Last week, my friends Pamela and Crystal witnessed their worst nightmare come to life. They saw the video, as most of us did, of the behavioral therapist and his autistic client in Miami being confronted and shot at by police. Being sisters of an older brother with autism and a family of color, it was jarring site to say the least. Their greatest fear is that their brother's actions will be misinterpreted as violent, difficult or noncompliant when dealing with authority such as police.
They were shocked a second time when they looked to Autism Speaks, a leading organization improving the lives of people with autism, to find there was no response to the situation.
The sisters were disappointed Autism Speaks had nothing to say about the situation, and did not stand up for the therapist or his client, or condemn the handling of the situation or call for any kind of change.
The silence says so much.
Now anyone on social media must have seen the video, it was all over the place for a few days. So I am assuming someone at the organization saw it as well. There were probably a lot of reasons why Autism Speaks didn't well, speak. Fear of bringing up racial concerns, fear of seeming that they were anti-police, etc. I wasn't in those meeting rooms, but I can only imagine the conversations. A leading organization advocating for the welfare of people with autism had nothing to say. Not about the dangers of adults with autism in society, whose way of interacting may seem odd or strange, not about what they or anyone else is doing to help law enforcement and others understand the issues and needs of those with autism. Not about what behavioral therapists go through everyday to keep their clients safe. Not about what a hero the therapist was for keeping calm and how he learned those skills, and how they are helping to advocate for the professional development of the therapists, who are the ones who have the most direct care and the least pay. Not about what families can do to ensure their loved ones in group home settings are being kept safe.
What it says to me is that if you want to be a thought leader, if you want to be the trusted resource, the go-to group for your issue, you don't get to pick when you have a thought. Effective leaders lead when it is easy and hard. So this organization, for some reason, thought that they didn't need to comment on a NATIONAL story which was the subject of much conversation. They chose not to be at the table for this. Courageous communication requires us to respond even if it is not our table, not the meal we would have served or the time of day we would have served it. When our country was looking for someone to hold our hand and tell us that it would be okay, that they were working to solve the problem, we heard nothing. These events can be opportunities for us to be a part of the conversation and lead our organizations and our supporters to greater understanding.
What does it take to be a courageous communicator? To be at the table and part of the conversation, even if it is a little or a lot scary?
1. Permission to respond quickly.
As fast as news breaks, we need to be ready to respond. Going up four levels of approval or getting the lawyer to OK the press release is not how you respond quickly. Leaders at nonprofits need to give their people the trust and latitude to respond to situations soon after they occur with as little red tape as possible.
2. Understand and address the concerns you have to responding.
We don't respond because we feel scared that we will say the wrong thing or be criticized for doing so. We don't want to offend donors with controversial statements. These are valid concerns. As quickly as you can, flush out what the concerns are and how to address them. Weigh this against the cost of saying nothing. Once you address concerns and understand the benefits of being part of the conversation, or leading the conversation, then you can ease the discomfort and speak up.
3. Determine what you are comfortable with saying.
Maybe you are not as brave as you want to be, but saying something is better than saying nothing.
4. Commit to being a thought leader, even when it is hard to do so.
Organizations often say they want to be thought leaders. They want to be leading the conversation about whatever issue they are working on. There are tremendous benefits to this, which is why we want to be one. We get recognized. It is one of the most effective and least expensive ways to get exposure and generate new supporters. Remember this when the going gets tough. Speaking up gets you the attention you want, especially speaking up at difficult times. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Be a leader, be courageous, even when it is hard.
