Why Care?

In the second special celebrity episode of Why Care? I am joined by the multi-talented, Double Olympic Champion, Dame Kelly Holmes. We dive deeper into her  journey of self-discovery, personal experiences, and traumas, which she explores in her powerful memoir Unique. Kelly shares her emotional backstory in which she concealed her true identity and sexuality from the public and lived in fear for most of her life. We discuss the discriminatory military laws and systemic mistreatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in the British army, as well as the mental health impact. As a world-class athlete, Kelly opens up about the pressure to hide her sexuality, and how she overcame her fears and revealed her authentic self publicly. Kelly then shares her experiences attending a Pride event, becoming part of a supportive community, and about her LGBTQ+ advocacy work.

At 18, Kelly pursued her dream to be an HGV driver and Physical Training Instructor in the British Army. In 1998, she was awarded a MBE for her services to the British Army and in 2018 became the first individual to be appointed Honorary Colonel to a regular unit. Meanwhile, Kelly also pursued her Olympic dream and was catapulted to fame in 2004 at the Athens Olympic Games for being the first woman ever in Great Britain to win two gold medals at the same games. She continued to raise the bar as an Olympic, Commonwealth, and European champion, achieving seven Gold, eight Silver, and four Bronze medals. She also won BBC Sports Personality of the Year and European Athlete of the Year.

During the episode, Kelly shares her experiences of concealing her true identity and the fear she faced in revealing her sexuality to the public. She highlights the importance of education, understanding, acceptance, and authenticity regarding LGBTQ+ issues and the need to normalise attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community. As Kelly recounts her extraordinary life story, she uncovers her experiences in the military, the traumatic military raids, and discriminatory laws targeting LGBTQ+ individuals. She then exposes the wider systemic discrimination in the military and the psychological traumas and mental health issues it caused, which she explored in her ITV documentary, Kelly Holmes: Being Me.

As she developed her public persona as an international Olympic champion and world-class athlete, Kelly opens up about her fear of not being accepted for her sexuality and her anxiety about how this could impact her achievements. As she juggled her dual identity, she used defensive methods and was careful about how she projected herself to avoid judgment. Kelly then went on a journey of self-discovery, and at the age of 50, she finally accepted herself and came out about her sexuality. She embraced her true identity publicly the 2022 London Pride event, which was a powerful moment for her. Kelly acknowledges the pressures, challenges, and complexities of the coming out process, and uses her platform as an opportunity to combat stereotypes and to be an advocate for change. As a motivational speaker, Kelly shares how she connects with and inspires people through her personal experiences, but realises that her sexuality is just one aspect of her life. Now she has found happiness and inner peace, she focuses on her work and achievements and recognises the freedom of living authentically in a world where she can be proud to be herself, without the need for validation.

Links:

Dame Kelly Holmes can be found on:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

For more information about Dame Kelly Holmes, visit: 

http://kellyholmes.co.uk/ 

Dame Kelly Holmes’ charity: https://www.damekellyholmestrust.org/

Purchase your copy of my book: Beyond Discomfort: Why inclusive leadership is so hard (and what you can do about it)

In this special celebrity episode of Why Care? I am joined by the truly inspiring, Dr. Ranj, to delve deeper into what drives him, his passion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and his perspective on how to break society’s confines of masculinity. Dr. Ranj shares many personal life experiences as we discuss his cultural upbringing, mindset, sexuality, identity, and journey to being authentically 100% who he is. We also explore his adventurous career, his advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, promotion of diverse and inclusive education, and one of his many books aimed at boys: How to Be a Boy and Do It Your Own Way.

Dr Ranj’s dedication to DEI is reflected throughout his personal journey, influential career, and advocacy work. There are so many things he has tried his hand at and proven he can successfully do! He is an NHS doctor, BAFTA award-winning TV presenter, best-selling author, advocate for inclusion, keynote speaker, radio host, and columnist. Dr. Ranj initially qualified as a doctor in 2007, before kick-starting his media career in 2012 as a CBeebies presenter. Since then, he elevated his public profile by gracing numerous TV shows and documentaries, including Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, and previously, ITV’s This Morning. Dr Ranj is the host of his own medical advice show called 'Dr Ranj: ON Call' and has written numerous children’s educational books. He is also an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and inclusive education and offers expert advice on a range of physical and mental health issues.

