| Beyond Exclamation

Melody Vanoy & Gayla Thomas-Dabney: Women Leaders Working Better Together to Promote DEIA

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:59:19 +0000

Melody Vanoy & Gayla Thomas-Dabney are CEOs and women leaders who connected over their work at Trinity Health and happened to have their separate DEI consulting firms working for small organizations on the side. They came together to collaborate and achieve specific initiatives or outcomes depending on client requests.

Their collaborations developed outside their primary work as a result of the reduction in effort at Trinity due to COVID. Since they had different geographies with different needs, they kept their organizations separate with a business model to support each other with a “better together” mindset.

Gayla takes the lead when there are EEO/ AAP clients and provides support with any training needs while Melody supports her with OD and leader coaching, taking the lead with organizations that need broad change initiatives.

Since they each now have full-time priorities in the field, they feel fortunate to have gained the staff they need to continue the support GTD and AmorX offer to organizations in need of partnership approaches to solving their DEI and other organizational development needs.

Melody and Gayla have worked with clients like Ascension, CapEd, Healthwise, United Way, and the Catholic Health Services of Long Island, and are now planning to create another organization together that will specifically focus on community-based health equity and ESG organizations and efforts such as the ones below.

From the Art World to Diversity & Inclusion Work

Now the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at GHX, Melody’s DEI career journey began when, as an X-ray tech at the University of Michigan Health System, she volunteered to be a Department of Radiology DEI representative. In this role, she was the liaison between the official work of DEI that came out of HR and their department.

She believes that this role was crucial in landing her first formal DEI role as DEI coordinator within HR several years later. After being in the coordinator role for several years, Melody was promoted to a DEI trainer role and finally a senior consultant role before joining Trinity Health in a system-wide director D&I role.

She remained in the director role for several years before being promoted into a more regional role where she had more hand on responsibilities in helping local hospitals in her region foster inclusive environments by ensuring they had the resources and consultation needed to sustain efforts over time. In 2022, Melody’s joined GHX as the VP of D&I where she’s now responsible for implementing and managing the DEI & Culture strategy.

“I didn’t plan to be in this field at all,” Melody recalls. “My career journey started on a road to all thing’s art history. I saw myself as a curator at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, and still to this day love everything about art. Though I loved art and particular genres, I always found myself interested in the people and culture of that genre.”

At the time, Melody had no desire to get a Ph.D. in any field and one was required for art history, so she made a left turn and went into business by obtaining an MBA. This was where her passion crossed paths, in that the program allowed her to learn about organizational development, effectiveness, and diversity. She was hooked and has never looked back.

Melody explains that, ironically, Amor X started as an art consulting firm before her business transition. She first provided art consulting to local businesses and individual clients from a decorative point of view. She also curated items from local artists and provided a means for them to showcase their work.

Once she moved into business, Melody transformed Amor X into formal DEI and business strategy work, both to help small organizations on their DEI journeys, as well as to obtain crucial experience in the field that supported her primary work.

“It is quite simple. When it comes to ANYTHING in life – relationships friendships, the work you do, the art you make – when it comes to ANYTHING, if it does not move you and inspire you, if it does not come from the DEEPEST part of who you are, it is not for you.” – Bianca Sparacino

Leveraging a Military Background as a DEIA Leader

As the Division Chief of the Strategic Planning Division at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, ODEIA, Gayla was inspired to take the leap of faith into D&I leadership when she retired from the military in 2005 and transitioned to the culture of civilian life.

Before establishing GTD Enterprise LLC, her career path was about serving and honorably retiring from the military. Additional diversity of work included working with the City of Gainesville, the Department of Defense (DOD), Higher Education, Healthcare, and the Federal government.

“I quickly realized that the culture I was transitioning from was culturally different in many ways. Growing up as a military kid, I knew one way to understand D&I as a kid, you just did it! My background informs the way I lead the work of DEIA, with extended grace to others. My team invites everyone to the table – inclusion is not one-sided,” Gayla insists.

GTD Enterprise LLC has a group of professionals that work with clients to provide consultative services related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) strategic planning and solutions to culture change. GTD Enterprise LLC clients have included: Healthwise, United Way-Boise, CapEd, Ascension, and INL.

Gayla observes that, while leading is not an easy road, it is rewarding and she felt inspired to take the step of faith into D&I leadership because she believes that love conquers hate.

“We’re all uniquely and wonderfully made. As leaders in D&I, we oftentimes have to train’ our leaders, and that’s okay. Military senior enlisted trained our division officers to become Naval leaders, responsible for many lives while in command. Leading sailors and junior officers were challenging at times. At the end of the road, the good far outweighs the bad. I love leading DEIA,” she declares.

Success in DEIA is About Empowering Others

In terms of defining success, Melody believes success is reached when you see your efforts come to fruition. “Often one can get bogged down by the doing, and the project itself. However, in this field when you see individuals become more open to the work and feel like they’re included in the work and support the work, this is success for me,” she elaborates.

Serving as a leader in the United States Navy for 23 years, Gayla defines success by the success of the teams she leads and by empowering her team to learn, be innovative, and serve alongside them.

“Success is observing my team promoted into leadership roles if so desired. I define success as taking care of your team, and they’ll take care of you. Words to live by from my experience in leading many sailors while serving in the U.S. Navy as a Senior Chief Petty Officer (Surface Warfare),” she maintains.

For Melody, her major roadblocks centered on getting in her own way. She feels fortunate to have gained her first formal DEI role on a team that was responsible for not only diversity, but employee engagement, change management, and leadership development.

“I didn’t see great buy-in with this work until I worked on myself. Being on a team like this enabled me to receive wrap-around development. I worked on myself, and my biases, and always used the materials we used on this team on myself. Thus, I feel having a robust personal development plan helped me not only face external barriers but accept and work through them,” she explains.

Melody feels that the best recognition she has received was when a client told her that her services were highly valued and that Amor X really helped them along on their DEI journey. “Each time I receive a repeat client, that’s all the recognition I need,” she says.

The roadblocks that taught Gayla valuable lessons throughout her professional journey pushed her further into her destiny as a successful DEIA leader. They taught her to present the opposite (roadblocks) for others, as others had presented to her.

She notes that the best recognition she has received as a leader has been that of being trustworthy and having her work become well-recognized across the DEIA industry by other leaders and colleagues. She has also won two DEIA awards of excellence for GTD Enterprise LLC’s work.

“The unique personality which is the real life in me, I cannot gain unless I search for the real life, the spiritual quality, in others. I am myself spiritually dead unless I reach out to the fine quality dormant in others.” – Felix Adler

Integrity Is Doing The Right Thing Even When Nobody’s Watching

In terms of redefining the industry, Melody ensures that Amor X meets clients where they are and that she levels the services offered accordingly. She also treats each client as an individual organization, no matter what industry they’re in or what their competitors are doing.

“The main challenge is ensuring the client understands that no matter where they may be on their journey, the journey is still important and valuable, and it is my job to ensure they have a strategy that takes this into account and moves at a pace conducive to their organizational needs,” she states.

As a leader, Melody ensures a culture of integrity on her team by being accountable for her actions and requiring her team to be accountable for theirs. “I think integrity builds by both, being able to admit when something goes wrong as well as creating space for others to do the same,” she insists. “I also ensure that all efforts are inclusive, and when I receive pushback on something I know may be a best practice hard pill to swallow, I respectfully acknowledge that point of view and explain the reasoning for such action.”

Gayla points out that GTD Enterprise LLC has significantly contributed to the DEIA industry by working with clients to ensure recent best practices, trends, and analysis are available to assist with strategic planning, learning and education, and outreach and engagement. It provides each client with great engagement and personal attention to the organization’s culture.

“As the CEO, I empower my team to provide subject matter expertise and technical assistance in all areas of the work. My goal is to always empower my team to personalize the client’s portfolio using a model which provides our work through the lens of culture, change, and transformation. We hope to create DEIA change agents across the organization at all levels of responsibility,” she says.

For Gayla, integrity is doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. As the CEO of GTD Enterprise LLC, she practices and believes in doing the right thing. “My background and career paths could not have been successful without integrity. As a leader, one can go above and beyond for a team, but without integrity, all will eventually fail because there will be no trust. My reputation in general and in the DEIA industry is important to me,” she affirms.

“Justice delayed is justice denied.” – William E Gladstone

To Succeed In DEIA Surround Passion With Concrete Business Knowledge

Melody points out that, though fulfilling, the DEIA industry is not an easy one as one must consider all the collective cultures an organization has to offer, and having a passion for this work is only the beginning. To navigate this journey successfully, one must surround passion with concrete business knowledge to be able to speak the language of executives.

Organizational leaders need to first understand that DEI is no longer just the right thing to do, but rather a business imperative. “I don’t think my innate passion alone would have enabled me the ability to navigate various industries. Thus, everything I’ve learned from formal business education to the robust informal mentoring I’ve received over the years has also contributed to my success in this field,” she remarks.

Currently writing her dissertation on the future of Christian leadership, Gayla believes that the future generation requires an organization that practices inclusive leadership, inclusion, equity, accessibility, and psychological safety and promotes a workplace of innovation.

“If an organization’s culture can adapt to these essentials, diversity will follow. The work of DEIA is not difficult, in my opinion. If you know how to build relationships with others, create change agents, and listen to the next generation of leaders by inviting them to the table – everyone wins! That’s what I believe,” she maintains.

“Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard”- Unknown

Creating Balance In The New Normal Of Remote Work

“The one word that defines me is ‘execute’,” says Melody, noting that her work at Amor X consists of simply approving client requests for work and delegating accordingly since she currently has a formal position as VP D&I at GHX, where she’s implemented a DEI framework and roadmap and manages this work daily. Currently, she has several levels of DEI professionals that take on various client needs consisting of consulting and strategic planning, as well as both in-person and virtual DEI education.

As a work-life balance advocate, Melody enjoys spending time with family, baking, her cats, and traveling with her son Jaden, who loves to travel as much as she does. The new normal of remote working has allowed her to work from almost anywhere.

“If I need a change of scenery, I love having the ability to pick up and work from many of my favorite cities across the US. I also inquire about work-life balance whenever I chat with my team. I want to know how they’re doing really; if their workload is manageable; and what they’re doing to decompress,” she elaborates.

Defining herself as a ‘Transformer’, Gayla notes that her primary role at the current time is with the Department of Energy as the Chief of the DEIA Strategic Planning Division, which includes oversight of the DEIA Workforce Development Specialist, DEIA Business Partners, and DEIA Strategy Specialists.

Her day-to-day work at GTD Enterprise LLC consists of empowering her team of DEIA Specialists to oversee her client’s needs and provide technical assistance to ensure their needs are met. “I’m a spiritual believer, not a religious person. I’m equipped to accomplish the plan that’s been destined for my personal and professional life. My motivation to continue to do this work is the future generation of leaders who will be leading in the areas of DEIA,” she declares.

Gayla enjoys spending time with her family, running, and traveling with her husband to places that have their bucket list of food places to try out. Working remotely continues to afford the flexibility needed to reflect and exhale from the workday because it allows for a quiet office space at home to think through each day’s work and provide sustainable solutions.

Keep Learning, Lead Boldly, Trust & Empower Your DEIA Teams

Melody aims to see Amor X continue to grow its clientele, move into the global space and help organizations in other countries that have very different DEI needs on their journeys.

“I consider myself and the industry I’m in as continuous. Thus, I’m a lifelong learner and always looking for ways I can improve. I encourage aspiring leaders to do the same. Never consider yourself an expert, because when we become an expert at one thing, this fosters blind spots in other areas. Keep learning,” she advises.

Gayla’s plan for the future of GTD Enterprise LLC is to hire more employees and launch a comprehensive training program. She also aspires to work with global clients in the coming year and her personal goal is to complete her doctoral degree and continue traveling the world.

“My message to aspiring leaders is to do your best to understand the culture of your organization. Walk the talk when it comes to DEIA efforts and initiatives. Your employees are your best assets who significantly contribute to the company’s bottom line,” she maintains. “Remember, you cannot change people. DEIA is a heart-changing work of humanity, in my experience. Make the work approachable for everyone to have a seat at the table. Lead boldly, trust, and empower your DEIA teams.”

“If a man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life’s exciting variety, not something to fear.” – Gene Roddenberry

Paulette Cohen – An Experienced and Inspiring Diversity & Inclusion Leader Aiming to Create an Equal and Safe Work Environment

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:59:01 +0000

Paulette Cohen is the Head of Diversity & Inclusion, UK, Europe, Middle East at Barclays. She is experienced in working at a strategic level in both the corporate and charitable sectors to deliver national and global initiatives that lead to social change. Responsible for developing and delivering campaigns within Barclays diversity and inclusion strategy, Paulette also has lead responsibility for the disability agenda and ‘This is Me’ mental health campaign across Barclays globally.

Being established as a D&I leader now, Paulette says she has had some extraordinary opportunities throughout her career. Her background was in marketing and communications in the not-for-profit sector – including being the Communications Director for Save the Children. However, her experience in international development took her to the Barclays citizenship team where she led partnerships focusing on women’s economic empowerment, and youth employability programmes for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and under-represented communities. “These are, of course, strong foundations aligned to diversity pillars so my experience was eminently transferable to the world of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” she states.

Every leader has a unique definition of success.

Paulette’s personal perspective of success is when she can go home at the end of the day and feel that someone’s life has been made just a little better by something she has done – that could be a decision she’s made, or a conversation she has had. She feels this is, perhaps, a little idealistic, however she says that it has held true throughout her career and will continue to shape her approach as a DEI leader in the future.

“I very much feel that as DEI professionals we have to use influence to affect change and a successful result is when we have thoughtfully, but intently, nudged people towards an outcome that can truly have a positive impact the lives of others,” she says. From a business angle, she feels success is about taking the decisions that will secure the best outcomes – for the company, the people who work in it, and the communities it serves.

Challenges can be steppingstones to success.

The importance of the work done in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion increases every day, and the expectations to build an inclusive and equitable workplace are greater than ever. Changing demographics and the demand for the very best talent pose new challenges. And key stakeholders, including investors, regulators, clients and employees are looking for tangible impact and evidence of progress as an indicator of organizational resilience and long-term sustainability. It’s part of the increasing emphasis on the ‘social’ component of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals.

“Challenges we face can include a lack of understanding about the business case for DEI, and the expectations for swift solutions to achieve cultural change. I’ve learnt that it is vital to present the business imperative for DEI as well as acknowledge that it is a strong agent for social change. We also need to help people understand there are no quick solutions for building an open and inclusive workplace and that we must take a long-term approach. However, there are milestones we can set along the way and we need to be transparent in the progress we are making,” explains Paulette.

Barclays and its services under Paulette’s leadership

Barclays is committed to build representative and inclusive culture where people of all backgrounds are represented, feel they belong and can bring their whole selves to work. They recognize that being a diverse and inclusive company is an integral part of their success, and this success is built on their ability to listen to, and understand, a variety of perspectives and embrace diversity enabling the business to provide the best service to their customers and clients.

As a company, they focus on six intersectional agendas – Disability, Gender, LGBT+, Multicultural, Multigenerational, Socio-economic inclusion. “I have a double brief” says Paulette “I am responsible for driving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across all of the agendas and business units within the UK, Europe and the Middle East. I also have the global brief for our disability agenda, which has the vision for Barclays to become one of the most accessible and inclusive companies.”

Paulette’s contribution in redefining diversity and inclusion at Barclays

Barclays has had a long-term commitment to DEI and building an equitable and inclusive culture. However, diversity and inclusion strategies are constantly evolving and hence they need to be refreshed as the approach becomes more mature. Barclays has become more business-focused, and also more targeted in meeting the needs of their diverse colleagues and the communities they serve.

Paulette gives two recent examples:

We have increased transparency and accountability – in 2020 we launched an Inclusion Index to monitor year on year improvements, along with a personal inclusion objective embedded in every colleague’s annual work plan.
We have also evolved our colleague engagement survey to become much more granular, gathering information across protected characteristics, to better understand the views of our diverse communities. It means we can put in place targeted support that levels the playing field for everyone to succeed, even though they start from a different place. In February 2021, we launched our inaugural D&I Annual Report sharing this information with investors and other key stakeholders.

Paulette was also actively involved in scaling up a Barclays-inspired campaign called ‘This is Me’, challenging the stigma of mental health through the power of story- telling. Started by nine Barclays colleagues, this has now been adopted by over 400 other companies across regions in the UK and within Asia reaching millions of employees.

Influencing a change in this generation as a D&I leader

DEI leaders have a responsibility, and the opportunity, to shape the way the next generation value difference and see the strengths that the many elements of an individual’s identity can bring. They know that diverse teams and an inclusive approach lead to higher-performing, more resilient and sustainable businesses, and a more empathetic and equitable society. The next generation already appreciate this. “We see this as they embrace allyship, wanting to learn about the lived experience of others and support them to unlock their talents,” Paulette says.

At Barclays, there’s been a surge in the membership of their Employee Resource Groups (over 25,000 members) and their associated allies initiatives – Spectrum allies for the LGBT+ community, Reach Purple Champions aligned to supporting those with a disability, mental health or neurodivergent condition, and a large cohort of Male Allies who support gender equality through the role they can play, both in and outside the workplace.

The best recognition Paulette received as a D&I leader.

“I should say that it was when I was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) by the Queen in the 2022 New Year’s Honours list for services to diversity and inclusion and business,” says Paulette. She feels that was recognition for the work of the incredible teams she’s been part of. However, the recognition she most valued was seeing a colleague who had shared her ‘This is Me’ story of her own mental health challenges be given an award. “It’s the people on whose lives our DE&I work have an impact that really deserve recognition and that make me incredibly proud,” she states.

Staying motivated to maintain a work-life balance.

Paulette does not see a huge division between her personal and professional life, mainly because she feels that she works in a field where her personal beliefs and commitments fill her working day. She states that the ultimate goal for her is to enjoy what she does and feel it is making a really positive contribution.

She is hugely motivated by the achievements of others, and when a small change happens that can have a big impact. Paulette believes that celebrating such successes as a team is a key motivator. Outside of work, she spends as much time as she can walking her new puppy – she claims that it is a great leveller and gives her time to reflect and recharge.

Key responsibilities as the Head of Diversity & Inclusion

Paulette describes herself as optimistic and says that her days at work are multi-faceted – juggling inputs across the DEI portfolio within the business, and supporting external interventions focused on disability, mental health and neurodiversity.

