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Overcoming Extreme Division Starts With Us

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Join the 87% of Americans who are over toxic polarization. Get the skills to engage across our differences and move our country forward.

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Eight Ways to Encourage Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Discussions at Conferences

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Eight Ways to Encourage Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Discussions at Conferences

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Eight Ways to Encourage Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Discussions at Conferences - Eos

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Getting scientists to engage in sessions about issues of scientific culture is challenging, but these best practices for meeting organizers can help.

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Rebooking International Women's Day to calendars after Google removed it. Don't let them erase it. Rebook it.

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Erin In The Morning | Erin Reed | Substack

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News and discussion on trans legislation and life. Click to read Erin In The Morning, by Erin Reed, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

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Contingency Planning for the Veterinary Profession - Pride Veterinary Medical Community

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PrideVMC’s mission is to create a better world for the LGBTQIA+ veterinary community that embraces wellbeing by being their authentic selves.

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Steps For Transgender People Preparing For Federal Crackdowns Under Trump

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Donald Trump has pledged severe federal crackdowns on transgender people. I outline steps for preparing for these challenges, sharing stories from trans individuals who are already taking action.

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Over the past few years, many companies have poured money and resources into diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Some have made a lot of progress, others have not.

Any diversity and inclusion program needs to emphasize hiring to have a chance of success. Without scrutinizing this critical organizational entry point, it's difficult for diversity and inclusion advocates to do more than play catch-up.

It's encouraging to see so many organizations incorporate inclusive hiring practices to remove bias from the hiring process. But one important group has been overlooked in the current push for inclusive hiring- the neurodiverse community.

Neurodiversity in the workplace

Neurodiversity encompasses an extremely diverse set of conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, and Tourette's syndrome, among others. Despite representing between 15% and 20% of the global population, neurodiverse individuals are severely underrepresented in the workplace. The unemployment rates for neurodiverse individuals reach up to 40%, according to some estimates.

These figures reflect the degree to which our workplaces are out of step with the needs of these individuals. Standardized and formalized processes that are supposed to eliminate bias may actually reinforce inequities that reduce opportunities for neurodiverse candidates. And no part of the hiring process exemplifies this more than the job interview.

Inclusive hiring has leveled the playing field for neurotypical interviewees-by using fixed durations and the same list of questions for each candidate. But these changes are unlikely to make the process more welcoming for neurodiverse individuals. That's because they're less receptive to the implicit social cues these questions contain.

As an example, interviewers typically ask candidates to describe past work experience. If you're familiar with workplace conventions, you know that this question conceals an agenda. The hiring manager wants to know about qualifications or skills that are relevant to the job you're applying for.

A neurodiverse individual, however, might not understand this motive. This is likely due to a combination of neurodiversity and a potential lack of knowledge born of long-standing exclusion from work environments. Because of that, they might not give the response that the manager is looking for, even if they're well-suited for the position.

Another example is the interview-ending staple, "Do you have any questions for me?" Most neurotypical people would know that this invitation is a test in disguise. The hiring manager is testing how much homework the interviewee has done about the hiring organization. But for a neurodiverse person, this prompt might signal a chance to ask questions that are sensible in normal conversations but contextually inappropriate in a job interview. For example, they might ask "Which way is the bus stop from here?"

Making hiring more inclusive

To accommodate the neurodiverse community in a meaningful way, hiring managers would need to do more with their interviews than simply codify unspoken conventions. While there are few existing models for this type of interview, our ongoing research has turned up some good suggestions.

For the past three years, we've been part of the research team responsible for developing a smartwatch application called FeelSense. Initially, we conceived it as a tool to help neurodiverse individuals live more independent lives. Currently, the team is working on adapting the app for use in smoothing the transition of neurodiverse people into work environments that might be stressful or triggering. (This year, the project was awarded a $1.87 million grant through the National Science Foundation.)

App users report on their emotional state and receive reminders to engage in emotion-regulating behaviors, such as drinking a glass of water or going for a walk. As development progressed, we added features such as heart rate monitoring (for automated stress response detection) and a "happy picture" that users could upload to calm them down during anxious moments. The ideas for these refinements came directly out of 30 weekly workshops with a group of 13 adult neurodiverse "beta testers" whose conditions ranged from ADHD to Down syndrome.

We found that our study participants were initially quite reticent to share detailed responses to the technology. They seemed hesitant to give the "wrong" answer. This signaled that the purpose of the exercise wasn't fully resonating with them.

We needed the participants to give us a window into their everyday lives. In turn, we could see how FeelSense was and wasn't working for them, and how we could improve the experience.

Ultimately, we were able to create that sharing rapport. This is thanks to two interview techniques that helped clarify expectations for them and raise their comfort level.

First, we used keywords to focus discussion, with the help of two special education experts. For example, instead of asking participants to describe their emotional ups and downs, we invited them to select from a group of terms ( coping, support, improvement, etc.) to portray their emotional state before, during, and after using the app. They could also add their own keywords.

Hiring managers can adapt these methods. For example, they can write down activities or qualities essential to the position. They can also ask neurodiverse candidates to reflect (either out loud or in writing) upon what those words mean to them.

Second, we adopted visual-based co-ideation. Our participants found it much easier to draw what their ideal app would look or feel like than describe it. As an example, one study participant drew a boy and a girl, which signified her desire for a more interactive, human-to-human experience in the app. Another sketched a rainbow to signify her preference for a more diverse color palette.

Similarly, within a job interview candidates could write or draw if they were having trouble articulating their answers. This is a potentially useful replacement for the "Do you have any questions?" portion of the interview. Interviewers can ask neurodiverse candidates to illustrate their vision of an ideal workplace, or how they see themselves fitting into an organization. Using visuals helps bridge gaps in expectations, ensuring that managers and prospective employees are literally on the same page.

Now, it's important to mention that no organization or neurodivergent individual is the same. But companies need to find ways for neurodiverse candidates to have a "voice" where they're comfortable showcasing their skills and capabilities.

When employees commit to inclusive hiring practices, they're less likely to miss out on talented candidates. The more hiring managers use interview questions to express a hidden agenda over a person's suitability and skills, the less legitimacy their organization will have in calling itself "inclusive."
Niloofar Kalantari is a PhD candidate and research assistant in human-computer interaction at George Mason University. Sarah Wittman is an assistant professor of management at Costello College of Business at George Mason University. Vivian Motti is an assistant professor of information sciences and technology at George Mason University.

Recognize your brand's excellence by applying to this year's Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.

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Niloofar Kalantari, Vivian Motti, Sarah Wittman

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Neurodiversity inclusion starts with the job interview

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Why a company's diversity and inclusion efforts should include neurodiversity, and how to tweak the interview process accordingly.

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San Francisco, CA

March 1, 2024

Anti-LGBTQ+ bill writing and national strategy is entrenched in 2024 as a result of the 2022 and 2023 state legislative and congressional sessions. The track record of successful bills passed into law has emboldened lawmakers to delve deeper into the potential of additional restrictions on queer existence. Already we have seen efforts to restrict gender affirming care for trans adults in Ohio, removal of access to appropriate gender markers on licenses in Florida, and group discussion by Ohio and Michigan representatives to eliminate trans rights entirely that echo calls for 'eradication' of trans people at CPAC 2023. Additionally, national primary debates were punctuated by a litany of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and plans. As of mid-February there were a staggering 429 active anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures with 2 laws already passed and one governor veto overridden.

We are living through a historic attempt to eliminate the gender-diverse community. It has become obvious that we must transition from strategies developed for a prior time. We understand the fear, hopelessness, and terror that many are feeling right now. We also hold no illusion that this hateful strategy will limit itself to just one portion of our community as it impacts all intersections of marginalized existence. This is exemplified in a variety of ways including recommended travel bans to keep people safe, the banning of books, and censored education. This is a new era in a struggle that has spanned all recorded human history.

PrideVMC invites all individuals and workplaces in the veterinary profession to join us on a journey of leveraging alarm into action. According to PrideVMC President Dr. Abby McElroy (she, hers), "This urgent request is especially important for of the LGBTQ+ community as we need your help and support. And remember, there is no such thing as a passive ally!"

