This week, The Winters Group team joined diversity and inclusion (D&I) leaders and practitioners from across the country (and world) for The Forum on Workplace Inclusion. Every Spring, The Forum presents an opportunity for practitioners to convene over best practices, trends, and action planning for continuing to move the D&I needle forward. Perhaps our current social and political climate could be attributed to the greater sense of urgency around this year’s theme, “ALL In.”
For those of you who couldn’t attend or who couldn’t make our sessions, here our are few takeaways shared throughout the week:
On Leadership Courage and Taking a Stand: More and more organizations and leaders are beginning to see the imperative in taking a stand around broader societal issues. Gone are the days when matters from beyond corporate walls didn’t matter to those within them. Greater expectation among consumers and employees have in some ways evolved the business case and approach to creating inclusive environments. In the session, co-facilitated with Sandy Harris from Sodexo, Mary-Frances Winters encouraged leaders to consider how social justice approaches to D&I might intersect with the more common, “business case” approach. She stressed the need for leaders to, at a minimum, reaffirm what their organizations “stand for,” particularly during turbulent and polarizing times. Silence and neutrality are stances, in and of themselves.
Here are a few things leaders can consider when strategizing how their organizations might take a stand.
- Your goal
- What do you expect to accomplish?
- Organizational policies and Practices
- What is the risk or reward?
- Level of trust?
- Your own feelings
- What aspects of your identity or culture inform your position?
- The level of polarization
- Are you capable of engaging individuals who have a different perspective? Can you separate the person from their positon? Can you be patient with those who don’t see your view?
- Preparation
- Have you explored different viewpoints?
- In-depth knowledge and understanding?
Engaging in Bold Conversations: You can’t go “ALL In,” without having those necessary, difficult conversations, especially during this day and age. The growing body of research around psychological safety and race-based trauma, and prevalence of real time news via social media, have all influenced the need for organizations and leaders to create spaces for authentic, effective dialogue. In a series of sessions sponsored by The Winters Group dedicated to “Bold(er) Conversations” around Race, Politics, and Disability, The Winters Group team leveraged strategies from Mary-Frances Winters’ new book, We Can’t Talk About That at Work! How to Talk About Race, Religion, Politics, and other Polarizing Topics in the Workplace to facilitate dialogue among Forum participants. The sessions were opportunities to arm leaders and practitioners with the skills needed to begin similar dialogues in their workplaces, while also creating a therapeutic space for release and self-care. Check-out this guide to engaging in bold, inclusive conversations for some of the strategies shared.
Reaffirming our Commitment to Living Inclusively: Sometimes we all just need a little reminder of why we do this work and what it truly means to continue to be effective. That was the goal of our Wednesday evening event, Sankofa. The West-African term underscores the need for us to reflect on our past and history in order to move forward into our future. We were joined by drummers and dancers of Duniya Drum & Dance Company, and practitioners who attended the conference that wanted a space just to engage and re-energize. We talked, we laughed, we shared, and most importantly, we reaffirmed our commitment to this work:
I commit to be intentional in living inclusively.
I commit to spending more time getting to know myself and understanding my culture. It is in understanding myself, that I am better positioned to understand others.
I will acknowledge that I don’t know what I don’t know, but I will not use what is unconscious as an excuse.
I will be intentional in exposing myself to difference. If I don’t know, I will ask. If I am asked, I will assume positive intent. Most importantly, I will accept my responsibility in increasing my own knowledge and understanding.
I commit to speaking up and speaking out, even when I am not directly impacted, for there is no such thing as neutrality in the quest for equity, justice, and inclusion.
I will strive to accept, and not just tolerate; respect, even if I don’t agree; and be curious, not judgmental. I commit to pausing and listening. I will be empathetic to the experiences and perspectives of my “others.” I will use my privilege positively, and get comfortable with my own discomfort.
I commit to knowing, getting, and doing better than I did yesterday—keeping in mind my commitment to live inclusively is a journey, not a destination.
