Why I decided to own some recent feedback….

“You are so cynical Lisa” This was some unsolicited feedback I received from a team member last week.

I have never been given this feedback previously so it was a bit of a shock. I’m usually fairly positive and provide balanced feedback on initiatives and projects. I reflected on the impact of Covid-19 on my mental health and mood from day-to-day and wondered if this was an issue. And I thought about how so many of us are living in a version of Groundhog Day and languishing.

I admit I am probably more more cynical than my pre-pandemic state, and I realised that this is a strength when working in D&I, so I decided to own this feedback.

“Hi my name is Lisa and I am a cynic”

Why?

Because most of us working in Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) try to work on things that are meaningful and make progress for our organisations. I think to do a good job in D&I you have to have a level of cynicism and judgement. You have to be willing to think critically about what actions you implement and whether they are going to improve something beyond making people “feel good” (though there is definately value in feeling good in the current times).

We need to be cynical because:

• We have limited budgets that need to be applied against the most effective initiatives. Examining options from a “Black Hat” perspective helps us address some of our biases and apply logic to decisions.

• We have limited time. We need to be selective of where we place our energy. Most of us working in D&I feel a real urgency to “fix” all the issues that organisations present to us. The reality is that there is only so much time in the day so we often need to take a narrow focus to make a difference.

• There is so much to achieve and we get pulled in many directions. We need to agressively defend our focus areas, because where there is focus there is progress and change.

Are you a cynic and do you think this is helpful in your work?