There is no regular day, but it could include: embedding gender and ethnicity ambitions into one of the DEI business councils; contributing self-identification insights to the UK Government’s Disability Confident scheme; chairing a national ‘This is Me’ steering group for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal charity; working with Spectrum Barclays’ LGBT+ ERG to deliver the Stonewall benchmark; holding a career coaching conversation with a graduate to help them focus on their transferable skills. Paulette states that they all would genuinely happen in one day!

Julie Dennis: A Diversity and Inclusion Specialist with the Aim of Building an Inclusive Culture

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:58:53 +0000

D&I has received a lot of attention at work over the past two years. The effects of COVID made society’s disparities more apparent. We witnessed people who cared for others needing to occasionally distance themselves from the people they loved while juggling their employment and childcare. Additionally, we observed that workers of all ages and those from ethnic minorities, as well as those with impairments, were disproportionately affected by the epidemic. The impact of George Floyd’s passing was also felt throughout the UK, when many began to speak up and share their firsthand accounts of prejudice, they had personally experienced while residing there.

According to Julie Dennis, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Acas, it is essential to give people the freedom to tell their truth, to be authentic, and to know that doing so won’t prevent them from reaching their own professional objectives. She thinks it’s a positive thing that the younger generation won’t put up with the difficulties her contemporaries encountered in the job.

In order to break down the hurdles that stop individuals from succeeding at work, Julie wants to inspire others and collaborate with UK companies. She asserts, “Be that ensuring they have the key policies in place to educate and remove discrimination in workplaces, through to working with their people to create real positive change. This also includes enabling businesses to understand their workforce from data through to greater employer voice.” For her, this is the real key to creating truly diverse workplaces across the UK.

Becoming a Promising D&I Leader

Julie began her career in the Fire & Rescue Service and has been a D&I practitioner for more than 20 years. She had experienced discrimination in the early 1990s when she lost her job after finding out she was pregnant and then battled to find work again as a single mom. She had also witnessed the workplace discrimination her close friends had to deal with, from racism to homophobia, and how they had to change to “fit in” with the company they worked for.

To climb back up the corporate ladder, Julie had to return to university, and it was then that she discovered the societal mechanisms that restrict people from realising their full potential while pursuing a BA (hons) in Women’s Studies. So, she decided she wanted a career in equal opportunity, and since then she has never looked back.

Working in Acas

Acas is a free-standing public organisation that gets funding from the government. It offers free, objective advice on employment rights, best practises and policies, and resolving disputes in the workplace to employers, employees, and their representatives.

Because Julie is a member of Acas’ senior leadership team, she is in charge of overseeing and giving strategic leadership on all D&I-related issues with the goal of fostering an inclusive culture that fosters participation and, ultimately, performance. This entails creating a plan, along with goals and benchmarks, to help Acas realise its overall strategy and diversity aims, as well as guaranteeing statutory and legal compliance.

Julie has made D&I a shared responsibility across the organisation as well as for the strategic and day-to-day management of Acas’s human resources and service delivery. This has involved developing and executing effective positive action programmes, conducting thorough HR diversity monitoring, increasing the rate of disclosure for sexual orientation, disability, and ethnicity, and providing a variety of D&I training. She shares, “This work also includes supporting several internal diversity staff networks and diversity champions, creating clear governance structures to enable greater employee voice.”

As a strategic leader, along with assisting UK firms in recovering from the effects of COVID 19, Julie also works with external stakeholders from across government and industry to influence the broader government agenda. She also supports employers in implementing inclusive and flexible workplace policies.

She uses the word “authentic” to describe herself. Speaking openly about her challenges, becoming the first member of her family to attend college, parenting her child on her own, and maintaining her own mental health demonstrate to others that she is capable of overcoming whatever obstacles she faces.

Julie is aware of the advantage of her role as Acas’ Head of Diversity and Inclusion, and she does not take for granted the opportunity she has to speak out against workplace inequality. She adds, “Bringing your whole self to work is crucial both for the employee, their fellow employees, and therefore the employer as well. It can also mean that your people will be more likely to open up about their experiences, and it can also mean you can empower others.”

Overcoming Professional Challenges

“D&I is all about challenges, as you are often dealing with individuals who may be in conflict because of their differences, be that due to their identity, i.e., gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, etc., or due to their beliefs or personal views.”

Over the years, Julie has worked with top executives with whom she knows she will need to have a difficult talk or persuade them to choose a different course of action from the one they are suggesting. She says, “We all have individual lived experiences, which can result in us sometimes perceiving certain actions of others in a specific way. Even if the intention of the other person was not to cause upset.”

Finding common ground first, understanding their viewpoint, and outlining why they would choose a different method are the keys, according to Julie. She thinks that explaining the advantages to them, their team, and their business is a fantastic way to overcome obstacles since, occasionally, one must deal with leaders who just cannot understand a problem or policy choice through the lens of D&I.

Boundaries between Professional and Personal Life

As Julie’s mental health deteriorated in 2019, she looked for expert assistance. After receiving a PTSD diagnosis, she began CBT treatments, which helped her refocus and confront some of the ghosts from her past that she had previously kept hidden.

When she came back to work, she asked her boss if she could go to a 4-day compressed workweek so she could achieve a better work-life balance. Thankfully, they agreed. Due to the time, she was able to spend with her grandkids, Julie was able to refocus and stay motivated.

Julie also has an amazing supportive partner, who understands the pressure she may sometimes face at work, and she shares, “He is always there when I need to unload after a busy day.”

In order to inspire her staff and herself, Julie created attainable goals with precise metrics so they could see the positive results of their work. In addition, she provides a safe environment for them to express themselves when they are dealing with pressure or difficulties and collaborates with them to discover answers. She mentions, “Working collaboratively across other teams in Acas also motivates us as a team, as through that you can see real progress and buy-in from others.”

Recognition as a D&I Expert

In Julie’s opinion, the greatest accolade for her is watching talent develop. Her responsibility includes helping members of underrepresented groups grow. She has accomplished this in a number of ways, including by creating and fostering staff networks inside organisations and by directing positive action initiatives that enable employees to see their own potential.

She asserts, “When you have spotted that raw, untapped talent, give them the tools and opportunities to develop. That is the best part of my job. And when you see that person fly and, on occasions, excel above you in the organisational structure, that’s the best recognition.”

Success as a D&I Leader

Everyone’s definition of success is unique, whether it be for a person, a team, or an organisation. When Julie considers what success in D&I looks like, she starts by recognising how D&I can be a crucial tool for every firm, regardless of its size, sector, or stage of development. If your company isn’t already benefiting from everything that diverse and inclusive workplaces have to offer, there are some actions you can take to help improve it or compare it to what you’re already doing. She suggested that the first step would be to offer solid, data-based proof of the need for change. She states, “Make sure you engage stakeholders in gathering and owning that data to ensure you achieve ownership across your business.”

It’s crucial to appeal to both the “head people” and the “heart people,” since the commercial case for D&I might not be enough on its own. She suggests finding a vocabulary and tone for discussing D&I that aligns with the organization’s story and making sure to involve those outside of HR in developing the proper messaging. Showing how D&I supports and is linked with other organisational initiatives, such as values, corporate strategy, and business development, is crucial in her opinion.

Creating a More Inclusive Workspace in the Future

Julie is really happy to work for Acas, especially after witnessing firsthand the outstanding job that all of the company’s employees accomplished during the pandemic to help UK businesses overcome the difficulties brought on by COVID.

Julie’s personal objective is to make sure that establishing inclusive and fair workplaces will be at the core of what Acas does. The company’s strategy lists accepting differences, enhancing inclusion, and fostering fairness as one of its key ambitions. She said that all customers would be able to use the company’s services. It will advocate for inclusion and diversity in British workplaces, and it will also represent the variety and ideals of contemporary Britain.

Invisible Disabilities: Women in the Workforce

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:58:45 +0000

Research was performed during the fall of 2017 by Jes Osrow, an HR professional with a focus on Diversity and Inclusion. She is an expert in coaching, mentoring and tech recruitment and has worked her entire career with two Invisible Disabilities (ID): depression and anxiety.

The goal is to expand the pool of input from professional women who are forging forward with their successful, albeit challenged, careers while managing their IDs. The primary step for individuals is to self-identify their ID (though most will not have used this term, and many may not have yet seen themselves as part of this group).

Invisible Disabilities: What Does the Research Tell Us?

Invisible Disabilities have been explored by researchers on a limited basis with literature reviews in psychology, medicine, education, business and other areas revealing scarce study and insight. Matthews & Harrington (2000) defined IDs as. “…both mental and physical conditions that are not immediately noticeable by an observer…” (p. 405). Regarding IDs in the workplace, as recently as 2014, Santuzzi, Waltz, Finkelstein & Rupp noted that, “Workers with IDs encounter unique challenges compared to [all] workers…and even workers with visible disabilities.” (Abstract)

Educational institutions have been most active in supporting students with disabilities in an effort to enhance success in various settings. Still, IDs are rarely mentioned and akin to many learning disabilities, remain the responsibility of the afflicted person. They are challenged to communicate with staff in environments like Disability Offices in higher education or to the workplace HR. According to the CDC “In 2014 [it was] found that 27.4% of women ages 18–64 identified with a disability in some form (compared to 20.8% of men in the same age range).” While the rest of society has visible cues to indicate (some) disabilities, there is a large faction (sometimes estimated as high as 74% of all disabilities) that are unseen. These IDs are a compelling subject that necessitates study. Limited research, or even professional conversation about IDs, suggests possible challenges in awareness of their existence, understanding of the demographics and implications for both the workforce and workplace.

