Almost everyone dreams of growing up and landing their dream job where you manage your A-team from the gigantic corner office. We anticipate that our days will be filled with invigorating teamwork and merit-based advancement opportunities. The reality, however, often paints a very different picture. More often than not, companies hire the best and the brightest simply “for demo purposes.” These situations are often found buried in the ranks of many Fortune 500 companies. Middle managers attract talented, educated, creative, and innovative candidates with rapid advancement incentives, creative freedom, and a “built-in” career ladder. Unfortunately, such bait is simply to lure a diverse group of people into a no-win situation where the only upward mobility will be to move and then move up.
This type of bait and switch may not manifest for 2, 3 or more years. After patiently working overtime, earning not a few “for the team,” optimism slowly gives way to resignation, and the much-touted diversity is only seen on the ground floor. Candidates are slowly realizing that there really wasn’t a real chance for the advancement promised in the initial interviews. It becomes clear that there is not only a glass ceiling, but it is supported by a brick wall of middle management. Employees who haven’t yet embraced the drone mindset and who still exercise independent thought from time to time might wonder why. Why did they actively seek out and hire a diverse group of people who are talented, motivated, educated, innovative, and capable of simply suppressing all their efforts toward professional development, positive organizational change, and promoting diverse leadership? hmm…
Let’s switch gears here for a minute. If you were to open a zoo, you would need to stock it with animals, right? Now, if you were to fill it with your absolute favorite animal, say tigers, your visitors would eventually get a bit bored and stop coming to your zoo. Monotony is not what people want to see. This would lead to decreased revenue and eventually go out of business because people like to see a variety. Redirecting this concept to a business environment, candidates and, more importantly, clients like to see people like them; people with similar backgrounds, similar thought processes, and similar. Since people come in many shapes, sizes, cultures, educational levels, and areas of expertise, inclusion is imperative to becoming and remaining a corporate powerhouse. Not many people would do business with a company that only hired one demographic.
Therefore, some companies bring extraordinary people into their organizations to create the facade of diversity and inclusion. Fortunately for corporations and unfortunately for employees looking for a professional workplace, this façade is enough to keep companies in the favor of the general public. If any of this sounds familiar to you but you haven’t figured it out yet, chances are it’s part of Diversity On Display. Here are some ways you can tell that it may be time to redirect your efforts.
Any suggestion of departure from tradition is frowned upon. Tradition, in many cases, is charming and even comforting. In the workplace, however, change is often needed, if only to keep up with the competition and keep doors open. If your mentions of changes to old policies are met with a challenging defense of tradition, this is a good indication that management’s mindset remains closed. Nepotism is the word of the day. If within more than one department, three generations of the same family dominate top management positions, this is a strong indicator that your chances of advancement are slim to none. An atmosphere of fear and impending doom prevails.
Employees who respect and feel respected by their management don’t scatter when managers approach. Pay attention to the relationship between middle management and their subordinates early on and this will be a good indicator of whether their unique contributions will be welcomed or ignored. There are many more telltale signs that you may want to save your innovative ideas for a more receptive audience. Get many more signs and symptoms of being involved in a Diversity On Display situation.