Are you an Ally?

Together.  We.  Win.   I say that often.  I believe in those three words.  I also believe kindness is currency.  If you read through many of my blogs, you will see these two themes are pretty consistent.  Last week they came to a wonderful union as I worked with our teams across Gannett to focus our energies on becoming an Ally.  An Ally to those we do not understand, an ally to those who are different than us, an ally to someone who needs an ear.  I want to enhance our culture at Gannett by helping us all to look through the eyes of others. 

Recently, some of our employees completed Unconscious Bias Training and I’m sure many of you reading this have also read about unconscious bias. Hopefully, as you learned more about unconscious bias, these new insights sparked some introspection and self-reflection.  For those of us at Gannett who completed the training {as an aside, over 95% of the employees we offered it to, completed the training}, there was a segment in the course about how someone can go from being a “Bystander” to an “Ally”.  To further our understanding of unconscious bias, we wanted to re-introduce the concept of being an Ally to all our employees.  We want our employees to feel comfortable being who they are all the time.  Being an Ally means understanding yourself and deepening your understanding of others, supporting your peers (even if you may have differing views), not being complicit when you see biased behaviors, taking responsibility when you make a mistake, and showing you are an Ally by using appropriate, respectful and thoughtful words.

What does it mean to be an Ally?

Being an Ally means examining your beliefs about people or groups who are different from you and asking yourself if some of those beliefs are stereotypes or biases. Being an Ally is the process of working to develop individual attitudes, environments and a culture in which all employees feel valued. An Ally is a person who works to facilitate the development of, and to improve the experience of, all employees in our workplace. To be the best Ally, challenge yourself. Dig deep to assess your perceptions and be mindful in your judgment of others.

What an Ally is NOT.

Being an Ally is not being an expert, for example, on disabilities, veterans affairs or gay rights. It is about supporting each other, regardless of differences. 

So, with that to consider and digest, here are some tips on how to be an Ally:

1. Be aware of and challenge unconscious biases or biased behaviors you may have.  
2. Try to be a focused, thoughtful and empathetic listener. Encourage and support differences.
3. Try to be more open-minded, aware and available to discuss issues and ideas.
4. Invite colleagues with different perspectives to your meetings, lunches and social events.
5. Know that negative comments about race, gender, religion, disability, orientation, etc. are harmful. 
6. Don’t see or hear something inappropriate and stay silent. Defend colleagues against discrimination. Speak up.
7. Treat all people regardless of race, gender, religion, disability, orientation, status, etc. with dignity and respect.
8. When interacting with those who are different from you, look at the world through their “lens”.  Seek to understand more. Learn from each other.

Together.  We.  Win.  

Even taking small steps in this direction helps us move our nation’s culture forward for everyone. We need to continue to educate, empower and embrace our differences. We can also continue to learn from each other. We want to build a culture where everyone is comfortable being themselves.  Because truly, together we do win.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

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