The Latest Insights from Leading NOW

Having a culture of Inclusion is not only about checking off the boxes for diversity. It’s about diversity of thought, and making sure everyone in the organization feels secure enough to express themselves without fear of retribution. It means creating a psychologically safe workplace where those on teams feel comfortable enough to take risks, express their ideas and concerns, ask questions, and admit mistakes – all without fear of negative consequences. How do you create a psychologically safe workplace and what are the benefits of doing so?

Creating a culture of inclusion takes work. A lot of work. And like most cultural and behavioral shifts, it starts with leaders understanding how their mindsets, actions, reactions and decisions affect how employees perceive them. As leaders striving to be inclusive, the first thing we must ask ourselves is whether those around us feel psychologically safe enough to share their thoughts and ideas without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, many times, the answer is no.

Happy International Women's Day from your team @ Leading NOW

A dedicated professional development program to diversify leadership and empower underrepresented talent in the industry

Women-owned organization, Leading NOW, to support the women's leadership conference, C-Store Women's event.

Is your organization doing enough to help underrepresented talent succeed? Probably not. While most DEI initiatives include communication plans, programs for employees to attend, and reviews of corporate policies, one of the most important elements is frequently overlooked or not addressed at all: The mindsets of leaders within the organization and how they impede inclusion. And while these mindsets may be unintentional–after all, leaders don’t have visibility into the challenges underrepresented talent face every day–this can derail your DEI goals. To take your DEI strategy from passive to powerful, DO THIS, NOT THAT…

In a recent Forbes article, Leading NOW’s CEO, Kelly Primus, addressed the DEI Churn & Burn many organizations are experiencing in their quest to create a more inclusive culture. In the article, Kelly talks about some of the things organizations can do to stop the constant turnover of Chief Diversity Officers who are in the trenches, trying to transform the company’s culture. This got us thinking, and begs the question – Is your DEI strategy passive or POWERFUL? For 2023, we’re kicking off the new year with a monthly blog series titled, DO THIS, NOT THAT. Each month we’ll address common actions that most DEI strategies include (passive), the barriers to inclusion identified by our own research over the last 20 years, and the what, why, and how, to make your DEI strategy more powerful. Let’s start with the most important DEI barrier of all…

What is Cultural Dynamics? Man to Man: What Does it Really Take to be a Male Ally? Leading Through Uncertainty: Dealing with Ambiguity 3 Ways to Shine a Light on Disrespect Towards Women at Work Building a Road Map to an Inclusive Culture 4 Steps to Making a Real & Lasting DE&I Impact Interpersonal Savvy... What You Need to Lead! Winning The War For Talent Is A Battle, But It Doesn't Have To Be Reverse Mentoring as Diverse Mentoring LEADERSHIP at the pace of Global Change...

There is a disturbing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) trend taking place in organizations of all sizes and across all industries as leaders do everything (or so they think) to create a more inclusive culture. Organizations will appoint a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) and then expect that one person (or team) to fix everything without providing them the necessary resources, budget or executive support to be successful. And then they'll wonder why, in 12 to 24 months, the CDO quits. At Leading NOW, we’re calling this the “DEI Churn & Burn.”

Successful leaders understand that in order to improve their organization’s culture, retain employees, and ultimately, improve the company’s overall performance and profitability, they need to constantly evolve. That means keeping up with how leadership is defined in today’s post-covid world.