Rhian Rotz, ACC

US companies are rethinking how they position and talk about #DEI, some dropping the acronym and others downplaying representation targets in favour of inclusion. As The Washington Post explains, 'Last year, Eli Lilly’s annual shareholders letter referenced the acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion 48 times. This year, “DEI” is nowhere to be found.
In March, Starbucks got shareholder approval to replace “representation” goals with “talent” performance for executive bonus incentives. At Molson Coors, “People & Planet” metrics have displaced environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, and the acronym DEI has disappeared altogether.' The case for a significant pivot is one MindGym has been making loudly, alongside the work we've been doing quietly with many clients who are as committed to diversity of thought and background as ever but are keen to avoid politicising the workplace. There is a way to navigate. It starts with alignment on what Corporate DEI is there to do, on which many Exec teams are still confused.

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Inclusion isn’t enough. SHRM’s “inclusion-first” pivot from DEI to I&D noticeably removes “equity” from the familiar acronym. This is a departure from the collective wisdom of the field, which recognizes equitable systems as the foundation for all DEIB work. Inclusion and belonging efforts cannot disrupt histories of inequity by themselves. Without a focus on creating just experiences and outcomes in our workplaces, inclusion and belonging practices tend to obscure power differences and systems of privilege. Inclusion practices alone cannot help us bridge difference and overcome polarization. There is a lot of research demonstrating that rising inequality increases political polarization and intragroup conflict. Simply put, DEIB is the solution to the problem of polarization, not the cause of it. Without a commitment to creating fair and equitable workplaces, whose “inclusion” and “belonging” are we championing? —— 🌈I'm a DEIB consultant, speaker, and educator passionate about building communities where everyone can thrive. 🗣 I talk about courageous conversations, connecting across difference, navigating conflict, and inclusive leadership. 💡If you found this post insightful, please share to expand the conversation. 🔔 Follow me and tap the bell on my profile to subscribe to my content.

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I am tired of individuals getting blamed for - and being asked to fix - systemic failures. Leaders are obfuscating the fact that organizational governance is driving toxic workplaces. Structure drives behavior. If we reward output but don't care how the sausage gets made, the people who make the sausage will never get the credit they deserve - or the rewards. Organizations spend obscene amounts of money to address accountability issues, but this will never solve the problems, because it doesn't address governance. The truth is that toxic workplaces benefit shareholders in the short term. That is why they persist. #EmployeeExperience #HR #Leadership #Workplace #DigitalTransformation #culturechange #changemanagement

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It’s not about the name. It’s about the commitment toward policy and culture change to ensure organizations continue to evolve to support their ever diversifying employees and consumers. What leaders need to do: 📌 articulate clear goals for attracting, hiring and retaining a talented workforce that reflects the diversity of our population at all levels. This work has never been about compromising quality. It’s about challenging biases that systematically target or exclude women and BIPOC talent. 📌 embed accountability measures into leadership evaluations with specific leadership competencies and corresponding behavioral indicators. Women and people of color continue to experience micro and macro aggressions. It’s not going away and it erodes trust and credibility. 📌 train leaders to have challenging conversations. Dialogue is a lost art. Learning to ask open and curious questions, to challenge assumptions, to offer different perspectives, to seek common ground…this isn’t about being “nice” or placating…it’s strategy. As leaders, the more you understand what drives individuals and what trends are emerging in terms of motives, concerns, and experiences, the better you can adapt to changes and address conflicts before they become destructive. DEI is synonymous with success.

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The DEI Re-Evolution is Coming. This includes the Rise of DEI Consultancy, Return of Black DEI Professionals, and the Corporate Shift from Social Justice to People Operations. If you have time to read only one post or article this week, this is the one. 👉🏾 Full Article Here: https://lnkd.in/e73ScZek SNEAK PEAK: ⚖ - A Shift from Social Justice to People Operations 👩🏾‍💻 - DEI Can Work in HR, But HR Isn’t Always Designed for DEI 📈 - The Rise of DEI Consultants (But, it probably won’t be called this) 👋🏾 - The Return of Black DEI Professionals (Yes, you read it here first!) #DEI #Diversity #Inclusion #Equity #WorkplaceCulture #InclusiveLeadership #Microsoft #SHRM #DiversityEquityInclusion #DEITrends #JoyfulEquity I'd love to hear your thoughts below!