Dr. Ewan Wolff (they, them), PrideVMC Industry Liaison shares, "The broad support that the Gender Identity Bill of Rights ( ) has received has helped to make the veterinary profession a much more safe and inclusive place for gender diverse veterinary healthcare providers, staff, and students. The challenges that we are facing collectively to the ongoing existence of the gender-diverse community are different from those faced in the last 3/4 of a century. We appreciate those industry partners who have already reached out about the current situation and look forward to substantive conversations about supporting the community. It will take historic efforts on many fronts to provide the support that is needed."
Step 1: Vote
There will be no meaningful changes without LGBTQ+ voices being heard in these upcoming elections. With this in mind we encourage all people to register to vote, be aware of their polling station, and vote in the upcoming primaries and elections. This is an extremely important election year in which to have representation.
Step 2: Contact Your Representatives
If you are a constituent, your voice should be heard by your state legislators , congresspeople, senators and governors. Contact them with your concerns. An easy way of doing this is using to draft a letter.
Step 3: Educate Step 4: Create Safe, Brave Spaces
Educating ourselves on what the issues are and what is happening in our local communities is vital. This is an ongoing process with new information being released daily. Additional educational priorities include reading and signing your support to the Gender Identity Bill of Rights ( ), reading and amplifying the Gender Diversity Guide , identifying a champion in your workplace to facilitate discussions of the Journey for Teams modules, and participating in a variety of relevant educational events . Ask your workplaces what protections are in place for gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ healthcare, and what they are doing to help people stay safe through options, transfers, crisis funding, and moving across state lines.
Step 5: Outreach
Involve all team members in creating inclusive, welcoming workplaces so that everyone is safe and knows that they belong. Consider safety when choosing meeting locations and offer virtual options for those that may not be safe in places where meetings are held. Consider the safety of gender-diverse members of your organization in areas of heightened aggression and violence. Do not provide information on sex assigned at birth of a member of your organization as it may be used to prosecute individuals under anti-gender expression laws. Be aware that drag bans are being worded to prevent certain forms of gender expression that have nothing to do with drag. Be ready to provide gender-neutral bathrooms in areas where gender-diverse people are banned from being in bathrooms. Research medical providers for your staff to ensure that they can go to a facility that will not deny emergency care on the basis of medical conscience. Be prepared to address anti-LGBTQ+ macro aggression (not micro) in your organizational spaces.
Step 6: Partner & Collaborate
Visit ACLU's bill tracker and MAP's equality maps to learn about bills introduced or passed in your state. Email or call your state and national congressional representatives to urge them to oppose the bills. Become active in your local LGBTQ+ association and participate in local Pride activities! Support LGBTQ+ refugees as they arrive in your community. Consider hosting LGBTQ+ refugees who are traveling through your area. Ask your organization to consider extending emergency fund grants to LGBTQ+ individuals directly impacted by this crisis.

The benefits of partnering are extensive including resource sharing and amplifying impact. Connect with veterinary medicine affinity organizations such as the Multicultural Veterinary Medical Association ( ). Learn about their priorities and engage with their events. Specific organizations that we suggest you learn from and donate to also include the Human Rights Campaign , Transgender Law Center , and National Center for Transgender Equality .

In the spirit of partnership, we are grateful for our members and our year-round listed below whose support fuels our mission of creating a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community.

Diamond Partners - Boehringer Ingelheim, Zoetis

Gold Partners - Banfield, BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital, Covetrus, Ethos Veterinary Health, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Merck Animal Health, NVA, Nationwide Pet Insurance, Simply Done Tech Solutions, VCA, VEG
Step 7: Create Contingency Plans
Emerald Partners - Hound, MedVet, Petco, Rarebreed Veterinary Partners, The Social DVM, Western Veterinary Partners

If it is within your capabilities and mental space to work on it, consider developing a contingency plan for 2025. At minimum, possessing a realID for domestic travel and a passport for international travel is a good idea, as is trying to save some limited funds for travel to safe areas. There are programs that will provide visas to skilled professionals in veterinary medicine if you do not feel safe currently. Some programs take time to process applications so some forethought is recommended. Allies can be particularly important in formulating and helping to implement these contingency plans.

We are a relatively small organization and we do not possess infinite funds and reach. We cannot turn back this tide alone and we know there will be very difficult times ahead for many. Frustratingly, there are many things that we want to do that we cannot do. What we can do, however, is to work together to help as many people as possible within the field of veterinary medicine who dedicate their lives and energy to animal health.

Dr. Mo Miller (they, them) PrideSVMC Advisor shares, "It's time to act against the violence and rhetoric targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Livelihoods are under attack, homes are being uprooted, and lives are at risk. We can't afford to stay silent any longer. We must unite as a community, support each other, and demand immediate action. I have faith in the strength and empathy of the veterinary community, including allies and LGBTQ+ members. Together, we can make a difference. Let's raise our voices and stand up against injustice."
About PrideVMC
In closing, Pride Student Veterinary Medical Community ( ) President Sergio Acuna Gutierrez (he, him) shares, "It is in this time of crisis for the LGBTQ+ community that we see true allies emerge to fuel the resilience of our community. We need and value the active support of vocal, dedicated members and allies within the veterinary community fighting for the dismantling of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination that threatens the livelihood of friends, family, and equals simply for their existence. Working together as a united front, we can alter the course our country is taking towards one that will lead to the support and eventual celebration of our beautiful LGBTQ+ community."

The mission of the Pride Veterinary Medical Community ( ), formed in 1993 as the LGVMA, is to create a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community. We do so by striving to foster acceptance, inclusivity, and belonging for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations within the veterinary medical profession and community. We fight discrimination, build collaborative networks, and support LGBTQ+ veterinary students through mentorship and scholarship programs. ​PrideVMC membership is open to the entire animal health and veterinary community regardless of role, race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or military status. Allies are welcome! For more information please contact info@pridevmc.org and visit PrideVMC.org .

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Alarm to Action - Pride Veterinary Medical Community

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PrideVMC's mission is to create a better world for the LGBTQIA+ veterinary community that embraces wellbeing by being their authentic selves.

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The purpose of this survey is to better understand:
1. Safety challenges for individuals from historically marginalized or underrepresented communities in vet med, and
2. Existing and needed resources and tools. The responses will be leveraged to identify resource gaps and to support our request that the VIRMP change the rule that bans folks from the intern and residency match program for three years if they withdraw after accepting and before starting. This rule change request is being made because with a governor’s executive order or a state legislature vote, the landscape could quickly change from a safe to an unsafe environment. While the VIRMP does offer exceptions to the 3-year ban rule, having someone reveal why the environment is no longer safe for them could be problematic.

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Consider the following questions in the context of your current workplace. Or if you are currently in a career transition, consider the questions as they relate to a previous work environment.

Is there a publicly posted anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy?

Has the current staff team been trained on the workplace anti-harassment and non-discrimination policy?

Do all staff members know what to do if they hear a statement or see an action that does not align with workplace policies?

Is periodic training offered for all team members, so it is clear what types of behaviors are acceptable and what are not?

Does the workplace celebrate diverse holidays and months of focus?

Do the pictures on the walls mirror a diverse society?

Do the pictures and images on the website and social media channels mirror a diverse society?

Does the workplace have a gender-neutral restroom?

Are client materials offered in languages other than English?

Are team members encouraged to proactively share all languages that they can communicate in?

Do client forms contain gender neutral and inclusive wording (eg spouse/partner instead of husband/wife)?

Is including pronouns on name badges and email signatures offered?

Is feedback viewed as a gift by all team members?

Has the team reviewed and signed their support for the Gender Identity Bill of Rights ?

Does staff recruitment occur via a diverse variety of outlets (eg Black Chamber of Commerce)?

Does the workplace publicly post any symbols, such as the Pride flag, that signify a LGBTQ+ friendly workplace?

Is mentoring offered to all team members?

Are exit interviews offered to all employees as they leave the workplace?

If you answered no to more than four of the questions, then your organization likely has a workplace inclusivity problem.
You've Identified a Problem - Now What?
Regardless of role, career stage, and workplace setting, every team member can choose to be a leader and be part of the solution. Common characteristics of everyday leaders include:

Approaching challenges and new ideas with a growth mindset

Being adaptable in a constantly changing environment

Communicating with radical candor by speaking directly and caring deeply

Tap into your leadership strengths as well as the following resources to create a plan of attack to be part of the solution in creating a more inclusive workplace for yourself and those you serve.
Resources Brave Space Certificate Program Increasing workplace inclusion: The promise of leader-member exchange Multicultural Calendar 2021 Performative Allyship is Deadly PrideVMC Allyship Resources PrideVMC Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR)

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How Inclusive Is Your Workplace? Pic cred AirFocus on Unsplash Consider the following questions in the context of your current workplace. Or if you are currently in a career transition, consider the questions as they relate to a previous work environment. Is there a publicly posted

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Council Post: Why You Must Ditch Shallow DEI Efforts And Embrace Real Inclusion

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Organizations must move beyond lip service and put true efforts toward DEI goals in place if they want to ensure continued success.

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Language Translation and Interpreting Services | LanguageLine Solutions

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LanguageLine is the global leader in interpretation, translation, and localization services. We provide 24/7 language access coverage in 290+ languages.

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Dr. Ron Young, Founder and Board Chair of . Ron specializes in psychological coaching & transition consulting.
In the business world, do we require people from different cultures to act American? We do not. Instead, organizations provide cross-cultural awareness so that communication between cultures can happen.

Companies are learning about the benefits of understanding different worldviews. Best practices in diversity, equity and inclusion continue to evolve, and the number of protected classes continues to increase. As organizations move toward more inclusive workplaces, I believe they should acknowledge and celebrate another type of diversity: neurodiversity.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines diverge as "to move or extend in different directions from a common point." Neurodiverse individuals' worldviews and behaviors diverge from common, mainstream social norms and societal institutions.

Neurotypical norms are not the only valid way to be. Rather, neurological differences should be recognized and respected as a natural part of human diversity, like race, gender or sexual orientation. As a psychological coach, I use assessments to identify how individual needs and behaviors differ so that people can experience mutual understanding and respect.

The Neurodivergent Brain

Research finds that around 15% to 20% of the population is neurodivergent and that neurodivergent brains work differently than neurotypical brains. A report published by the Cleveland Clinic states that differences may be found in social preferences, ways of perceiving the environment and ways of communicating.

