Tech Inclusion 2019 Speaker Spotlight: Karen Catlin, Advocate for Inclusive Workplaces at Karen Catlin Consulting
By Antonia Ford
Coach. Speaker. Author. Consultant. Karen Catlin advocates for inclusive workplaces through multiple channels, not the least of which includes her recent book, Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces. This year at Tech Inclusion 2019, Karen will be leading a workshop by the same title, and helping attendees learn how they can demonstrate allyship on daily basis. In the spirit of this year’s conference theme- Equity. Empowerment. Allyship. — we asked Karen to share her thoughts on equity, allyship, and what she does every day to create a culture of inclusion.
Change Catalyst: What does equity mean to you?
Karen Catlin: I love this image by Craig Froehle. As I look at it, I see equality on the left, where everyone gets the same thing. A crate to stand on to better see the ball game. And equity is on the right, where everyone gets to see the game yet the shortest person gets two crates and the tallest doesn’t get any.
In the workplace, this might mean financial support for an ERG (employee resource group) for an underserved part of the population. Or an executive sponsorship program for women. Or an extra on-boarding program for engineers coming from bootcamps. Having an equity-based mindset is all about leveling the playing field for people who don’t have the same advantages as those in the majority.
CC: What do you look for in a good ally?
KC: In a nutshell: someone who listens and learns about the experiences of people from underrepresented groups, takes action to support and advocate for them, and strives for systemic changes that will create a lasting benefit.
Let me break down what I mean by striving for systemic changes. Good allies aren’t just knights riding in to save the day. They’re not viewing underrepresented folks as virtual damsels in distress. They’re not serving as anyone’s protector. By contrast, they’re working to transform current workplace cultures into ones where everyone can thrive.
Here’s an example of what this transformation might look like. Imagine you are part of a hiring committee, and you realize the group is measuring candidates inconsistently. People are using subjective criteria that treat the one candidate from an underrepresented group less favorably than the rest of the pool. Let’s call that candidate Willie.
The group’s biased objections to Willie might sound like, “I just didn’t click with him. I can’t quite put my finger on it.” Or, “I don’t think I’d feel comfortable putting him in front of customers.” Or perhaps someone might say, “Willie doesn’t have the four to six years of coding experience listed in the job description,” even though other candidates who also lacked that experience were given a thumbs-up.
A knight would push back to give Willie a better chance, trying to save him from being eliminated from the hiring process. The knight might say, “I think Willie can do the job. In fact, I’ll personally mentor him to help him be successful.” This might result in a positive outcome for one marginalized person, but it is less likely to have a lasting impact on hiring policies.
By contrast, an ally would push back on this specific decision and seek systemic change so that the situation would not occur again. For example, the ally might say, “Folks, let’s step back. I’m concerned we’re not consistently evaluating our candidates. Let’s identify objective criteria that we can use to measure everyone. Moving forward, I’d like to discuss how we can make this a best practice for all hiring committees.”
While I would never discourage someone from offering to mentor a new hire like Willie, I want people to think about the systemic changes they can create to have a lasting impact.
CC: What are you doing to create cultures of inclusion, in your current work?
KC: I frequently speak about my book, Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces, to encourage people in workplaces around the world to level up their ally skills. I also have a weekly newsletter, “5 Ally Actions” to provide ongoing ideas of how to create more inclusive cultures.
CC: Just for fun, what is one cool tech item you recently discovered?
KC: As a self-proclaimed public speaking geek, I absolutely love my sleek Spotlight Presentation Remote by Logitech. Not only does it do the expected job for any slide clicker, it recharges via USB (meaning I never have to carry extra batteries with me). Plus, it lets me shine a spotlight on certain areas of my slide. This feature is truly magical, and makes me feel like a public speaking pro every time I use it.
Karen is coming to San Francisco on September 12, 2019 for the 5th anniversary of Tech Inclusion! We’d love for you to learn from her and our entire agenda of amazing speakers. This year’s theme is Equity. Empowerment. Allyship. Join us on day one, with opportunities for tech companies to connect with candidates during our career fair. Day two features keynotes, panel discussions, solo talks and, an interactive session focusing on equity, empowerment, and allyship across the tech ecosystem. Learn new solutions, meet diverse people who care, be stretched in a safe environment, and gain new tools and strength to advocate for change.
About Change Catalyst:
Change Catalyst empowers diverse, inclusive, and sustainable tech innovation — through events, consulting, research, and training.
Our Tech Inclusion programs explore and develop innovative solutions to tech diversity and inclusion.
Our Startup Ecosystem programs help underrepresented entrepreneurs and investors to start, scale, and fund world-changing businesses.
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