Tips for Making Meaningful Changes in Inclusion

Do you think you are fooling your employees about inclusion? Probably you are not. So often I see that employers seem to believe that saying how inclusive they are on social media will convince their employees that they have a great culture. The fact is, employees know when all is not well. You can’t “fool” them about inclusion, they must live it.  As organizations strive for inclusivity, navigating the plethora of diversity events and initiatives can raise awareness in a positive way, but it requires a thoughtful approach. If your tactics are about marking dates on a calendar but do not drive meaningful change, your efforts will not be effective 1️⃣ **Purposeful Engagement:** Embrace diversity days and months as opportunities for awareness and understanding. Encourage open dialogue about race, disability, gender, sexuality, and religion to dispel myths and assumptions. 2️⃣ **Go Beyond Tokenism:** Avoid superficial gestures by prioritizing internal awareness and engagement first. Celebrate achievements internally before broadcasting externally. Ensure that you share and celebrate tangible accomplishments around equity, not just celebrate diverse identities. 3️⃣ **Embed Equity &  Inclusion in Culture:** Integration is key. Embed equity & inclusion into every aspect of your organization, from recruiting to manager expectations to leadership engagement. Only by making it a 365-day commitment will it drive a culture where everyone feels valued and respected. 4️⃣ **Science-Led Monitoring:** Measure success beyond visible diversity. Seek feedback regularly including anonymous channels to provide input. Assess the impact of initiatives and identify areas for improvement. Regular data review and alignment are crucial for long-term progress. 5️⃣ **Empowerment & Leadership:** Provide genuine opportunities for staff to shape priorities and advance their careers. Foster inclusive leadership, ensuring all senior leaders are seen engaging in the work, and strive for diverse representation at all levels of the organization. By following these best practices, organizations can not only celebrate diversity but also drive real change, creating environments where everyone can thrive. #DiversityandInclusion #InclusiveCulture #DEIBestPractices Diversity North Group

Rainbow streamers plastered to chairs. Rainbow cupcakes melting into tables. I walked into my first company pride to a familiar disappointment. Yes, there was a drag performance. No, not even she could breathe life into the repurposed gray scaled conference room. Companies often checkboxes during pride. Taking the hallmarks of queer culture (drag, rainbows) but missing the mark on what makes our communities vibrant and empowering. Here's what you can do to avoid falling into this trap: 1) Engage genuinely: LGBTQ communities are constantly iterating. Listen to your teams. Do they need a drag bingo or do they need to be promoted fairly? 2) Educate consistently: We understand that there will always be new language, new understandings of our identities. Provide year round trainings on LGBTQ inclusion. Focus on gender, trans, & non-binary inclusion. Curate by teams, roles. 3) Think expansively: LGBTQ people exist across demographics, geographies, family structures. Ensure your approach is rooted in intersectional frameworks Resist the urge to check that box. Embrace what makes pride celebratory and revelatory. Everyone will benefit. p.s. I still have a slot or two open for pride month for speaking and consulting. DM me so we can make your pride meaningful, beyond just checking that rainbow box #Pride #LGBTQ #Inclusion

Last week, I talked about how leading or learning inclusively isn’t a one-and-done. Each time you dive deeper into this topic, you’ll walk away with more ways to be welcoming, to help others feel supported, to be an ally, and to ensure you’re seeing what is potentially hard for you to see. Each time, it meets you wherever you are, with your innate unconscious biases, your perspectives, and your experiences. So, what meaningful steps forward can you take right now to become an inclusive leader? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: • Establish and Utilize a Personal Advisory Board (PAD): Establishing a PAD, composed of trusted peers, helps leaders gain direct feedback on their inclusiveness in daily interactions. We talk more about how to do this in our article, “The Power of a Personal Advisory Board.” • Share Your Learning Journey: Openly discussing personal experiences and growth regarding biases and inclusion encourages a culture of humility and transparency. We’ve seen clients have success with this in one-on-one settings and in facilitated sessions. • Broaden Your Horizons: Leaders can disrupt pre-existing notions by regularly immersing themselves in unfamiliar scenarios, promoting understanding and inclusivity. • Check Your Reality: Shockingly, only one in three leaders truly understands their inclusive leadership potential. While some overestimate their capabilities, others lack the confidence to actively challenge existing norms. I can’t tell you how many times someone brings up a different way they might have approached a situation after the fact. Remember, while you can’t undo something that has been done, you can always check in after the fact with the parties involved to display your allyship or take a stand. It's crucial for leaders to bridge this gap through awareness, humility, and empathy. The journey towards inclusive leadership is an ongoing one, demanding consistent effort and genuine introspection. As we forge ahead in a diverse world, leaders embracing inclusivity not only benefit personally but also champion the rise of thriving, innovative organizations. What are you doing to promote inclusive leadership? #LBLDev #TheHive #OrganizationalEffectiveness #OrganizationalDevelopment #LeadershipCommunity