Invisible Disabilities Today

One industry struggling publicly with issues of D&I is the tech industry. In 2017, Jes Osrow submitted a proposal to speak about preliminary research on IDs at the Anita Borg Institute Grace Hopper Conference (the pre-eminent conference for women in tech). While the anonymous reviewers of the proposal had positive comments, their main constructive feedback was:

“Before reading this submission, I was not familiar with the term ID and would guess other attendees would also need more insight into what it is and more details on the mental illnesses that might be considered IDs.”

A complete lack of awareness and understanding of the term “ID” indicates challenges present among reviewers (highly placed and experienced women in tech) in understanding the definition, reach and workplace implications of women in the tech industry. These comments reveal a glaring need to expand the conversation and the need for current research into this topic. The research conducted focused on women in business but is not solely applicable to the industry; working women in all industries are affected by the challenges of IDs.

Invisible Disabilities & Working Women: Qualitative Research 2017

Challenged by her own IDs, Jes Osrow began with the goal of more clearly defining the issue of IDs among working women. She created and administered a survey reviewed by experts in education and market research fields. The survey was then distributed through a network of professional women via networks like Dreamers & Doers, Tech Ladies, WIT PDX, and other communities. It quickly became clear there were gaps in understanding about the breadth and depth of IDs among women previously or currently in the workplace. The goal was to collect data on 100 participants.

The response was swift and overwhelming with 102 comprehensive survey submissions within five weeks. The survey collected data on the demographic areas of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, industry with commentary about their IDs and work situations. The authors intend to publish the findings and data collected in multiple articles to help move the conversation forward and implement change.

Invisible Disabilities among Working Women: Demographics

Data from the 102 respondents shows the average age is 35 years old within the range 18–53 years. All women were working either full or part-time and many were entrepreneurs. Data indicated seven clear career areas with positions in technology being noted as the predominant industry represented.

Most respondents noted they were working with one or more health care providers for both diagnosis and intervention regarding their ID. Some also noted self-diagnosis, treatment and ongoing self-management. Despite self-awareness of IDs, the main area of concern is responsibility in terms of disclosure with employers and coworkers. Thoughts were shared around stigma, shame, and possible changes in work expectations and trajectory. These matters echoed previous research (2014, Santuzzi, Waltz, Finkelstein & Rupp) noting that, “…current legislation and policies might not be sensitive to the unique experiences and disclosure decisions faced by workers with IDs” (Abstract).

The article is originally written by Jes Osrow, Casey Sweet, and Pamela Smith EDD, LD, RD on medium.com and is republished with the author’s permission.

Katy Murray: Creating a More Inclusive World with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Leaders at Catalyst Collective

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:58:36 +0000

Facilitator, culture-shaper, and self-confessed OD geek, recently named 1 of UK’s Top 50 Influential D+I Leaders by Hive Learning, Katy Murray is the Director of Catalyst Collective. She has 20 years of experience working with commercial and non-profit clients in 35 countries, managing teams, enabling change, and training leaders. She is very committed to providing safe and courageous places for dialogues that transform power relations and lived experience, and to co-creating new ways of working together.

Katy holds a master’s degree from Cambridge University as well as a master’s degree from the University of Westminster. She is an INLPTA-accredited coach. She has worked in 35 countries and in a variety of industries, including INGOs and grassroots community organisations, global commercial corporations, retail, engineering, financial services, and online entrepreneur communities.

A Promising D&I leader

Katy’s first employment after graduation was in a people-focused capacity inside a multinational organisation, which provided her with an excellent perspective of how huge global organisations operate. She then chose what she wanted to pursue further (leadership development) and sought out possibilities to gain extensive international experience. Katy was able to bring her international expertise and people development knowledge to bear on consulting, which she supplemented with further training and certificates. Looking back, she can see how establishing welcoming environments and concepts of justice and fairness have been with her since childhood, and how these led her to EDI work.

Leaders of EDI inside their organisations may feel isolated in what may be a complicated and undervalued job. Katy is driven to assist these leaders who are pushing for organisational equity and cultural transformation. Catalyst Collective works with clients that want to establish more inclusive workplaces; it’s not a fast fix, one-size-fits-all, been there, done that sort of work; it’s frequently a messy, complex journey, and leaders must be willing to face some difficult “mirror moments” along the road. She says, “We hold safe and brave space for these conversations—expect compassionate challenge!”

She further adds that the team works with EDI leaders to resource their resilience and grow their capacity (For example leading in complexity, strategic influencing, elevated thinking, tactical how-tos) to lead this essential work. She asserts, “Often as facilitators we don’t get the recognition and acknowledgement of the work we’re doing—our job is for our clients to experience the success of the work—that’s part of the deal! So, I love it when clients tell me what is shifting in their cultures and what they’re seeing change as a result.”

From leadership development, Katy developed specialisms in gender equity and then started her own journey with intersectionality, exploring her own whiteness and what it means to be actively anti-racist in life and business.

Katy really appreciated the recognition from Hive as a top 50 D+I leader back in 2020.

Thoughts on Success

When we are constantly seeking the next thing, we miss the moment that we are in right now. Katy states, “Life is precious and brief; don’t waste it trying to live up to other people’s expectations of you! For me, success is squeezing all the juice and delight out of each day!”

According to Katy, society teaches us what success should look like, but she believes success is more personal—what do you enjoy, what brings you joy, what are you really good at, what fires you up, and how can you do more of that? She continues, “What are you interested in altering, what irritates you when you hear the news, what do you want might be better in the world around you?” Following these clues will lead you to what ‘success’ can look like for you. She further explains, “We also know from the happiness research that most humans need to feel a sense of contribution, that what we’re contributing matters, and we feel good when we do well for others.”

Katy shares that life is long and everyone has different seasons and stages to explore – you’re not too old, and it’s not too late, to decide to find and do more of the things that light you up and give you all the joy!

Focusing on Work culture Transformation

At Catalyst Collective, Katy supports and learns to process the learning from the challenges rather than get stuck in self-recrimination; ‘should’ and “ought” to undermine the team’s confidence and can impact its wellbeing over time.

She also shares that some employees experience huge challenges through daily navigating bias, barriers, and micro aggressions that others never have to face. She asserts, “I don’t believe that all we need to do with a challenge is trust that it will make us stronger. We need to navigate challenges, but we also need to disrupt the systems that are causing the challenges in the first place!”

Katy has experienced the difficulties that come with being the youngest person in the room. Motherhood discrimination, a lack of flexible working hours, and feeling the effects of both the motherhood penalty and the likeability penalty, but as a white, able-bodied, straight, neurotypical, cis woman with education and citizenship privilege. She has also had and continues to have significant privilege, which has allowed her to access, navigate, and make decisions in her career.

Here’s some quick advice on navigating workplace challenges:

Early career – find a mentor and sponsor as senior as you can.

Pregnancy – don’t let anyone make any assumptions about what you will or won’t want to do during pregnancy and after your baby is born. Go for promotions, go for pay rises, and keep your options open.

Motherhood and childcare – decide what your boundaries are and remember that no one else is going to hold your boundaries for you!

“As you progress in your career- realise when you’re no longer the youngest or least experienced person in the room and own that space! Speak up for yourself, advocate for others, use your privilege,” says Katy. She states that if you’re experiencing microaggressions or a toxic work culture, find others to share the load with, once you’ve raised it and if nothing changes, look elsewhere – you’re fabulous with so much to give and there are workplace cultures that will value you.

The Major Shifts in Business Landscape

“Increased complexity and volatility we’re experiencing in the world needs resilient, wise, not just efficient or competent leaders,” says Katy. She believes that modern leaders must look and act differently in order to address the interconnected and complex issues of climate change, refugee migrations, and cries for racial, social, and environmental justice. Businesses want individuals who offer a variety of ideas and opinions to the open and inviting table. As a result, business has the potential to be a major force for good in society.

Katy feels that leaders are appreciating the need to invest in their own and others’ well-being, since their own sustainability is critical to bringing about the system change, they seek.

She adds, “I’m enthusiastic to dream about what can be possible for organisations and enterprises as more women, non-binary people, and minoritized groups who’ve traditionally been excluded from leadership roles are in senior leadership positions.” She goes on to say that when these organisations experiment with new methods of working and being together, they will gain a competitive edge. “When they are so much more flexible and inclusive, they help caregivers, individuals with mental health difficulties, neurodiversity, impairments, and people in all their varieties thrive,” she says. These organisations do not allow microaggressions; instead, they educate one another on inclusive behaviours, and their employees thrive.”

The Director of Catalyst Collective

According to Katy, each day at work is different based on the client projects that the team is working on. Thus, she has weekly and monthly rhythms and routines, as well as items she may not work on every day but will spend some time on each week.

