John Hackston is the Head of Thought Leadership at the Myers-Briggs Company, where he leads the company's Oxford-based research team.

He is a frequent commentator on the effects of personality type on work and life, and has authored numerous studies, published papers in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences for organizations such as The British Association for Psychological Type, and has written on various personality type-related subjects in top outlets such as the Harvard Business Review. Some of his most recent research focuses on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, sustainability in organizations and the intersection of personality type and neurodiversity. Together, we discuss:

• The four aspects of personality and they impact workplace inclusion

• How personality type impacts biases

• Why personality can be a gateway to diversity and inclusion

Follow John on LinkedIn and Next Pivot Point at https://nextpivotpoint.com/

Melanie Dulbecco's mantra is "grow, baby, grow!" and that's exactly what she's done for over 30 years as Torani's first CEO outside the founding family. Torani, a globally recognized flavor company and certified B-Corp, has averaged double-digit, year-over-year growth in that time. The company culture is palpable, with a shared passion around Torani's purpose: "Flavor for All, Opportunity for All." She shares how to:

• Build core values around a people-first culture

• Measure regrettable turnover to improve retention

• Make a role profile with success factors and build skills over time

Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn and follow Next Pivot Point at https://nextpivotpoint.com/.

Dr. Janice Gassam Assare has over 10 years of experience facilitating racial dialogue and educating others about equity and inclusion. The work that she does is inspired by her mom and her willingness to speak up and speak out against the oppressive systems that she had to navigate in her workplace. Through the strength and perseverance personified through her, she is invigorated to be the change I seek in the world and the workplace.

Dr. J centers her work around the liberation of Black people and more specifically, Black womxn. The reason for this is echoed in the words of the Combahee River Collective:"If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression."

Together, we unpack:

• The differences between white centering and white supremacy
• The stages of employee lifecycle and how to mitigate decenter whiteness in hiring, succession planning and meetings
• How to avoid white centering when over 70% of DEI practitioners are white

Follow Dr. J at https://www.drjanicegassam.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/JaniceGassamPhD/

It goes without saying that autistic people are human. Yet, for the longest time, autism has been contextualized as robots or needing to be fixed.

Matt Lowry is an Autistic adult and Licensed Psychological Practitioner who works exclusively with Autistic clients, performing neurodiversity-affirming Autism evaluations and providing Autistic Centered Therapy (AuCT)--a form of therapy that he helped create.

Together, we cover:

• Why intersectionality is critical to the future of autism
• False assumptions people make about autism
• How to make workplaces more inclusive to people with autism

Connect with Matt at https://www.mattlowrylpp.com and his work:

The Autistic Culture Podcast website: https://autisticculture.substack.com

TACP on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-autistic-culture-podcast/id1653171456

Autistic Connections Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/619732285448185

Wema Hoover is a global executive and transformational leader of diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI) and human resources and Principal & CEO of Wema Hoover Advisors, executive coaching firm and Be Limitless Consulting a DEI and Culture firm.

Wema has a proven track record of creating systemic change in organizational culture by embedding diversity and inclusion into people practices, processes, and product approach on a global scale. Wema is a former global Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Culture who has lived in four (4) countries and ran global teams in 26 countries for Google, Sanofi, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

She has partnered with the United Nations and World Economic Forum on global sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Wema also serves as a contributing writer for Fast Company, Inc, NAMI and Diversity Magazine.

Together, we discuss:

• The need to shift from "diversity recruiting to "inclusive recruiting"

• How corporations can adapt their diversity programs including ERGs to comply with potential legislation while still maintaining their commitment to inclusion

• How to move the pendulum and remove DEI from being a partisan football

• What recent anti-DEI laws passed in Florida and Texas mean for corporate DEI efforts

Follow Wema at https://www.wemahoover.com/. and Next Pivot Point at nextpivotpoint.com

For folks who identify as non-binary or transgender, pronouns are essential to their identity. For folks who identify as cisgender (meaning you identify as the same gender you were assigned at birth where your gender generally corresponds to your biological sex), it may seem silly to share pronouns that may seem obvious to others. Sharing your pronouns is a way to lift the burden off others whose pronouns may not be as clear.

Sharing pronouns creates a welcoming environment for individuals of all gender identities. It helps avoid assumptions based on appearance and ensures that everyone is addressed in a manner that affirms their identity. Different cultures and communities may have unique pronoun preferences. By sharing pronouns, individuals contribute to a more respectful and understanding environment, acknowledging and embracing the diversity of gender expressions.

Read more on Forbes and find Julie at www.Nextpivotpoint.com

Leaders are being tasked with managing a record level of change from politics to social issues due to the rapid pace of technological change. Those who embrace the human skills along with the technical skills will thrive.

AI cannot replace human skills. To establish a competitive advantage in a tight labor market, it's smart to balance these skills in the workplace. This balance boosts retention, productivity and the quality of work performance.

Learn more on Forbes and find Julie at www.Nextpivotpoint.com

In an era of cancel culture there is a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing that often leads to inaction. The dominant group could fear feeling less relevant, could be concerned about the reputation risk involved in speaking up and could have a zero-sum-game mentality (one person or group wins and one loses).

In my interview with Sandra Quince, CEO of Paradigm for Parity, she explained that "diversity is the next dirty word. What people don't get is that DEI is not a replacement strategy. The goal of DEI is for everyone to feel valued. This is especially true for women and marginalized groups. We must focus on managers in organizations as they have the most impact on creating a place where women and others of all races and backgrounds can advance and be retained in leadership. Many managers are promoted because of their individual work performance, but as they continue to ascend in their careers, [their] companies need to be supportive and invest in the development of their inclusive-leadership skills."

Learn more on Forbes and find Julie at www.Nextpivotpoint.com

According to a recent report titled "The State of L&D in 2024," employers see a $7 ROI for every $1 spent on leadership programs, citing that traditional "soft" skills such as emotional intelligence and effective communication are not just nice-to-have, but rather must-have skills for leaders of the future. In this episode Julie shares key reasons why inclusive leadership is a must have for business leaders:

• Sixty percent of learning leaders pinpointed leadership as the most significant gap in current employee development.
• Sixty-six percent of learning and development (L & D) professionals identified leadership development as their primary learning focus, with diversity & inclusion and technical skills being second and third, respectively.
• Leadership development is the most prioritized topic of learning-and-development focus.

Read the full article here and find Julie at www.Nextpivotpoint.com.

DEI is at an inflection point. There is a mixed bag of evidence showing continued slow support of DEI:

• Job postings for DEI are down.
• Most employees perceive DEI as positive, yet there is a significant political divide.
• DEI investment is steady and projected to double by 2026.
• Investors and legislation are continuing to pressure organizations to prioritize DEI.
• Younger employees see DEI as non-negotiable.

Learn the 10 actionable tips in this week's podcast with Julie Kratz.

Read more on Forbes and find Julie at www.Nextpivotpoint.com