Good Vibes Leadership with Bernadette Smith

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Maryland Just Made It Easier for Its Residents to Access Gender-Affirming Care
2. Wetzel’s Pretzels Is Giving Female Entrepreneurs a Boost With New Franchisee Equity Program
3. Disability Rights Advocates Speak Out Against Candace Owens Harmful Comments on Disability Representation
4. Chip Makers Will Have to Provide Child Care to Tap Joe Biden’s Huge $39 Billion Semiconductor Industry Fund
5. Google’s Muslim Employee Resource Group Helped Make Ramadan Better for Everyone

Call to action:

• Friday is Transgender Day of Visibility. Visit GenderCool.org to meet some amazing transgender youth. These youth are brave and inspiring, and they keep showing up even when their community is under attack.

Read the full blog here.

Learn more about Lisa here.

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Here are the good vibes I found this week:

• Critical Care Physician Creates Curly Hair Kits for Patients
• Allstate Is Listening to Employees
• Walmart Has Designed Inclusive Uniforms for Workers
• Gov. Whitmer Signs Bill Expanding Michigan Civil Rights Law to Include LGBTQ Protections
• New VA Mission Statement Recognizes Sacred Commitment to All Veterans, Their Families, Caregivers, and Survivors

Call to Action:

Ramadan begins on Wednesday. Check out these tips from Yasar Ahmed on how non-Muslims can be allies this Ramadan.

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-the-irish

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. New Lego Sets Feature Characters With A Range Of Disabilities
2. Minnesota Governor Signs Order Protecting Access to Gender-Affirming Health Care
3. How IKEA Retail Reached Gender Balance Globally For Leadership Roles
4. QVC Boosts Adaptive, Accessible Product Offerings
5. Biden’s Dei Executive Order Mandates That Each Government Agency Create an “Equity Team” and Also Establishes a DEI Steering Committee

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-the-blind-guy

To learn more about John and his book - Don’t Ask the Blind Guy, visit: https://www.johngsamuel.com/book/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Rei Co-op Asks Suppliers to up their Inclusivity Game
2. Major Companies Are Using AI to Avoid Bias and Cliches in Advertising
3. Supporters Rally Around Trans Activist in Hershey’s Women’s Day Campaign
4. Nordstrom Teams With The Folklore Group to Grow Black-owned Brands
5. Gabrielle Union-Wade, Dwyane Wade Call for Black LGBTQ Community Support at Naacp Image Awards

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-and-other-st

To learn more about Veronica, visit: https://www.data2insight.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. The South Korean high court ruled that same-sex couples in the country are entitled to the same national health benefits as their opposite-sex counterparts.
2. Emmy Award-winning costume designer and Beyonce’s former stylist Zerina Akers partnered with Barbie to create a collection of dolls that are icons of Black culture
3. Home Depot became the latest company with a major front-line workforce to increase its minimum wage to at least $15/hour.
4. Seattle became the first U.S. city to ban caste discrimination
5. Amazon Instant Video has just become the first streaming service to use Bluetooth to connect the tv’s sound directly to the cochlear implant, making it a much better viewing experience for the person with hearing loss.

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-square-holes

To learn more about Rhonda and Flock Theory, visit: https://flocktheory.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I attended the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer Executive Insights event. The Trust Barometer is an annual global trust and credibility study that measures trust across society. I’ve used their data in my work over the years so I was surprised to learn this year that the business was named as the most trusted institution. Business is trusted more than non-governmental organizations, the media, and the government – and the only of those institutions rated both ethical and competent. 55% of Americans trust businesses. And while this isn’t a large majority, overall, trust has increased across all demographics.

The study also revealed that while economic anxieties, a class divide, and the spread of misinformation have led to increased polarization, the place people feel safest to talk about societal issues is the workplace. Why? Because they generally expect people to behave. Very interesting. Has that been your experience?

The Trust Barometer also reveals that over 60% of your customers and employees are asking businesses to take a stand on societal issues. I believe this is good vibes indeed – the opportunity here for businesses to build upon this already growing trust can be transformative for any organization.

Here are the other good vibes I found this week:

2. ASL Performer Justina Miles Stole the Show at Super Bowl Lvii

3. Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair

4. Spain Becomes the First Country in Europe to Approve Menstrual Leave

5.  Spain Gives Final Approval to Law Making It Easier to Legally Change Gender

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-trust

To learn more about Crystal and her book, visit: https://www.crystallily.co/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

This week I spoke with a few clients to discuss the workshop series for 2023. What impressed me most was the care to ensure a variety of diverse identities were represented in the content and presenters. In fact, on one call, I was joined by leaders from the LGBTQ+, Women’s, and Black Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to discuss a series of workshops that thoughtfully included all identities.

The Human Rights Campaign recently released their criteria for the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI). Part of the revised criteria is about ensuring that employee training is intersectional. Intersectionality is a big word and was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, who describes it as, “We tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class, sexuality or immigrant status. What’s often missing is how some people are subject to all of these, and the experience is not just the sum of its parts.”

