Something has been bothering me about last week’s Super Bowl. Full bias alert disclaimer:  I am a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan from my time spent in the Midwest and all my days eating KC BBQ (It’s still the best hands down). My issue wasn’t about performance on the field but the behaviour on the sidelines. I am speaking about the much talked about Travis Kelce in your face shouting match followed by the coach bump. It has pretty much gone under the radar in terms of negative push back or doing any reputational harm to the Kelce brand machine. In fact, the coach explained it away saying he was off balance and characterized Kelce as a competitor who wanted to get on the field and play. Kelce, himself, did acknowledge it as a dumb move and apologized. Case closed? Amazingly, the media accepted this and let it go. The thing that has been bugging me is that I can’t help but imagine how differently this action would have been interpreted by the public, and especially the media, if it had been a black player approaching the coach in this same exact manner. I wasn’t alone in this. Immediately after the game a black NFL player, AJ Brown, stated on Instagram, “If that was me, I would have been out of the league!” His comment was so unpopular that he temporarily took down his social media and has since reported he was hacked. Brown’s commentary seemed to receive more intense pressure than Kelse’s behaviour it critiqued.

There is a well-documented double standard when it comes to the sport media interpreting the actions of black athletes versus their white teammates. This tendency to excuse bad behaviour in athletes who look like themselves or to explain it away is a form of unconscious bias. 

Here’s one example that stands out for me:

In 2018, following Serena Williams' return to professional tennis after giving birth, a cartoon published in an Australian newspaper depicted Williams as an angry black woman stomping on her racket and ‘spitting the dummy’—characterizing her challenging of the umpire as childish. The cartoon was widely criticized as racially insensitive and perpetuating harmful stereotypes about black women, as well as, misrepresenting her opponent, a Japanese athlete, as a white woman with a blonde ponytail exaggerating the event as being racially charged when only athletes from visible minority groups were competing for that title. This stands in stark contrast to the coverage of her white counterpart, Maria Sharapova, whose poor sportsmanship including challenging umpires was characterized by the media as ‘fierce’ instead. Even after she failed drug tests and received punishment with a 15-month suspension and relinquishment of earnings, the media still did not resort to such demeaning caricatures. 

In the pursuit of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in leadership, one cannot ignore the pervasive stereotypes that follow racialized leaders. The label of the ‘angry black woman’ has been particularly harmful. These stereotypes paint a distorted picture of racialized leaders, portraying us as overly aggressive, hostile and unapproachable. Such stereotypes not only diminish our professional capabilities but also undermine our credibility and authority in the workplace. 

Numerous studies in the field of equity, diversity and inclusion shed light on the prevalence and impact of these biases. For instance, a study conducted by Rosette and Livingston (2012) revealed that black women in leadership roles are often perceived as ‘angry’ or ‘aggressive’ when they assert themselves, whereas their white counterparts are viewed as worthy adversaries or confident. Similarly, research by Holoien et al. (2020) highlighted how black men are often perceived as ‘intimidating’ or ‘threatening’ solely based on their appearance, leading to marginalization in leadership positions.

Here’s how allowing bias to persist in your organization impacts Diverse Leaders:

The Impact on Leadership Effectiveness and Resource Allocation

The detrimental effects of these stereotypes extend beyond mere perceptions, significantly impacting the ability of racialized leaders to access resources and lead effectively. Biases against black men and women often manifest in subtle forms of discrimination, such as unequal access to opportunities, mentorship and professional development initiatives. For example, a study conducted by Smith and Smith (2018) found that black leaders are less likely to receive the same level of support and sponsorship from their superiors compared to their white counterparts. This lack of support not only hinders their career progression but also perpetuates the cycle of marginalization and exclusion in the workplace. Furthermore, the stereotype of the ‘angry black woman’ and the ‘intimidating black man’ creates a hostile work environment where racialized leaders constantly feel the need to suppress their authentic selves to conform to mainstream expectations. This internalized pressure not only takes a toll on their mental well-being but also undermines their ability to lead with authenticity and integrity.

Social Isolation and Departure from Workgroups

As the pressure mounts and the barriers to success become insurmountable, many racialized leaders find themselves socially isolated within their workgroups. The lack of support and recognition exacerbates feelings of alienation and disillusionment, ultimately prompting them to leave their organizations in search of greener pastures. Research has shown that the departure of racialized leaders often results in a loss of diverse perspectives and talents within organizations, further perpetuating the cycle, ‘Let’s not rock the boat and get along,’ even to the detriment of becoming a high-performance team.

Granted, athletes should not use physical dominance or shouting to make a point to their coach. Neither should colleagues, but imagine if we extended the same grace to those we work with that Coach Andy Reid did for Travis Kelse when they have an emotional response? 

When we work in diverse teams, we are sometimes uncomfortable. Others have a different way of expressing frustration or offering feedback. Let’s not let our discomfort stop the conversation short and prevent good mentorship from happening that allows our teams to truly embrace diversity.

In my personal experience, I have seen this play out time and again. When black colleagues address issues head-on, it is most often received by the majority group of leaders as being a sure sign of insubordination or poor character. At the same time, I have witnessed a lot of passive aggressive undermining of colleagues tolerated behind closed doors. 

Intentionally Create a Safe Space for Divergence

Challenge yourself to offer the benefit of the doubt to all of your staff. When you are surprised or taken aback by a colleague’s behaviour, why not check in with them directly to clarify rather than avoid the situation and rely on your own interpretation?

Don’t let too much time elapse for cooling off before inviting the person for a face-to-face to debrief.

Ask your colleague, “Hey, what’s going on for you here?”  Or “Help me understand why this is emotionally charged for you.” Taking the time to figure out what the person’s hot buttons are or how the team’s actions are interpreted by others can go a long way to improving the team’s function and retention of your top diverse hires.

Once you’ve heard them out, you can get to whether this is truly a one-off scenario with a satisfactory explanation or whether you need to provide some mentorship and clear expectations for how frustration and disagreements are to be aired within your organization’s culture. And let me clarify here, the expectations should be aligned with your organizations values rather than simply how it’s always been done. There should be room for some difference of cultural style of expression or folks won’t feel safe to add their valuable input around the table.

As the world shrinks and we work in ever-increasingly diverse teams, it’s important to consider and address how conflict and differing opinions will be aired and heard within our workplace culture. Until we do, it is likely that diverse leaders will continue to be increasingly isolated and marginalized. Eventually avoiding conflict or misinterpreting each others feelings and motives impacts performance and retention. By challenging stereotypes, dismantling systemic inequalities and promoting diverse leadership, we can strengthen diverse workplaces that lead to a culture of excellence and innovation.