Spirit of Purpose · How to Create Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Workplaces You may remember the call and response of last summer concerning creating more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces and communities.  Many organizations, perhaps yours, asserted commitment to the cause.  Some made meaningful progress.  Others, not so much.  The Gallup organization says to create and sustain progress […]

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Spirit of Purpose · The Long & Challenging Road to Real DEI Change If your organization is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace, you can be certain getting to success will be a long and challenging journey.  To make meaningful progress, change must occur at two levels – the individual and […]

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Spirit of Purpose · Many Shades of Microagression As we engage with members of culturally marginalized groups, our words and actions can cause hurt and do harm.  In his book, “Microaggressions in Everyday Life,” Derald Wing Sue teaches us about our impact, whether intended or not, through three types of microaggressions.  Micro-insults. Micro-assaults. Micro-invalidations.   Micro-insults are rude, insensitive […]

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Spirit of Purpose · Look for Learning Opportunities Learning opportunities abound, especially when you’re in culturally diverse groups.  To wake up your awareness of the disparate impact of certain behaviors on people of color and white women, take a more objective look at the dynamics that occur during meetings, in public spaces, even in personal relationships.  […]

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Studies have shown that well-managed, diverse teams outperform homogenous teams.  But, even companies with the best intentions struggle to create the inclusive workforces they say they seek.  Since bias in recruitment, selection and development is extremely hard to eliminate, HBR recommends interrupting it.   The first step is to understand how bias plays out in everyday workplace interactions.  For […]

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Diverse teams outperform homogenous teams.  According to Harvard Business Review, they’re more committed, have higher collective intelligence, and are better at making decisions and solving problems.  Diversity starts with inclusive hiring practices.  Here are two to consider.   Insist on a truly diverse candidate pool.  Not just one person of color or one white woman.  Why?  HBR says research shows that the odds […]

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This week’s reports have focused on interrupting workplace bias.  According to Harvard Business Review, hiring and maintaining a diverse workforce comes with many proven benefits.  To get an inclusive staff you must start with hiring.  Here are two ways to adjust your practices. Limit referral hiring.  Hiring from within or from employee’s social networks can perpetuate homogeneity. Instead, actively […]

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