report say that employees, regardless of gender, who experience a sense of uniqueness and a sense of belonging, feel that they are being included within the organization. As a pastor and a leader within a larger organization, reading something like this makes me ask the question, \u201cWhat is my part to play in this locally, but also in regards to the entire organization?\u201d Nugent, et al. (2016) suggest that simple day-to-day activities that can help are instead of just saying, \u201cPeople matter,\u201d take the time to set up one-on-one meetings, not only with your direct reports by also with employees two to three levels down just to get to know them. Also, it is our responsibility as leaders, Nugent, et al. (2016 suggests), to review, revisit, and revamp existing practices to uncover exclusionary norms.<\/p>\n
I think about my day-to-day activities. Even though my wife and I only have two employees who are our direct reports, I have a whole congregation who views us as their \u201cspiritual leaders.\u201d So now I look at my part in the organization as a whole. As Nugent, et al. (2016) suggests, I need to pay attention to the Human Side of change, not just the programs and policies by being a role model of the desired outcomes I want to achieve. Also, monitoring the progress and the setbacks through feedback, engaging with employees, and highlighting and amplifying inclusion in ways that reflect what people want to see (Nugent, et al., 2016).<\/p>\n
In summary, I believe that the organization I work for is doing a great job in employee inclusiveness regardless of gender. However, it is still something that needs to be monitored, and the work has to continue. It starts with leadership modeling of what we want to see our organization continue to be \u2013 an inclusive one.<\/p>\n
References:<\/p>\n
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.<\/p>\n
Nugent, J., Pollack, A. & Travis, D. (2016).\u00a0The day to day experiences of workplace inclusion and exclusion<\/em>. Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/www.catalyst.org\/system\/files\/the_day_to_day_experiences_of_workplace_inclusion_and_exclusion.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was surprised that when I took the Gender-Leader Implicit Association Test from chapter 15 of Leadership: Theory and Practice (Northouse, 2019) that I had a score of -14 seconds. A negative time means that I have a slight association with female and leader then I do with male and leader. Concerning fostering recognition and … <\/p>\n