Neurodivergent individuals may have brain structure, function or chemistry variations that can affect their cognition, behavior and sensory processing. Neurodivergent brains, specifically the brains of those with autism, tend to have more gray matter than neurotypical brains. In an article from NIH's National Center for Biotechnology Information, Palau-Baduell, et al. (2012) found that patterns of connectivity in autistic brains differ from those in neurotypical brains.

The neurodivergent brain is hyperaware, allowing more sensory input and taking in more data. Neural pathways in the neurodivergent mind fire more rapidly and frequently than in the neurotypical mind. It constantly scans and processes the internal and external environment and creates connections between these data points. If data points were stars, the neurodivergent mind creates new constellations.

Privilege And Unconscious Bias

When trying to communicate with neurotypicals, neurodivergent people encounter two cultural barriers.

The double empathy problem refers to the difficulty that neurodivergent people have in understanding and empathizing with neurotypical individuals and the parallel difficulty that neurotypical individuals have in understanding and empathizing with individuals with autism. It is a two-way issue.

Neurotypical privilege is the unique and unearned advantage afforded to those with the most common cognitive expression. It is wrongly assumed that neurotypical communication styles are superior because they are the majority. But common does not mean superior; rare can be valuable. Based on evidence from their lives, many experts believe that Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Vincent Van Gogh and Thomas Jefferson were neurodivergent. Their unique way of thinking allowed them to make scientific breakthroughs, create beautiful art, write the Declaration of Independence and develop the theory of relativity.

Closing The Gap In Communication

The path forward requires leveling the playing field by acknowledging the fact that neurodivergent people often have different communication styles than neurotypical people. By recognizing and adapting to these different communication styles, we can avoid misunderstandings, build trust and foster better connections with those around us.

In my observation, small talk, humor, sarcasm and gossip may be misunderstood by neurodivergent people. It's better to ask specific (not open-ended) questions and to clearly state your feelings, leaving nothing to interpretation.

Keep instructions short and precise, and prioritize them in order of importance. Ensure understanding of assignment parameters, priorities, time, precision, innovation and robustness. When neurodivergent people start an assignment, they may discover new inefficiencies, vulnerabilities and unintended consequences, so encourage frequent communication, like reaching out with additional questions.

When scheduling time for a critical discussion with neurodivergent individuals, provide an itinerary in advance. Essential conversations can lead to heightened emotions and charged wording. Promote the best outcomes by stating communication goals and desired feedback. Clearly state the reasoning and context for the conversation. Be very direct, but use neutral delivery.

Why This Is Important

The unique and unusual strengths of neurodivergent people enable them to visualize, think and solve problems differently than neurotypicals. They bring other valuable strengths to a team, like attention to detail, analytical thinking and creativity. Embracing neurodivergence on your team also limits groupthink.

Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, neurodiversity is a protected class. Best practices in DEI require addressing equity and inclusion with neurodivergent individuals just as much as with race, religion, gender, national origin, etc.

Neurotypical communication styles are not superior just because they are the majority. Neurodivergent styles are different but not deficient. Awareness of this protects against the double empathy problem and neurotypical privilege, which contribute to the lack of mutual understanding between neurotypicals and the neurodiverse.

The path forward requires leveling the playing field by embracing these different communication styles, fostering empathy and redefining leadership models to accommodate more perspectives. Effective leaders will emphasize and leverage the strengths of neurodivergent individuals to bring value to the organization.

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?

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Council Post: Neurodivergence And Diversity, Equity And Inclusion

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As organizations move toward more inclusive workplaces, I believe they should acknowledge and celebrate another type of diversity: neurodiversity.

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Online classes are here to stay, but we're also opening a physical location for classes and events, anchored by a bar, to help us stabilize financially and keep call classes pay-what-you-can! Check out our Kickstarter and help us get our doors open! Click on the image below to learn more.

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Online classes are here to stay, but we're also opening a physical location for classes and events, anchored by a bar, to help us stabilize financially and keep call classes pay-what-you-can! Check out our Kickstarter and help us get our doors open! Click on the image below to learn more.

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UK Coaching Participation Team

About the Author: The UK Coaching Participation Team is relentlessly passionate about getting more people active. Brimming with energy and abundant of ideas, we're sharing over 50 years of combined experience in coaching, teaching, leading, activating, educating, engaging and keeping people active. We strive to create the habit in children, sustain the habit in young people and adults and change the habit for people to reconnect positively with sport and physical activity.

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UK Coaching - Understanding Unconscious Bias

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UK Coaching Participation Team About the Author: The UK Coaching Participation Team is relentlessly passionate about getting more people active. Brimming with energy and abundant of ideas, we're sharing over 50 years of combined experience in coaching, teaching, leading, activating, educating, engaging and keeping people active.

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Labor Acknowledgement In Advance Of Black History Month

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The first time coworkers commented on how unpronounceable they found my "exotic" name, I couldn't quite put my finger on why I felt uncomfortable. They insisted it was a compliment.

This was at a time when "diversity" referred to the progress of upper-class white women and when addressing racism in the workplace was taboo. In 2007, Derald Wing Sue, a psychologist, brought the term "microaggressions" - coined in the 1970s by Harvard University professor Chester Pierce to describe the subtle, everyday ways that Black people experienced discrimination from their white counterparts - back into the public consciousness. In 2016, use of the term became more widespread, relating mostly to how college students of color were navigating these subtle everyday putdowns, insults, or offensive remarks from well-meaning white peers and faculty.

"Microaggressions" finally captured the essence of how I was feeling. I did feel slighted, but the real issue was the cumulative effects of hearing something about my difference as a woman of color called out every day, in seemingly benign ways.

It's powerful to have a commonly understood way to articulate these issues and address the impact they have on the experiences of marginalized people, including in the workplace. As more leaders focus on creating inclusive work cultures and strive to make meaningful change in their organizations, more need to be aware and understand the effects of these exclusionary, biased actions - and they must stop using the term "microaggressions" to describe them.

Why "Microaggressions" Is Inadequate

The term "microaggression" doesn't fully capture the actions' emotional and material effects or how they impact women and people of color's career progressions. In fact, researchers found that experiencing what we know as microaggressions can be just as harmful, if not more, than more overt forms of racism.

"People say that microaggressions are small things, but our studies indicate that microaggressions have a macro impact as they affect the standard of living of a marginalized group," Sue says. Daily microaggressions "create a lowered sense of psychological well-being. They deplete psychic energy or problem-solving and work productivity." Why? Microaggressions are cumulative. "They occur to people of color from the time they awaken, until they go to bed, from the time they are born until they die," Sue adds.

The inclusion of "micro" in the term minimizes the actions' harmful effects and prioritizes the comfort of those in the majority by centering their intentions instead of their impacts. I prefer the term "exclusionary behaviors." Tiffany Jana, founder and CEO of TMI Consulting and coauthor of Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggressions, told me, "I like to call them 'subtle acts of exclusion' (SAE) as a more neutral descriptor of the phenomenon. The behavior might be subtle and not intentional, but it serves to exclude people and pushes them further on the margins. So we need more descriptive and useful language so that we can invite people into a more healing conversation." And Ibram X. Kendi writes in his book, How to Be an Antiracist: "I do not use 'microaggression' anymore. I detest the post-racial platform that supported its sudden popularity. I detest its component parts - 'micro' and 'aggression.' A persistent daily low hum of racist abuse is not minor. I use the term 'abuse' because aggression is not as exacting a term."

Inclusive Leadership Requires Awareness and Acknowledgment

The widespread nature of exclusionary behaviors in organizations today signals the urgency for white and other people with workplace privilege to develop awareness and empathy. For leaders to be truly inclusive, they first must be able to recognize these behaviors. We all know that it's unacceptable to call a team member a racial slur, but some people may not always be aware of more subtle acts of bias or understand why they're harmful.

For example, consider the white manager who didn't mean any harm by commenting on his Korean-American employee's "good English." Scholars like Sue call this particular action - which communicates to the person that they're a foreigner because they're not white - " alien in own land." These constant implications that you're an outsider in your own country are not only painful, but they could also materially impact whether white managers would consider an employee competent enough to "fit" a leadership position. As another example, consider a well-meaning male employee complimenting a female manager on her coding skills, remarking that he didn't think "women enjoyed technical challenges."

Women of color I interviewed for my book reported feeling most excluded when they received these kinds of subtle comments or gestures from peers because they reinforced that they didn't belong there. Hardest of all was when the offending party didn't even realize why what they said was problematic. It may be easy for a white man to laugh off jokes about his hometown or skin color, but that isn't even remotely similar to expecting someone to laugh off derogatory comments if they or people from their community have disproportionately experienced violence or persecution.

The interviewees also said they felt most ready to raise these issues when a leader demonstrated that they understood what constituted exclusionary behavior. But in addition to being aware of this kind of behavior, inclusive leaders must also make it safe for people to point it out when they see it. "We've been socialized not to disrupt particularly, a white equilibrium, and just say nothing," says Jana. To create that sense of safety, Jana says "there has to be a collective acknowledgement that none of the people in the organization are perfect - that this organization's culture is not perfect - but we're not going to allow it to create a perpetual cycle of harm for our employees." They add, "the only way we do that is by acknowledging the presence [of exclusionary behaviors] and acknowledging them when they happen."

