Description
Book Synopsis** Business Book Awards 2023 Finalist **
‘Amazing book: Clever, insightful, relevant, and actionable.’ Dave Ulrich
If you find discussions of inequality painful, aggravating, exhausting, or even scary, it’s time to explore the elephant.
Growing the Elephant is the story of Advantage - Earned and Unearned. Earned Advantage is the part of the Elephant we know. Work hard – get rewarded; form relationships – get opportunities. But while anyone can earn Advantage, some have more opportunity than others. That’s the story of Unearned Advantage.
Unearned Advantage is the part of the Elephant we avoid. It is so hard to talk or even think about that those with it ignore or deny it while those without it are exhausted or incensed by it.
Growing the Elephant is for anyone working to increase innovation, performance, and inclusion by building practices and mindset to meet and stay with what's difficult. It is for leaders and contributors at any level and those who help them build and sustain diversity, equity and inclusion.
A seasoned human resources executive, CHRIS ALTIZER, MBA, MA consults and coaches executives and lectures on business, management. and inclusive leadership. He has led teams and worked with senior leaders across industries around the globe. His research and work have been published in journals and covered by Forbes Magazine. Chris practices and teaches mindfulness, yoga, and martial arts.
GLORIA JOHNSON-CUSACK, MPA, is a servant leader and changemaker who consults to leadership teams and boards of public and private foundations committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, financial security, and health. She lectures at Columbia University and serves as Board Chair of the Firelight Foundation supporting communities in Africa. She holds degrees from American University and Columbia University.
Trade ReviewThe advantages of leveraging diversity through inclusion have been widely recognized, if not often successfully reaped, for decades. Why is it that now we are all so focus on this topic. Amazingly there are still a lot of people who choose to ignore this, while there are ways to ensure you are not seen as disrespectful. Chris Altizer and Gloria Johnson-Cusack not only provide explanation to recognize diversity but also use it through true life examples
-- Monique Vander Eyken * HR Director *
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
A Word from the Authors
Introducing the Elephant
Growing the Elephant – Our Approach and Intent
An Approach to Reading this Book
Growing and Learning - Not Always Comfortable
Closing Chapter 1 - Terms and the Team
Why No 'Disadvantage'?
Chapter 2: Recognizing Advantage
Through the Eyes of…
The Authors on Recognizing
Recognizing Advantage - What Am I Looking At?
Recognizing Earned Advantage
Earned Advantage Exercise
The Unearned Opportunities for Earned Advantage – Unearned Advantage
Sources of Unearned Advantages
Unearned Advantage: Who We Are
Whence you came
STOP – Begin to See the Elephant
Recognizing the Entire Elephant
The Discomfort of Recognizing Unearned Advantage
Emotional Awareness of Advantage Reflection
A Brief Introduction to Windows of Tolerance
Chapter Summary
Chapter 3 Working with Advantage – the Mindset
The Team Explores Advantage Mindset – Fixed or Growth?
The Growth Advantage Mindset
Exploring Mindset
The GAM Exercise
Alvin Explores Intentions
What They Are, How They Work
Maria’s GAM Intention.
The GAM of Whence You (we) Came
Yvonne’s Intention – Self Compassion (and Robert’s, Too)
Advantage Compassion – for Yvonne and Robert (and the rest of us)
Chapter Summary
Chapter 4 Growing Earned Advantage
Unconscious Biases – Seriously Uncomfortable…
Little Things That Add Up
The Turbulence of Language Ownership – Claiming the Baggage
Microaggressions
Awareness of Microaggression
Claiming More Baggage - Unpacking Gender Personal Pronouns
Unpack Some Baggage
Literally Harder to Carry - Disability
Grow the Good – Feel the Real
Watering the Seeds of Earned Advantage - RAIN
Growing Earned Advantage – Things You Already Know
Growing Earned Advantages for Two, Please
Asking for Opportunity for Earned Advantage
3 Kinds of Awareness
Increasing Awareness?
Claiming “Woke” – The unPolitics of the Growth Advantage Mindset (a box)
GAM Leadership - and Followership
Chapter Summary
Conclusion
Growing Earned Advantage - the Fertilizer of Courage
Holding More Unearned Advantage
Holding or Supporting Less Unearned Advantage
Appendix
Dynamics of Advantage
Awareness of Advantage Exercise:
TBC - Additional Resources & Reading
Resources 84
Background Design Statement - Chris Altizer 86
Advantage, Not Privilege 86
