“When people reported their leaders were empathetic, they were more likely to report they were able to be innovative—61% of employees compared to only 13% of employees with less empathetic leaders….Leaders don’t have to be experts in mental health in order to demonstrate they care and are paying attention. It’s enough to check in, ask … Read More
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are the foundation of D&I engagement for many companies and with good reason: they build community, broadly distribute inclusion learning, and lift up the voices of historically marginalized people. For their many contributions, we have designed our ERG program to drive meaningful distribution back to ERG leaders in the form of … Read More
Power Networkers – What other tips would you add to this list? Using an ERG (or Affinity Group) to take the Pressure out of Networking: Building a network can be daunting for people who need it most. If you’re naturally shy, early in your career, or trying to make inroads within a new specialty, building … Read More
Listening to chapter 1 of “Mismatch” by Kat Holmes and already taking notes! Early on she expresses foundational DEI concepts so well in the framework of inclusive design. As Dr. Lisa Toppin reminds me, social oppression and bias are “built not-to-see” – to address them, then, we must build our capacity to see in a new … Read More
How Do You Get Big Things Done? I’ll bet on one thing: it’s not alone! I’ve been reading Erica Dhawan‘s Get Big Things Done and appreciating how the power of connectional intelligence fuels not only big innovative work, but also big inclusive work. On our DEI team, we talk a lot about how inclusion is … Read More
What A Better Way To Get Hired Than To Tell Your Story? I’m in the throes of interviewing right now and am reminded of the value of being able to tell your story. Many roles don’t require direct experience doing the exact same work, in the same industry, or at the same level. Experience is … Read More
What’s your “Compassion +” story? I had the opportunity to visit the Apartheid Museum while in Johannesburg (Jozi to those in the know ;)) earlier this month. Over dinner, one of my fellow travelers said, “Thank God that Mandela didn’t get the death penalty [at the Rivonia trial] or Apartheid might have lasted another 100 … Read More
I recently completed the marathon that is “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, which got me thinking about bias. Throughout the book, Kahneman explores our propensity to rely on thinking shortcuts (heuristics) to make decisions. This habit minimizes effort on the part of our frontal lobe, and he distinguishes this approach v. conscious executive … Read More
I’ve been thinking about the intersection of authenticity and calling. Googling around, I came across the Japanese concept of one’s reason-for-being or, “Ikigai,” found at the center of: I’m drawn to the idea that there is this unique, fantastic, destiny-ed overlap between our deep desire to contribute and the greatest needs of the world. That … Read More
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with some Employee Resource Group (ERG) leaders at other companies about their experience starting a People with Disabilities group. Celebrating our program’s ERG launch during Disabilities Awareness Month, I’m reflecting on how we can do better by our colleagues with disabilities. In many social and professional spaces, people … Read More