Fred Miller and Judith Katz of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group have spent the last few decades on the cutting edge of diversity and inclusion thought leadership and organizational development. For the last 50 years, KJCG has assisted organizations in creating inclusive, collaborative workplaces that leverage differences to achieve higher performance and engagement. Judith and Fred have co authored multiple books on diversity, inclusion, collaboration, trust, authenticity, and teamwork, and they join Roy to discuss their latest groundbreaking book, The Power of Agency: Cultivating Autonomy, Authority, and Leadership in Every Role.

Highlights from our conversation include:

• The next crucial step beyond inclusion and diversity (2:30)
• How agency impacts organizational efficiency and performance (4:24)
• The key difference between empowerment and agency (7:18)
• A leader’s role in an agency-forward organization (8:50)
• How to evaluate a leader for their capacity to promote agency (10:00)
• What this leadership shift means for organizations (11:10)
• How the COVID 19 pandemic influenced changes around agency (12:28)
• Six critical factors that foster a culture of agency (16:00)
• How to avoid a “runaway train” when implementing this strategy (18:36)
• The first steps leaders can take toward unleashing agency (20:42)
• How to evaluate the level of agency in an organization (22:45)
• Common barriers in unleashing agency (23:30)
• The important distinction between being kind and being nice (24:55)
• How AI and other technologies might affect agency in the workplace (27:06)

Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode, and check out Roy’s past conversation with Fred and Judith on recruiting, supporting, and retaining a diverse workforce.

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