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How many of you remember years ago when it was common to hear the term GLBT in diversity discussions? Now, the terminology within the queer community involves many combinations of letters, and LGBTQ+ inclusion is critical in the hiring process. (3 minute read) #diversityhiring #diversityandinclusion #diversityequityinclusion #diversitymatters

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Have you ever wondered why Psychological Safety at work is crucial, especially for Black women? Or how leaders are amplifying the voices of women, nonbinary folks, and junior staff of color? We've had the honor of sharing powerful stories: 🔹 From a VP client's efforts to lift underrepresented voices 🔹 To a woman advocating for Transgender awareness through her lived experiences 🔹 Insights into DEI as a life-and-death matter, beyond just programs 🔹 Success in pushing for a gender pay equity analysis in an organization These inspiring stories highlight the importance of the AMPLIFY framework, revealing what makes organizations receptive to change. Catch the replay of this enlightening session: https://buff.ly/4dg5T5V and dive deeper into how these transformations were achieved.  This is your gateway to confidently and strategically leading DEI and Culture Change. Discover how to participate in the DEI Dinner Party and The Equity Leadership Table using this link: https://buff.ly/3W7cYQo. Enrollment is open. #leadershipdevelopment #communicationskillstraining #learninganddevelopment #professionaldevelopment #publicspeaking #femalefounder #humanresource #corporatetrainer

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If DEI does not make us better, then what is it for? I love doing trainings, because I love seeing "aha" moments. I love bridging gaps. I love expressing what so many people are feeling but have not yet felt empowered to say. But training is just the first step. We need policies. We need practices. We need infrastructure changes. We need real action for inclusion. Last week, I had the pleasure of revealing the DEI climate survey results at a client's town hall. Management did a great job outlining how they would respond to the concerns raised. It was public and it was recorded. There was full transparency in order to ensure that accountability. That is the only way that we move forward with action for inclusion. #diversitytraining #diversityequityandinclusion #diversitymatters. Below, please find a great article about moving DEI forward at this challenging time. "When done ethically, DEI should help do things like minimize bias in performance reviews, ensure disabled employees are able to access the assistive technologies necessary to do their jobs, and promote systems that ensure real investigations into cases of discriminatory harassment are conducted and acted on. These types of interventions take time, cost money and go largely unnoticed outside an organization. But that doesn’t make them any less vital to cultivating work environments that honor the basic human dignity of workers." https://lnkd.in/e8wAYvDw

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Want to truly embed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into your organization's DNA? It's time to think architecturally. Diversity Architecture provides a strategic framework for designing your organization's systems, practices and behaviors to support DEI at every level. By leveraging the ABC's of Diversity Architecture, you can establish clear accountability measures and embed equity into the very fabric of your organization. The result? Meaningful, sustainable culture change that unleashes the full potential of diversity to drive innovation and business success. Ready to learn more about the building blocks of Diversity Architecture? Stay tuned for my upcoming series breaking down the ABC's and how to put them into practice in your organization. #DiversityArchitecture #DEI #CultureChange #Accountability #Equity #Inclusion

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There is a good HR Drive article by Carolyn Crist that despite backlash, 72% of c-suite and HR leaders expect to increase DEI initiatives. Perhaps one of the most interesting statistics in the article is who is supportive and which groups are less supportive of DEI initiatives, including: - HR leaders - 87% supportive - C-suite leaders - 75% - Board members - 57% - Shareholders - 41% - External stakeholders - 35% So, people outside of the actual organization are less likely to support DEI while those working in the company and in the culture want and are driving these initiatives. What are you seeing in your organization? Is DEI becoming more or less important to your organization? https://lnkd.in/e68uCM4F

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As an Executive Coach and Facilitator, I empower teams by using a coaching approach in my facilitation. Facilitating is not about me being the expert in the room, but about the team I am working with. I hold space, am curious, offer tools for reflection, challenge current thinking, and encourage the space to be as courageous for all voices as possible. My role is to support teams in shaping their culture, making each member feel valued and integral to the team's success. What is good team culture?  In a good team culture, everyone is united in purpose, values, behaviours, and working practices. It's about celebrating each individual's unique contributions and qualities, fostering a sense of belonging and appreciation, inspiring and motivating team members to give their best.  In a good team culture, team members understand the group and individual purpose as well as their role within the team. It’s vital to know why you are doing the work you are doing and believe in the team's goals and purpose.  While positive team culture can emerge organically, it’s important that you come together to define your culture and align on what it is and how you live it - culture is slippery. It is often described as 'the way we do things around here'. This is where I come in. I can support creating a culture statement or code of conduct or simply strengthening the bonds and shared understanding between your team. We often explore values and the way we communicate to underpin further work we will do together. I do this using creative methodologies, making it an embodied and fun experience (which research shows means things tend to stick!). Some of the major elements of a great team culture are: Clearly defined purpose and goals  Alignment of team values & working practices Space for personal and professional growth Regular opportunities for open, honest discussion Flexible working hours Wellbeing programs Supportive policies on illness and vacation Opportunities for cross-function collaboration and connection Team code of conduct Transparent, communicative management Thoughtful systems for feedback Time and space to have fun as a team A strong team culture is crucial for several reasons: ·        Boosts employee engagement and morale ·        Reduces turnover ·        Improves decision-making ·        Attracts top talent To chat about how I can support your team, DM or email me at Jana@jana-kennedy.com.   Jana X