She spends time with clients, listening to where they want to start, what they want to achieve, and what their aspirations are, and then we develop and plan the work together—generally through a series of guided dialogues and workshop sessions. Katy states, “I work with my team to create the sessions and often we’ll be co-delivering these workshops. We’ll often be virtual on Zoom, so I’m lining up my drinks and snacks to stay energised through the sessions! If we’re face-to-face, then I usually travel to our venue the night before and have time with my clients and team ahead of the event.”

Every week, Katy leads group programmes for EDI leaders and change agents. Each week, she also works on business growth, social media, financial management, and marketing for the company—she recently released her first book, so there has been a lot of PR, press, and podcasts to discuss the book’s subjects as extras to fit in!

She attends yoga and exercise classes on a weekly basis, goes for walks in nature, and schedules time to meet up with coworkers and/or socialise with friends. She goes to therapy a couple of times a month, and she also has a monthly walking day with her partner, so there are weekly and monthly rhythms that help her keep on track with her own resilience and the impact that she wants to make.

Katy asserts, “I track 3 measures—joy, impact, and money—that help me stay on track with creating more of the life I want to create and the contribution I want to make.”

Balance in Personal and Professional Life

Katy has daily power practises that help her discover joy every day, stay focused and motivated, and tune into what her body needs more of or less of on a daily basis. That might be food, water, fresh air, or a nap.

She aspires to live cyclically, with ebbs and flows of energy, rather than being ‘always on,’ which means spending some time each month in the energies of winter, spring, summer, and fall on her different projects. Katy disconnects from her phone and social media every weekend, and she takes a long vacation from her business once a year.

She shares, “I have peer supervision and run peer learning sessions each month for regular support and accountability with other EDI folk.”

Ideas for the future of Catalyst Collective

Katy’s change makers programmes are personal spaces where genuine, profound transformation occurs. Her EDI leader groups are where these exceptional leaders can recharge and find resources for their critical role. As the team observes deep learning and strong transformations, Catalyst Collective will continue to engage in unique ways with its clients, as well as host and convene these places.

Treneice Collins: Empowering Organizations and Teams to Exceed Their Potential through Innovative DEI Strategies

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:58:27 +0000

Workplace diversity is more important than ever before. With a multigenerational workforce in full swing, applicants actively seek out organizations that encourage them to be their true selves and appreciate diversity.

Today’s job candidates want diversity initiatives, and data indicates that businesses still have work to do to meet those expectations. DEI tactics are not one-size-fits-all. Leadership must demonstrate a genuine commitment to change, not merely a fear of looking bad or other societal imperatives. Diversity recruiting methods, like business, are continually developing as cutting-edge organizations draw links between worker diversity and job happiness, culture, community impact, innovation, and business performance.

Historically, the emphasis on diversity and inclusion has come in waves, particularly within the business world. There are moments in history when D&I is considered a corporate essential, and other times when it has lost its vigor and been placed on the ‘budgetary cut’ list. Consultant at Korn Ferryon and Diversity Consultant at Korn Ferry, feels that the present landscape has altered the workplace diversity and inclusion norm and that D&I and its initiatives will become a permanent fixture within businesses’ business models and sustainability goals.

Treneice is a published author with over 20 years of experience directing teams in a variety of sectors. She creates and leads the execution of a grassroots DEI strategy and full-cycle recruiting methods, as well as the integration of best-in-class diversity, equality, and inclusion practices.

Treneice, as a D&I leader, tries to help customers view D&I as a long-term strategy that is free of the constant reactionary responses to important cultural events. Instead, develop strategic methods that are integrated into the organization’s concept. Korn Ferry excels at this for its clients.

Attaining the Title of Influential D&I Leader

Early in her career, Treneice realized that she was frequently the only woman, the only person of color, the youngest, and the only one in the room. This was a pretty unsettling place to be. Especially, when she observed others from underrepresented groups going through the same thing; where they had to work twice as hard simply to be regarded as above average yet were still undervalued and sometimes neglected. She asserts, “Individuals within the diverse communities, whether we are identified by our ethnicity, gender, as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, neurodiversity, etc. are often the last to be considered or included in the conversation until after major events have occurred – only then are we seen as a business imperative.”

Treneice’s goal is to ensure that there is not only proper representation but also a voice for members of the diverse communities to have a voice within the organizations’ decision-making process.

Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a multinational organizational consulting business that is driven by thought leadership and brings its customers’ objectives to life. The company began in a modest office in Century City, Los Angeles, with one phone, one assistant, and a valuable contact list. But the sign on the door told it all: Korn/Ferry International—a worldwide vision.

Korn Ferry had a solid sense of what was achievable from the beginning. The Korn Ferry Institute is here to support you on your road to greatness by delivering creative thought leadership, research, data, and expertise.

Korn Ferry Institute is an innovation hub dedicated to shedding light on major trends and drivers of human and organizational performance. Korn Ferry Solutions are developed and infused with rigorous scientific research, cutting-edge intellectual property, and cutting-edge analytics. Organizations and individuals all throughout the world have benefited from the Korn Ferry Institute’s important research, ideas, intellectual property, and data. It has generated ground-breaking insights into all elements of work and is always innovating in order to have an effect on the world.

Approach for Sustainable DEI Practices

Treneice feels that her attitude towards diversity and inclusion has contributed to her success. She believes that diversity, fairness, and inclusion are more than just buzzwords or cultural fads that should be used lightly to avoid social shame in businesses. Instead, corporations should approach their workers with an intimate relationship and show recognition. She has incorporated this into her strategy, how she interacts with her clients, and how she inspires her team to assess and implement long-term sustainable DEI processes.

Concentrating on Long-Term Opportunities

Treneice does not totally think that trials alone make us stronger. Alternatively, she argues that unless the obstacles are considered as a forerunner to someone’s development and as a tool to achieve a certain goal. These issues might quickly turn into unneeded busy work. Throughout her career, she has had significant setbacks that might have easily destroyed her professional trajectory. While obstacles, her attitude has been to focus on the long-term potential of these situations. She shares, “A life lesson that I learned the hard way, is to never accept destructive feedback from someone who has never had the mental capacity to provide constructive criticism in the first place.”

The Success that Defines You

Treneice defines success in a very intimate way as she says, “Success is when I’ve accomplished something that I alone could never have accomplished.” This suggests that Treneice’s success is dependent on her capacity to lead and motivate others around her. She feels that success is inextricably linked to the legacy she wishes to leave behind. Having this perspective helps her to make mistakes without experiencing the crushing pain associated with making mistakes. This frees her thinking and understanding that her success is never hampered by the errors or mistakes she has made, but rather by her capacity to learn, adapt, and evolve, as well as the energy she puts into letting people around her do the same.

While sharing the recognition she has received, Treneice recalls, “I received from a colleague, that was based on some research I had done and shared regarding the transgender community. They used this as an opportunity to share and have meaningful conversations with their family, their response was heartfelt and genuine. I was able to create a ripple effect in their lives, and in this, I saw my impact!”

A Pragmatic Inclusion and Diversity Consultant

Treneice’s major position at Korn Ferry is to engage with the firm’s customers about their D&I aspirational objectives and deliver concrete solutions to help those goals become long-term sustainable D&I plans. Her priority is to balance her personal and professional lives throughout the day. She does this by accepting that her priorities will move from personal to professional on occasion, and vice versa.

Treneice chooses to invest in the people around her these days. She says, “I have found that the most powerful word that I can say, is no. No forces someone to think outside the box, be more creative, and stretch their thinking to achieve something they say they want to accomplish.” She further adds that her job is not to give all the answers, but instead to create an innovative environment.

Planning to Create a Diverse Work Community

Treneice has a series of specific career goals that she wishes to accomplish. She says, “At Korn Ferry, luckily, I work with leaders who are true partners in my success.”

Her personal ambition as a corporate leader is to establish an environment in which people of varied groups are not viewed as measurements or data to be farmed into an organizational architecture. Rather, her objective is to create intelligent procedures in which individuals from the varied community are regularly recognized as valued contributors and decision-makers.

Treneice’s thoughts are continuously on sustainability and how her activities affect the ideals of the next generation, since the future generation is observing everything, we do today, and our actions will be the foundations of the future that becomes their reality.

Marie Louise Sunde: Combating Gender Equality Woes with Equality Check

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:58:20 +0000

Inspiration comes in wonderful ways and for Marie Louise Sunde, Co-founder and CEO of Equality Check, it came when she was invited to the UN HQ in 2014 for their #HeForShe launch, where Emma Watson presented her motivational speech to mark the beginning of the fourth feminist wave. She finished with “If not now – when? if not me – who?”. These words moved her and made her start an awareness campaign on unconscious bias in Norway that created a huge impact.

However, even if the corporate world wished to ameliorate, there was lack of evidence-based measures. She adds, “we saw the increasing impact of employees as stakeholders to drive and catalyze change. So eventually I quit my job in the hospital to found Equality Check with my co-founder.”

Handling setbacks with bravery

Being the initiators in an emerging market helped her distinguish her firm and become one of the major global trends. Since they were the first in the market gave them a big opportunity as well as exponential scaling potential, however, it even came with a huge responsibility. It is because they were the ones to mature the market.