During the episode, Dr. Ranj reveals more about his cultural background and influences, mindset, motivations, and his proactive approach to life. He emphasises the importance of seizing the moment, taking risks, and embracing challenges, which have all helped define his personal journey. He shares some compelling experiences which illustrate his resilience, and commitment to personal growth, such as learning to swim in just one week for BBC Children in Need. He hopes achievements like this can inspire others to take some initiative, overcome internal challenges, and engage in personal growth. 

Dr. Ranj elaborates more about his Indian heritage, which had a decisive influence on his work ethic and determination to succeed. He shares how he experienced a lack of emotional support growing up, and how he uses his experiences to promote inclusive education, diversity, and emotional connection. Dr. Ranj discusses other influences in his life, such as his teachers and school experience that had a transformative effect.

He also shares some candid personal experiences, such as his journey of self-discovery, and navigating his sexual identity, that allowed him to journey towards becoming his authentic self. He moves on to discuss how there has been a gradual shift towards fostering diversity and inclusion, both in society and the media, and opens up about his time on Strictly Come Dancing. Dr. Ranj then shares more about his motivations for writing his books aimed at young boys, and how he strives to challenge the confines of masculinity in society. 

Links:

Dr Ranj can be found on:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

For more information about Dr. Ranj, visit: https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/ranj-singh/ 

http://www.talent4media.com/talent/dr-ranj-singh/

Purchase your copy of my book: Beyond Discomfort: Why inclusive leadership is so hard (and what you can do about it)

In Episode 40 of Why Care? I am joined by the brilliant and highly entertaining David McQueen to delve deeper into his brand-new book, The Brave Leader. David shares some life experiences, powerful insights and we touch on subjects such as the importance of followership, his BRAVE framework for good leadership, and how to take a systems approach to inclusive leadership. 

David’s dedication to DEI is apparent through his years of experience as an executive coach, international keynote speaker, and facilitator. David co-founded professional development company Q Squared Ltd. He also hosts The BRAVE Leader podcast and dubs himself the ‘compassionate provocateur’ as he offers ‘unapologetic insights’. In addition, he is also a blogger on all things leadership and cultural change. 

During our discussion, David reveals how he has always had a penchant for writing and the pandemic provided the perfect opportunity for him to finally let his creative juices flow. He was initially motivated to write a book that inspired people to think about their decision-making processes. David shares many relatable personal experiences that shaped his career journey. He has an eclectic professional background - initially studying law, and then accounting, before later realising his passion for public speaking.

Throughout the podcast, David offers BRAVE reflections, and we touch on a range of subjects. He highlights the importance of followership, challenging the traditional narrative that followers are passive. He then shines a light on his five pillars of good leadership, or the BRAVE framework: Bold, Resilience, Agility, Visionary, and Ethical. David goes on to caution us about the signs of poor leadership, and encourages leaders to go beyond their titles and be more functional.

David continues to explore how to embed DEI practices in the workplace, and focuses on the importance of aligning collective values and approaching sensitive topics rationally rather than out of fear. He then suggests how organisations should expand their board and consider the diverse majority to help to nurture an inclusive mindset, future-proof technology and integrate DEI policies. David offers some helpful decision-making models, and acknowledges his constant journey of navigating discomfort with humility.

David delves into the following key concepts in his book:

“I encourage people in my books to please lean into your privileges, they give you a chance to show up as an ally, take advantage of all of them and I do but I simultaneously also understand the implications of what not having that access looks like. And even though I can't fix all of that, I also have a bit of responsibility to be a part of the solution.”

In Episode 39 of Why Care?, I am joined by Amber Cabral to delve into her second book, Say More About That. We cover topics including how to use the best language to stand up for change, and how organisations can nurture a positive feedback culture and ensure accountability. We also discuss poignant issues, such as pushing back, calling out, taking ownership of family trauma, and standing up for our boundaries.

Amber’s passion for DEI is evident through her experience as a global inclusion leader, executive coach, best-selling author, and TEDx and keynote speaker. She has managed her own boutique company, Cabal Co for almost two decades, coaching large global brands to achieve sustainable and inclusive behavioral shifts. Her first book, Allies and Advocates, was released in 2020. Amber initially stumbled into the world of diversity during her time as a Diversity Council Leader at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, later becoming the Senior Diversity Strategist for Walmart. Amber hosts a podcast ‘Guilty Privilege’ and is committed to organisations empowering the next generation of diverse decision-makers, including Brown Girls Do. 

During our discussion, Amber explains that she was initially inspired to put pen to paper after her colleague, Amanda Miller Littlejohn, pinpointed how she “always had the right words to say.” She therefore framed her book as a toolkit to help empower people to navigate their path to inclusion and equity. She hoped to guide people to choose the best language to speak up, especially those who experience microaggressions or exclusion.

