Leader Shifts Leadership & Personal Development Coaching’s Post

As we approach Juneteenth, the commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, it is important that also acknowledge that we still have more work to do to ensure freedom and equity for everyone. We still need to improve our DEl in today's strategic business strategy. Also, make sure we are making authentic engagement and meaningful action. Today's freedom and equity challenges are reflected in the current technical, financial, and economically driven disparities which are prevalent in our existing education, workforce, and commerce systems.

Join us on June 18 for part two of one of our most popular Inner Circles of 2023 - Dismantling White Supremacy at Work! In the late 1990s, Temu Okun laid out the Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, outlining behaviors and features of workplaces that are damaging because they are used as norms and standards without being proactively named or chosen by the group. During this workshop, we will learn about and examine how the white supremacy characteristic of “urgency” shows up in our work lives and discuss ways that we can combat its effect!

Join us on June 18 for part two of one of our most popular Inner Circles of 2023 - Dismantling White Supremacy at Work! In the late 1990s, Temu Okun laid out the Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, outlining behaviors and features of workplaces that are damaging because they are used as norms and standards without being proactively named or chosen by the group. During this workshop, we will learn about and examine how the white supremacy characteristic of “urgency” shows up in our work lives and discuss ways that we can combat its effect!

It seems like now is a good time to reshare this article https://lnkd.in/gzxnbj2U Agatha Agbanobi, M.Ed, CDP & Viva Asmelash write, "Safety cannot happen without trust. Before we can assert that our environment is safe, we need to know with certainty that all of our leaders are equipped to build trust across identity differences, and also know how to go about repairing that trust when it’s been broken within the organization." Trust and repairing trust often happen through conversations. Yet, we struggle to have tough conversations, especially those about issues of equity and those across lines of difference. Given budget cuts and the anti-DEI push, many organizations have pulled back from helping their team build such skills. But as leaders, we know our teams and people can't do in a time of crisis what we don't do on a regular basis. How are your conversations going now? What are you avoiding talking about as an organization? What are you avoiding addressing? At Forged Ed, we call these Conversations for Equity and love helping people to think through, practice, and have conversations, especially those critical to building a more equitable educational system. One of the simplest things to do, yet often hard to find time for, is creating structures for people to build understanding across those lines of difference. We utilize a practice of listening interviews in our series to help folks get to see how culture and identity show up in our worlds and our work. They are a practice that helps build trust and shared understanding which can enable tougher conversations.

A timely article on what’s happening in the DEI space… the importance and value of diversity in organisations… … and how organisations that honour and embody diversity as part of the very fabric of their philosophy and MO are not just operating in more humane ways, they are fundamentally commercially smarter. I’m proud to be part of two organisations that are leading the way in this space: Influential U and The Institute of Transactional Philosophy. Long may we move powerfully, together, for collectively better futures.

Let’s talk about relative privilege in the workplace. It’s quite an ask for a white, middle-class, business-owning lawyer to have a true understanding of how it feels to be one of the 83% of people who feel undervalued or demotivated as a result of being on the wrong side of relative privilege. But is this really the case? No. Putting my white middle-classness to one side, I am a woman who has had to fight for her place in the business world. I quit my partner-track career at a city law firm as men (and child-free women) were thought of more highly than me. I was blatantly told my career would not progress as I’d planned without sacrificing my family. I was fortunate (or privileged?) enough to start again and embark on a second career. But many others will not be in this position. Whether blatant or unconscious biased behaviour, mine was not an unusual scenario, but I can only imagine is felt more keenly by other under-represented minority groups which are overlooked against their more privileged colleagues. Businesses have traditionally been built on relative privilege, with sons automatically inheriting their father’s business, regardless of prowess. Oxbridge and redbrick grads appear to walk straight into the best roles and the private school old boys’ network is woven deep into industries across the developing world. These social elements are rife but don’t touch on factors such as race, beliefs or sexuality which can all lead to negatively biased behaviours. This doesn’t sit comfortably with me. And is why I wish I could attend ‘Balancing the Scales’ on Wednesday. I recently met Ishreen Bradley - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Bradley and I love what she and her team at Belonging Pioneers are looking to achieve in DEIB. She is making business leaders reflect on their decision making, culture and values; making them accountable for their actions in relation to people. Tickets are still available – it will be fascinating!

A great article that points out the obvious DE+I program fails and what to focus on to get long term results!!!

Interesting insights! Does your company mandate diversity training? Do you agree that it hurts more than it helps? How are you inviting people to the work in an organic way that leads to the results you desire? #deistrategy #deibestpractices

Interesting piece about how traditional means (eg, mandatory EDI training/EDI related interview questions) to amplify equity and diversity in the workplace are often ineffective. As highlighted in this article, most practices that have proven to be effective in promoting EDI weren’t necessarily designed to target it. Per the article, “A number of companies have gotten consistently positive results with tactics that don’t focus on control. They apply three basic principles: engage managers in solving the problem, expose them to people from different groups, and encourage social accountability for change.” In my experience, companies default to training/control tactics to create more inclusive and diverse work environments. However, the research suggests that these tactics are ineffective or their impact is very short lived. I am not totally discounting traditional modes of EDI training - perhaps the way in which many of these EDI trainings are designed needs to be looked at. However, we need to consider this research and look at more effective/less surface based strategies to bring about fundamental changes as it relates to creating truly equitable and diverse work spaces.

Just finished the course “Developing Emotional Intelligence to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” by . Farah Harris, MA, LCPC! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/dCsVfUEk #diversityinclusion #emotionalintelligence.