Dealing with injustice
Dealing with injustice
Everyone knows Radical Candor by Kim Scott.
Fewer people know Just Work; or its new name - Radical Respect.
Besides describing the differences between bias, prejudice and bullying, there’s a framework that might be used when you’re an upstander:
When you spot “Bias”, which means that the person “is not meaning It”, you respond with the “I Statement” describing your perspective to interrupt a bias. For example, “I had a boss in the past, who was a woman and she was great. Based on this, I think women can be great bosses.”.
When you spot “Prejudice”, which means that the person “is meaning it”, you respond with “It Statement” referring to general rules, laws, culture or code of conduct. For example, “It is not fair to judge him upfront based on his nationality. According to our company’s values, we’re all equal and we’re here to work towards the same mission.”.
When you spot “Bullying”, which means that the person “is being mean”, you respond directly with “You Statement” referring to the negative consequences of this behaviour. For example, “You need to stop acting like that towards them as it is illegal and aggressive.”.
And there is one more, once positional power enters the equation, bullying becomes harassment.
Does it really happen?
Is it a problem that truly exists? I will skip the statistics as I do not know them. I’ve been working commercially since 2010, and I can say: yes.
This is why, I believe it is worth learning these terms. Knowing the names and definitions makes us more aware. Awareness is most often, the first step towards making the world a better place.
Self-check
Sometimes, it is “us”, who did something wrong towards another human being. When realizing that we did something wrong, that’s worth asking the following questions:
Why am I having this thought?
What proof do I have that my judgement about this person is correct?
What don’t I know about this person? What do I assume?
Is it possible that I could be biased?
Ask for help
Keep in mind, that the article above is simplified. You may end up taking one of the following roles: person harmed, upstander, person who caused harm, or leader.
When you do not know what to do, it is always worth to ask for help. It might be your friend or the HR department.
To dig more into the topic, you can read 8 Questions With Kim Scott About Bias, Prejudice, Bullying & Just Work.