Who holds the responsibility of creating and sustaining a workplace that is diverse, respectful and inclusive within your organization? Everyone? Human Resources Director? Chief Diversity Officer (CDO)? No one? The HR department holds the responsibility in most organizations, even though within trailblazing businesses D&I is its own department with the CDO reporting directly…

Will you be part of the solution on May 29th? Are you willing to break the culture of silence?  While Starbucks closes its 8000 company-owned stores for an afternoon to conduct unconscious bias (also known as implicit bias) training for 175,000 employees, I invite you to break the culture of silence, by making time to…

I wrote the original version of this article in 2006. Unfortunately, it seems our society has become even more uncivil rather than more civil. Join me in being part of the change. Have you ever observed or been a part of the following scenarios? • You are seated at a busy upscale restaurant and the…

Although diversity and inclusion strategies and tactics have been in place with some organizations for a long time, the question I am most frequently asked by diversity practitioners is, ” How can I help our leaders reflect their support of diversity and inclusion efforts?” At company conferences, articles in internal newsletters, and other communication methods…

With the recent media and political attention focused on the transgender community, conversations have popped up in places of worship, sports bars, workplaces, universities school district offices, and beyond. All too often in these type conversations people are not looking for information in order to develop understanding, rather they are looking for opportunities to spread…

On this 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., my heart is heavy yet hopeful. Heavy due to the racial hatred and boldness of bigotry still evident. Hopeful because many people young and old are rising up to make their voices heard regarding equality, life, and inclusion. They are saying diversity…

Are you tired of political correctness and wonder why our language should become more sensitive?  My clients regularly ask me why this is such a big deal to some. Words do matter, and those who suggest others should just get over it, and stop being so picky are often not a member of the offended…

(Adapted from the soon to be released third edition of The Diversity Advantage) Have you ever had a clash with one of your staff members? Have any of your staff avoided or complained about working with another team member? Most of the clashes or diversity collisions that happen at work occur because the individuals involved are…

Are your colleagues and other employees disengaged? Are some workers feeling disconnected to the team? My client research indicates that one of the biggest factors causing less than top team performance and innovation among co-workers is their inability to give feedback to each other quickly and without judgment regarding culturally sensitive behaviors—also known as micro-inequities….

He said, “I don’t want to be a n_ _ _ _ _ in the bushes about this but…” February is a month that often causes me to pause and think about leaders of the past and present. What can and should leaders of today do and say to advance inclusion? What could they do…