Be Curious, But Thoughtful

While curiosity is important and necessary, there's a time and place for conversations about a person's identity, especially in the workplace. Going up to someone on their first day of work to ask, "what are you?" (as one of the women I interviewed told me happened to her) isn't the right approach. It's a dehumanizing way to express curiosity about someone's background. But even if you ask it in a more tactful way, a conversation about identity and background in the middle of a meeting, for example, or marching over to a colleague's desk to inquire about it, has a very different tenor than at a casual networking event or over a work lunch. The former relates, "I demand answers to my questions that don't impact the work we're going to do together." The latter communicates, "I'm genuinely curious and interested in you and want to take some time to get to know you. I'm also inviting your questions about me."

Recognizing this difference requires cultivating empathy, especially if your experience in the majority wouldn't make anyone question your background, ability, or competence.

If someone tells you that something you said was biased or a microaggression, apologize sincerely, seek to understand why it may have been harmful (sometimes, they may tell you; other times, it's up to you to do your own homework), and then refrain from doing it again.

. . .

When we brush off "microaggressions," we minimize the huge impact they have on underrepresented and marginalized employees. To make change, we must first be able to name, recognize, and acknowledge the harm they cause.

"When we learn better, we do better," says Jana. "The term 'microaggression' is an insult to everyone who's ever been on the receiving end of it, and it's a copout for the people who continue to initiate them." Whatever term we land on - microaggression, subtle act of exclusion, racial abuse, or exclusionary behavior - Jana reminds us that "it needs to be something that doesn't let people off the hook so easily and doesn't minimize the harm that it causes to actual people."

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We Need to Retire the Term "Microaggressions"

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The first time coworkers commented on how unpronounceable they found my "exotic" name, I couldn't quite put my finger on why I felt uncomfortable. They insisted it was a compliment. This was at a time when "diversity" referred to the progress of upper-class white women and when addressing racism in the workplace was taboo.

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Time and time again when I engage on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) matters with employees, managers, and leaders of companies across the world, I'm met with the question: What can I do?

Despite many companies' recent efforts to develop DEI strategies and roadmaps, inequalities in our workplaces are still rampant. The latest World Economic Forum Report states that it will take us 132 years to achieve gender parity, with that number being much higher for some intersectional identities than others. What are we missing, and how do we move the pendulum from where it seems to be stuck toward inclusive environments for everyone?

Here's the thing: We don't experience inclusion through strategies and roadmaps. We experience it through our day-to-day interactions with our colleagues - over lunch, by the coffee machine, during meetings, etc. We can't move the pendulum without each one of us seeing ourselves as key enablers of inclusive workplaces - workplaces where everyone feels valued, respected, appreciated, and enjoys a sense of belonging. Every employee needs to see their role in this, and we need everybody to make efforts to act in a way that nurtures inclusive environments. That's what's missing, but we don't have everybody on board yet. Why? Fear.

Over many years of working with employees, managers, and leaders in the DEI space, I've found that, when it comes to DEI, there is plenty of fear. Those who are well-represented in any context are fearful of the change and loss of power that real inclusion will bring, fearful of getting uncomfortable, and fearful of saying and doing the wrong thing. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard white male CEOs say that they want to support DEI efforts but are afraid of being cancelled. On the other hand, people from marginalized, discriminated, and underrepresented groups are also fearful: fearful of being the lone voice and being perceived as the token, fearful of addressing biases and discrimination, and fearful of the impact on their careers.

The answer to the question What can I do? lies in overcoming these fears through allyship. Allyship is the key to creating inclusive workplaces. According to recent research, employees of organizations that foster strong allyship and inclusion cultures are 50% less likely to leave, 56% more likely to improve their performance, 75% less likely to take a sick day, and up to 167% more likely to recommend their organizations as great places to work.

Allyship is a lifelong process of building and nurturing supportive relationships with underrepresented, marginalized, or discriminated individuals or groups with the aim of advancing inclusion. It is through this process that we overcome our fears of engaging with DEI. Allyship is about progress, not perfection. Allyship is active, not passive. It requires frequent and consistent behaviors. Allyship is not performative. It's about lifting others and creating platforms for them so that their voices are heard. Allyship is not about fixing others.

I believe that what we need to make our workplaces truly inclusive is a clear set of practical behaviors that we can embed into our day-to-day working lives. To address this need, below are the seven allyship behaviors that I explore in my book The Art of Active Allyship. Employees at any level can engage in these actions to nurture inclusion in their workplaces.

The first three of the seven allyship behaviors are meant to empower you with information about yourself and the people you work with. In the words of the nineteenth-century American writer Mary Roberts Reinhart: "When knowledge comes in the door, fear and superstition fly out." The more we understand something and the more we know what to do, the less fearful we are of it.

1. Deep curiosity

Understanding the issues surrounding DEI starts with a deep curiosity about our own and others' diversity thumbprint: each individual's intersectional identity of multiple dimensions coexisting at the same time.

To help gain an understanding of your own and others' experience in the world, explore the wealth of resources out there and make a conscious effort to:

Identify intersectional dimensions of diversity that are different from your own diversity thumbprint

Understand the biases and discrimination that people different from you experience

Understand the historical, political, and social contexts that have led to these biases and discrimination

Understand the impact of these biases and discrimination on individuals, organizations, and society

2. Honest introspection

Honest introspection begins with understanding our own biases and how they impact what we say and do, the decisions we make, and whom we tend to view as successful in the workplace.

In my book Diversifying Diversity, I wrote, "If you have a brain, you are biased." Our brain receives 11 million bits of information every single second. We consciously process only 40 bits of this information, with the remaining covered by our unconscious mind. We rely on heuristics and algorithms that we have built through our life experiences to help us make sense of this vast input.

While these heuristics and algorithms can keep us safe, we also use them when we meet someone for the first time, when we look through resumes to decide whom to recruit or promote, and when we design products and services. These biases can also give rise to the "cookie cutters" we see in our workplaces: the prototypes of who we consider to be successful leaders or ideal employees.

Think about the people you work with. How similar are they to each other? These observations will help reveal where biases lie in your organization. To assess where your own unconscious biases may lie, you can use tools like the Harvard Implicit Association Test.

3. Humble acknowledgement

We must humbly acknowledge that we don't know or fully comprehend how someone else experiences life. Humble acknowledgement requires admitting "I don't know" and reflecting on our own sources of privilege. Privilege is assuming something is not a problem because it's not a problem for you.

Hearing the word privilege is enough to make many of us cringe, but privilege is something we can use to lift others. Make a list of all the things in your life that you take for granted. How many of the statements below are true for you? These are your sources of privilege. Reflect on these and draw on them to remind you to use your privilege to lift others:

I am never stopped at immigration queues when traveling for work because of my nationality.

I have never had to explain and defend where I am from and/or answer the follow-up question: Where are you actually from?

I have never had to alter my hair to be seen as professional.

I have never had to make considered choices about what to wear to be taken seriously.

I have never been refused an opportunity or job because of my age.

I have never had to hide who I love out of fear of judgement or worse, criminal persecution.

I have never felt like altering or changing my first or last name.

I have never had to downplay my invisible disabilities to get an interview.

I have never had to go through additional rounds of job interviews.

I have never been declined a job on the basis of "not fitting in."

4. Empathetic engagement

More often than not, when we address microaggressions - what I refer to in my book as termite biases - we're met with defensiveness: "Oh, come on. I didn't mean it that way," "You're being oversensitive. Can't you take a joke?," or, "Don't make a big deal out of this." These responses arise from fear: fear of being judged or of being seen as a "bad person."

Empathetic engagement is about asking the right questions in the right tone to help the person engaging in bias-driven behavior to unpack their biases while preventing their wall of defense from coming up. The next time you witness a termite bias, instead of saying "that was a microaggression" or "you're being biased," ask questions like: "How did you get to that decision/conclusion?" or "I didn't understand the joke, would you be able to please explain it to me?" or "That's an interesting way of looking at it, why don't you tell me more?" Asking the right questions in the right tone can be a powerful way of getting the other person to reflect on their biases without judgement.

Empathetic engagement is also about listening without getting defensive, apologizing without over-apologizing, and reflecting on what you can do better when your own termite biases are pointed out.

5. Authentic conversations

Enabling allyship at work requires honest and open conversations, and those require psychological safety: "a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." In a psychologically safe environment, employees feel safe to address the biases and discrimination they witness - without the fear of professional or social repercussions.

Individuals can nurture psychological safety by making a deliberate effort not to gaslight those from underrepresented, marginalized, or discriminated groups when they experience biased behavior. This involves not denying a colleague's recollection of events, not dismissing and belittling their experience, and not casting doubts over their feelings, behavior, and state of mind. Instead, engage empathetically in honest and open conversations about what happened, being careful not to dismiss or get defensive. Be sure not to interrupt the person raising the concern and keep focused on what you can learn and do differently.

6. Vulnerable interactions

To help overcome the fear of being uncomfortable or saying the wrong thing, allies need to embrace their own vulnerability and work with others to identify their own biases - especially the unconscious ones.

To do this, form a bias compass circle: a trusted, diverse group of colleagues with whom you're comfortable being vulnerable checking your biases. Be intentional about whom you ask to come into this circle. They must be colleagues who are committed to inclusion themselves and keen to support your efforts to become aware of your biases. This group can provide you with constructive and motivational feedback on where your biases may lie in what you're communicating or a decision you're making. If you're being biased, your bias compass circle can help you understand more about a dimension of diversity you may not yet fully comprehend. This bias compass circle provides a safe zone to be vulnerable and helps you become more inclusive.