Amber shares her own relatable experiences, and how she was determined to bring about change from a young age. However, she later realized that when it comes to nurturing inclusive spaces and challenging inequities, we have to have a broader mindset and look beyond ourselves. Amber encourages us to be mindful of every side, consider what each person needs to feel equally included, and if each battle to bring about disruption or change will have the right impact on the wider community.

Amber highlights the importance of providing feedback and speaking out when we are offended, so we can grow on the path to inclusion. She then offers tools for organisations and leaders to foster an environment of feedback, and explains the power of accountability. Amber then discusses how to respond to negative feedback and to approach pushing back on people in a non-confrontational, but influential way.

Next, we move on to the emotive topic of family trauma, and how this influences and shapes our ability to speak up about inclusion. She reveals how we should own and embrace our narratives, cultural stereotypes, and differences. This can help us navigate how we respond, create meaningful dialogue, and cause behavioural shifts. Amber then elaborates more about creating boundaries, and the value of recognizing our needs, delegating, and not becoming too accountable.

Amber focuses on the following key concepts of her book:

Links:

Amber can be found on:

- LinkedIn. 

- Instagram

- Youtube

For more information about Amber, visit her website: https://www.ambercabral.com/

“The reframing that I do around that is that meritocracy

In Episode 38 of Why Care?, I am joined by Jenny Garrett, Founder of Jenny Garrett Global to discuss her book, Equality Vs Equity. We discuss colourism, racial discrimination and power, and how we can assimilate our differences and create a society where we are all benefitting.

Jenny’s interest in DEI is evident through her experiences as a career coach, leadership developer, TEDx Speaker and author. She has nearly two decades of experience in running a global business, she founded the first Diverse Executive Coach Directory in the UK and is a Co-Founder of the social enterprise, Rocking Ur Teens. She is passionate about helping people to make the transformation that they are seeking to happen and in doing so, she received an OBE award in 2021 for her services to Entrepreneurship and Women in Business.

 Jenny talks about her internal conflict before writing Equity vs Equality.  She didn’t want to be put in a box, but what motivated her was her desire to empower people and help the world have conversations and take action on race and ethnicity. She speaks about the clear distinction between equity and equality. As she explains, equity is more about changing the systems, for instance, there is an unwritten rule that oftentimes makes it difficult for those with certain accents to progress at work. So, with this, it is more about ensuring that the senior leaders are aware of systemic inequities and are actively creating change. She explains that, at times, people struggle with racial inequity because they have no direct contact with those from an ethnic background, so it becomes difficult for them to understand their lived experiences. It becomes easy to ‘other’ them as a result. As she identifies, there is a huge stigma around being called ‘racist’ and that breeds fear and reluctance around the topic. Some people have grown up being told not to mention anything about ethnicity, so it is challenging for them to have to unlearn that.

 Later on, she speaks about colourism - how the closer people are to whiteness, the more advantages they have. She identifies that as someone with ‘medium brown skin and green eyes’, she has benefitted from this, as it has made her more appealing and accessible to others. Despite this, she recounts her experience of racial discrimination at an evening gala, and, what felt most painful was the lack of allyship...

Jenny then explains the key concepts in her book:

-       Shape-shifting – With the speed of

-       Interest Conversion – Jenny identifies that

-       Mindset shift – Jenny explains that people need to understand the power they have in different situations and to use that power with humility and not see it as a burden. She references that, as a straight woman, she has a privilege because she isn’t being discriminated against because of her sexual orientation. So, she can support the people from the LGBTQ+ community and be there for them.

Links:

Jenny can be found on:

-       LinkedIn

-       Instagram

-       Facebook

(Leadership theories are being developed by white men and researched on those from white backgrounds). “I think the biggest risk is how subtly permeated this exists within our definitions of leadership, of the leadership that we value and trust…"

In Episode 37 of Why Care?, I speak to Jenny Vazquez-Newsum, Founder and CEO of Untapped Leadership. We discuss her book, Untapped Leadership, and we explore the concepts of contextual agility, stealth-clean up and the zone of untapped leadership. We also touch on topics such as the race penalty, imposter syndrome, and how we can redefine and redesign leadership so it is representative and inclusive of all.

Jenny’s passion for DEI is evident in her roles as a leadership facilitator, educator, consultant, and author. Her work in DEI has spanned over two decades, and she has worked with over 500 leaders from more than 200 organisations. Her goal is to address the limitations of current leadership rhetoric...

