The Latest Insights from Leading NOW

Gretchen Sussman

Former, Strategic Advisor & Principal Consultant

Posts by Gretchen Sussman

Do You Know How Your Employees *Really* Feel About Your Organization?

Do you know how your employees really feel about your organization? If you read this question and answered “no”, isn’t it time you asked? And even if the answer was “yes”, do you really know? Do you know how your employees are experiencing your organization’s culture? Do they feel included? Are your company’s leaders demonstrating inclusive behavior? Do your employees see them demonstrating inclusive behavior?
3 min read | Gretchen Sussman
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Leadership Tools/Resources Change Assessments

Building a Road Map to an Inclusive Culture

In a recent blog, I addressed how to change the culture of your company to be more inclusive for all, and the four steps organizations must take to make a real and lasting DE&I impact: Assess Current State Align Leadership & Develop Your Roadmap Engage & Develop Your Team Members Deploy & Embed Revamped Mechanisms These four steps are critical to your DE&I journey and cannot be overstated. Remember, to make real progress, people, and the organizational cultures they are part of, must change.
5 min read | Gretchen Sussman
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Mentoring Diversity & Inclusion Assessments

Reverse Mentoring as Diverse Mentoring

A Catalyst for an Inclusive Culture We all know that mentorship can help pave the way for career success on the road to leadership. We also know that leaders drive culture. But for a culture to truly be inclusive, leaders must model inclusivity in all that they do. For organizations and leaders who recognize the value of creating an inclusive culture, but struggle to fundamentally shift their culture to one of inclusion for all, one proven and profound method is a formalized Reverse Mentoring program. Reverse Mentoring enables people in more senior positions to gain insight from having regular, semi-structured conversations with team members who are likely to see the world from a different perspective. The process aids in better decision-making, higher retention rates for diverse talent through greater job satisfaction, and giving invaluable exposure to under-represented talent, nurturing allies and advocates within senior ranks. Simply put, Reverse Mentoring is really about inclusion. In addition to having a positive impact on your company’s culture, Reverse Mentoring will liberate the power of all humans to generate the desired business outcomes needed to compete in today’s business environment.
4 min read | Gretchen Sussman
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Mentoring Diversity & Inclusion Reverse Mentoring

4 Steps to Making a Real & Lasting DE&I Impact

DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) is a part of every conversation I have these days––not just because I am leading the commercial strategies for Leading NOW and it’s my job to advise organizations how to be inclusive for all, but rather because organizations are finally realizing what our research has proven all along––that building a diverse company culture starts at the top with leadership. And while organizations have tried to increase diversity in their workforce, leaders are now recognizing they’ve been missing the mark by spending a lot of money and resources without capturing the true value of diversity.
5 min read | Gretchen Sussman
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Diversity & Inclusion Leading NOW DE&I