5 Things / I Lied
Not long ago, I was feeling incredibly run down, not exactly sick, but not energetic enough to do my best. I didn’t want to admit my own fatigue and I pushed back a client deliverable with a family excuse. I lied.
Listen to this episode:
Not long ago, I was feeling incredibly run down, not exactly sick, but not energetic enough to do my best. I didn’t want to admit my own fatigue and I pushed back a client deliverable with a family excuse. I lied.
I’m not sure why I didn’t just tell the client that I wasn’t feeling well. Was I afraid of seeming weak? I didn’t put much thought into it at the time, but in hindsight, I’m sure I’ve been socially conditioned to associate fatigue = weakness.
The whole story is harmless in that I didn’t miss the client’s deadline, just my promised delivery date – except that a ton of other people do the exact same thing. They tell half-truths and white lies to avoid looking weak, different, or incapable – especially at work. The cumulative effect of this is huge and means that many teams lack psychological safety, which has been shown to drive innovation in diverse teams.
Wouldn’t it be nice if making excuses wasn’t necessary and we could just be a little more honest? Managers have a huge role to play here…and it starts with kind curiosity.
This Week’s Good Vibes:
Singapore Enshrines Flexible Work in Law
In Singapore, employees gained the legal right to request flexible work arrangements, including four-day workweeks and remote work days, starting December 1. By mandating a formal process for flexible work requests, Singapore aims to foster trust and reciprocity in the workplace and acknowledges the importance of flexibility for all workers, particularly caregivers, women, and seniors.
NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Sets Records
The NCAA women's basketball final set records, beating the viewership for the men’s final, becoming the most-watched basketball game since 2019, and the most-watched spring sporting event in five years. The women's success continues to show the growing audience and recognition for women's sports. I share these stories because there’s still such a need for continued investment and promotion to elevate their visibility and impact.
Allstate Managers Get Connections Budget
Allstate has hit its stride with a hybrid work model, in part by allocating leaders a portion of a $10 million “connections budget.” Managers have the autonomy to allocate funds for various activities that bring their teams together, such as in-person meetings, team-building events, or virtual contests. The flexibility of the budget allows for tailored experiences that cater to the unique dynamics and preferences of each team, ultimately contributing to an 84% engagement rate across the company.
Wisconsin Includes Asian American History
Wisconsin's new law adds Asian American and Hmong history to K-12 school curriculums. Governor Tony Evers sees it as a way to acknowledge the state's diverse roots, including the third-largest Hmong population in the country. This is especially important in light of recent anti-Asian sentiments. Wisconsin currently requires instruction of Black, Native American, and Latino American history and this addition is long overdue. It finally gives students a chance to see themselves in their lessons.
Ashley for State Rep!
Ashley Brundage, a fellow DEI speaker and author who once joined me for a DEI Double Feature, aims to become Florida's first transgender elected official in South Tampa. She’s running for State Representative. Ashley is an amazing woman whose platform focuses on key issues like insurance costs and small business support. She’s also very clever: in 2022, she received the "Spirit of the Community Award" from the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, with a letter signed from anti-LGBTQ Governor Ron DeSantis. She’s using that letter as part of her campaign to bridge political divides.
This Week’s Call to Action:
Read this article in HBR by Lily Zheng: What Needs to Change About DEI — and What Doesn’t.
5 Things / Checking The Box
Checking boxes gets a bad rap in the diversity, equity, and inclusion world. We hear, “don’t have another ‘check the box’ workshop.” We’re warned that checking the box can be performative. That it’s inauthentic.
Listen to the full episode here:
Checking boxes gets a bad rap in the diversity, equity, and inclusion world. We hear, “don’t have another ‘check the box’ workshop.” We’re warned that checking the box can be performative. That it’s inauthentic.
Here’s the thing… I like checking boxes. I find it very satisfying to check something off, then move on to the next something. When we're tackling big challenges like a lack of diversity and inclusion, we ought to start small, check some boxes, build up momentum and a shared sense of purpose, then keep adding more boxes to check, tactical boxes that address inequities. Ultimately those checked boxes can add up to serious progress.
Ideally, all of an organization’s functions should have a series of tactical DEI boxes to check. A cross-functional approach creates the surface area for more momentum and traction, and ultimately meaningful progress. DEI should not live in HR.
That’s our approach to DEI - holistic, and Inclusive 360. If you like checking boxes, take our quiz: www.Inclusive360.com/quiz
This Week's Good Vibes:
Transgender Woman Inducted Into The National Women's Hall of Fame
The National Women’s Hall of Fame (NWHF) announced its new inductee class, and for the first time, there’s a transgender woman. That woman is Sandy Stone, who I'm embarrassed to admit, I'd never heard of. I learned she's an amazing artist and academic in the field of transgender studies. Here you can read about her and the diverse group of other inductees -- including Kimberle’ Crenshaw, who coined the term "intersectionality". My friend Jennifer Gabriel is the ED of the NWHF and I couldn't be more proud of the work she's doing to celebrate the diversity of women and their achievements.