She shares, “It has also been extremely helpful having a close relationship with our clients and potential clients to develop the product in the right direction to ensure a good product-market fit. As our team has improved with great and super talented team members, we have collectively increased the in-house competence massively. “

Comprehensive Services and Vision of Equality Check

Equality Check is a unique platform that allows the employees to rate equality and inclusion at their respective workplace. The best part was that all the reviews were anonymous and that too with full diversity spectrum. Also, whenever five people had reviewed a company, the workplace went live for everyone to check the ratings.

She is thrilled to share a completely new solution that works after a unique data set from both employees and companies is added into it. She says, “The data from employees allows us to cover the broader diversity spectrum, which is data employers cannot ask their employees due to GDPR. By adding machine learning we can diagnose the greatest areas for improvement and suggest targeted, evidence-based solutions to improve. The combination of data, technology and domain expertise is necessary to create real and lasting change.”

Everything is powered by machine learning after data collection. From getting insight, trajectory, to evidence-based solutions, they helped all companies that wished to improve. She adds, “Our overall vision is to create a workplace with equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of their background. And we will do that through data, technology and an evidence-based approach.”

The team is even planning to spend the next year making improvements in their products and team and scaling globally.

Marie’s Contribution in restructuring equality at workplaces

Marie had always kept her focus on diversity and inclusion. However, she feels there is still more talk than action. 2020 was a difficult year and everyone demanded results, especially their most crucial stakeholders that are the employees.

She shares her concern about millennials, saying, “In next 5 years, millennials will make up more than 75% of the workforce. Millennials care more about equal opportunity, purpose, work/life balance and diversity, and they are more likely to quit if their expectations are not met.” At such times, Equality Check offers an excellent opportunity to anonymously give feedback and insight to their employees. In addition to this, she and her team also provide companies with a data-driven approach to identify problem areas and suggest evidence-based solutions so that they can improvise effectively.

She states, “According to McKinsey, only 24% of companies who implement D&I measures see results. We think the major reasons for the poor results are lack of data and correct diagnosing. From medicine, we know that if you make the wrong diagnosis the treatment will not work. And furthermore, a lack of evidence-based approach when it comes to solutions. Up until now, the approach to D&I has been very much myth based.”

She shares that her team has initiated a large research project so as to validate different solutions. It will help them in augmenting the evidence level in the suggestions that they offer the companies. Besides that, it will also aid in ensuring a higher success rate in succeeding with D&I.

Life before and after being the CEO.

Marie shares, “I have never had a strong focus on being an entrepreneur, but more on solving problems that need solving.” She had always loved performing on stage and even used to dance at the Norwegian Royal Ballet School. Later, she studied in a high school in Oslo, Norway, where many high schools had a school theatre, however her school didn’t, so, she herself founded a school theater which is still intact.

In college, she attained her PhD in Surgery and became a surgeon by profession. Surgery had stayed as her main passion for the past 10 years rather she had never thought of her wildest dream to leave it and go for something else.

But she didn’t know about her hidden passion for human rights and diversity since childhood. She says, “I come from four generations of women’s rights champions. I have been involved in diversity work on an international level on the side of my surgical career for many years.” All this changed her life and made her choose the entrepreneurial route for good.

Being a CEO, she has to handle everything be it, domain expertise, strategy, marketing, research, fundraising, finance etc. She adds, “We have a super strong team with different domain expertise, all sharing the passion for equal opportunities and diversity. We have a strong focus on culture, flexibility and autonomy for all team members.” In the previous year, the situation became a little difficult. However, she always kept the team motivated with different digital quizzes as well as outdoor activities.

She has been a workaholic throughout her entrepreneurial journey. Since her background leaves her with very little control over time, she has been working flexibly that is making work-life balance much easier.

Lukeisha Paul – A Passionate DEI Practitioner Determined to Lead Companies to Create a Diverse Work Environment

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:58:12 +0000

As the Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at GroupM, Lukeisha Paul wishes to influence change by creating more opportunities for voices to be heard. “I used to say I’d be the voice for the voiceless, but I’ve since changed that too, I’d like to help empower everyone to find and use their own voice. No matter where you sit in an organization, what you have to say matters and can affect change,” she says.

Lukeisha doesn’t just build DEI initiatives for GroupM on her own, she speaks to her people and welcomes their point of view of view to assist her in creating the GroupM they want to work for and feel inspired to recommend to others. She proudly says that they’ve made tremendous strides over the past several years and as a result earned recognition placing on Seamount’s Inclusion Index survey and being named a 2021 Best Place to work for Multicultural Women. “The awards and recognitions aren’t proof that we are done but are building blocks making a difference for their work culture and communities.

Lukeisha establishing herself as a promising D&I leader.

Prior to her role as a DEI leader, Lukeisha worked in the Media. Right out of the gate post college graduation, she knew she wanted to be in the advertising industry, as it is always evolving, generating ongoing learning experiences, growth opportunities, growth and life-changing moments that make the long nights and challenging clients all worth it.

Once she reached a certain level of leadership, Lukeisha found herself advocating for the rights of others. She would make every effort to save people that didn’t “fit in” or weren’t given the same opportunities to succeed. She persuades clients to rethink the imagery used in their media campaigns and products that lacked diverse representation or advise to refrain from eliminating the African American or Hispanic budget from their media plans as data showed that a substantial portion of their sales came from those target audiences. She used her authority to make changes and have conversations that were necessary, even if it was limited to just a few.

Today Lukeisha works to embed DEI throughout the workplace, workforce, and marketplace. She gets to reimagine policies and practices that historically created barriers to equity; build communities that celebrates, educates and supports varying identity groups through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) (Black and LatinX, Asian Pacific Islanders, People with different abilities, LGBTQIA+, Women and Veterans); and implement a DEI educational curriculum of workshops from Managing Bias in the Workplace to Race and Culture Matter; develop programs such as the GroupM Media Externship and Mentor program that foster equity and inclusion for underrepresented groups that lack access, awareness and exposure to the media industry; and consult with clients on their internal workplace inclusion and diverse target campaigns.

Everyone’s success aligns with their calling.

If you’re working on what you’re not just good at doing, but what fuels your passion, then you’ll be successful. Lukeisha defines success as walking and working with purpose. “My calling has always been to create equitable opportunities, ensure inclusivity, and foster spaces of belonging for people of varying backgrounds. As the Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at GroupM I’m given the opportunity to champion diversity, promote inclusivity, and help create equitable opportunities for people’s personal and professional development,” she states.

Challenges make you stronger.

Regardless of the adversity and challenges you face; it is always important to remind yourself of your potential. Challenges throughout Lukeisha’s life personally and professionally have made her stronger, it’s in those times, when under pressure, she says she experiences the most growth and confidence knowing she has overcome something, and she always does.

Lukeisha entered the media industry in the early 2000s when it was a place of affluent privilege, and majority white and male dominated. As a black, first-generation immigrant woman of Caribbean and LatinX descent, with a low socio-economic background and no prior exposure to Corporate America, she was certainly met with challenges. Despite her differences, she had to learn how to navigate this space. “This experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly taught me how to face adversities and sparked a passion in me to mentor others, because if I made it, I know everyone else can,” she states.

In the words of Barack Obama, “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.” That was Lukeisha’s philosophy and today she happily serves as a resource to others to help expand networks, give guidance on professional and personal growth and feel comfortable with bringing their full, authentic selves to work.

The beginning of Lukeisha’s career in this field of work

For several years, while working in media at GroupM, Lukeisha and a team of industry colleagues served (and still today) on the steering committee of the Advertising Club of NY helping to produce DEI programming aimed at diversifying the ad industry. Everyone often discussed the DEI work they were doing at their companies.

One day she approached her Chief People Officer and asked, what she can share that GroupM is doing in diversity and inclusion, she replied we’re not doing much. This was not an ok response, and Lukeisha felt the need to help create a better one. “In that conversation, she let me know the company was thinking of hiring someone to lead the efforts of diversity and inclusion. Without giving it a second thought, I raised my hand and said here I am. Although there wasn’t a budget or outline of what this role would look like I began to envision myself in this role and the changes I would make,” she says. While awaiting a long process of approvals she remained determined and focused and would submit her ideas to her CPO. Eventually she was offered the opportunity to build the foundation of this department and lead their company as Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

GroupM and their services under Lukeisha’s leadership

The main goal at GroupM is to make advertising work better for people, and they work with their clients to provide best practices, guidance, and identify products, media opportunities and partnerships that can optimize their investment. Through their agencies – Mindshare, EssenceMediaCom, Wavemaker, and m/Six – they work to innovate and generate value for their client’s business through data, technology, and creativity.

As the largest global media network, GroupM believes it’s their responsibility to help clients assign media dollars as a force for good, and they are using their scale to bring about positive and meaningful change.

As the Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for GroupM US, Lukeisha oversees DEI efforts focused on providing greater opportunities for underrepresented groups. To make advertising work better people must be educated and mindful of the experiences of ALL people. “We must be equipped to advise our clients on how to reach their target audiences with greater intention and attention paid to diverse backgrounds. Productivity, creativity, and innovation cannot be achieved to its fullest unless the employees working on the client businesses are able to be their authentic selves, bringing their unique lived experiences, backgrounds and cultural differences to the table as equal contributors,” she says.

Lukeisha plans for the future of GroupM is to become the most diverse media agency where their talent feels like they can be their authentic selves and brands that choose GroupM as their agency of record not only for the tools and services but because they know GroupM embeds diversity, equity and inclusion across all that they do.