Why Is EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI) Critical to Building an Inclusive and Long-Term DEI Strategy?   The first step in achieving sustainable change within any company with meaningful outcomes is through EI Training. This then paves the way for further trainings on stereotypes & biases, understanding organization, recruitment & retention, community outreach, and creating a robust sustainable business model.   It comes down to emotions, perceptions, and learning how to adapt to change by “unfreezing” your mindset. We don't want programs of the past when there are no real outcomes.  It centers around impacting identity. You are asking people to question the way they do things and how they behave. Consider technology of the past. Would you consider going back to using an old 1990 cell phone with outdated technology? Likely not. Why is DEI any different? We need to catch up; we need a new perspective with all the knowledge, advancements, and understandings.   EI is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.   The framework behind EI can be broken down into quadrants -   RECOGNITION & REGULATION with PERSONAL & SOCIAL COMPETENCE.  Under each of these includes Self-awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship management. Each have their own specific exercises, strategies, and steps forward to how to accomplish each of these.   A few examples of developing your EI include:   Self-reflection--  (taking time to get to know yourself. Personal SWOT analysis or from soliciting feedback from peers to uncover your own personal blind spots) Know what triggers emotions in you  -- (consider what you are responding to when you become sad, angry or frustrated. Pay attention to vocabulary. Know the words that incite emotions in you and those that you use that may negatively impact others) Empathizing with People  -- (be willing to see things from different perspectives. This requires getting to know others, practice active listening, and asking open questions to gather info. Pay attention to nonverbal communication to find out more about how someone is truly reacting to a situation) Owning your Emotions -- (take responsibility to recognize and own emotional reactions that you have when you're interacting with other people. When you get angry, why are you getting angry? How is this destructive to you and becoming distracting to your colleagues around you?) Practicing Mindfulness --  (self-awareness is key to help reduce stress and maintain a more positive attitude.)   I LOVE this topic and could write a book on it as many have, but from a very different perspective and through the lens of disability. Lack of EI and Ableist thinking, I believe, are at the core of what creates too many friction points for those identifying with disabilities to be the most successful in their jobs. #ableism #emotionalintelligence #disabilityinclusion #perceptionmatters

