Beyond Comfort Zones: Dreaming of Inclusive Workplaces

Maybe it’s because I didn’t sleep the best last night, but today, I want to take a moment to dream a little. 

Regardless of where you are in the world, take a moment to close your eyes and imagine a workplace where diversity is not a source of distress or panic, but rather a natural part of the company culture; a workplace where all employees feel valued, heard, and supported,

regardless of their background or experience; a workplace that attracts top talent from all over and retains employees who are fully engaged, productive, and satisfied.

What would that look like?

In such an environment, the possibilities are endless, aren’t they?

An organization that is able to leverage the diverse perspectives and skills of all their employees is going to be the one that will come up with unique solutions to complex problems, outperform competitors, and expand into new markets. Not to mention, reap the benefits of higher employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention, in addition to lower turnover and recruitment costs.

By doing DE&I work the right way, companies have the potential to become audacious innovators in the marketplace, thrive in rapidly changing environments, and achieve extraordinary results.

Now, you can call me crazy, but I actually believe this is possible. And I don’t reckon it has to be overly complicated either.

Look, there has been a lot of pushback to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lately and that’s largely because we have been trying to get it right for the last decade and still haven’t really figured it out.

We've tried it all: workshops, employee resource groups, high-priced training sessions replete with sticky notes and vibrant markers, and countless other initiatives. But I think we’ve been over complicating things in addition to wasting both ink and paper.

Sometimes, all we need is to revisit the fundamentals.

In order to do that, a couple things need to happen.

First and foremost, it’s high time we challenge our antiquated notions of traditional diversity.

We have been conditioned to expect a stock photo image of diversity and to believing that unless every team mirrors a textbook representation of diversity, we're somehow falling short.

Now, please don’t panic. I don’t consider myself “woke” or have some absurd agenda and of course, I acknowledge that factors like skin color and sex shape our experiences and do matter.

However, if we don’t allow ourselves to move beyond singular dimensions of identity, we are selling ourselves short and pigeonholing individuals, turning it into an us versus them situation.

See what I am doing here with the sand image? It's like drawing a line in the sand and putting people on two sides...

Anyways, diversity encompasses far more than outward appearances; it is the limitless combination of characteristics that make all of us unique.

Diversity is a fact.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Once we have wrapped our minds around that, the next step is to revisit the core principles of inclusion and belonging.

This part requires more compassion in the workplace with role models who are able to fully embody and impart such behavior.

Admittedly, this part is no walk in the park. It may sound straightforward, but it's far from it.

Many individuals and organizations preach or rather regurgitate trending words like psychological safety, understanding, bravery, and courage without truly embodying these virtues in their every day actions. 

Take it from me, this part takes a whole lot of introspection and continuous practice.

While it may not be as simple as it sounds on “paper”, every journey has to start with a single step.

If you're prepared to take that first step, I invite you to join us at the Beyond Comfort Zones DE&I Real-Talk Summit on March 8th.

Together, we'll be discussing the pitfalls of DE&I that hinder actual progress, approaching initiatives from amore exploratory perspective and learning from successful case studies from real organizations around the world, and introducing a powerful tool to inclusion. 

Don’t worry, this isn’t just some huge sales pitch.

We’re just a group of dreamers with massive hearts that yearn for more humane working cultures that are able to leverage the unique brilliance of all of their employees.

Do we have idealistic expectations? Probably. But what’s wrong with that?

I'd rather reach for the stars than settle for mediocrity. Trust me, there's far more room for all of us to grow when we dare to chase our dreams.

Don’t miss out, register now!