On the TechTO stage ×1
First seen on the TechTO stage in 2020. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Madison ↗
In their words
There's always a reason for it, and they usually hide it behind "it's culture fit." And what you're really saying is, I don't want to hire this person because they're too Black, they're too gay, they're too old, they're too fat, whatever it is.
A piece of it is creating spaces that I don't have to fit into, but teaching people to allow people to come in and take up space. You can't create a space for me when you don't know who I am and what I need.
It's all of these things you do all day, every day, to just fit into this mold, and it makes you inherently less good at your job, because you spend so much time focusing on: do I sound okay, do I look okay.
More from TechTO ×1
Around the web ×1
Quick answers
Who is Madison Butler?
A keynote speaker and workplace strategist based in Austin, Texas, who advises leaders on psychological safety, inclusion and building people-first employee experience. She consults and speaks under the name Blue Haired Unicorn and previously led people and culture at Sourced Craft Cocktails.
What did she say about "culture fit" at TechTO?
That it is a cover story. Speaking at TechTO Together in June 2020, she argued startups use "not a culture fit" to avoid naming the anti-Blackness behind a hiring decision, and that companies should build inclusion before they start recruiting for diversity — otherwise the people they hire leave.
What is code-switching, in her words?
Trying to fit the "cookie cutter corporate mold" — for her, straightening her hair, not wearing it blue, and changing how she sounds on the phone. She told the TechTO audience it costs people their performance, because the effort goes into monitoring themselves rather than the work.