As more employers are calling staff back into the office, there’s a strong possibility that we’ll encounter new colleagues and rekindle working relationships. Let’s approach this fresh start with a new perspective – to work inclusively. This will be different for each of us as inclusive mindsets and commitments to doing so vary greatly, so let’s be intentional about it. Here’s 3 simple (but not necessarily easy) activities to help build an inclusive mindset. 🎯  Strive to See the Whole Person: Many of us consider ourselves to be well-intentioned, egalitarian, fair-minded individuals who would never allow our #biases to negatively inform our interactions with people we work with. Consciously, we are absolutely determined to be kind, objective and nonjudgmental. Unconsciously, we often do just the opposite. Rather, approach interactions with an open mind, withhold judgement, listen more than you talk so that the true version of the other person can emerge.   🎯 Make a Genuine Connection: Every workplace has varying degrees of #diversity – from the most obvious of race, age, and gender to the sometimes less obvious of education, experience, socio economic background and (dis)ability. It’s almost impossible to get through the day without encountering someone different from us.  While you may have figured out how to peacefully coexist with colleagues who are very different from you, that’s not the same as connecting and developing interpersonal relationships. In the blink of an eye, we can miss out on the rich experiences of getting to know our coworkers in the chaos of to-do lists, priorities, meetings, deliverables, deadlines – you name it, as they are all part of just getting through the day. While focusing on what we’re doing is important, it is equally important to focus on who we’re doing it with.     🎯  Embrace Gender Identities: Continual focus through the lens of male or female gender identity is highly exclusive of the beauty of individuals who identify as transgender – those whose gender differs than the one assigned at birth, nonbinary – not identifying exclusively as man or woman, genderfluid – moving between gender identities, agender – having no specific gender identity, and bigender – having two gender identities.  #genderidentity is a personal sense of self, and we should never assume that we already know what that is. It’s best to ask how they wish to be identified if they have not already shared.  Educate yourself on the nuances, pronoun use and more importantly the role you play in creating a culture where people feel safe to be themselves.    Based on the book “Impactful Inclusion Toolkit: 52 Activities to Help You Learn and Practice Inclusion Everyday in the Workplace” Kenyon Brown Emory Brown Paige Reh Miranda Ruane Lisa Person (she/her) Rich Freeman Lisa Hurley Angel L. Piñeiro, Jr. Kathryn Rose ⭐

How many times have we made assumptions about someone's capabilities based on their age, gender, ethnicity, or even the way they speak? These are what we call "subtle acts of exclusion" or microaggressions which are often overlooked, yet their impact on an individual's well-being and productivity can be significant. Microaggressions can manifest in various ways, for example, -Interrupting someone while they talk -Making assumptions based on stereotypes -Dismissing someone's ideas without constructive feedback. These actions can lead to feelings of exclusion, stress, and decreased motivation. Now let’s talk about how can we improve? 1. Increase Awareness: Encourage education and training sessions about unconscious biases and how they manifest in microaggressions. Awareness is the first step towards change. 2. Foster Open Dialogue: Encourage employees to speak up about their experiences. This can foster empathy and understanding. 3. Implement Feedback Systems: Establish anonymous feedback mechanisms for employees to report instances of microaggressions. This ensures everyone feels safe and heard. 4. Lead by Example: Leaders should embody the values of inclusivity and respect, setting the tone for the entire organization. Remember, change begins with awareness followed by action. Let's strive to create inclusive workplaces, free of microaggressions. Are you noticing these subtle acts of exclusion in your workplace and want to minimize it? Let’s chat #WorkplaceCulture #DiversityandInclusion #Leadership #EmployeeEngagement

Today is an awareness day you might not have heard of, and neither had I until quite recently. International Safe Places to Work Day is an annual event dedicated to celebrating organizations and individuals who promote psychological safety in the workplace—places where people feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas, and asking questions without fear of negative consequences.   It’s clearly needed: a McKinsey survey found that only 26 percent of leaders were perceived to create psychological safety for their teams. A necessary building block to achieve this is inclusion - ensuring that all colleagues, regardless of their identity or personal attributes, feel equally empowered to contribute meaningfully and bring their whole selves to work. Those who feel excluded are far less likely to challenge and contribute candidly.   It’s easy to assume that everyone feels equally welcome and valued. But when we pause to examine the data—and more importantly, listen to the lived experiences of our colleagues—we begin to recognize that many of our colleagues, particularly those from underrepresented groups, do not feel included.   A day like this is a perfect opportunity to reflect on what more we can do as leaders to shape an environment where everyone feels safe to speak up and share their authentic experience.   Recognizing that for most of us this is something we are always striving to improve; I wanted to share a few practices I am consistently working to do better myself:   •Inviting diverse perspectives and showing genuine openness to consider views that challenge my own thinking •Being mindful of my own unconscious biases and actively working to address them •Embracing mistakes as learning opportunities and showing vulnerability in acknowledging my own flaws / failures •Listening deeply to all voices, especially seeking out those less often heard. •Actively asking for critique (and receiving with authentic gratitude - body language included!) … then acting on it   I’d love to hear other suggestions that can help us close the inclusion and psychological safety gap.   #SafePlacesToWork #PsychologicalSafety #Inclusion #Belonging #Perspective #Leadership