Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace
Sally Helgesen
Hatchette Books (February 2023)
How to build cultures of belonging in which personal growth and professional development thrive
Many of the “silos” that undermine communication, cooperation, and (especially) collaboration in organizations are disguised as human beings. According to Harry Truman, among others — success is more likely when no one cares who gets the credit for it.
Sally Helgesen: “My purpose in writing Rising Together is to address the challenge of building broad, resilient, and diverse webs of relationship in two ways.
“The first part of the book identifies eight common triggers that undermine the ability to connect with people whose history and values may be different from our own…But identifying potential barriers is only the first step We also need to take positive action. That’s why the second part of this book offers simple and very specific everyday practices that enable us — as individuals, in our organizations, on our teams — to create cultures of belonging.”
No matter how different the healthiest organizations may be in most respects, all of them have a workplace culture of belonging within which personal growth and professional development are most likely to thrive. People think and behave in terms of first-person PLURAL pronouns. It is no coincidence that the companies annually ranked among those most highly admired and best to work for are also annually ranked among those most profitable, with the greatest cap value in their industry segment.
According to Helgesen, people rise together by recognizing and understanding “the common triggers that can hold us back.” More specifically, they rise together by
o Claiming visibility while acknowledging the contributions of others
o Neither over- nor undermanaging what others think
o Distinguishing overconfidence from competence
o Appreciating and learning from another’s communication styles
o Recognizing the extent to which it’s not fair” is a losing game
o Knowing how to develop, extend, and leverage our networks
o Getting humor right
o Acknowledging the role attraction can play in workplace relationships
o Practicing incisive habits on a daily basis
o Enisting one another’s support
o Understanding the true nature of power
Whatever their size and nature may be, all organizations need effective leadership at all levels and in all areas of the given enterprise. Some of Helgesen’s most valuable le insights are provided in Part III, especially in Chapter Ten (“The Power of Inclusive Behaviors). “Every one of us, no matter our level, can use the practices described in this chapter to help build more inclusive teams and cultures. But behavior-based approaches can be extraordinarily effective when a leader [with or without a title] makes a wholehearted commitment to focusing on behavior, not bias.”
As I read this material, I was again reminded of my favorite passage in Lao-tse’s Tao Te Ching:
“Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves.”
Most business thinkers who write bestsellers can easily identify the WHAT and WHY of collective, collaborative success. Few have Helgesen’s unique talents for explaining the HOW. For example, consider her selection of the word “trigger. ” Its denotations and connotations — both positive and negative — are eminently appropriate. “Rising Together identifies both the triggers that can undermine this evolution as well as the practices that support it. I believe that this practice-based approach is powerful precisely because it is rooted in everyday experience rather than policy or theory. It offers a bottom-up path to change that gives every one of us the opportunity to shape the cultures of which we are a part.”
I congratulate Sally Helgesen on Rising Together. She makes an immense contribution to thought leadership. It is a brilliant achievement, certain to become a classic. Bravo!