From Allyship to Action

Welcome and hello! Yes, the world is on fire so a work-related newsletter may not be where your head or heart is at. I get it. And at the same time, if you are reading this, you’re likely a leader of some type. And with that privilege comes responsibility. My goal has always been to make the accidental people leaders’ work a bit simpler, so that the responsibility feels like a calling and less like a burden. I’m hoping this month especially helps give you some tactical tools.

A heads up that a few updates to the newsletter are underway. If there’s a topic you’d love to see a resource you desperately need, shoot me an email- I’d love to hear from you as I’m ideating.

And one quick ask- I’ve made it my intention to double my subscribers this year. Progress has been solid thus far but I’d love your help. If you know someone who could benefit or enjoy (ideally both) my newsletter, please pass it on.

Table of Contents

• Operationalizing Allyship

  • 1. Put power on the table, clearly and intentional …

  • 2. Examine “neutral” systems for unequal outcomes

  • 3. Use political capital and build shared equity p …

  • 4. Measure what you are willing to be accountable …

  • Closing thought

• 1% Solutions

• Things I’m Reading

Operationalizing Allyship

When I first assumed leadership over recruitment earlier in my career, I knew that reaching consensus about how to name and embed equity into our talent processes would take time. Language mattered, and people needed room to ask questions, disagree, and build shared understanding.

At the same time, I was clear that impact mattered too.

So while those conversations were unfolding, we focused on what sat squarely within our locus of control. We rewrote job descriptions to remove unnecessary barriers. We introduced structured interviews so candidates were evaluated more consistently. We improved how performance feedback was given and assessed. None of this required perfect agreement or a shared vocabulary. It required making decisions and changing systems.

Over time, we saw a measurable shift in diversity at every level of the organization. That shift didn’t happen because everyone finally used the same language. It happened because the way we hired, evaluated, and developed people changed.

That experience has stayed with me, especially as allyship is often framed as belief, intention, or awareness. In organizations, allyship becomes meaningful only when it changes outcomes.

This is a distinction Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood deeply. His work was not a call for symbolic agreement or abstract support. It was a demand for substantive justice—justice that showed up in laws, systems, and material conditions.

At work, allyship matters when it alters how decisions are made, how resources are distributed, and who is protected by the system. It is less about what leaders say they value and more about what they are willing to operationalize, especially when doing so requires tradeoffs or disrupts familiar patterns.

Below are four ways leaders can begin operationalizing allyship now, without waiting for a new initiative, task force, or strategic reset.

1. Put power on the table, clearly and intentionally

Authority and decision-making rights are not the problem. Every organization needs them. The issue arises when authority is hoarded unnecessarily or left unclear, which concentrates influence by default and weakens accountability.

Start with one recurring decision—hiring, promotion, budget allocation, or workload distribution. Clarify who owns the decision, who provides input, and who is accountable for the outcome. Then ask whether authority is sitting in the right place or simply staying where it has always lived.

Progress often comes not from removing authority, but from placing it more intentionally and making it visible. Clarity does more to support fairness than consensus alone ever will.

2. Examine “neutral” systems for unequal outcomes

Some of the most persistent inequities live inside systems that appear objective. Performance reviews, promotion criteria, and compensation structures are common examples.

Rather than debating intent, look at outcomes over time. Who advances consistently? Who remains stalled? Who exits the organization? Patterns across multiple cycles usually tell a clearer story than individual explanations.

King was explicit that injustice is often structural, not accidental. Organizational systems deserve that same level of examination.

3. Use political capital and build shared equity practices

Allyship within an organizational context should not depend solely on individual courage. While leaders do need to speak up in moments that carry risk, change becomes sustainable when teams share a common language and set of practices for addressing inequity as it shows up.

Equity frameworks and clear protocols matter here. When teams are trained to recognize how bias appears in decision-making—through structured evaluation criteria, agreed-upon feedback norms, or explicit standards for promotion and performance—calling each other in becomes part of the work rather than a personal confrontation.

Leaders can begin by introducing one framework or protocol that helps teams pause and examine decisions in real time. Structured hiring rubrics, decision checklists that surface assumptions, or norms that invite questions like “What standard are we using here?” all help shift responsibility from individuals to systems.

4. Measure what you are willing to be accountable for

What organizations choose to measure signals what they take seriously. Leaders can start by selecting one equity-related metric to track this quarter—promotions, pay compression at key levels, or attrition patterns by team or manager. Reviewing this data alongside core metrics reinforces that equity is not a side effort, but part of organizational performance.

Without accountability, commitments remain aspirational.

Closing thought

Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that progress does not arrive on its own timetable— it is created through deliberate action and sustained pressure, often in the face of resistance.

Allyship is not an identity or a belief system. It is a series of decisions that show up in systems, policies, and everyday leadership behavior.

If justice is the goal, the question is not whether leaders agree with it. The question is what they are willing to operationalize this week.

1% Solutions

• Translate Communication Into Design- When someone says “we need better communication,” pause. Ask: “What decision, role, or priority is unclear?”Push past words like alignment or ownership. Get specific: (A) Who decides? (B) By when? (C) Using what criteria? Most communication issues are structure problems in disguise.

• Stay Conversations- Don’t wait until a teammate is sharing they may be leaving or an exit interview, and don’t assume teammates will always be proactive in raising issues. Instead, having quarterly or biannual stay conversations can go a long way in helping to keep a pulse on how folks are feeling. Questions you can add to your next check-in:

  • What do you love most about your work?

  • What keeps you working here?

  • If you could change something about your job, what would that be?

  • What are your long-term goals?

  • What is something you’d love to learn or try?

  • If you were in my shoes, what is one thing you’d either want to change or invest more in?

Things I’m Reading

• Why Gen Z Changes Jobs So Fast- this article confirms what I’ve seen- Gen Z isn’t fickle— they’re searching for growth. Organizations who prioritize growth will outperform in terms of retention. The key is to do so sustainably and by continuously asking folks how they want to grow. I found the articles simple tips to be right on.

• Why Keeping Up With Change Feels Harder Than Ever- Quite honestly, the exact title of this article feels a bit “Duh, the world is crumbling.” But the article names the specific ways change itself is different now, and so treating change as a constant and a journey can help employees develop a change reflex. (I’m thinking of talking about how exactly to operationalize this in a future newsletter now…)

  And…. I recently contributed to this article in Fast Company on the rise of Culture Coaches. All the contributors named specific use cases- which may be helpful for you! And while I think an external person is incredibly helpful, not everyone’s budgets allow for that. These use cases may give you ideas on how to create specific responsibilities for internal folks as well. (Though if you are looking for a high-impact less-time option, let’s talk about diagnostics and sprints- just reply to this email).