Building an Early Foundation:
I endured and saw racism growing up and I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to protect myself and my family from its impacts, so at my predominantly white high school, I ran for President of the Freshmen class and won. My first proposition of business was creating a safe space for students who felt like outsiders. As my career progressed, I developed the emotional and strategic intelligence to enact change.
At Holistic Inclusion Consulting, I regularly work with clients who want to evolve and be in a more inclusive environment. I assist in their development by showing them how to create a workplace dynamic that attracts and retains employees. I always start off with sustainable education followed by a plan that expresses an effective, proactive and appreciative workplace that holds itself accountable to its commitments to employees.
Beyond the Barricades:
When I am experiencing a setback or challenge, I remind myself that it is temporary. I take time to reflect on what I need to learn. I also have a tribe of leaders that I can call upon and chat with about something I am experiencing. I trust my tribe to give me the advice I need to hear instead of what they think I want to hear. Often, when I take the time to talk something through the path through the turmoil, it becomes more apparent. My tribe is very supportive, and I use their support to guide myself through the bad experiences.
Defining D&I- Why is it important in the workplace:
The most significant barriers that the systematically overlooked communities face are stereotyping and misunderstanding their experiences. As we think about the
LGBTQ+ community, we have to unpack homophobia and its impacts on the
workplace. Being Out in the workplace comes with many ill-informed stereotypes
and a scarred history of harm. My role is to make informed decisions. I do this
by tapping into my network and having open and frank conversations about
policies that are helping or even harming employees from the LGBTQ+ community.
Empowering Workplaces with Dipper:
Dipper has connected with many HR and DEI leaders, and the most significant pain point is the frustration around the lack of internal data that share what ERGs and PoC are experiencing daily. For example, a company may know that folks are experiencing microaggressions, but are unsure which demographic, what type, and how to resolve it.
Turnover is at an all-time high affecting company reputation making it difficult to attract talent. 40% of companies now offer Employee Resources Groups mainly to increase inclusion and to belong during the pandemic.
Sources of Valuable Lessons:
My
former manager, Deborah Josephs, is a major sponsor and a close friend.
Deb promoted my consulting business www.holisticinclusion.com within a closed group of chief people
officers, which led to many new clients. Deb also steered me to serving on an
advisory board of a soaring fintech company and helped me introduce a network that made
it happen. She has always given me invaluable feedback, and even though we
don't work at the same company anymore, she has never left my side.
My
current CEO, Gary Hoberman, selected me for an important project
even before I was hired and exposed me to top-level leaders who followed my
advice. This garnered my interest in consulting efforts.
My former CEO, Timothy Allen, expanded my access to a significant, publicly-traded company by ensuring I presented my work to IAC executives for three years. He took the time to prepare me for the coming future and elevate my voice both during and outside of these meetings.
Through these experiences I learned how to be a sponsor. This opened doors for me to be able to extend my privileges for folks to help them reach their goals.
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