Frankly, the person this article is most relevant to is not white guys with power. And that's a good thing. For everyone who has been in a similar situation to the author, this sort of experience hopefully can help them figure out what they want, what they value, and where they belong.
But there are some clear things you shouldn't do, just from the text:
- Group outings that exclude specific individuals, because of personal preference, religion, race, etc. If that means someone doesn't drink, make sure drinking isn't the only way to socialize.
- Avoid people because their otherness makes you uncomfortable. This frankly just sucks, and there's not really anything the other person can do about it.
- Conversely, treat people as fragile. You may not understand someone, and that's OK. It doesn't mean they'll be offended because you give them challenging tasks, it doesn't mean they should be held back from "dangerous" situations.
The list goes on, but the other thing you can do, is actually listen to your reports. Ask them what they want in life. Ask them what their goals are, how their family is, what they feel best doing, when they feel most stressed out. And work to actually resolve what you can, with their help (i.e. don't just fire someone because they're avoiding someone else. That would likely be overkill, and scare the crap out of the person you were trying to "protect").
But there are some clear things you shouldn't do, just from the text:
The list goes on, but the other thing you can do, is actually listen to your reports. Ask them what they want in life. Ask them what their goals are, how their family is, what they feel best doing, when they feel most stressed out. And work to actually resolve what you can, with their help (i.e. don't just fire someone because they're avoiding someone else. That would likely be overkill, and scare the crap out of the person you were trying to "protect").