Always be inclusive…

One of my best friends is a passionate solo wanderlust, which I aspire to be. He would pick a destination on his bucket list, research what he wanted to experience during his travels, and be off on his new adventure.  

New York Pride Celebrating 50 Years

He has traveled all around the world, tasted some of the most amazing foods, marveled in the cultures just like a local, and has met friends along the way. He has taken leaps outside of his comfort zones to explore the true diversity of the world around us and has grown more culturally diverse. This act takes courage, vulnerability, bravery, curiosity, and a lust to experience more.

During his travels he was also able to open up to me and reveal that his entire life, he was not living his true self. That he was gay. He was struggling between being the person people thought he was on the outside, versus showing up as his true authentic self. I’ve never felt prouder of my friend for living his truth and honored that I was the first person he came out to. I asked him, how can I continue to support you and the LGBTQ community? How can I be an ally and better friend?

Being bi-racial, I’ve been on the fence of my own personal journey. Am I not white enough; am I not black enough? Which side should I be on, left or right, mom or dad? When should I speak up or shut down? Do I really fit in in this space and know that I belong? What should I and shouldn’t I say?

We are in a season of love and light, joy and justice, grief and gratitude, and yet we are facing obstacles and witnessing history that we will share and pass down. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of lows and highs. What can we do? How can we show up for those around us? How can we be better leaders and cultivate a culture of belonging?  

What I’ve learned is: there are a lot of people who value the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), who are passionate about building a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture, who want to further understand what DEI means and how to be involved, and much more.

There is no one size fits all answer, and there isn’t a checklist of DEI must haves that fit a box of accomplishments. What we do know is how we can be more mindful, intentional, self-aware, and lead with empathy and drive purposeful action.

Intentional Actions with Meaningful and Measurable Results

With the rise of COVID-19 and social injustice, we’ve seen activists and organizations speak up and brands leading the charge for intentional change. Most recently shared in the news Nasdaq’s new proposal to adopt new listing requirements related to diversity with a goal to provide a better understanding of the company’s consideration for diversity in selecting their board of directors. Similarly, the CEO of Ben & Jerry’s has called for businesses to be held accountable for their inclusion and diversity initiatives.

Below are just a few examples of how businesses can enhance its focus on improve diversity and inclusion:

• Recruit and diversify our talent pool and hiring practices intentionally

• Advocate and allyship: advocate for someone else when they are not in the room, and understanding how to be an ally

• Leverage your networks and tap into resources, ask for help and share experiences

• Learn and understand the benefits of separating performance and development review conversations

• Revamp surveys and job descriptions with inclusive language and DE&I questions to measure success

• Purposefully include everyone that is a part of the meeting in the conversation; challenge how we are holding inclusive meetings with our global teams

• Learn and understand how to reduce unconscious bias in the workplace

• Learn about and understand Code Switching and how it threatens diversity and inclusion

• Build a culture of psychological safety, check in on your teams, empower affinity groups, and celebrate cultures

• Hold team member check ins or “care-ins”

Honing in on Our Sphere of Influence

I am a strong believer that we all have a purpose in life. Our calling and motivators to make the people and life around you happier, rewarding, and fulfilling. Those underlying values, passions, and motivators are your gifts. The result of what you need and how you can contribute comes in different packages; this is similar to how we show up in our communities and for humanity.

Your own way of being an activist, ally, or advocate doesn’t have to be perfect or exactly that of someone else. It’s the actual effort and intentions you put behind the meaning. It’s important to not devalue that.  

Keep these things in mind as you stay engaged:

• Choosing to be a part of the conversation is choosing to be a part of the solution

• Listening consciously and curiously with your heart, mind and gut; educate your network, family and friends

• Using your voice and holding inclusive spaces; being mindful and empathetic

• Understanding your own sphere of influence- volunteering, protesting, donating, creating shared space to hold conversations, being an ally, research and educate yourself and others, checking in with others, etc.

Choosing Courage to Grow Out of Comfort Zones

“Vulnerability is hard, and it’s scary, and it feels dangerous. But it’s not as hard or scary or dangerous as getting to the end of our lives and having to ask ourselves, ‘What if I would’ve shown up?'”

How are we showing up for others and meeting people where they are? Brené Brown’s recent documentary, The Call To Courage on Netflix, is profound and I encourage you to watch and listen. We can all walk away with valuable insights and learnings just by watching her share her stories and messages around resilience, vulnerability, innovation, and leadership.

Here are some of the things I learned are so important:

• Active listening and asking those tough/uncomfortable questions

• Understanding our biases and be aware of when our biases show up

• Investing in yourself and your teams (coaching, training, mentorship, employee resource groups, attending online webinars and panel events, etc.)

• Write a blog post or video about your own personal journey or testimonies

• Showing up for others, empowering your voice, and leaning in

• Be tenacious in your learning desire to stimulate continuous learning

• Purposefully take time for yourself and find your creative outlet