The Latest Insights from Leading NOW

In 2020, organizations became acutely aware of the importance of DE&I due to the social unrest and volatility swirling around them. Many are now attempting to figure out how to be supportive of their diverse employee population. What should they put their energy and resources towards that is actually going to have a positive impact? This is THE question that many organizations, regardless of size, are struggling to answer––and few are getting right.

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?

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.

Last week, I discovered that the arthritic hip that I had been protecting from too much exercise over the past 12 years was, in fact, not arthritis at all. It turns out that it is an inflexibility in my lower back that would have benefitted greatly from a decade or so of much more exercise than I was doing. The discomfort in my hip, knee and ankle was a compensation for the inflexibility in my back… An inflexibility that I should have been actively managing for quite a while now.

What challenges are companies seeking to address when they contact Leading Women?