7. Courageous responsibilities

Taking courageous responsibility is about making the most of your own sphere of influence. Be observant of who tends to get opportunities to be seen and heard - then take steps to include and amplify those who don't.

For example, when developing ideas or making decisions, make it a habit to ask others around you: Whose perspective are we missing? Recommend an underrepresented colleague for the next sought-after project or to present their work to leadership. Ask yourself and your teammates: What common words and phrases that we use favor some people over others, and what language should we use instead? Take opportunities to mentor colleagues who are different from you.

. . .

Returning to the question: What can I do?

It turns out that there's plenty each one of us can do. In order to overcome the fears that perpetuate exclusion, we can start with ourselves - with deep curiosity, honest introspection, and humble acknowledgement. Then we can be deliberate about taking steps to include others through behaviors driven by empathy, authenticity, vulnerability, and courage.

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Despite many companies' recent efforts to develop DEI strategies and roadmaps, inequalities in our workplaces are still rampant. Every employee needs to see their role in inclusion, but not everybody is on board yet. Why? Fear.

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AAVSB RACE-CERTIFIED
LANGUAGE COURSE F OR BUSY PEOPLE

How many times have Spanish-speaking clients come to your veterinary clinic and no one could communicate properly? Was there a breakdown in communication? Did you wish you knew some Spanish to be able to help your clients? If so, this course was designed for you.

These are a series of fun courses designed specifically for veterinary professionals wanting to learn Spanish to better serve their clients. The classes are online with an experienced teacher and designed specifically for client interactions in the veterinary clinic.

Desde la Primera Consulta hasta hablar de Finanzas, nuestro curso está diseñado precisamente para todos que trabajan en la industria veterinaria.

TAILORED COURSES

Flexible hours to fit around your busy schedule

TARGET LANGUAGE FOR THE VET CLINIC

You'll learn verb conjugations but relevant ones!

We provide useful and targeted language to maximize the your time, presented in a fun and interactive way. Look through our module descriptions for more information.

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AAVSB RACE-CERTIFIED LANGUAGE COURSE F OR BUSY PEOPLE How many times have Spanish-speaking clients come to your veterinary clinic and no one could communicate properly? Was there a breakdown in communication? Did you wish you knew some Spanish to be able to help your clients? If so, this course was designed for you.

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This book is aimed at large animal veterinarians who have Spanish-speaking clientele. There is a chapter at the end for dogs & cats, and admittedly there is a lot of content that could apply to both large & small animals.

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Spanish for Veterinarians: A Practical... book by Bonnie Frederick

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Buy a cheap copy of Spanish for Veterinarians: A Practical... book by Bonnie Frederick. Designed to help vets rapidly learn working Spanish for clinical conversations, the presentation of the language in this book is not traditional - explanations are... Free Shipping on all orders over $15.

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Recently, a client asked us to put together a program to accelerate promotion opportunities for what it referred to as its "diverse talent." Based on our additional research, we realized the requirements for promotion at this company were skills that many employees were struggling with at the time - both those folks with marginalized identities and those without.

By targeting only a select few with this promotion program, it created a false narrative that only individuals from underrepresented backgrounds needed help developing these skills and that something was inherently wrong with how they performed. What's more, these kinds of programs set a single standard for professionalism and therefore promote and lead to assimilation - the opposite of real inclusion.

Approaches like these might broadcast that the company devalues the need for change at all levels. It is not uncommon to see the group with the least privilege expected to change its behavior to help achieve equity in an organization. Rarely does anyone feel safe and included in any dynamic where they are the only ones expected to change. We suggest examining your company's expectations of professionalism, reframing professional development programs, adjusting feedback processes, and focusing on relationships. This way, your organization can create an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity instead of flattening it.

What Expectations of Assimilation Does Your Workplace Have?

It's time to rethink your expectations around assimilation. Assimilation means absorbing the cultural traditions of a population or a group, and every one of us makes decisions to assimilate or not assimilate in the workplace. Nearly all companies have implicit and explicit expectations of "professional" assimilation in the workplace when it comes to language, behavior, or processes.

Examples of positive assimilation will vary depending on the organization and its mission. A great example of a realistic and healthy expectation of assimilation is when a company asks employees to be on time. Cultural norms regarding punctuality vary and can have a significant impact on behaviors and perception, but not being on time could have severe consequences depending on the nature of the business. When there is a vital need for assimilation to achieve a meaningful outcome, it is important for an organization to be transparent and clear about the need to assimilate and why. For example, some organizations might set strict policies for dress code, whereas others might have unspoken rules about appropriateness, leaving the burden on employees to interpret what will and will not be acceptable. Assimilation becomes a huge problem when the expectation falls primarily on the shoulders of those whose backgrounds are underrepresented and these expectations for assimilation have been unclear or unspoken from the beginning.

Showing up at work without expending all of your energy to assimilate is a privilege. Imagine the emotional effort required to analyze, monitor, and perform to consciously assimilate into a workplace. You might have to adapt your accent, for instance, or avoid certain words that are common in your culture while at work. All of this energy requires emotional and mental sacrifices, thus impacting an employee's ability to feel psychologically safe and their ability to perform. After all, when we do not feel we are part of a safe and stable environment, it is difficult to focus our energy on growing and developing personally and professionally.

For these reasons, asking others to assimilate will likely sabotage diversity-focused professional development by promoting conformity. This conformity can be reinforced by managers who are supporting certain cultural standards. To analyze your workplace's expectations of assimilation, ask yourself:

How am I contributing to a culture of conformity?

What's the motivation behind my request for assimilation?

Does my motivation align with our DEI initiatives and values?

DEI efforts work best when they are centered on identifying a realistic and healthy expectation of assimilation that still allows employees to thrive and contribute in unique ways.

Reframing Your Professional Development Initiatives

With the above in mind, it's important to ask the following questions when designing your professional development approach:

Why is this training important?

Who needs to participate?

What message are we sending to the participants?

What is systemically contributing to the problem we are trying to solve?

Acknowledge how the organization contributes to the challenges that employees are experiencing. The mindset of "if we could fix them, our problem will be solved" is a sign that your organization is moving in the wrong direction.

The solution for getting traditionally marginalized employees into leadership positions isn't just about expecting them to adapt to the current standards of professionalism. Instead, it requires creating the right conditions for employees to contribute, receive developmental feedback to grow and develop their talent, and gain equitable access to promotions. Many organizations will need to examine their existing processes and criteria to reveal gaps that disrupt opportunities.

Here are a few steps you can take to set more individuals from diverse backgrounds up for success in leadership within your organization:

1. Reevaluate your relationship with the idea of "professionalism."

Carefully explore the biases and mindsets underpinning how "professionalism" is defined, and the expectations that employees must meet to get promoted into leadership that disproportionately affect employees of color. It's important to note that this step is not about lowering your standards of leadership qualifications and behaviors. It is about recognizing when you might have "standards of convenience" that change depending on who is being evaluated.

When evaluating an employee, prioritize being aware over being right. Many leaders have biases about clothing choices, body language, and what vernacular they deem is appropriate to use in a business setting. If you are not aware of your own assumptions, you will likely operate with self-righteous ideals that could derail someone else's career. Take the time to challenge how you perceive someone and the standards you hold them against. Think about where those standards originated. Imagine what it is like to be in their shoes. Are you there to help them grow and develop, or are you looking for a reason to determine that they are not a "good fit?"

Leaders can challenge their own beliefs about professionalism by asking themselves the following questions:

How are my beliefs about professionalism aligned with the organization's values?

How does my unconscious bias impact my ideas and beliefs about professionalism?

How do my beliefs about professionalism support the growth and development of others?

Honest answers to these questions will help you reveal outdated views and embedded biases within your own mindset. If you are struggling, engage an extra pair of eyes and ears to help you check your bias at the door and make sure your definition of professionalism aligns with your diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

2. Reconsider how you use and give feedback.

Feedback has long been touted as a critical component for leading and developing talent. It's also necessary to think about the purpose of your feedback models and how they might be contributing to or detracting from a DEI-focused environment.

Research has shown that managers are more likely to give actionable and in-the-moment feedback to men than to women. Similar dynamics have been observed based on race, ability, and sexual orientation. Employees who aren't given actionable feedback are less likely to become aware of potential areas of improvement and leverage the benefits of that feedback. In many cases, they might become frustrated or feel like they aren't recognized for their work, often resulting in negative outcomes such as reduced engagement, impostor syndrome, and even turnover.

This is especially important when those who aren't given actionable feedback are leaders. At most organizations, there is less diversity at higher levels. As more women and people of color achieve higher levels of leadership, there is more pressure to be successful, set an example for others, and "justify" their role. Stress about being seen as a good leader makes it more difficult to seek feedback and grow from it.

Another important aspect of feedback is to limit it to work-related topics and what is actually necessary for someone's role. Our expectations are usually a reflection of ourselves. When we focus on creating employees who are just like us, we either ignore people who have different experiences and knowledge or create strain for employees to work extra hard to emulate us - which is effort that could be better used to develop their skills. Here are a few questions to identify productive versus harmful feedback models:

Is the feedback based on subjective criteria and biased expectations?

Is the feedback aligned with the requirements of their role and a business need?

Am I expecting employees to assimilate unnecessarily?

