When you have privilege it is just your normal. There is no friction, no fear, nothing that concerns you. Lacking privilege, you feel injustice, then you become numb to it until something provokes you again–friction, fear, concern.
All females deal with this being out in the world. You can’t walk alone at night. You don’t want to have your car break down on the freeway. Go into a bar alone and you may be asking for it. Men experience this at times and are certainly aware that this is true for women. But they don’t live it. It is a cost for women and they have to deal with it. Over a life time it really adds up.
If you don’t look like, speak like or act like the privileged, the more different you are, the more dangerous and costly it is. Just because you are different. Being black in the wrong neighborhood can get you killed.
Here is one way privilege can affect your business. Those at the top of the hierarchy aren’t aware of the cost to the organization when they act like a jerk to someone without power. They will not be reprimanded, but the team member will carry a heavier burden being part of your team. Performance may go down. Health gets worse if the environment is unsafe. And those with the privilege aren’t even aware of the damage they cause.
We all know that people quit because they don’t like their immediate supervisor. How are your leaders treating their teams? If there is a high quit ratio in one of your teams, focus there.
Further, pay attention to unnecessary barriers or burdens you may have in your organization. Ask your leadership team if there are any that they have noticed. Have them ask their teams. There may be some easy fixes with a huge payoff for the whole organization.
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