34. Growing the Elephant with Chris Altizer and Gloria Johnson-Cusack

“And so, what we try to lift up in this book is ways for people to shift their mindsets from having that fixed mindset of thinking this is the way it is, it's the way it's always going to be, people won't grow, people won't change, it’s how it’s been for centuries, so maybe there's a way for us to ask these tough questions. For them to believe with optimism and competence and historical fact that people can learn and grow with the right tools. And then with that mindset, go further and say, if we have better managed diverse workforces and teams, we will have more optimal outcomes and make the business case, because it's hard to argue that."

In Episode 34, I am joined by two guests: Chris Altizer,
a leader, and partner of Altizer Performance Partners,
and, Gloria Johnson-Cusack, founder and owner of Gloria Johnson-Cusack Consulting. We discuss their book, Growing the Elephant, and how they shift the linguistic focus from ‘privilege’ to ‘earned and unearned advantage’. They offer a really helpful way to break down dimensions of power and provide tips on how we can create an advantage for all.

Chris and Gloria’s career journey has spanned over three decades. Chris has experience in global human resources as a Senior Vice President of Human Resources and the head of Leadership roles at Pfizer and Aetna. He is an executive and team coach, a facilitator, a speaker, a registered Yoga Teacher, a thrice-published author, and a qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher. Gloria has been an executive in global philanthropy, national non-profits, higher education, U.S. Congress, and the White House. Gloria is a speaker, author, lecturer, and consultant providing strategic counsel to leadership teams and boards globally regarding governance, change leadership, DEI, and strategic planning. She serves as Board Chair of the Firelight Foundation supporting communities in Africa and is a Board member of Patients for Affordable Drugs NOW.

Chris and Gloria share their intentions behind writing Growing the Elephant. They wanted to strengthen the competencies and mindsets of the people who are advocating for change and the people in power, who can help effectuate change at scale. Gloria’s perspective came from her passion for creating systems change and policy change, whereas Chris's perspective was focused on the role of the individual. The main idea of the elephant in the room is opening up a conversation about the things we don't want to talk about, especially if you have unearned advantages. Chris speaks on the divide in opinions between those who think the push for DEI is not as assertive as it should be and those who think that it is too much. As he explains, systems change when people change, and people change one at a time. He speaks on the importance of shifting mindsets and how vital this is on the journey to being an ally and advocate. Through his personal reflections, he was able to recognise that his own lack of awareness could diminish and disparage other people. Gloria concludes this point, by stating, that we need people to shift from a fixed mindset (things won’t change) to a growth advantage mindset (asking tough questions and believing that people can learn with the right tools).

As they both explain, it is ironic that there is a belief that those with unearned advantages shouldn’t be resourced because they have been provided with resources all their lives. What we need to do is to empower everyone for change to occur. Chris shares that the idea of being comfortable with the truth, such as the advantages we are penalised or rewarded for, is not the same as accepting it, and acceptance is in fact what we need for growth to occur. It is an unchanging fact that some of us have advantages more than others. People need to embrace both the discomfort and comfort that comes with having an unearned advantage.

Gloria breaks down the three dimensions of power in the form of an upside-down pyramid - at the bottom layer is ...