(2017 - 4/9) The Inclusive Leader

Calibrate 2017 (4/9) - https://www.calibratesf.com/

"The Inclusive Leader - Developing Diverse Teams" - Jill Wetzler, Lyft, Director of Engineering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDepSAbhNuc

Jill Wetzler is Director of Engineering at Lyft, leading their Infrastructure org. Jill’s teams provide the infrastructure necessary to scale some of Lyft’s most critical services and keep engineers shipping code. She helped create UpLyft Tech, Lyft’s organization focused on diversity and inclusion within engineering. Prior to Lyft she managed teams of engineers and data scientists at Twitter, and she’s also been a manager and lead engineer at salesforce.com. Jill holds a BS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

https://twitter.com/JillWetzler

Calibrate is a conference for new engineering leaders hosted by seasoned engineering leaders. Organized and hosted by Sharethrough, it was conducted on September 30, 2015, September 30, 2016 and September 29, 2017 in San Francisco, California.

Transcript

1. THE INCLUSIVE LEADER Developing Diverse Teams Jill Wetzler Director of Engineering, Lyft @JillWetzler
2. @JillWetzler
3. About this talk What we won’t cover: • Why diverse teams perform better • Why building diverse teams is the right thing to do • How to make your team more diverse What we will cover: • How to earn the trust of your teammates • How to retain and advance people who are different from you • Special considerations for groups who face underrepresentation and/or oppression @JillWetzler
4. An uncomfortable truth: We must immediately grant trust to those we lead @JillWetzler ...but we should assume we’ve not yet earned their trust as leaders.
5. So how do we earn trust? @JillWetzler
6. 1 SAFETY 2 3 @JillWetzler FEEDBACK ADVOCACY
7. 1 SAFETY 2 3 @JillWetzler FEEDBACK ADVOCACY
8. @JillWetzler Self- Actualization Self-Esteem Belonging & Love Safety Physiological Needs Wifi
9. @JillWetzler Get to know me
10. @JillWetzler Cultural awareness is your job Pronouns Prayer patterns Current events Stereotypes Anxiety triggers Accessibility needs Holidays Family obligations
11. Adapted from @lara_hogan’s “Managering in Terrible Times”2: 1.I just wanted to check in. 2.There’s a bunch of stuff I’m reading in [the news|#slack_room| our employee resource groups]. It’s okay to discuss with me. 3.It’s also okay not to. My intention isn’t to [intrude|get political|make assumptions]. 4.Is there anything I can do to support you? @JillWetzler Tough personal conversations
12. What happens when safety is violated? @JillWetzler
13. @JillWetzler I’m sorry Stop there! Resist the urge! Go read. Do better.
14. @JillWetzler Allow the person who suffered harm to determine the response.
15. @JillWetzler Educate yourself on cultural matters Make space for risky conversations Apologize without defensiveness Create personal connections Respond appropriately to safety violations SAFETY
16. 1 SAFETY 2 3 @JillWetzler FEEDBACK ADVOCACY
17. @JillWetzler
18. @JillWetzler
19. @JillWetzler Are you okay?
20. @JillWetzler Giving feedback when it sucks is your job
21. @JillWetzler Structured feedback Expectation Factual, indisputable Outcome as related to expectations Fair for their level Take an active role in their development Assistance Impact Observation
22. Would I give the same feedback to someone of a 
 different gender (or race, etc)? Am I asking someone to be something they are not? Have I made a statement about who they are 
 or “tend” to be? What feedback should I be giving others, too? @JillWetzler Check yourself for bias
23. @JillWetzler Biased feedback from others
24. • Ask for specifics: This meeting feels like it’s not useful, what do you wish I was doing instead? • Acknowledge feedback publicly and with gratitude: I received some feedback about this meeting, thank you so much! • Do better: So now I’m going to try <x> instead. • Follow up: Did you think that was better? Keep the ideas coming! @JillWetzler Receive feedback
25. @JillWetzler Structure your feedback for consistency Check yourself for biases Filter and contextualize peer feedback Give feedback even especially when it’s hard FEEDBACK Publicly acknowledge and act on feedback
26. 1 SAFETY 2 3 @JillWetzler FEEDBACK ADVOCACY
27. @JillWetzler How people advance 70% stretch assignments 20% personal interaction (mentorship & sponsorship) 10% “classroom” learning
28. @JillWetzler Source: NCWIT, 20165 Work assignments
29. 77% of Black women report having to prove themselves over and over again. (hint: that’s not a stretch assignment) @JillWetzler
30. @JillWetzler Leveling up others is your job
31. @JillWetzler Actively sponsor people not like us Source: NCWIT, 20165
32. @JillWetzler How I sponsor • Volunteer under-indexed people for new roles or projects • Proactively share their interests with influential people • Publicly endorse protégés for the things they are good at • Hold senior team members accountable for sponsoring others
33. @JillWetzler Sponsor people who aren’t like you Hold team members accountable for sponsoring others ADVOCACY
34. Watch Janice Fraser’s Calibrate talk titled “Female Career Advancement Summed up in One Usable Diagram” http://bit.ly/janice-fraser-calibrate @JillWetzler
35. Thank you! @JillWetzler
36. Appendix
37. 1. [Kapor Center] Tech Leavers Study 2. [Lara Hogan] Managering in Terrible Times 3. [McKinsey] Women in the Workplace 4. [Kieran Snyder] The Abrasiveness Trap 5. [NCWIT] Women in Tech: The Facts 6. [Fortune] Study: 100% of women of color in STEM experience bias 7. [Janice Fraser] Female Career Advancement Summed up in One Usable Diagram @JillWetzler Appendix