The DEI burden problem – and how to fix it
There’s an ongoing and overwhelming burden on black people to drive DEI efforts in organizations. This is part of the problem – not the solution. […]
Tech and the talent gap: no time to waste
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder big tech made many promises and pledges around diversity, equity and inclusion. Two years later, there’s little evidence of action or the level of sustainable change that we need to see. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 83% of tech executives are white. Business Insider’s research tracking progress in representation in the tech industry post George Floyd found that only 5% of the tech workforce, 3% of executives, and 1% of [...]
Have you got a culture people want to be part of?
Life is a contradiction. We are awash with good intentions, performative actions, anger, and apathy. We’ve never had it so good; or so bad. Everything is changing faster than ever yet progress is also extremely slow. Technology is going to make us work smarter not harder; things have never been so complicated. Which is true? All of it and also none of it! For this week’s blog I’m taking a look at some of the recent research that points to [...]
Black History Month: How the man who (really) created the internet changed my life
Unbeknownst to me at the time, I lived through a moment of Black History that would prove to be instrumental in shaping my future. […]
Diversity Is Not Enough – Here’s 4 Ways To Do More
The civil rights movement was born in the 1950s. Black History Month was proposed in 1969 and first marked a year later. It is 2022 and we are still having the same conversations. We must move DEI further this year. We must expand our understanding and empathy because dismantling structures and systems has taken, and is taking, decades… and it will definitely take more than a month. […]
Good People Leave Bad Cultures
That “people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad bosses” (or some variation thereof) is a handy quote coined by management consultancy Gallup that has given organizations the world over a free pass. But who employs and enables these “bad bosses”? […]
The Challenge of Change
When I brought my usual brand of laundry detergent home and went to place it on the shelf… it wouldn’t fit. Perplexed, I inspected the bottle and compared it to the nearly empty one it was scheduled to replace. The brand was the same, the volume was the same, it even had the same fresh scent, but for some reason, the cap design had changed. This bottle had a taller cap than its predecessor. I couldn’t see a benefit to [...]
Try approaching diversity like you would safety
When I work with organizations – especially in the energy sector – it’s clear that safety is a priority and there are systems and mechanisms in place to ensure that things happen in a safe way. And when things aren’t happening as they should be, a safety dashboard provides a transparent and simple way to flag issues. It works because the business depends on it – and, of course, it is the right thing to do. […]
When you get to the top, don’t forget to send the elevator down
There are many variations on the theme of this saying (I also like: when you climb the wall, throw the rope back) that speak to using our own success and good fortune to help others. You’ve worked hard to get where you are and now it’s time to elevate (pun intended!) your own goals by helping others because great leaders create leaders. […]
How to double down on your support for women in the workforce
The impacts of crises are never gender-neutral, and COVID-19 is no exception – that’s the bleak assertion of UN Women (the United Nations entity charged with championing gender equality). For countless women in economies of every size, along with losing income, the unpaid care and domestic work burden has exploded. In January of this year, 275,000 women left the U.S workforce (compared with 70,000 men). […]