5 Things / sharing hope
This week I had the pleasure of being in conversation with some of my favorite people as part of the Inclusive 360 launch party. One of the questions I asked my guests was, "What gives you hope about DEI right now?"
Here are some of the good vibes shared by my guests this week:
Jennifer Brown, CEO, Jennifer Brown Consulting:
“We are finally having a real conversation in our organizations… the commitment is different… it feels different. Our threshold has been changed radically in the past year and a half… Even if it’s hard, I’m feeling there is an openness and willingness for that whereas before there was an avoidance.”
Cherie Coleman, President, Illinois Diversity Council:
“The bar has been raised from awareness to activism. One shift that I've seen is associates are really leveraging their expectations. Organizations are listening and responding accordingly. Really it’s the associates [with the power]. I’m pleased that the leaders are listening.”
Jeromé Holston, Executive Director, LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois:
"Now we're seeing a great commitment from corporations in how they're committed externally. A lot more companies are making commitments to being involved in terms of how local communities are supported and how dollars are invested. Thinking about how their external decisions can be great tools to create better communities where we live."
Rhodes Perry, CEO, Rhodes Perry Consulting:
“That elusive feeling of belonging, if you can feel that consistently, that can change your work experience... Talking to people about how that's showing up in the workplace is helping people have more 'a-has' about how to get there. Helping folks recognize the belonging membership community helps share these aha’s and gets us all a little closer to more consistently feeling a sense of belonging at work."
Rubén Alejandro Ramírez, Head, Diversity and Inclusion, Syngenta Group:
“People are really open to changing behaviors and learning about different groups. That our leaders are now speaking about DEI in their everyday agenda is really bringing me hope… We have the responsibility to create better communities and societies for our employees and environment... By raising awareness this is something that can bring a brighter future for generations to come.”
Heather Vickery, CEO, Vickery and Co (and my partner):
“The easy answer is the kids. We’re changing the dynamics. We’re changing the rules… there’s a generation of kids now that don’t know the old bad rules…. They’re willing to change the dynamic and are modeling the behavior.”
There you have it, folks--there's lots of inspiration and lots of great people like you doing the work to build a more inclusive world. It's a long game, and we're in it together.
Image by Faris Mohammed