Introducing the ALLY Model: How to turn Allyship from a nice word into action
- Aug 5
- 7 min read
This week, the world marked a very important date on the calendar: International Allyship Day, a day of partnership and support.
As managers working in diversity and inclusion, many of us already know the term “Allyship” well, and we know how much the presence of “allies” helps build bridges between groups in an organization and create real change.
Allyship Day was founded only in 2023 by the American organization Integrating Women Leaders Foundation, and since then it has grown quickly into an annual occasion marked in workplaces, community groups, and by individuals around the world.
The date, August 8th (8/8), was not chosen by chance. Look at it and you’ll see two infinity symbols standing side by side, symbolizing two different groups, each whole in its own right, that create connection, continuity, and a mutual safety net. This is the fascinating meeting point of intersectionality, the place where all the components that make us who we are come together, such as gender, age, belonging to a particular community, neurological and physical differences, and more.
Does being an Ally mean being a Superhero?
Allyship is often described as “supportive partnership” or “being an ally,” and it’s defined as an ongoing, active practice. It isn’t just a statement. Its essence is taking steps to support others. It’s not a noun. It’s an action.
Being an ally doesn’t mean being a “superhero” who swoops in to rescue someone, and it isn’t about creating a sense of guilt. The goal is to understand that all of us, those from diversity groups and from the majority group alike, have a role in building bridges that allow every talent to succeed.
As people who come from the tech world and have spent 15 years advising organizations and tech companies, we encounter this concept all the time. We’ve learned that Allyship is the most powerful business and human strategy we have for creating truly inclusive leadership.
The ALLY Model: Putting Allyship into practice
Everyone wants to be an ally, but few really know what that looks like in practice. So we broke the concept down into four simple, practical principles, following the letters of the word ALLY. Below, we’ll explain each practice.
A. Amplify (don’t keep the compliments to yourself): give a platform to, and truly listen to, those who don’t always get a platform or attention.
L. Lifelong Learning: an ongoing willingness to learn and improve.
L. Leverage: use our power and standing to strengthen and protect others.
Y. Your Voice: speak up, actively advocate for equal opportunity and systemic change.
Let’s dive into each of these principles together.
A: Amplify
You know that moment when you’re sitting in a meeting and the manager showers praise on one employee, while deep down you know there’s someone (often, a woman) who deserves far more credit?
That’s our first principle: shine a spotlight on the people who usually don’t get recognition. Don’t wait for that credit to arrive on its own.
Professor Meg A. Warren of Western Washington University, an Allyship expert, points out that the achievements of people from certain groups (for example, women or people who are not white) get less resonance than the achievements of white men, even in “merit-based” systems that are supposed to be fair. Her call is clear: “It’s critical to shine a spotlight on those who don’t get recognition. Especially now.”
A true ally is someone who makes sure credit goes to whoever earned it, regardless of their background. Behind many successful careers stands someone who cared enough to speak up. And according to Warren, doing it once isn’t enough: “Share positive comments about them in conversations on a regular basis, especially within earshot of the people in power who might overlook their contribution.”
L: Lifelong Learning
One of us attended a meeting and heard a manager say about someone else: “He’s a fairly older man, so it takes him a long time to make a decision.”
In other words, the manager assumed the decision was being delayed because the person was older, more cautious, slower.
The sense in the room was that the person who said this was a respected, empathetic manager, a woman who almost certainly didn’t mean any harm.
Still, we try to practice ourselves in what we ask managers to do, so we went over to her and asked whether she was open to some feedback. We explained that she was reinforcing a negative stereotype about older people, and that even without any intention to harm, the sentence sent the message that it’s acceptable to assume older people work more slowly. She appreciated it and thanked us for the feedback.
Lifelong learning is this willingness to pause for a moment, understand our biases, examine what we said or thought, and be ready to change it. After all, everyone has biases, we do too, and so do the kindest, most considerate people. Learning helps us look inward and improve ourselves.
Being an ally also means helping someone notice a stereotype they didn’t realize they were reinforcing toward a certain group. Without confrontation, without proving them wrong, but by holding a conversation. Here are three simple steps that can help:
Describe what you heard: “I heard you connect how long the decision took to the person’s age.”