Jenny speaks on her motivations in writing Untapped Leadership, which came from her reflections that white men typically created the management courses she attended and books she read. She clarifies that although her book was written from a racialised lens, there is an aspect of everyone that may be marginalised and so her book applies to underrepresentation more broadly...

Jenny breaks down the key concepts in her book:

- Roots of Leadership – Jenny gives an example of the ‘Great Man Theory’, where leadership was defined by the characteristics and behaviour of great men. However, by looking at the Fortune 500 senior leaders, it is evident that this theory is still in action. As she explains, if different leadership perspectives were being valued, we shouldn’t be seeing only this type of leader...

- Stepping stones to leadership (Redesigning Leadership) – Most organisational structures are triangular, not very representative, and result in a lot of people being left behind... What she advises is contextual agility; a leadership that is grounded in context and being agile in that context.

- Systemic vs Individual (Stealth-clean up) – Jenny explains a frequent phenomenon whereby leaders from marginalised ethnic groups are given an almost impossible task to ‘clean up’ an organisation's mess. However, they have limited support, people are less forgiving, and their missteps are more consequential. When organisations go through ‘epic failures’, they place the onus on the individual at the very top, when it is in fact systemic. To create a more sustainable system, she advises that organisations think about the structural elements, the systems in place, and how to fix this so that the person leading has all the support they need to succeed.

 - The race penalty – Jenny identifies through her connections with leaders of colour, that there is a ‘mental calculus’ of how to engage, i.e., they take extra thought and consideration on their actions, knowing that they might not be able to speak or show emotion the same way as somebody else in their organisation. This reality in itself, is something that they are often made aware of in their daily interactions.

- Reframing Imposter Syndrome – Jenny references her own experiences of how she would not engage in class because she felt that she didn’t belong. She explains that this narrative of imposter syndrome is deceiving because it is a deficit in the system, not the individual. Imposter syndrome needs to be reframed - what is needed here is a system that is supportive, robust, diverse, and representative to all...

- Zone of Untapped Leadership – Jenny describes the ‘zone of untapped leadership’ as the intersection between the way you leverage your power and privilege and the way you leverage your marginalised perspectives...

Links:

Jenny can be found on:

-       LinkedIn

-       Instagram

-       Book

For more from Untapped Leaders, you can visit their website at: https://www.untappedleaders.com/

“The other problem that we have is that people disregard the nuances of, in this case, women. And one of my Forbes pieces that I wrote, which is called Women are not a Monolith, and we must stop treating them as such..."

In Episode 36, Sheree Atcheson, Global DEI Senior Executive at Valtech, joins me to speak about her book, Demanding More. We explore the concept of white saviourism and white feminism, and how we can all benefit from DEI.

Sheree’s DEI career has spanned for over a decade, as a consultant, keynote speaker, published author, advisory board member and a Forbes contributor. In 2013, she launched and led the award-winning UK expansion of Women Who Code, the world's largest non-profit globally dedicated to women in tech. Her goal is to raise awareness of the incredible prospects available in the industry...

Sheree speaks about her intentions behind Demanding More, which was to create a book that is easily accessible and digestible by all, and that is helpful in pushing people to stand up and ask for more in a purposeful and sustainable way. She describes her experience of being born in Sri Lanka and adopted by a white family; her feelings of being the ‘only’, the intense racism she faced, and how she had to fight for equal treatment in her schools. She breaks down white saviourism - the act of helping others just to elevate yourself and your reputation, and the role that it played in her adoption. As she explains, making a difference starts by shifting the focus from ‘you’ to ‘them’, instead of what will I gain from this, it should be on how others can benefit from this. Lastly, she discusses six core DEI themes:

- Privilege – She explains that the problem here is insecurity, which pushes some to deny others the same access to opportunities that they have. Those in the majority might feel conflicted about embracing diversity, as they find themselves asking whether their success is dependent on their merits or their positions, or, whether their failure is dependent on their lack of talent or on someone’s else opportunities.

- Intersectionality – The key thing here is awareness, and this can be done through observing data and listening to stories. Lack of inclusion can lead to people being attacked, and in some instances, murdered, and companies should take this as seriously as any other safety issue, and should discuss and share this openly with their employees.

- White Feminism – The highest or most privileged groups of women are often prioritised in DEI strategies because those in leadership positions can relate and identify with them. So, DEI strategies end up being exclusionary rather than inclusive, as they neglect the intersectional identities women have.

