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How to Be an Ally Without Making it About You

Leaders who are active allies elevate and amplify the voices of others.

August 7, 2023 by Julie Kratz Leave a Comment

Many of us know that an ally is someone who is helpful to people different from themselves. But not many people realize that there are different types of allyship.

Active allyship drives systemic change through individual actions. In the workplace, it means getting involved in employee resource groups, as well as mentoring and sponsoring workers of different races, ethnicities, genders, abilities and more. Leaders who are active allies elevate and amplify the voices of others.

Conversely, performative allyship is about the ally’s ego. Someone who exhibits this type of allyship proclaims they are an ally without actually doing the work. These individuals focus on how being an ally reflects well on them, rather than on how to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) to support others’ success.

To act as an ally, we recommended an umbrella approach—choosing to be a mentor, sponsor, challenger or coach. It’s more of a “choose-your-own-adventure” way of being an ally. And allyship doesn’t stop in the workplace. You can’t be a successful ally at work if you’re not willing to practice active allyship in your personal spaces—whether that’s with your family, community or network.

There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Recipe to Allyship

People often ask what they should do to become an active ally. Consider these questions as guideposts to help direct your thinking…

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This post was previously published on Next Pivot Point and is republished on Medium.

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Photo credit: iStock

About Julie Kratz

Julie Kratz is a highly-acclaimed TEDx speaker and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America. After experiencing many career “pivot points” of her own, she started her own speaking business with the goal of helping leaders be more inclusive.

Promoting diversity, inclusion, and allyship in the workplace, Julie helps organizations foster more inclusive environments. She is a frequent keynote speaker, podcast host, and executive coach. She holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, is a Certified Master Coach, and is a certified unconscious bias trainer.

Her books include Pivot Point: How to Build a Winning Career Game Plan, ONE: How Male Allies Support Women for Gender Equality and Lead Like an Ally: A Journey Through Corporate America with Strategies to Facilitate Inclusion, her children’s book Little Allies, and Allyship in Action: 10 Strategies for Living Inclusively.