Hollee Mangrum-Willis, Senior Program Manager of ISACA’s One In Tech foundation, sat down with Belinda Enoma, data privacy and cybersecurity leader, to discuss authentic allyship and intentional leadership at ISACA Conference North America on 6 May. Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity:
HMW: So tell me, Belinda, why is the topic of authentic allyship and intentional leadership important to you?
BE: It’s extremely important to me because I’ve been in situations where I am the only person in my workplace or team who looks like me – whether it’s leadership roles, junior roles, or entry-level roles, there are many situations where you don’t get to see people like me. Representation matters. I refer back to something Viola Davis recently said: “You’ve got to see the physical manifestation of your dream.” There are people watching me right now who never thought they’d see someone who looks like me speaking here. And that’s why I’m here.
HMW: When I’m running SheLeadsTech events, one of the first things I see women put in the virtual chat is that women work twice as hard as men to get half of the accolades. What continues to contribute to that dynamic in 2022?
BE: It’s true – we do work twice as hard, and there has to be a cultural shift. What’s happening is there is a notion that women are nurturing and endearing – it’s tradition. There is a perception that some things come easier to us, even though it’s almost killing us. There’s a perception that we can multitask. For example, I’m a mother of three, and it was very difficult when my children were young. Balancing your focus on raising your family and building your career is difficult.
There has to be a cultural shift, and it has to happen in the workplace as well. It comes down to leadership. Leaders need to understand that the people working for them are human beings who have responsibilities, families and things that they’re struggling with. When there is a change at the top, it trickles down.
HMW: What specifically can enterprises do to help women with work/life balance? Take childcare for example, especially with larger corporations, why not provide childcare onsite, or transportation? Something to lighten the load or remove that barrier?
BE: If we’re getting the work done, give us flexibility. Onsite childcare works for some people, but if you have a long commute like I did – two hours one way – you don’t necessarily want to drag your kid for two hours to get to your workplace. Allow flexibility for your employees, like the option to work remotely and just come into the office whenever you’re needed for meetings, because happy employees will stay. If they’re not happy, they will eventually leave, perhaps to your competitor, and you don’t want that.
HMW: What kinds of things could enterprises do to speak to the humanity of their employees, and foster understanding and respect amongst all colleagues?
BE: When we talk about cybersecurity, the first thing people think about is technology, but there’s the human factor, too. We’re human beings, and we have things that we struggle with. You need to empower your staff. Speak to their humanity and wellness. Many people are struggling, and they don’talk about it – they just come into work and do their job, and then maybe a few months later they quit. And then you as a leader are wondering what happened, since you don’t even know them all that well – you don’t know their child’s name, or what they’re dealing with – because you’re unapproachable. You need to make yourself approachable.
HMW: When it comes to marginalization in the workplace, often, the onus of combatting it is put on the marginalized. How can we get enterprise and our ally support systems to shoulder the burden of affecting gender balance in the digital trust industry? How can we get folks to understand they’re part of the solution, and are not passively going along with whatever the next trend is? How can we get allies and enterprises actively involved with dismantling these barriers?
BE: Enterprises and leaders have to be intentional about their allyship. It has to be authentic allyship, not just surface allyship. I mention intentional allyship because a lot of times people think they’re an ally, and support diversity hires, but they’re just checking a box. We want intentional and authentic allyship. We need you to understand it goes beyond the person you’re helping. You’re helping the generation, not just one person. You think you’re only affecting the employee right in front of you, but that individual has a family and the next generation after them. You’re not just checking a box; you’re impacting destiny.
When you’re an intentional ally, you think beyond the person in front of you, beyond the job application, beyond what you see. It’s not about you but what you’re doing for that person and that person’s generation to come. You need to really think about the step you’ll take when it comes to allyship. Make an impact – a lot of times we talk but don’t implement. Activate, implement, follow up. Don’t just implement and leave them there. Follow up – ask them how they’re doing, and if they know anyone else you can bring in. You’ve got to open the door from inside. A lot of doors are shut, but you can easily open that door. Let’s make an effort and be intentional about it.
HMW: There’s a difference between authentic and performative allyship. How many times have we worked with an organization that says they want feedback from employees, and you participate in the survey and give feedback, and then nothing happens? It lands nowhere. We need it to go somewhere. Ask for the feedback, receive it, implement it, and follow up.
How do you move on a culture with no understanding of diversity? How do you create empathy and highlight the need for diversity, inclusion and equity?
BE: Don’t just stay in isolation saying you don’t understand anything about diversity. There’s a lot of information out there. But one thing that is really effective is connecting with people, making an effort, and being intentional about your connections.
I’ll share an example: a LinkedIn connection sent me information around a program promoting diversity where you’re paired with someone, an ally who doesn’t look like you, to help promote you on their platform. I’ve never met this woman, we’ve only spoken virtually, but I can tell you she doesn’t look like me. And I was touched that she had thought of me. If you think you don’t know anything about diversity and you want to do your part but don’t know how, that’s an example. Connect with people who don’t look, talk or sound like you. Have conversations – you’ll be amazed at what you will learn. You start to understand where people are coming from.
HMW: In this much more virtual age, a lot of us don’t get that “water cooler conversation.” You have to be more intentional with how you connect. When you learn about people, they’re more invested in you and the work.
What are key steps to moving forward and minimizing cultural biases?
BE: It goes back to leadership. I know if change is going to happen, those who are in leadership roles have to be bold enough to say they’re going to be a change agent and shift the dynamics of the organization and the way the culture is there. Whether you like it or not, the people there who are marginalized who are not happy – you won’t even hear about it because you’re not approachable, and as a leader you need to be. When you’re approachable, you’ll have people giving you suggestions, and you need to actively pursue them. Intentionality is so necessary.
Among team members, make an effort. Purposefully understand how things you could be saying may affect someone else. Sometimes the person is totally unaware of how what they’ve said may affect someone. When you are offended, I encourage you to speak up. Don’t stay silent. The longer you’re silent, the more likely that one day you’ll implode. Speak up.
HMW: Accountability is also important – especially learning how to apologize. All of us have biases, but acknowledging them and learning how to apologize and learn from your mistake is valuable. Be accountable for what you know and learn what you don’t know. As Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better.”
Don’t speak up to expect immediate change. Speak up for you. It’s important to place the responsibility of someone else’s growth on someone else. Don’t carry that. Speaking up and speaking out in the moment will go a long way.
What are specific and intentional things middle management can change from a leadership standpoint in a hybrid work environment?
BE: Recommend somebody for a leadership or management role. A lot of marginalized people are at the same level, and it’s difficult to break through that level – they’re capable of getting to a higher level, but there’s a glass ceiling. Recommend someone to get to a higher level. If team members are making recommendations and suggestions that can elevate you to finish your projects, don’t just dismiss it. Pay attention. There’s a reason why they’re sharing that information with you. If you do your part, change will happen.