- Strategy and Processes – Sheree explains that preparation is key, it is about doing things proactively not reactively. When looking at representation, use Agile (rather than Waterfall) methodology, listen, learn, and conduct research. Skill is also very important and not just passion, passion can lead people to develop strategies that answer their problems or they can relate to, when in fact, what is needed is something that everyone can relate to.

- Inclusive Technology – The issue with using AI to de-bias different processes is that humans are the ones creating the software, so there is room for error. The fast-paced nature of the tech industry makes it difficult to rigorously test it out and to see the impact it has on everyone in society.

- Growth Opportunities – Sharing growth opportunities and creating sponsor frameworks is very important. What works

Links:

Sheree can be found on:

- LinkedIn

- X (Twitter)

- Website

"So quite often I find all that DEI activities and initiatives is operating without a plan. People don't know what they're aiming for, right? They may have read something on LinkedIn, or they experience something in their previous organisation, or they've read an article somewhere and they go, we should do this. And it kind of ends up being this big shopping list of activity that people are trying to navigate through and find..."

In Episode 35, I speak to Catherine Garrod, Founder of Compelling Culture, to discuss the underlying concepts in her book, Conscious Inclusion, the difference between positive action and positive discrimination, why organisations struggle to take a stand against exclusionary behaviour, and the data-led, systematic approach she takes to develop a DEI strategy.

Catherine’s passion for DEI is evident in her career journey, which has spanned for over 15 years in writing, consulting, organisational development, employee engagement and culture change. Her goal is to create a culture where people feel included, where their voice is heard, where they feel empowered and where action is taken to drive sustainable change. She was previously the Head of Inclusion at Sky, where she led them to become the Most Inclusive Employer in the UK, with 80% of teams increasing diversity.

Catherine speaks on why she titled her book as ‘Conscious Inclusion’. This refers to the shift from the unconscious, which controls 90 per cent of our decisions on a daily basis, to the 10 per cent conscious. She wrote her book through a motivation to help organisations turn knowledge and enthusiasm for DEI into practical steps that anyone can apply and adopt, regardless of their position, department, or background. She recounts her experience of toxic masculinity, in the interaction she had with a delivery driver. And this highlights how organisations can be dismissive instead of being inclusive, and further reiterates the importance in building a culture where people feel safe, validated, and accepted.

As she explains, it is important that the difference between positive action and positive discrimination is understood. Positive discrimination is about hiring minority individuals because of their identities rather than their skills, whereas positive action is about recognising the underrepresentation, ensuring there is no bias in the process, and then creating a work environment that attracts them. Based on this, it is clear that over-representation is the problem and not the lack of diversity in organisations. As such, she addresses how organisations can be conscious about inclusion:

1. Leadership development programs - Equip leaders with the right DEI skills. Ensure that leadership investment is aligned with the organisation’s purpose and values and is generating the right behaviours in leaders.

2. Culture – Create an environment that is a safe place for people to learn how to be inclusive leaders; where they can share their fears, ask questions, and be vulnerable and courageous.

3. Message and actions – Organisations should ensure that their messages are in line with their actions, both are equally important in assuring and reassuring their employees that they are committed to DEI.

4. Collaboration – Organisations should ensure that they are building with their employees and not for them. It shouldn’t be about command and control but about listening and protecting their employees’ rights.

5. Plan and use data - There needs to be a framework in place to deliver DEI, organisations should focus on one thing and do this brilliantly. Data acts as a guide to direct organisations on what actions they should take and when.

Links:

Catherine can be found on:

-     LinkedIn

-     X (Twitter)

-     Newsletter (Crown Jewels and Whoopsie Daisy)

-     Book

For more from Compelling Culture, you can visit their website at: https://www.compellingculture.co.uk/

“And so, what we try to lift up in this book is ways for people to shift their mindsets from having that fixed mindset of thinking this is the way it is, it's the way it's always going to be, people won't grow, people won't change, it’s how it’s been for centuries, so maybe there's a way for us to ask these tough questions. For them to believe with optimism and competence and historical fact that people can learn and grow with the right tools. And then with that mindset, go further and say, if we have better managed diverse workforces and teams, we will have more optimal outcomes and make the business case, because it's hard to argue that."

