The Latest Insights from Leading NOW

According to a recent article in CEO World, among the top 3 things that are keeping CEO’s up at night is the strength of their people. But it’s not physical strength that keeps them awake. It’s the strength of their current and future leadership talent that has them concerned.

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?

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…

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.

BOSTON - Sept. 7, 2022 Leading NOW a global consultancy that guides current and future leaders in creating more equitable organizations, is offering a complimentary webinar on one of the hottest topics every organization is trying to harness––how to successfully implement DEI initiatives that drive measurable results. For the first time, CEO, Kelly Lockwood Primus, will present Leading NOW's ground-breaking research, Cultural Dynamics in the Workplace™: 5 Key Factors for DEI Success, as a LIVE webinar on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 1:00 pm ET.

It’s been a busy summer here at Leading NOW. Our CEO and amazing consultants delivered sessions at the Annual SHRM Conference (Society for Human Resource Management), and the Foundation for Women’s Leadership & Empowerment Women’s Leadership Conference (WLC) – both to huge accolades. Perhaps you were there. If you missed them, not to worry. We have some exciting news to share about an encore presentation and FREE webinar you definitely won’t want to miss!

It’s been a few years since a flurry of CEOs pledged their organizations' commitment to do more in support of DEI. Thousands committed to actions that support a more inclusive workplace for employees, communities and society. Fast-forward to today, and it seems most organizations still haven’t made much progress. Why?

The Great Resignation, the Big Quit, the Talent Shortage—you can call it whatever you want. The reality is that the war for talent is a fierce competition and likely raging in your organization.

According to a survey by Glassdoor, more than 50% of people think their companies should be doing more to increase workforce diversity. It all started in 1964, more than 50 years ago, when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The act, of course, applies to employers. Yet after all of the civil unrest we experienced in 2020, how many times did you hear a CEO or spokesperson for an organization say that they are committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture? Probably too many to count.