Best recognition received as a D&I leader.

The best recognition Lukeisha states she received wasn’t so much of a recognition as it was confirmation that she made the right decision of leaving her former career in media and pivoted to working on diversity, equity, and inclusion for the media industry.

A couple of months after assuming her role, Lukeisha was invited to participate in her first DEI panel. At the 4A’s Decision 20/20 conference of over 200 media experts. They were asked a question pertaining to the “difficulty” of progressing DEI in the industry. “While my DEI colleagues were answering the question, I recall feeling nervous to respond as I had a different perspective,” she states.

Lukeisha remembers the day before Shelley Zalis, Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient advised her, “never to be afraid to speak up, as I may not get another chance and someone in the audience may need to hear what I have to say.” With that memory, she proceeded to share her opinion of “I don’t think it’s difficult at all. This is a room full of media professionals and in our business; we’re used to getting challenging briefs from our clients which we have to deliver on. Treat this like a brief, know your target audience and put together a plan of strategies based on the objective.” Her response was picked up and reported by several PR and media outlets. “I’m grateful for that moment that kicked off my career, solidifying my voice in this space,” she exclaims.

Lukeisha’s thoughts on the changing businesses landscape in diversity and inclusion

Businesses no longer have the choice of deciding whether to make provisions for DEI – it’s a must! Consumers are diverse and they are being targeted daily with messaging or products that are assumed to cater to their individual needs. If businesses aren’t aware and unwilling to be educated and engage with those differences, they will lose profitability.

The spending power of underrepresented groups is increasing, and people are willing to forsake brand loyalty for brand inclusivity. Consumers are demanding to see changes, not just inclusivity in product and media representation but equity at headquarters. They want to be seen, heard, and valued in front of and behind the camera, from the product innovation team to the point of purchase. The fewer emphasis companies put towards embedding DEI into all aspects of their businesses today, the more work they will have to do to regain and reengage their consumers tomorrow.

“Around the world, GroupM supports publishers that reach more diverse audiences with sustainable initiatives supporting and reaching underrepresented voices and communities,” explains Lukeisha.

Staying motivated and maintaining a work-life balance

Lukeisha says that she maintains a balance in her personal and professional life by prioritizing what matters most to her – her family. “We are each other’s biggest fans and support system. When I work, I put 100% into everything I do, so when it comes to my family, I do not compromise spending quality time with them. They understand there may be some late nights and missed family dinners but those are very rare. When I log off from work, I give my family my full attention, and I don’t check work emails,” she says.

However, this has not always been the case. In the past, she worked long days and into the night, while her husband worked nights. He spent more time with the kids, and Lukeisha felt like she was missing out on a lot. She wasn’t seeing her husband or the children. Her husband and sons became the boys’ team and there was no mention of mom. That was the turning point for her to set work boundaries, and now she states that they are the Paul Team.

Lukeisha leads her DEI team in the same way. They discuss each other’s families and the importance of sharing time with loved ones. Work is important, but not more than time shared with loved ones.

Lenora Billings-Harris: Helping Organizations Effectively Leverage Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in a Multicultural Workplace and Marketplace

Beyond Exclamation — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:58:03 +0000

In today’s complicated, dynamic, and varied world, the more interconnected we appear to become, the more divided or separated our societies appear to become. As a result, it is customary HR policy to indicate an equal opportunity employer. While these phrases are casually used in daily business jargon, actively embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace is critical for organizations to prosper.

Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), is a CPAE Hall of Fame speaker and an expert on inclusion, diversity, and bias. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) designated her one of the 100 Global Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion, and Diversity Woman Magazine named her one of the twenty most significant diversity leaders in the United States. Her award-winning diverse leadership studies have been published in academic publications all around the world. She also serves on the Advisory Council of the Nido Qubein School of Communication at High Point University and is adjunct faculty at two additional universities.

She has spoken in over 40 countries and on six continents, and she recently keynoted the Inclusion Conferences in Cape Town, South Africa and Tel Aviv, Israel to discuss best practices with leaders in industry, government, education, and non-governmental organizations.

Billings-Harris is the co-author of Trailblazers: How Top Business Leaders are Accelerating Results Through Inclusion and Diversity, as well as the author of The Diversity Advantage: A Guide to Making Diversity Work, 3rd Edition.

Real Meaning of Success

Lenora gauges her performance by her customers’ results after she has worked with them to increase their awareness of the benefits of a good DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion) plan. When it comes to DEI, she feels that good DEI leadership entails much more than simply checking the box. Successful leaders recognize how difficult it is to create an atmosphere in which team members and employees are accepted and valued for their distinct viewpoints. They recognize that DEI is not a program, but rather a way of being in their workplace culture. This takes far more than simply attending a DEI workshop. Leaders must be introspective about their biases and then take steps to disrupt prejudices that inhibit team effectiveness. She asserts, “Inclusive leaders do their internal work while they also support the organizational work to uncover and eliminate inequities. They know that a DEI focus should be the responsibility of every department, just as safety and expense management is.”

Becoming a Promising D&I Leader

Lenora did not establish her company over thirty-five years ago with the intention of doing work in this field. Back then, workplace diversity was beginning to gain momentum inside major firms, but corporate diversity experts were forced to focus on compliance—EEO and Affirmative Action. Despite their desire to accomplish more, many faced burnout owing to a lack of support. As a result, she chose to concentrate her efforts on leadership development. However, following one of her trips to South Africa, Lenora’s focus shifted. She shares, “I had a life-changing experience that enabled me to see diversity and inclusion in a different way. It was March 1994. Nelson Mandela would be elected president the next month. In essence, at the end of a full-day leadership development workshop, an Afrikaner woman walked up to me in tears. She said that when she arrived that morning and saw that I, a black woman from America, was the facilitator, she wanted to leave. She could not imagine what she could learn from me. However, at the end of the day, she realized she needed to be there because she needed to experience me as 100 percent human.” Lenora was not facilitating a diversity workshop that day, but her presence had a profound impact on her and disrupted the beliefs she held about black people. Lenora also adds, “She and I talked and cried together for a long time that day. As I processed the full experience while flying home the next day, I realized that diversity was more than numbers and inclusion was more than just the words we use.”

Lenora realized it was about showing up authentically and creating a space for others to do the same. She realized she had to find a way to do this work in her own unique way.

Turning Barriers into Bridges

Because DEI is such a sensitive topic to many, Lenora knew that not all clients would be in alignment with what could or should be done within their organizations. Unlike non-threatening topics such as customer service, time management, or how to use technology, for some people, DEI threatens their beliefs. Lenora’s challenge was and still is, to find ways to deliver the message in a way that people could hear it. She says, “Some would assume that because I am black and female, my “agenda” is to make white people feel guilty and make black people and other under-represented groups “the victims.” Lenora realized she had to figure out how to transform obstacles into bridges. She finds her biggest triumphs to be when she can use stories that link to their own life experiences. Lenora may then use that bridge to offer instances of how different beliefs and biases affect work by presenting examples of how we, as people with diverse life experiences, view everyday things differently.

UbuntuGlobal

Ubuntu is a Zulu proverb that means “I am because we are.” We are because I am. This proverb reflects the cornerstone of our thinking towards concepts, tactics, and actions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. UbuntuGlobal is a full-service worldwide diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting and learning and development agency, with a major focus on assisting organizations in effectively leveraging diversity, equality, and inclusion in a global workplace and marketplace. Its expertise is focused on addressing the impact of DEI on organizational performance by assisting customers in creating and maintaining an environment that attracts and keeps top people, appreciates inclusive leadership, and improves business participation in the community.

Since its inception in 1986, UbuntuGlobal has provided diversity-related leadership development and guided the implementation of organizational-wide strategies to help clients develop an inclusive and fair work environment. Lenora Billings-Harris created the firm after leaving the corporate and academic worlds, where she held senior roles at two Fortune 100 firms and a major university’s business school. UbuntuGlobal consultants may be found in the United States, South Africa, Singapore, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Even while it does not avoid difficult subjects, the team works hard to establish a secure, nonjudgmental environment that makes addressing delicate themes a rewarding experience for everybody. Lenora states, “Most importantly, our clients leave with knowledge to activate inclusive actions, and a deeper understanding of the concepts for business and personal outcomes.” All programs, processes, and resources reflect Lenora’s belief that we are all more effective, productive, and innovative when we honor and value our own uniqueness while at the same time valuing and respecting the differences of others.

Words for Next Generation of D&I Leaders

There is a wealth of data to back up the idea that diverse and inclusive firms are more inventive and successful than their less diverse competitors. According to Lenora, the difficulty for the next generation of DEI leaders is determining how to effectively help their leaders on the road to developing such a workplace. Members of the public and internal team members want organizations to be open about their support for DEI and the steps they are taking to eliminate disparities. As she assists DEI practitioners in utilizing the research and understanding that all individuals have bias and that it is natural, her aim is that they will be able to direct their organizations on a successful DEI path with personal and organizational gains.

Keeping Balance

“We know there is always so much to learn in the DEI space, so we teach each other, share experiences, and recommend books, podcasts, and other resources to deepen our knowledge. Personally, vacations are a requirement each year” says Lenora. She regularly schedules what her best friend calls “my day o’beauty.” It’s a day when she has a massage, a facial, a manicure, and pedicure-a great way to relax.