In Episode 34, I am joined by two guests: Chris Altizer,

Chris and Gloria’s career journey has spanned over three decades. Chris has experience in global human resources as a Senior Vice President of Human Resources and the head of Leadership roles at Pfizer and Aetna. He is an executive and team coach, a facilitator, a speaker, a registered Yoga Teacher, a thrice-published author, and a qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher. Gloria has been an executive in global philanthropy, national non-profits, higher education, U.S. Congress, and the White House. Gloria is a speaker, author, lecturer, and consultant providing strategic counsel to leadership teams and boards globally regarding governance, change leadership, DEI, and strategic planning. She serves as Board Chair of the Firelight Foundation supporting communities in Africa and is a Board member of Patients for Affordable Drugs NOW.

Chris and Gloria share their intentions behind writing Growing the Elephant. They wanted to strengthen the competencies and mindsets of the people who are advocating for change and the people in power, who can help effectuate change at scale. Gloria’s perspective came from her passion for creating systems change and policy change, whereas Chris's perspective was focused on the role of the individual. The main idea of the elephant in the room is opening up a conversation about the things we don't want to talk about, especially if you have unearned advantages. Chris speaks on the divide in opinions between those who think the push for DEI is not as assertive as it should be and those who think that it is too much. As he explains, systems change when people change, and people change one at a time. He speaks on the importance of shifting mindsets and how vital this is on the journey to being an ally and advocate. Through his personal reflections, he was able to recognise that his own lack of awareness could diminish and disparage other people. Gloria concludes this point, by stating, that we need people to shift from a fixed mindset (things won’t change) to a growth advantage mindset (asking tough questions and believing that people can learn with the right tools).

As they both explain, it is ironic that there is a belief that those with unearned advantages shouldn’t be resourced because they have been provided with resources all their lives. What we need to do is to empower everyone for change to occur. Chris shares that the idea of being comfortable with the truth, such as the advantages we are penalised or rewarded for, is not the same as accepting it, and acceptance is in fact what we need for growth to occur. It is an unchanging fact that some of us have advantages more than others. People need to embrace both the discomfort and comfort that comes with having an unearned advantage.

Gloria breaks down the three dimensions of power in the form of an upside-down pyramid - at the bottom layer is ...

In Episode 33, I am joined by Amri Johnson, CEO and Founder of Inclusion Wins, to discuss the dangers of being led only by emotion and not reason, the dangers of being led by passion and not skill, and what DEI practitioners and organisations need to do to sustain DEI efforts.

Amri’s DEI journey has spanned over two

Amri shares his motives for writing ‘Reconstructing Inclusion’; how this was centred on the health disparities he witnessed in his work and on his mission to create, design and develop inclusion systems that will help bridge this gap, and in doing so, build organisations that are fit for change and creating the future. To achieve this, he warns us against being emotion-driven, but rather more reason-driven. He uses the narrative after the case of George Floyd to best explain this. There was a lot of reaction and no action taken, it was more about what people were feeling in the moment and not about what they wanted to create in the future. The danger that lies here is that there were demands made on the people whom were felt to be responsible. He relates this back to the DEI work, and how there is a lot about systems orientation but not a lot about what changing the systems requires.  

As he explains in his book, rightness will never transform anything. Being right might give us a certain level of moral superiority but it is not getting us anywhere, because if we want to create and transform our societies, superiority is not what we need, unity is what we need instead. If there aren’t people with diverse backgrounds in an organisation to challenge decision-makers, it can be destructive for the company in the long run. Amri shares that we need to address these tensions affirmatively and with intention, to create something that is more sustainable. As Amri mentions, organisations tend to get things wrong when they focus solely on making DEI efforts and not on sustaining these efforts.

He offers advice on what organisations and DEI practitioners need to do to sustain these efforts:

1) Organisations: have to ensure that DEI is aligned with their organisational purpose, mission, and strategy.

2) Organisations: need to consistently and normatively create the conditions for people to thrive in.

3) Practitioners: need to understand that they can choose to use certain, new DEI terms, but this must not be imposed on others, as this will in fact get in the way of the transformational potential this work holds.

4) Both: have to be constantly learning. If we are focused on othering somebody, we are not willing to be influenced by them, and as such, we can’t all thrive because it is that openness that creates possibility.

5) Both: need to get better at getting into people’s inner worlds. Empathy alone is incomplete and won’t get us there, but perspective-taking is the gateway to us understanding each other.

It is about not jumping to conclusions but about being curious because we are multi-layered, and the more curious we are, the more we understand those layers, and as this relatedness grows, so does the possibility for empathy.

Links:

For more from Inclusion Wins, you can visit their website at: https://inclusionwins.com/