May 30 was World Creativity Day.
I believe that the most successful companies and leaders not only understand their vision and values, but that they also live them through their actions, their work, and how they show up in the world. Helping clients define and strategize how to do this is one of my favorite aspects of my work as a consultant and coach.
I spent World Creativity Day reflecting on how I, individually and through my business, will take action toward dismantling systems and structures that were designed to oppress, marginalize, and exclude.
The responsibility to become more creative and urgent about how we are doing this must be taken personally. Thus, I invite you to join me in taking this opportunity to reflect, and from there, to devise steps you will commit to in taking action. Even small steps will make a difference, even if it feels small. Because when we each take responsibility personally, it changes the whole game.
Below are two steps I will take, and I am sharing these steps in hopes that if you don’t know where to start but you want to take positive action, you can do these. Don’t let this stop you from getting creative and forming your own list.
1. Extend what privilege you have to help others.
When you leave the house, has it ever occurred to you that, just for being who you are or looking like you do, you may attract the wrong attention or potentially be subject to violence? If it hasn’t, look around. Be aware of who may be going through that and imagine how that experience feels, and act toward that person the way you would want to be treated. Help protect and affirm that person’s ability to be who they are without fear. Create space for them. Celebrate them. Enable them to be and do. Speak out on their behalf, even when they aren’t there. Extend access to opportunities, connections, resources, etc., that they may not have access to without you.
2. Audit your spending, investing, and hiring decisions, and make changes.
This is about doing step #1 above, with your cash. We all vote with our wallets. Look at what you spend money on. It reflects what you value. For the products and services you buy, especially those you buy regularly, prioritize those that are created, founded, and produced by people from historically oppressed and marginalized communities.
Do the same with your hiring and independent contractor choices. According to the analysis by the Center for Talent Innovation, “African Americans account for about 12% of the U.S. population, but occupy only 3.2% of the senior leadership roles at large companies in the U.S. and just 0.8% of all Fortune 500 CEO positions.” These statistics affirm systemic suppression of the talent of people of color in the workforce.
Last, examine your investments. Work with firms and investment managers of color, and prioritize a portfolio of companies that are founded and led by diverse founders and managers.
If you’re in a position to become a venture investor, work with a firm such as Precursor. Venture capital and investments are hardest for women and people of color to secure, especially at the early stages of their businesses. According to Kapor Capital, “of all VC funding over the past decade, Latinx women-led startups have raised only 0.32 percent while black women have raised only .0006 percent. In 2018, a Morgan Stanley-funded survey of 101 investors found that nearly 60 percent believe women and minority-owned businesses receive ‘about the right amount of capital’ while 20 percent believe they receive ‘more capital than they deserve’.” White men make up more than 90% of venture capitalists, who, according to MarketWatch, “are prone to fund other male-led companies.”
Remember, these systems suppress people as well as their potential and their ability to thrive and contribute. Their innovative ideas, tools, products, services, and solutions. Their creativity. Perhaps there’s an idea that could help you do better business, 10x your returns or connect you with your target audience more easily, that you’ll never experience because it’s being suppressed. Now why would you want that?
If you’re not thinking about how you’re taking part in the system, it’s time. Unleash your creativity to make the world better for all. Do your research. Change your spending. Look at your small spending decisions, daily financial habits, longer-range investments, and make changes. With each person who does this, things shift and the whole picture begins to change.
Black Lives Matter. If you agree, you can make a difference by living your ideals.
When you put your creativity toward living your values and embracing equity – right down to your financial decisions – even small actions can be powerful.