5 Things / Praise


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I recently had a planning meeting in anticipation of a keynote and one of the things I was told was, “Don’t congratulate us on what we’re doing well…we don’t want people to see that and get complacent." That makes sense, and yet, I’ve found that it helps to have an outsider like me acknowledge and celebrate what’s working so that they can do more of it. That’s part of the premise of 5 Things, after all. Celebrate what’s working and do more of it.

Research tells us that people are motivated to work harder due to a fear of punishment rather than a promise of reward – but it also tells us that we’re motivated more by praise than criticism. This was proven in the fascinating Netflix show 100 Humans. I believe that when it comes to advancing DEI, it’s critical to celebrate wins early and often and to celebrate them joyfully and visibly. Here we approach DEI by building and then celebrating quick wins while simultaneously tackling longer-term, foundational projects.

I’ve had many conversations recently with companies whose DEI strategy is emerging. Companies with no protected DEI budget. Companies whose upcoming Pride workshop is one of the only they’ll do this year. I’m not going to shame them or judge them – but I am going to praise them for taking action now, and make sure they feel empowered with the tools to keep going. What do you think: do you think the organization should be praised for what they’re doing well in DEI?

This Week's Good Vibes:

  1. Apple Created Its New Voice Feature For—and With—People With ALS

  2. Autodesk Renames Its “Diversity and Inclusion” Team to the “Diversity and Belonging” Team

  3. New York City Passes Bill Banning Weight Discrimination

  4. Starbucks’ New Gender-Inclusive Ad Starring Trans Model

  5. Canada Labour Code to Ensure Access to Menstrual Products at Work Starting December 15

Call to Action:

Listen to this interview with Target CEO Brian Cornell on the Leadership Next Podcast. Spoiler alert: he’s a true believer in DEI.


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5 Things / Ageist