3. Focus on the quality of your relationships.

It's important to be aware of the beliefs, biases, and mindsets that might drive our behavior. What's equally important is developing relational maturity that reflects our values and supports our vision. Without the ability to think and behave relationally, we will be unable to sustain any progress that we make.

Upskilling our capacity to actively listen and be more empathetic, vulnerable, and compassionate are a few ways that we can ensure that our diversity-focused professional development will stick. This work requires patience, understanding, and grace in the face of our challenges. We truly believe that diversity-focused professional development is a relational practice that requires conscious, intentional focus and commitment no matter what program you choose to implement.

Along those lines, it's vital to remember that authorship is ownership. We see many companies trying to create DEI programs to support a particular group without including this group in the process. It's surprising how often this piece is missing.

To serve marginalized employees, you need to give them a say in these initiatives, design programs that consider their needs, and gain their buy-in. At the same time, ensure that your efforts don't place the burden or responsibility solely on them. Be clear about your rules of engagement and clarify your efforts to avoid "spotlight stress" and tokenization. You need to ask:

What role have the program participants played in the decision-making process?

How did I determine the needs of the participants?

How will I check in with the participants to determine whether the program was successful?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion aren't realized as a result of a program or because of good intentions. If your organization's process for professional development places the burden solely on the individual, it's time to reexamine your approach and expectations. Just like the need to prioritize this work is unquestionable, so is the understanding that if employees change and their environments don't, diversity-focused professional development won't lead to progress.

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Do Your Diversity Initiatives Promote Assimilation Over Inclusion?

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Recently, a client asked us to put together a program to accelerate promotion opportunities for what it referred to as its "diverse talent." Based on our additional research, we realized the requirements for promotion at this company were skills that many employees were struggling with at the time - both those folks with marginalized identities and those without.

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"Difference is an acquired preference," a colleague once told me. The statement seemed rather strange to me at first. Upon reflection, though, I understood what my colleague was saying: Difference is uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and sometimes even unsafe. Whether it is an opinion that is opposite of our own, a way of working we are not used to, a person who approaches work in a way that is radically different from ours (and maybe also one we disagree with), or someone of a different background or race, differences are likely to bring about discomfort.

Yet as my colleague's observation implied, we can come to prefer difference, with time-to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. We took on this idea while teaching Inclusive Leadership to first-year MBA students at Harvard Business School last academic year. I teach the course with my remarkable colleagues Frances Frei and Hise Gibson. To help us, we brought on stage a group of performers from Second City, the Chicago-based company that established the first ongoing improvisational theater troupe. Second City is the place where Tina Fey, Bill Murray, and many other comedy greats got their start.

Here are a few things that stood out to me from the day that may be helpful to anyone interested in becoming a more inclusive leader:

1. Not knowing brings about learning

Improv performers trade in the currency of unpredictability. They don't know what their partners will say next, how others will react, or even when a scene will end. The other players may bring up topics that a performer knows nothing about. That's okay: The goal is to always react purely in the moment. Consider the strategies required in two popular games, chess and ping-pong. When you play chess, you need to think ahead. You focus on following your own strategy, as well as anticipating your opponent's. By contrast, ping-pong requires split-second instincts. You can try to anticipate the next volley, but a better bet is to focus on where the ball is moving in the moment. The same goes for improv: You can't "pong" until the other player has "pinged." When others think like us or look like us, we are likely able to predict their moves and perspectives. But when they don't, we need to be open to learning about them.

2. Reserving judgment opens us up to curiosity

In improv, you go with the flow. Maybe you're not crazy about the choices of the person who came before you, but you accept the terms of the scene and add to it, rather than contradicting it. So, if the first player says, "Here's an apple," you shouldn't reply, "That's actually a small melon." That might buy you a laugh, but it would kill the scene. It's much better to follow the "yes, and" principle that lies at the heart of improv: "Yes, and we can fill it with poison before we offer it to the queen."

"Dissent is welcome, but only when there is shared respect and everyone feels they are on the same team."

Some companies rely on this principle to create synergies in their collaborations among talented people. At animation studio Pixar, when writers and directors are working on a story, group leaders encourage "plussing," a strategy for improving ideas without using judgmental language. Instead of criticizing a sketch, the director might "plus" by saying, "I like Woody's eyes, and what if we ..." Someone else might then jump in and add her own plus. People listen, respect the ideas of others, and contribute their own. This type of collaborative atmosphere requires great effort to maintain. We all seem to feel an urge to judge others and their ideas. Sometimes our disapproval takes the form of silence-"the death pause," as Pixar's Ed Catmull describes it. Improv comedy teaches us to keep an open mind, understanding that communication drives insight and that closed conversations generally fail. Dissent is welcome, but only when there is shared respect and everyone feels they are on the same team.

3. Supporting one another leads to what would otherwise be impossible.

There are two key foundations of improv: trusting our inner voice and supporting others unconditionally. These ideas allow performers to create memorable, funny scenes. Improv is all about performing without preparation or a script-responding to others in the moment, listening to your inner voice, and bursting out with whatever comes to mind. In my book  Rebel Talent, I noted that improvisation is like steering a car by looking through the rearview mirror: You don't know where you're going; you can only see where you've been. It's so much easier to work with others (especially across difference) to shape the future-of a scene, a decision, or a collaboration-when we start from a place of trust, knowing that, whatever happens, others will give us their support.

These principles may sound intuitive, but they can be difficult when working across differences. Throughout the day, we practiced these ideas with short exercises in the hope of building a muscle for discomfort. Discomfort and joy may seem incompatible. As it turns out, they are a very good match in fostering connection.
This article originally appeared on LinkedIn. Follow Francesca Gino on LinkedIn to read more of her posts.
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Feedback or ideas to share? Email the Working Knowledge team at hbswk@hbs.edu.
Image: Unsplash/Dan Meyers

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Inclusive Leadership Advice: Get Comfortable With the Uncomfortable

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"Difference is an acquired preference," a colleague once told me. The statement seemed rather strange to me at first. Upon reflection, though, I understood what my colleague was saying: Difference is uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and sometimes even unsafe.

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What Drives Us

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide a safe, diverse, and pluralistic space for Jewish Veterinary Students. We encourage social action and awareness of global and local issues, focusing on animal-related issues; provide continuing Jewish education and leadership opportunities; and exploring Judaism through veterinary outreach work.

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jewish veterinarian veterinary student csu colorado state jewish

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The Jewish Assosciation of Veterinarians

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What Drives Us Our mission is to provide a safe, diverse, and pluralistic space for Jewish Veterinary Students. We encourage social action and awareness of global and local issues, focusing on animal-related issues; provide continuing Jewish education and leadership opportunities; and exploring Judaism through veterinary outreach work.

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The AAVMC affirms the value of diversity within the veterinary medical profession. The membership is committed to incorporating that belief in its actions by advocating the recruitment and retention of underrepresented persons as students and faculty and ultimately fostering their success in veterinary medicine.

Contrary to societal trends, veterinary medicine remains one of the least diverse professions in the United States. However, our efforts to attract a student body that is more reflective of society as a whole have resulted in diversification of the applicant pool. The number of racially and/or ethnically underrepresented students currently is about 20 percent of total enrollment. That figure continues to grow and has increased substantially since the 2005 launch of the DiVersity Matters initiative.

To achieve results, we conduct career fairs, disseminate information about veterinary career options, work to generate interest in veterinary medicine, present at key diversity meetings and conferences, and help lead students through the application process.

The AAVMC has been a champion of equality since its inception. Explore some of the links below that detail some of our many programs in diversity and inclusion and glimpses of some of the successes we have achieved over the years.

Diversity and Inclusion on Air:

Conversations about Diversity, Inclusion & Veterinary Medicine

In fall of 2015, AAVMC launched Diversity & Inclusion on Air: Conversations about Diversity, Inclusion & Veterinary Medicine.

Although there has been in an increase in the amount of diversity programming hosted by AAVMC, its member institutions and student organizations, there is still a dearth of available programming within the veterinary profession. Diversity & Inclusion on Air has changed this by delivering more diversity programming to a wider veterinary audience. The program regularly covers a wide range of topics and features guests from across the profession and beyond.

The podcast produces new episodes on a regular basis through YouTube and Soundcloud, and each show features engaging interviews on a wide range of diversity and inclusion topics. During special live-casts of the show, [participants and viewers are able to access the program on YouTube, post questions, engage in a chat room during the program. Audio only versions will also be available via most podcast applications, such as iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.

The "on air" feature allows us to include international members, which is a high priority for AAVMC, and the YouTube feature allows for broader access by members of the profession including possible usage by faculty to augment any diversity content in classes.

The Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine certificate program at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine will also count viewing or listening of the Diversity and Inclusion on Air podcast as meeting the "attending a diversity program" requirement, provided participants complete the accompanying summary.

Below you will find links to the YouTube page as well as the podcast channel on SoundCloud.

Organizational Assessment Tools

These organizational and meeting assessment tools can help you improve your culture and your conferences.

AAVMC DiVersity Matters Climate Survey

When "Climate" Change Might be a Good Thing
Assessing and Enhancing Diversity in Academic Environments
The AAVMC periodically conducts a climate survey to assess the state of organizational culture on campus with respect to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). See the most recent results below:

Map of CVM's and Minority Serving Institutions

In an effort to promote recruitment, collaboration, and increased access and opportunity for underrepresented students, AAVMC has created the interactive map above featuring locations of colleges of veterinary medicine and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

The visualization shows existing relationships between colleges of veterinary medicine and MSIs, as well as the numerous MSI institutions where colleges, veterinary organizations and individual veterinary professionals can foster relationships that strengthen pathways to careers in veterinary medicine for underrepresented students.