I really do believe that intersectionality has become more than a buzzword. Equitable programs, policies, processes, and partnerships must be intentionally intersectional. That means asking questions like “What can we do to make this a great [hiring process, onboarding process, customer experience, conference… etc] for a Black, transgender woman with a disability?” Because if you can make the organization a great place for her, it will be a great place for everyone. (This concept is adapted from the book Unleashed)

Keep intersectionality in mind when you’re booking speakers for events (DEI or non-DEI events). We have some great folks on our team with fascinating stories to tell, and I can personally refer you to some fantastic speaker friends.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. Meet Chelsea -- The First Barbie With Scoliosis
2. ‘We Need to Stop Viewing Employees as Merely Resources and Start Treating Humans as Valued People.’
3. Mellody Hobson Has An Ingenious Idea To Narrow The Wealth Gap
4. & 5. Artists Made History At The 2023 GRAMMYs

This week’s call to action:

More Black History Month resources – check out this Black American History Crash Course, a series of short (~12 minutes each) animated videos on YouTube: Black American History Playlist

To learn more about Elena, visit her website at: https://www.elenajoyexperience.com/

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-always-intersectional

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

I originally started this newsletter with a story about a mistaken assumption I made but my editor told me, “It comes across to me like you are downplaying biases… and I think this also shows your privilege that you don't have to deal with biased situations as others do.”

I’m here for accountability. It’s my job to keep my team both diverse and psychologically safe where each person feels comfortable expressing constructive feedback directly to me. I’m always still learning – and yes, I still have mistaken assumptions. 

A few weeks ago, I had a sales conversation with a medical professional who told me about a recent time in which an “older, white doctor from the South Suburbs” misgendered a transgender patient. My mind painted a picture of that doctor. I asked, “Did the patient file a complaint against him?” Turns out the doctor is a woman. I was embarrassed about that mistaken assumption in front of a potential client.

It’s remarkable. All the work I do, and my assumptions and biases still show up. My privilege still shows up. And if it shows up for me, I’m sure it shows up for you as well. But the more we talk about it, the more we can interrupt it.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. New D.C. Strip Mall Is Dedicated To Black-Owned Businesses
2. President Biden Signs Cantwell-Capito Equal Pay Bill Into Law
3. North Carolina Updates License Plate Rules & the Roads Just Got a Whole Lot Gayer
4. Chipotle Plans to Hire 15,000 Restaurant Workers as It Plans Double in Size to 7,000 Restaurants in the Coming Years
5. You Can Now Add Top-Surgery Scars, Binders, and Hearing Aids to Your ‘Sims’ Characters

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-always-assuming

To learn more about Stan, visit his site here: https://www.totalengagementconsulting.com/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

Earlier this week I was at the law firm Jenner & Block for an event. As I was attaching my lavalier mic, the tech said, referring to me, “she’s a pro [with the mic].” Seconds later, the tech came back and said, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume your gender.” I responded with, “No worries! You guessed right. Thank you.”

I found this whole exchange startling in a good way. I even told the story to the group, applauding the firm for giving all of their employees the tools to be LGBTQ-inclusive. I was so impressed by the tech’s self-awareness and willingness to apologize for something I hadn’t given a moment’s thought to. It was also a “no big deal” moment, in that there wasn’t a giant discussion – moments of inclusion can be quick and straightforward.

My pronouns are she/her and even when I’m not somewhere they’re on display, people generally get it right. In the work world, we haven’t gotten to a critical mass sharing of pronouns. It’s not quite normalized. We’re working on it. That’s why it’s really inspiring to watch that work being done, to experience someone apologizing for something that’s not yet normalized, apologizing for something that didn’t bother me one bit. Because I’m cisgender, and I have the privilege that comes with it.

I’m celebrating the small wins because that’s how we build momentum for the big stuff. Let’s do this! 

Here are the other good vibes I found this week:

         2. Bank of America Making Big Moves With Avoiding Layoffs, BIPOC Leadership, and More         
         3. The State Department is ditching Times New Roman for Calibri
         4. Welcome Corps, A New Refugee Resettlement Program
         5.  Businesses Pledge to Support Divorcing Employees

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-the-tech

Learn more about Cherie Price, President of the Illinois Diversity Council here!

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This week I delivered a keynote and I had a question from a manager who was struggling with an employee who was disrupting the team with negativity and hate.

I believe it always comes back to empathy, in this case, the manager having empathy for that employee. Whether we’re talking about conversations about politics or race, or whatever, inclusion always comes back to empathy. After all, I only know my lived experience, and it’s been full of privilege.

My mom used to say, “You can't understand someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes” – and I think that message is still accurate.

What I believe is that each of us was born a pure kind soul, and then life happened. Maybe we felt left out from our older siblings or cousins. Maybe someone at school called us a name, and that was the first time we knew we were different. Maybe there was addiction in the family. Maybe grandma was the parental figure because the actual parent was in prison due to mass incarceration. Any of the above. And worse. We’re all walking around with our baggage, our Traumas big and little. It’s been said that hurt people hurt people. Just trying to protect ourselves.

It can be incredibly hard to be empathetic, especially if we find ourselves in fight or flight mode. That’s where mindfulness comes in. Breathe, breathe, breathe. I’m working on this myself. Always a work in progress.

From that empathetic space, we can become more curious about what’s going on, and then lead with compassion. That’s how people change behavior.

Here are the good vibes I found this week:

1. How the MCA Chicago Transformed Its Collection at Unprecedented Speed to Better Reflect Its Audience
2. Reviving Sales at Kay and Zales: How Signet CEO Gina Drosos Pulled America’s Biggest Jeweler Out of a Long Slump
3. Vancity Employees Will Receive $10K in Mental Health Coverage Starting July 1, 2023
4. Publicis Groupe’s CEO Has Launched an Initiative to Remove the Stigma of Working with Cancer
5. L'oréal Made A Handheld, Motorized Device That Helps People With Disabilities Apply Lipstick. It's Meant To Give Users Independence

Read the full blog here: https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/equality-insights-blog/5-things-always-empathy

To learn more about Lee Rubin, visit: https://www.leerubin.org/

Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/