Explain the possible impact: “That sentence can reinforce the assumption that older people are slower or more cautious at work.”
Offer an alternative: “You could say the process is taking longer than expected, without attributing it to age.”
The goal isn’t to prove someone was wrong or make them defensive. The goal is to help them notice an assumption, learn from it, and choose differently next time.
L: Leverage (Your Privilege)
Being a Stabilizing Force
In today’s world, where you constantly hear about cutbacks, organizational changes, and new technologies, that advantage has great power to help other people in the organization, especially around uncertainty and instability.
Workplace wellbeing expert Laura Putnam calls the need for consistency, clarity, and the ability to anticipate what’s coming “Stability Wellbeing.”
She explains: “When everything else feels unpredictable, people don’t just want leaders who inspire change. They need leaders who give them stable ground to stand on.”
Managers get information earlier than the rest of the staff. They get more context, and it’s easier for them to see the big picture. It’s possible, and worthwhile, to leverage these advantages to create stability among employees.
Had to move a meeting? Don’t leave employees guessing whether the meeting still matters. Say so explicitly.
A decision on something hasn’t been made yet? Share as much as you can about what’s already known and when the next update is expected.
Something changed? As much as possible, explain what’s changing, why, and what it means for the team.
Everything feels in a flux? Describe what is staying stable, too.
We can’t always change what’s happening, but we can almost always shape how the people around us experience the uncertainty.
Often, allyship isn’t a grand gesture. It’s a small update that arrives on time, a clear and considerate explanation, using the information we have so we don’t leave others in the dark.
Y: Your Voice
You know how someone tells an offensive joke in a meeting, and then someone else says it’s not funny and not okay?
Well, meet the “first brave one,” the person who stands up and says, in real time, that what’s happening here isn’t right. The person who used their voice to stop harm to a certain group and to help shift the norms in the organization.
Notice an important and interesting point: using our voice doesn’t always mean being the first to speak. Sometimes the most important act is being the second voice.
What happens after the brave one says “this isn’t okay”? People answer: “Come on, it’s just a joke. Don’t be so sensitive.” The conversation moves on, and the person who spoke up is left alone.
Maybe afterward a few colleagues come over and tell them “what you said was brave,” but the support arrives once the moment has already passed.
Michelle MiJung Kim, in her book The Wake Up, suggests being the second brave one. The one who joins in real time, not after. One sentence is enough: “I didn’t think it was funny either.” That’s enough to show the first brave one they’re not alone. But beyond supporting one person, it starts to create ripples.
Being the first is very hard. Being the second isn’t simple either. Being the third is already fairly easy. Once more and more people speak up, it becomes harder for the group to dismiss it as oversensitivity. They’ll realize they were wrong, and they probably won’t do it again.
It’s one short sentence, but that’s how, gradually, a small personal act can help change organizational norms. So what now?
Allyship Day is over? The partnership isn’t. It happens every time we give someone a platform, are willing to learn, use our advantages to remove a barrier, or speak up so that someone else isn’t left alone.
This is the time to move to ongoing action. You don’t need to put on a big event. It’s enough to pick one action and begin:
Devote ten minutes in your next team meeting to the question: what does supportive allyship look like for us day to day?
Thank an employee you’ve seen acting as an ally.
Ask each participant to choose one action from the ALLY model and apply it in the coming week. And in the weeks after that, too…
Open an internal channel for sharing examples, or pass this guide along to your colleagues.
Organizational change doesn’t always start with a big decision from the top. Sometimes it starts with one person who gives credit, opens a door, or speaks up. Someone else sees it, learns, and joins in. And that’s how a personal act gradually becomes an organizational norm.
Which one act of allyship will you choose to do this week, and how will you make sure it becomes part of your work routine?
In the Inclusive Leadership workshops we lead for managers in organizations, we shine a light on these points. We provide managers with tools on how to nurture everyone, how to understand that different employees need different things, and how to ensure no one is left behind.
If you have questions or would like to discuss how to implement inclusive leadership in your organization, we are here to help. Feel free to contact us at info@TheDEICode.com.
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