Bernadette Smith 2/16/24 Bernadette Smith 2/16/24

5 Things / Lead with Values

I recently met with a new client, an architecture firm with a vision to help communities build their future. A lot of their work is in historical preservation. In our meeting, the President shared, “When we see an old building, we don’t want to make assumptions about what’s possible.”

Bernadette Smith 10/28/22 Bernadette Smith 10/28/22

5 Things / The DEI PSA

When I’m prepping for a keynote, I love to spend time talking to the client about their DEI goals and current state. Between all these conversations, research for 5 Things, and research for my book, Inclusive 360, I think I figured out the winning formula for meaningful DEI progress: Purpose + Strategy + Accountability (PSA).

Bernadette Smith 10/7/22 Bernadette Smith 10/7/22

5 Things / Sparks

This week I delivered a keynote for a client’s internal event and, afterward, joined them for dinner. I spent much of my time in a pleasantly long conversation with a managing partner who, at one point, exclaimed to me, “I mean, can you believe at one point, people held slaves in this country?”

Bernadette Smith 10/1/21 Bernadette Smith 10/1/21

5 Things / found on TikTok

Here’s a real-life example of why diversity and inclusion is important. I don’t go on TikTok. Maybe I’m too old. But I have a team full of people who are different than me, and one of those people, October, is a Millennial and is non-binary. They sent me a link to a TikTok video in which user Star_Sama13 discovers that Old Navy has gender neutral clothes integrated throughout the store.