Insights to Help You Level Up

From my recent blog post, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is defined as the following:

Companies that use DEIB will emphasize that being “included” does not necessarily mean that you have a sense of “belonging” in an organization. Author Liz Fosslien differentiates the terms by describing diversity as “having a seat at the table,” inclusion as “having a voice at the table”, and belonging as “having that voice being heard.” Brene Brown uses a belonging statement in her organization because “people should feel a strong sense of belonging in an organization and share the culture through representation, co-creation, influence, and that inextricable, un-namable, spiritual connection that is shared humanity (emphasis hers).”

Becoming a father has changed how I observe Father’s Day. As I celebrate my first Father’s Day with my son, I find myself reflecting back on my own father and how much he and my mother have shaped me to become who I am. I wouldn’t be doing the work I do now were it not for my father and his experiences. Today, I’d like to share some of his story.

It’s no secret that the best storytellers are often the most successful in their jobs, whether they work in sales, management, communications, education, etc. According to Indeed’s Career Guide, storytelling is one of the fundamental skills you would need for success in the workplace, and more importantly, it is a skill that you can learn.¹

You may have seen multiple diversity acronyms on social or at work like DEI, I&D, DEIB, and IDEA. If you’re confused about what these terms mean and why there are so many, you’re not the only one. I’ve put together a quick guide explaining what they mean and what the differences are.

Why is it so difficult for companies to achieve more diversity from recruitment efforts? One reason could be that the challenge stems not from a lack of desire, but from a poverty of network. Recruitment historically began with referrals through personal networks. People know people and recruit them to join their companies. But what happens when existing leadership and recruiters are mostly homogenous? A simple solution is to have them expand their network by spending time and getting to know people who don’t look, love, and live like them.

Despite the fact that many companies desire to hire more underrepresented talent, when it comes to actually putting it into practice, those who are able to do so seem few and far between. If you’ve been following my previous series of articles, you’ll know that we have been addressing retaining diverse talent as a first step toward better representation and higher company performance. In this series, we will examine how to improve the recruitment process.

As companies and organizations become more aware and proactive about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), greater emphasis is being placed on recruiting diverse talent. From my experience, however, if the change is to be sustained, the focus is better placed on retention and advancement (see my previous blog posts about Focusing on Retention, Clogs in the Leadership Pipeline, and Succession Planning). One key strategy in retaining diverse talent is mentorship. In today’s post, we will take a look at why mentorship is important, what a mentorship program might look like in an organization, and the role of unofficial mentorship, otherwise known as sponsorship.