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A colleague asked me if I would speak
with his son Kyle about my experiences working in corporate America and
being visually impaired. After Kyle asked me a few questions about
my disability and my work experience, he began asking about my experiences
with leaders. He wanted to know how someone could be an effective
leader for an employee who has a disability.
In my experience working for a pharmaceutical company, a law firm and an
energy company, someone who is an effective leader for any employee will
most likely be an effective leader for an employee with a disability.
Leaders who are open to employees’ ideas, hold employees accountable for
their projects, and give employees opportunities to develop their talent
help employees succeed.
Let me illustrate the benefits of an effective leader who holds an
employee with a disability accountable. I began my career by
attending a two-week training program for a pharmaceutical company.
All participants were instructed to learn presentations, deliver the
presentations to a manager (while being video taped) and later participate
in a critiquing session with other members of the training class.
While notes were not allowed, most class participants quickly learned that
they could write small notes of their sales aid. Since I am unable
to read standard text without enlarging equipment, I learned and delivered
the entire presentation without notes.
The trainers held me accountable to the same standard as the participants
who did not have a disability. When class participants observed my
videotaped presentations they realized that I was fully qualified to work
with them. Throughout my two and a half years at the company, fellow
employees treated me with respect. Since leaders held me accountable
from the first day, the employees realized that I was capable.
In addition to holding an employee accountable, an effective leader should
ask an employee questions to learn how to help him or her excel.
Some critical questions include:
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In what environment do you work best?
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What motivates you?
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What type of feedback do you want to receive?
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How can I help you perform your job more
effectively?
Asking an employee who has a disability these
questions will also provide the leader answers about what the employee
needs in order to excel. While learning what an individual with a
disability needs is integral, it also helps for an effective leader to
know a few of the resources available to answer questions about recruiting
and retaining employee who have disabilities. Check out the
following resources:
Job Accommodations Network – provides resources on appropriate
accommodations, the relatively low cost of accommodations, communication
strategies, tax incentives and more:
http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/
Bobby: Testing Web Content Accessibility –
introduces 508 Compliance and offers suggestions on how to make your
organization’s web site more accessible for employees and customers with
disabilities:
http://www.watchfire.com/products/desktop/bobby/default.aspx
Employer Assistance Referral Network –
Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) is a cost-free service
available to employers across the U.S. EARN will connect employers
with job vacancies with employment service providers who can identify
applicants with disabilities:
http://www.earnworks.com
Disability Mentoring Day – The first
mentoring day was held at the White House in 1999. Today, the
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) helps organize
disability mentoring days across the nation:
http://www.dmd-aapd.org
For comments or questions about this
article, e-mail Dr. Linda Gravett at Linda@gravett.com.
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