You may also view a full-page version of the map.

Greenhill, L. M., & Carmichael, K. P. (2014). Survey of College Climates at All 28 US Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine: Preliminary Findings. Journal of veterinary medical education, 41(2), 111-121.

For more information about the AAVMC DiVersity Matters Climate Survey, please contact Lisa Greenhill at lgreenhill@aavmc.org.

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DIVERSITY - DiVersity Matters The AAVMC affirms the value of diversity within the veterinary medical profession. The membership is committed to incorporating that belief in its actions by advocating the recruitment and retention of underrepresented persons as students and faculty and ultimately fostering their success in veterinary medicine.

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What is

Journey for Teams?

JOURNEY FOR TEAMS provides a pathway for veterinary professionals to deepen knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and foster the advancement of DEI in veterinary workplaces. To support this purpose, JOURNEY FOR TEAMS will deliver ongoing releases of practical, actionable and impactful resources and educational modules-all designed with busy veterinary workplaces in mind!

Why

Journey for Teams?

There are many reasons to deepen your understanding of DEI that range from personal to professional. Watch the Reasons video to see why your peers think diversity, equity, and inclusion are important for the veterinary profession.

Get ready for the journey. This map shows you where we're heading and helps you make the most of the JOURNEY FOR TEAMS content as it is released.
Printer-friendly JOURNEY MAP

This 15-minute video is the best place to start on your JOURNEY FOR TEAMS. It introduces you to all of the program elements and how they work together to enrich DEI knowledge in your workplace.

JOURNEY FOR TEAMS works best for groups when there is a workplace advocate - a NAVIGATOR - committed to downloading content, organizing meetings and facilitating discussion.

JOURNEY FOR TEAMS provides resources to support the NAVIGATOR in this important role.

NAVIGATORS are passionate about DEI and are willing to make a valuable contribution. NAVIGATORS with the full support of leadership will have the greatest success.

JOURNEY FOR TEAMS is organized into DEI topics. Each topic is written by a DEI topic champion in the field and presented as a video introduction followed by a facilitated group discussion. The activities are designed to be brief and the discussion is focused on finding one thing that the group can agree to do that will further their committement to DEI.

Each topic can be covered in a 15-minute meeting. If the team wants to learn more about certain topics, additional resources are listed to encourage self-learning and further discussion.

Collaborating Partners

Educational Partners

Adventurers

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JOURNEY FOR TEAMS provides a pathway for veterinary professionals to deepen knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and foster the advancement of DEI in veterinary workplaces. To support this purpose, JOURNEY FOR TEAMS will deliver ongoing releases of practical, actionable and impactful resources and educational modules-all designed with busy veterinary workplaces in mind!

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Established in 2020,The Black Veterinary Association of Canada (BVAC) was founded to be the unified voice of Canada's Black veterinary community. Historically, Canada's veterinary profession has not adequately reflected its cultural, ethnic and racial diversity. BVAC believes that diversity is crucial and beneficial to every society and that nations are truly enriched when their institutions and industries reflect the makeup of the peoples that they serve.

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Historically, most organizations have approached inclusion sequentially: gender this year or two, race next, then sexual orientation, and maybe someday disability and age. Or maybe class. Or neurodiversity. Generally, sequential inclusion is expanded from the power center to bring in the next-most "acceptable" characteristic. But what happens if someone is an older, Black, visibly disabled woman? Or an Indigenous, economically disadvantaged, autistic man? What about a deaf refugee fleeing religious persecution, or any other person who happens to have some attributes that aren't "currently includable"? Sequential inclusion leaves people behind.

Welcoming all talent requires:

Systemic inclusion that considers intersectionalities, comprehensively addresses all barriers, and embeds inclusion in all talent processes and decision-making mechanisms. It calls for inclusion by design, thoroughly and thoughtfully planned.

Inclusion from the margin. Creating systems that include the most marginalized and those identifying with multiple marginalized groups is the fastest way to include all. It also requires the participation of the marginalized. People don't notice barriers they don't face. Those impacted by barriers others don't notice (or only notice when the problem becomes extreme) are best qualified to design the barrier-free future of work.

At one point in my career, it looked as though I had "overcome" the blatant gender, class, and even xenophobia barriers I had faced in previous jobs. And yet, for years, I was stuck, doing the work but not getting the credit. Even when a well-intentioned organization implemented an initiative to promote more women in leadership, I still didn't feel included.

Looking back, I know that I hit the neurodivergent leadership ceiling, a hidden barrier. Autistic people are often overlooked when leadership is equated with charisma or extreme extraversion (although research shows that in dynamic environments, introverts and quiet people lead better than extroverts). In this case, the bias was not blatant. The people in charge didn't mean to exclude me or those like me. The system, like most, was set up to cater to the dominant neurotype. Perhaps years later there would be an intervention to make the organization more welcoming of neurodiversity. But when I was desperate to be seen, heard, and acknowledged for my contributions, tweaking the system to include women did nothing for neurodivergent women - I was still unincludable and on the margin. In that, I was not alone: In the U.S., 85% of autistic college graduates struggle with unemployment, but very few organizations have programs to support neurodiversity or disability hiring and success.

Because autism can be experienced as culture, as a disability, or as social disablement, it has many psychological and physical manifestations that overlap with other cultural experiences, differences, and disabilities. Hence, addressing the barriers autistic people face both helps solve the sequential inclusion problem and creates a more inclusive environment for talent from other marginalized groups.

Removing barriers autistic people face at work benefits everyone

The comparison to canaries in the coal mine is often used within the autistic culture to describe the autistic experience of heightened vulnerability to harmful environmental factors, from bullying to the noise of open offices and the stress of management by fear. An open office could make an autistic employee with sensory sensitivities ill within hours, but most employees suffer negative health and performance consequences over time.

As another example, imagine a diversity-focused company proud of designing what they believe to be an inclusive hiring tool for rating candidates for office jobs: a standardized interview with rubrics, focused on specific answers and behaviors. Now imagine that one of the criteria in the rubric is "presentation," consisting of elements such as eye contact and speaking enthusiastically. Some may consider evaluating eye contact and enthusiasm unbiased. Unfortunately, many autistic people will be excluded by this evaluation because intense discomfort with eye contact is one of the prominent autism characteristics.

However, these outward "presentation" barriers don't impact only autistic people. For example, "enthusiastic speech" evaluation does not consider those with speech differences or who use communication devices - autistic or not. People with facial trauma or paralysis, vision impairments, and many other disabilities will also be unfairly impacted by presentation criteria. Moreover, many cultures discourage direct eye contact and have different norms for expressing enthusiasm. Finally, affect recognition is also racially biased. Detecting and removing arbitrary, non-work-related barriers makes selection fairer for multiple groups.

This is why I call my model of creating inclusive organizations the "Canary Code" for building better workplaces. Before there were electronic carbon monoxide detectors, canaries were used to detect the deadly gas in coal mines. Toxic gases impact the canary first, but all others are harmed eventually. And healthy air benefits all.

I reviewed over 150 academic articles on inclusion and best practices that help employee experience and performance. My findings converge with marginalized individuals' lived-experience accounts: characteristics of work that are essential for including autistic talent (e.g., skills-based hiring, transparency of procedures, normalizing remote work) help all marginalized people and are highly desired by most employees.

Breaking the cycle of systemic discrimination

Access and success barriers make up the self-perpetuating cycle of systemic discrimination. Access barriers limit the pipeline of marginalized individuals into the organization. Multiple rungs of success barriers (e.g., limited access to professional development, unfair promotion mechanisms) further restrict representation, voice, and leadership opportunities for marginalized groups. The lack of representation in leadership, in turn, perpetuates access barriers. Thus, only a systemic intervention can address cycles of discrimination. However, inclusive practices support a better future of work for all, because mechanisms of exclusion also perpetuate stress and frustration for all employees.

To create a system of fairness, embed the six key principles of the Canary Code into the entire talent cycle.

Participation

Include individual employees in the work-design process - in particular, those who think differently or are intersectionally marginalized. For example, I've helped rewrite a research analyst job description that initially included working with frequent interruptions. Not only is this suboptimal for any analyst because data analysis requires deep work, but it would be a major barrier for autistic people, who pay a higher psychological price for distraction. Many autistic professionals have lost their jobs because their responsibilities were changed to include excessive multitasking, they were moved into noisy areas, or they were otherwise precluded from exercising their strengths - without their input. It's more effective to involve individuals in crafting their jobs than attempting to design for them, even if using empathy. Empathy is constrained by similarity, and those who have not experienced autistic focus may think of an interruption as a minor inconvenience, not the sensation of being hit with a baseball bat. And even in less-extreme situations, participation boosts morale and productivity overall.

Outcomes

Autistic employees' productivity is partly explained by their innovative ways of working. Yet, innovative employees of all backgrounds are often forced to work in traditional, less-effective ways. Focusing on outcomes instead of "professional appearance," presenteeism, or work style supports both inclusion and productivity. For example, if a performance evaluation form calls for assessing the number of phone calls an employee made, but they exceeded their sales goal using a well-crafted email blast, does it matter that they didn't use phone calls? Or if a manager effectively uses asynchronous collaboration technology to unite a hybrid team, is the lack of synchronous meetings a problem or an accomplishment?

