Listening Leaders
Have you ever used a lactation room designed by a bunch of people who don’t lactate? (Like, men? *cough, cough*)
They’re the perfect example of what a destination does not want to be—insulting and irrelevant—and a big neon sign that the owner is (at best) clueless, or (at worst) uncaring.
The obvious solution to the bad lactation room is to listen to nursing mothers when they express what they need to take this life-basic action. Destinations frequently listen when concerns arise over menu items and types of attractions yet can be slow to listen to life-basic needs. Why is this?
Diversity In Leadership
Having a diverse board/leadership team that reflects your community is one of the quickest and easiest ways to ensure that leadership is listening. People process information based upon hundreds of factors including life experience and frequency of exposure to ideas. Having diverse leaders increases the chances of important ideas being acknowledged and acted upon. After all, women have been a vital part of the workforce since there was a workforce, but it wasn’t until women started joining leadership teams that the phrase “lactation room” even existed!
Listening To The Quiet Voices
All societies fluctuate. Ideas and values gain and lose prominence in cycles. Some voices have never been loud but have always been present. Challenge your leadership team to notice who feels comfortable expressing their opinions and who does not. Set up a relaxed time during work hours for listening sessions with those voices.
Remember that the point of the conversation is for you to learn, so focus the conversation on them.
As you build a stronger relationship, affirm their experience and show compassion. According to Dr. Amy Narishkin, founder of Empowering Partners, and author of Awoke in Progress, it can be difficult for people who have been historically marginalized to share their experience. She encourages leaders to be patient, “You may have to have two to three listening conversations before a person feels you are genuinely interested in their experience.”
Generationally Quiet
If your destination is marketed to families, find out what it is like for someone over the age of 80 to visit. Can they experience a day with relative independence, or must they constantly rely on others for assistance?
Inclusively Quiet
According to the Center for Disease Control, 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability. That’s 1 in 4. Of those, 13.7% have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. With that fact in mind, question your destination’s relationship with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Some places employ ADA standards to the letter. Some places use them as a baseline but design so beautifully for universal comfort that ramps and lifts are seamlessly integrated into their surroundings.
Discover what it is like to visit your destination with a disability. Use a wheelchair for 8 hours and navigate the pathways. Notice the temperature difference when you are sitting. Notice the view from a lower angle. Are the hand bars in the lavatory clean? Like, clean clean?
Perform the same type of internal investigation while considering people with intellectual differences, such as people on the Autism spectrum. Spend a day at your destination with a family that contains a member who is on the spectrum or has a developmental delay. Experience the world through their senses. Discover what brings them comfort and excitement.
If destinations emerge from summer 2021 with diverse leadership teams that consider guests of all types, we will set our industry up not only for financial stability, but for enough cultural and emotional stability that we can weather the next challenge.
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