Let's Get Proximate - Powering an Inclusive Future with Alex Allen and Callie McKee

Getting proximate isn’t just about building healthy relationships with people who are different. It’s also about cultivating an understanding relationship with our own identities.

In this episode, Mỹ-Châu Matrick, Business Operations Leader at Cisco, describes her experience as a first-generation Vietnamese-American, and how it taught her to get proximate with herself and others.

- We all have a responsibility to advocate for ourselves and our own experience to our leaders.

- Our identities are not monoliths, and we can learn to embrace all the complexities of our unique selves.

- Inclusion requires intentionality. We must create deliberate strategies for ensuring all voices are heard.

- Trust requires honesty. Leaders can cultivate trust by creating an environment where openness and vulnerability are valued.

Embracing our identities is a lesson in getting proximate to ourselves that we can extend outward as we develop proximity with our peers.

Mỹ-Châu Matrick - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmatrick/

Cisco - https://www.cisco.com/

Alex Allen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-allen-a4334210/

Callie McKee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callie-mckee/

You can find a human-verified transcript of this episode here. - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SRw-i6Z7KKFkIpGHvHD32Bxv7VyHUWswnK-Atwb3lw8/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks for listening to the Let’s Get Proximate podcast, powered by Cisco. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show. And be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation.

#DEI #diversity #innovation #transformation

Welcome to a brand-new Cisco podcast that’s all about getting proximate with ourselves and with those of different identities, perspectives and experiences.

On this first episode, hosts and Cisco team members Alex Allen, Senior Director, People & Communities, and Callie McKee, DEI Learning and Development Consultant, introduce themselves and discuss what “getting proximate” means, namely:

- Listening to the stories and experiences of others with openness and a desire to learn.

- Paying attention to the ways our own experiences have shaped our biases and assumptions about the world.

- Cultivating an attitude of humility and a willingness to accept correction when our biases cause us to dismiss the stories of others.

- Leading with a posture of inclusion. The more we can appreciate differences in our team, the more naturally inclusive our leadership becomes.

Proximity should lead to meaningful action that drives positive organizational change. Getting proximate is about listening, learning, and cultivating a more inclusive and conscious culture.

Alex Allen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-allen-a4334210/

Callie McKee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callie-mckee/

Cisco - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cisco/

You can find a human-verified transcript of this episode here. - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sICw2mZQPlBoSXuW4D8SNiJIYrsr2lj04UX0ZB41Pz0/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks for listening to the Let’s Get Proximate podcast, powered by Cisco. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show. And be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation.

#DEI #diversity #innovation #transformation