March Madness Finals Ratings Set A Record High For Women
The Women’s NCAA Basketball Finals game set record viewership numbers, in part because it was aired on broadcast networks for the first time since 1995. This year it aired live on ESPN and ABC, in addition to streaming. I’m thrilled to see increased interest in and viewership of women’s sports. The game was also in the news this week because of a racist double standard when stars of both teams used the same hand gesture, but only the Black star, Angel Reese, was dragged by the media. It’s an example of what’s known as misogynoir.
Historically Black University Created Its Own Tech Intern Pipeline
Bowie State University in Maryland is a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) that created its own internship placement program to help its students bypass the arduous internship process at tech companies. It’s a great case study of how to set students up for success through a series of partnerships and mentorships. Bowie State students had placements at Deloitte, NASA, and the federal government, among many others. This matters because Black students are less likely to have access to the professional networks that white students do, making it more difficult for them to get well-paying jobs.
Goldman Sachs Invests $2 Billion in Black Women-Owned Businesses — The First Chapter of a Bigger Plan
I don’t often write about pledges and commitments, because they’re not outcomes. But I like this one: Goldman Sachs is investing another $2 Billion in Black-women-owned businesses because “economists at the global investment bank have found the most efficient way to close the racial wealth gap is by investing in Black women.” Its Advisory Council of badass Black women is impressive. The money is going towards everything from small business grants to incubator programs to help these businesses thrive.
Bud Light Doesn't Care That You're Mad About Its Dylan Mulvaney Collab
Bud Light has a new partnership with transgender TikToker and influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The partnership included a commercial and a special beer can celebrating Dylan’s transition, which she shared with her viewers. The commercial ticked off a lot of conservative Bud Light drinkers but the beer company stood behind Dylan. It seems an unlikely partnership, but I love that the blue-collar brand is embracing transgender inclusion, especially given all the anti-trans laws being passed.
Call to action:
Check out Translator, “a social DEI learning platform designed for facilitators, live audiences, and data freaks.” Its Founder and CEO, Natalie Egan, is a brilliant trans woman I neglected to include in my list last week. h/t to reader Rachel Kjack for the note.
5 Things / leverage
Transgender people in the U.S. have been under attack in a number of states that passed or are considering laws excluding them from schools and sports. In fact, the state of Florida is on the verge of passing a law permitting genital inspections. And the response from U.S. companies has been "crickets."
The good news is that the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) threatened to pull championship games from states with anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Their statement reads, in part: “The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. Our clear expectation as the association’s top governing body is that all student-athletes will be treated with dignity and respect.”
The potential economic loss is huge as these 90 or so championship games bring massive amounts of revenue to host cities. The NCAA realizes it has enormous leverage. In fact, when the NCAA moved games from North Carolina after the state passed anti-transgender bathroom bills, the state backtracked on some of the more egregious parts of that law.
This matters because the NCAA is using its influence and its spending power to be an active ally for inclusion.
Similarly, Will Smith’s new film Emancipation will no longer be filmed in the U.S. state of Georgia in protest of the state’s strict new voter suppression laws. The statement reads in part, "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access…reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting.” This matters because these laws are racist and economic boycotts can be incredibly effective at driving change.
These types of actions can be modeled by any size organization, and not just as a form of protest. Your organization can use its own spending power and influence to do business with diverse suppliers and set diversity standards that your other major suppliers must meet.
Here are some other good vibes I found this week:
It was (another) heavy week in the U.S. for Black people. In response to the shooting of unarmed Daunte Wright by a police officer, Ben and Jerry’s pulled no punches. The company tweeted, “The murder of #DaunteWright is rooted in white supremacy and results from the intentional criminalization of Black and Brown communities.”
Ben and Jerry’s is one of the more socially activist companies in the U.S. and has been speaking out against systemic racism for years. Of course, it’s not enough to only speak up, but when many other companies stay quiet, employees and customers take note of the ones that don’t. Showing up for Black employees always matters.This week Disney updated its dress and style code to give employees greater freedom in self-expression and remove all gendered rules around hair, jewelry, and nails and more. “Cast members” can also now display visible tattoos and don’t have to choose between male and female costumes. This matters because employees who feel like they have greater freedom of self-expression at work are generally happier and more loyal -- and that translates into a better guest experience.
Everyone who gets vaccinated at CVS Pharmacy will no longer have to provide their “sex assigned at birth” in addition to their gender identity. The previous policy asked both questions, which essentially outs transgender people and is not medically relevant. CVS received push-back and removed the question without hesitancy. This matters because it’s an unnecessary question, which makes transgender people feel unsafe and vulnerable.
Image by: WAPT