Vision for Future

Lenora’s full-time concentration is on diversity, inclusion, and bias disruption. She works with companies to help them utilize their variety of thought in order to affect employee talent engagement and retention, consumer attraction, community relations, and corporate relations. Her compelling yet approachable manner motivates both virtual and in-person audience members to adopt personal and organizational actions that disrupt bias and accelerate bottom-line business results. She says, “We will continue to partner with leaders who want to make long-term sustainable change and are willing to do the personal work needed as well as the organizational work.” Her personal goal is to support other DEI practitioners on their road to success.

Michele C. Meyer-Shipp, CEO of Dress for Success® Worldwide: Extraordinary Global Leader

Beyond Exclamation — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:55:30 +0000

Michele C. Meyer-Shipp, Esq., is an award-winning thought leader, DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and access) executive, sought-after speaker, and passionate women’s equity advocate. She is recognized internationally for her expertise in activating strategic, organizational change, and leading teams through tremendous periods of transition and growth. In her current role, Michele is the CEO of Dress for Success® Worldwide, the leading global nonprofit employment resource for unemployed and underemployed women. With more than 140 affiliates across 25 countries, Dress for Success has helped over 1.3 million women in their pursuit of financial independence.

Professional Journey & Growth

Michele joined Dress for Success from Major League Baseball, where she served as Chief People & Culture Officer. While at MLB, Michele led the human resources, diversity and inclusion, and office operations for the league office. In her role, she launched new programs and policies to recruit and develop talent, advanced diversity and inclusion efforts, and enhanced workplace culture. She also served as a senior advisor to the commissioner as well as to leaders across 30 major league baseball teams and multiple minor league teams.

Prior to MLB, Michele served as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at KPMG LLP, where she led initiatives relating to talent recruitment, development, and retention; supported the efforts of leaders across KPMG’s 85+ national offices; and managed a portfolio of external strategic partnerships. Previously, she served as Global Chief Diversity Officer for both Prudential Financial and the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

Michele spent the first decade of her career practicing employment law in both the private and public sectors, where she advised clients on optimizing talent and implementing equitable workplace initiatives. Michele is a graduate of Rutgers University and Seton Hall University School of Law.

New Role

In 2021, at the height of the global pandemic and the racial and socioeconomic injustices that plagued our nation, many Black and female professionals were reconsidering their relationship to their work, their career trajectories, and the larger impact they wanted to have in the world. Many referred to this time as The Great Resignation. Michele, experiencing burnout and exhaustion herself, soon realized it was time for her own “Great Evaluation.” She stepped away from her role at Major League Baseball to assess what was most important to her.

During this time, a life-changing opportunity presented itself. Michele had received a call about a CEO role at Dress for Success Worldwide. Like many who know of Dress for Success as the organization that provides interview attire for women seeking jobs, Michele had only a small glimpse into the totality of breadth and depth of the organization’s work.

“After learning about Dress for Success’ impact on women globally, how they help them get back on their feet, regain confidence, and support their families and communities, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to align my passion with my career goals,” Michele says.

Now in her role for just over a year, Michele C. Meyer-Shipp currently leads the implementation of a new, multi-year strategic plan to support the 140+ affiliate network in its growth, aligning the Dress for Success brand with global capacity building, expanded opportunities for corporate partner engagement, and a redefined culture of impact performance and measurement. She has already made a material impact on how the organization positions itself as the front-line, go-to resource to meet the needs of women in a rapidly changing world.

About Dress for Success and Its Services

Dress for Success is the leading global nonprofit employment resource for unemployed and underemployed women. At the forefront of the women’s empowerment movement for 26 years, the organization provides no-fee career development, job skills preparedness, mentorship and coaching, financial education, and professional attire.

Due to the impact of the last three years, the need for Dress for Success’ programs and services has never been greater. The women Dress for Success serves may experience systematic bias and discrimination, may have been recently incarcerated, may be in recovery from addiction, or may have left a home of violence. Over 60 percent of the women Dress for Success serves identify as People of Color, 50 percent live below the poverty line, and 50 percent are single mothers. Dress for Success welcomes all women, and it recently has experienced increased demand from women who identify as being 60+, transgender, and migrants.

Dress for Success also creates corporate partner engagement initiatives to help companies align their corporate social responsibility (CSR); diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and employee resource group (ERG) initiatives. “Some of my favorite activations are learning workshops for the women we serve, one-on-one mentoring, and apparel warehouse events where team members get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the work we do at Dress for Success each and every day,” Michele says.

Responsibilities as CEO of Dress for Success

As “Chief Everything Officer,” Michele is responsible for amplifying the organization’s strategic impact and growth. Dress for Success has a rich history and heritage of serving women globally for 26 years. Michele is now looking to the future to ensure that Dress for Success’ programs, campaigns, and events are aligned with the present and future needs of its stakeholders. She possesses deep expertise balancing the long-term direction of a global organization with day-to-day tactical opportunities to serve women, the affiliate network, volunteers, and strategic partners. Whether it’s meeting with women via on-the-ground workshops, launching programmatic opportunities with affiliates, raising capital for the new strategic plan, or serving as a thought leader in DEI and gender equity at conferences and events, each day is uniquely a rewarding, educational opportunity.

Michele advocates that a positive, supportive, and healthy work culture starts with strong leadership and a commitment to transparency, communication, and accountability. As a leader, she provides creative opportunities for team members to incorporate the organization’s values into their own work plans and encourages an open environment to share thoughts, ideas, and feedback. Michele aims to foster an environment where employees feel empowered to do their best work.

Definition of Success

For Michele, the definition of personal success is deeply tied to having a positive, lasting impact on the world, particularly related to principles of inclusion, belonging, and equity. She finds tremendous fulfillment in creating opportunities for others to grow and flourish.

On a personal level, she is very proud of raising three strong young adults – her sons – who all have followed in their mother’s footsteps of creating a more just society.

Balancing Personal and Professional Life

Michele’s approach to successfully managing her time, energy, and focus is grounded in the following principles:

Relentless prioritization: She prioritizes her commitments and acknowledges that it is impossible to do everything simultaneously. She identifies the most critical tasks and devotes time and energy to those first.
The power of “saying no”: Michele taps into her accumulated experiences and instinct to guide her decision-making, deciding which projects to pursue, and which to decline. This approach enables her to focus on the areas where she can make the most significant impact.
Self-awareness and intentional self-care: She acknowledges her tendency to overwork, leading to burnout. Now, intentional self-care is essential to her well-being. She creates space for quiet reflection and intentionally dedicates time to things that bring her deep joy outside of work.
Diligent time management: Time management is crucial to Michele’s work-life balance. She takes vacations and breaks – and encourages her team to do the same. She also ensures to have adequately scheduled thinking time during the workweek. This approach enables her to maintain clarity and to focus on her long-term vision.

Michele admits that achievement of these principles is sometimes much easier said than done and that the journey is one of continuous learning. For her, self-awareness, intentionality, and an unrelenting focus on what matters most are mantras that ground her approach to her work each and every day.

Lessons from Michele’s Professional Journey

In the early stages of her career, corporate downsizings cost Michele two important jobs. While pivoting and reinventing in one’s career can be challenging, for Michele, it taught her how to become resilient and adaptable, qualities that have been crucial to her success.

One piece of advice Michele gives to leaders at all career stages: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is okay – and in many cases valuable – to make multiple career pivots. Learn how to adapt, listen, and readjust. You may be surprised what new opportunities come your way!

The Future of Dress for Success

Under Michele’s leadership, in 2022 Dress for Success Worldwide partnered with PwC to conduct a full strategy refresh to position the next exciting chapter in its history. With a focus on suring up its infrastructure and building affiliate capacity, the organization will be well poised to meet the changing demands of its internal and external stakeholders.

The cornerstone of Dress for Success’ mission is its ability to provide no-fee services to the women it serves. Whether its career coaching and readiness, upskilling and reskilling, providing networks and community, or styling and providing professional attire, the organization ensures that more women are reached, and that its services provide the pathway to economic self-sufficiency.

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You’ll be surprised what new opportunities come your way!”

Message to Aspiring Business Leaders

Michele’s advice to aspiring business leaders and women:

Be your brand: Ensure your actions are aligned with your beliefs.
Identify your purpose: Be ready to articulate what you stand for and why. Identifying your purpose will help you stand out from others in your spheres of influence.
Be good at your craft: Adapt a continuous learning attitude. Constantly strive to demonstrate curiosity about your field of work, ask questions, and learn from others above and below you in the organizational hierarchy.
Highlight what makes you unique: Your differences are your strengths. In law school, for example, Michele was the only woman, and the only Black student in class, yet her unique perspective allowed her to bring valuable, different perspectives to the table. Her competitive advantage was her difference.
Advocate for yourself: Ask for the resources you need. Do not wait to be seen at work. Accept stretch assignments. You must become your own best ambassador of your empowerment.
Network, network, network: Join social groups, clubs, and associations. Volunteer with causes that align your personal interests. Raise your hand to speak at events or conferences. It’s never too late to beef up your own network!

Michele believes that building a solid personal brand is crucial to succeed in one’s career. She encourages individuals to align their passions and goals, embrace their differences, act with integrity, and network intentionally to create meaningful impact in their personal and professional lives.

| Beyond Exclamation

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