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“Speak up” or “just be more confident” is terrible advice. Workplaces often turn to soft skills training as a remedy for a lack of belonging, and prescribe individual solutions for systemic issues. Yesterday, Fix The Broken Rung hosted a webinar on Unlearning Silence at Work featuring Jeanne Lam, advisor & former president of Wattpad, and Elaine Lin Hering, best-selling author of Unlearning Silence. As Elaine says in the clip below, “speak up” fails to acknowledge how authority figures don’t give us permission… Or penalize us when we do… Or control the goal posts: smile more, smile less, talk faster, talk slower, etc…. To see the full webinar, check out the link in the comments. Thanks to Cindy Shu for moderating an amazing panel! *************** 🪜 Fix The Broken Rung is writing a new story for the next generation of leaders. Our mission is to help one million women of color get promoted. 🔔 Follow me --> Amal Masri <-- to join the movement.

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"Robust DEI actions make a difference—not just to historically excluded groups but to your organization as a whole. And companies that scale back on their DEI programs will likely miss out." I couldn't have said it better myself. When you find that you've inadvertently excluded someone with a disability, your solution will also likely include someone who has a chronic illness or an undisclosed disability. When we ensure that working spaces fully include neurodiverse employees, neurotypical employees often also benefit. DEI actions are about committing to a focus on your employees and other stakeholders that its thoughtful, intentional, and authentic. Authentic connections grow both of the lines we care about - top and bottom.

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POV: You have fantastic collaboration partners like @Angels Speaking and @Deondra Wardelle who invite you to deliver assessments for their clients. If your organization wants to know who feels included at work (and who doesn't and why), DM me to find out how a Spectra Diversity Inclusion Assessment can help you build a more inclusive workplace!

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POV: You have fantastic collaboration partners like @Angels Speaking and @Deondra Wardelle who invite you to deliver assessments for their clients. If your organization wants to know who feels included at work (and who doesn't and why), DM me to find out how a Spectra Diversity Inclusion Assessment can help you build a more inclusive workplace!

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POV: You have fantastic collaboration partners like @Angels Speaking and @Deondra Wardelle who invite you to deliver assessments for their clients. If your organization wants to know who feels included at work (and who doesn't and why), DM me to find out how a Spectra Diversity Inclusion Assessment can help you build a more inclusive workplace!

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POV: You have fantastic collaboration partners like @Angels Speaking and @Deondra Wardelle who invite you to deliver assessments for their clients. If your organization wants to know who feels included at work (and who doesn't and why), DM me to find out how a Spectra Diversity Inclusion Assessment can help you build a more inclusive workplace!

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I’ve been digging into inner-child work; self-exploration and beliefs rooted in childhood experiences, so I found the concept of “family ghosts” that linger and influence professional life particularly fascinating. For example, how often do you notice your “middle child” self showing up in meetings? Or find yourself slipping into the role of the perpetual family peacemaker when resolving conflicts at work? You’re not alone in this. Our family dynamics often sneak into our workplace behaviors, shaping how we view authority, expertise, and identity. Maybe you've been the comedian, the challenger, or the know-it-all your entire life. The real question is, does that label still fit who you are now? And if not, how can we shed those old roles at work and step into something new? These researchers offer some great insights into spotting these influences and deciding which ones to keep or toss for our professional growth. While breaking old family patterns can be tough, it's entirely possible to carve out new versions of ourselves at work. No guarantees about how things will go at your next holiday dinner—haha! But at least you’ll be ready for the boardroom.

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In the ever-evolving landscape of the modern workplace, diversity and inclusion have become buzzwords, yet the reality often falls short of the ideal. Despite significant strides, minorities and women continue to find themselves undervalued and overlooked for their immense contributions. This systemic issue not only perpetuates inequality but also stifles innovation and organizational growth. Research indicates that diverse teams are more innovative, productive, and profitable. Yet, the untapped potential of underrepresented groups remains largely unrecognized and untapped. It's time for organizations to move beyond superficial diversity initiatives and address the root causes of inequality. By fostering a culture of inclusivity, acknowledging diverse perspectives, and providing equal opportunities for all, companies can unlock the full potential of their workforce. This entails not only celebrating visible diversity but also ensuring that every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. As we navigate towards a future where recognition knows no bounds, let's champion diversity and inclusion as fundamental values that drive organizational success. Together, let's create workplaces where every voice is heard, every contribution is recognized, and every individual has the opportunity to thrive. #diversityandinclusion #equalityatwork #inclusiveworkplace  

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