Award-winning entrepreneur, author, and speaker, Jennifer Brown, returns as a guest this week. Jennifer has a fantastic new book, How to Be an Inclusive Leader, which comes out in August. This book has important information we need now more than ever in the workplace. Jennifer discusses where one even starts when trying to create a culture of inclusion and belonging, and what leaders can do specifically to cultivate this type of environment. She also shares the reasons why people may refrain from speaking up, and some simple steps to get started and/or to expand our ability to be inclusive leaders in today’s world.
Key Takeaways
[3:37] Jennifer’s new book, How to Be an Inclusive Leader, will be out in August. In it, she provides a step-by-step guide for creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.
[6:20] Jennifer notes that the election in 2016 sparked both more self-reflection and also a focus on what really makes a workplace an environment where others feel safe and accepted.
[8:56] Most companies don’t perceive the emergency of the need for diversity and inclusion, and therefore continue to ignore the data that could be so important to even better productivity.
[13:45] The ability to express anger is so important and cleansing, and yet corporate America has no patience for it. While we can give it voice properly in the community, we often will have to shapeshift to reach the stakeholders in corporate leadership.
[15:19] Cisgender is when the sense of your gender matches the body you were born in. It is the opposite of transgender. Sexual orientation is who you are attracted to, and different than gender identity.
[16:31] One powerful gesture leaders can do to make a step towards inclusion is to share your pronouns as part of the way you do business. Another is to stop saying you don’t see color. Even with good intentions, it is an erasure of someone else’s very real and relevant experience.
[19:57] Most of the privilege that we have is really hard for us to see. Fully recognizing it starts in small steps, and we must have curiosity, empathy, and the knowledge that it is our job to make a difference.
[27:12] When we come from a mindset of trust and abundance, rather than scarcity, we see that there is room for everyone to succeed.
[32:14] Having an ally is important. Make sure it is someone that can really level with you and give it to you straight.
[35:32] Inclusion programs can also make people in dominant groups can feel exclusion. That is why it is important for all leaders to be aware there is much they don’t understand, and to stay humble and patient while learning.
[44:06] The Platinum Rule: Do Unto Others As They Would Have You Do Unto Them.
[45:14] Leaders need to set up a trusting environment so their team can fully express what is getting in the way of feeling truly safe and included.
Resources:
Purchase Bring Your Whole Self to Work and gain access to bonus material
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo
“We All Have a Role to Play in Change with Jennifer Brown”
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