To avoid evaluating style instead of substance, review your criteria for performance evaluation and promotion. Do these include references to subjectively defined "potential" or "fit"? Do they include preferences for a specific work style (e.g., teamwork)? When criteria other than outcomes are considered, the most marginalized are the least likely to be similar to the rater and most likely to be negatively impacted by the similarity bias.

Flexibility

Removing arbitrary time, place, and work-style barriers supports the employment of those who need the flexibility to accommodate sensory sensitivities or sleep issues associated with autism. Moreover, it can help address other opportunity gaps, such as transportation limitations associated with disability or economic disadvantage. Expanding flexibility to include job matching to peoples' unique strengths, job crafting, and job sharing, as well as providing viable part-time options and benefits that work for a wide range of life circumstances further helps include marginalized talent. It also supports the satisfaction and retention of all employees, for whom flexibility is a highly desired perk.

Organizational justice

Justice in the workplace is concerned with the fairness of outcomes and procedures, as well as interpersonal treatment, dignity, and providing sufficient information to employees. All types of justice have implications for employee morale.

In particular, use Leventhal's six procedural justice criteria when evaluating whether your organization is inclusive. Evaluating your hiring, promotion, and other decision-making procedures, ideally with substantial participation of those who are traditionally not represented, will likely surface areas for improvement. Just procedures:

Are applied consistently across people and time

Are free from bias

Ensure that accurate information is collected and used in making decisions

Have a mechanism to correct inaccurate decisions

Conform to prevailing standards of ethics or morality

Ensure that the views of various groups affected by the decision have been taken into account.

Transparency and clear communication

Clear organizational communication is essential for autistic people, who are often excluded by the reliance on hidden messages, corporate doublespeak, and "insider" expressions with obscured meaning. Cultures that lack transparency in procedures and decision making present success barriers for autistic people and others. Transparency, on the other hand, supports both inclusion and productivity, promotes a sense of psychological safety, and drives organizational performance.

Valid tools for decision making

Subjective selection, promotion, and other talent management practices exclude neurodivergent talent, create barriers for other marginalized groups, and narrow organizations' talent pools. Instead, using valid instruments rooted in job analysis helps ensure inclusivity. For example, autistic job-seekers are often denied work because of personality-based interviews, which measure the ability to talk about one's skills rather than demonstrate them. This access barrier also impacts class migrants and people from cultures that value modesty. In selection, direct assessment of skills essential to the job is more valid than asking people to extol their skills. In promotion, evaluation supported by examples of outcomes helps reduce bias.

. . .

Solving the problem of autism exclusion at work by designing radically inclusive systems can help solve other inclusion and well-being problems, creating a better future of work for job seekers and employees of all backgrounds. Ultimately, removing barriers to access and success of marginalized talent can help make sure that no one gets left behind.

Author's note: An expanded academic discussion of autism, disability, and intersectional inclusion will appear in the upcoming special issue of the Consulting Psychology Journal on disability inclusion.

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An Intersectional Approach to Inclusion at Work

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Solving the problem of autism exclusion at work can help solve other inclusion and well-being problems - and inform the future of work. The author proposes six evidence-based principles that can support the inclusion of autistic and other marginalized individuals and improve employment for all.

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Teams undergo asynchronous training modules corresponding to each of the following BLEND pillars:

Lead the transformation of veterinary team culture.

read more →

of employees prefer employers who prioritize DEI

increase in team productivity
when DEI initiatives are implemented

of consumers want companies to act for the good of society

"Numerous studies have shown the benefits of a diverse, equitable workplace for business performance, innovation, customer loyalty, and employee trust. Diverse teams better represent the customers they serve, make decisions with fewer blind spots, and bring more varied and innovative thinking to problem-solving."

- Harvard Business Review

We train & certify veterinary teams in DEI through self-paced modules, hands-on workshops, and facilitated discussions.
BLEND cultivates a thriving hospital culture of belonging, builds trusting relationships within diverse communities, and empowers teams to increase the pipeline of underrepresented minorities (URMs) within veterinary medicine.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

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BLEND | DEIB Certifications for Veterinary Teams

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Teams undergo asynchronous training modules corresponding to each of the following BLEND pillars: Lead the transformation of veterinary team culture. read more → of employees prefer employers who prioritize DEI increase in team productivitywhen DEI initiatives are implemented of consumers want companies to act for the good of society "Numerous studies have shown the benefits of a diverse, equitable workplace for business performance, innovation, customer loyalty, and employee trust.

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Recently, a client asked us to put together a program to accelerate promotion opportunities for what it referred to as its "diverse talent." Based on our additional research, we realized the requirements for promotion at this company were skills that many employees were struggling with at the time - both those folks with marginalized identities and those without.

By targeting only a select few with this promotion program, it created a false narrative that only individuals from underrepresented backgrounds needed help developing these skills and that something was inherently wrong with how they performed. What's more, these kinds of programs set a single standard for professionalism and therefore promote and lead to assimilation - the opposite of real inclusion.

Approaches like these might broadcast that the company devalues the need for change at all levels. It is not uncommon to see the group with the least privilege expected to change its behavior to help achieve equity in an organization. Rarely does anyone feel safe and included in any dynamic where they are the only ones expected to change. We suggest examining your company's expectations of professionalism, reframing professional development programs, adjusting feedback processes, and focusing on relationships. This way, your organization can create an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity instead of flattening it.

What Expectations of Assimilation Does Your Workplace Have?

It's time to rethink your expectations around assimilation. Assimilation means absorbing the cultural traditions of a population or a group, and every one of us makes decisions to assimilate or not assimilate in the workplace. Nearly all companies have implicit and explicit expectations of "professional" assimilation in the workplace when it comes to language, behavior, or processes.

Examples of positive assimilation will vary depending on the organization and its mission. A great example of a realistic and healthy expectation of assimilation is when a company asks employees to be on time. Cultural norms regarding punctuality vary and can have a significant impact on behaviors and perception, but not being on time could have severe consequences depending on the nature of the business. When there is a vital need for assimilation to achieve a meaningful outcome, it is important for an organization to be transparent and clear about the need to assimilate and why. For example, some organizations might set strict policies for dress code, whereas others might have unspoken rules about appropriateness, leaving the burden on employees to interpret what will and will not be acceptable. Assimilation becomes a huge problem when the expectation falls primarily on the shoulders of those whose backgrounds are underrepresented and these expectations for assimilation have been unclear or unspoken from the beginning.

Showing up at work without expending all of your energy to assimilate is a privilege. Imagine the emotional effort required to analyze, monitor, and perform to consciously assimilate into a workplace. You might have to adapt your accent, for instance, or avoid certain words that are common in your culture while at work. All of this energy requires emotional and mental sacrifices, thus impacting an employee's ability to feel psychologically safe and their ability to perform. After all, when we do not feel we are part of a safe and stable environment, it is difficult to focus our energy on growing and developing personally and professionally.

For these reasons, asking others to assimilate will likely sabotage diversity-focused professional development by promoting conformity. This conformity can be reinforced by managers who are supporting certain cultural standards. To analyze your workplace's expectations of assimilation, ask yourself:

How am I contributing to a culture of conformity?

What's the motivation behind my request for assimilation?

Does my motivation align with our DEI initiatives and values?

DEI efforts work best when they are centered on identifying a realistic and healthy expectation of assimilation that still allows employees to thrive and contribute in unique ways.

Reframing Your Professional Development Initiatives

With the above in mind, it's important to ask the following questions when designing your professional development approach:

Why is this training important?

Who needs to participate?

What message are we sending to the participants?

What is systemically contributing to the problem we are trying to solve?

Acknowledge how the organization contributes to the challenges that employees are experiencing. The mindset of "if we could fix them, our problem will be solved" is a sign that your organization is moving in the wrong direction.

The solution for getting traditionally marginalized employees into leadership positions isn't just about expecting them to adapt to the current standards of professionalism. Instead, it requires creating the right conditions for employees to contribute, receive developmental feedback to grow and develop their talent, and gain equitable access to promotions. Many organizations will need to examine their existing processes and criteria to reveal gaps that disrupt opportunities.

Here are a few steps you can take to set more individuals from diverse backgrounds up for success in leadership within your organization:

1. Reevaluate your relationship with the idea of "professionalism."

Carefully explore the biases and mindsets underpinning how "professionalism" is defined, and the expectations that employees must meet to get promoted into leadership that disproportionately affect employees of color. It's important to note that this step is not about lowering your standards of leadership qualifications and behaviors. It is about recognizing when you might have "standards of convenience" that change depending on who is being evaluated.

When evaluating an employee, prioritize being aware over being right. Many leaders have biases about clothing choices, body language, and what vernacular they deem is appropriate to use in a business setting. If you are not aware of your own assumptions, you will likely operate with self-righteous ideals that could derail someone else's career. Take the time to challenge how you perceive someone and the standards you hold them against. Think about where those standards originated. Imagine what it is like to be in their shoes. Are you there to help them grow and develop, or are you looking for a reason to determine that they are not a "good fit?"

Leaders can challenge their own beliefs about professionalism by asking themselves the following questions:

How are my beliefs about professionalism aligned with the organization's values?

How does my unconscious bias impact my ideas and beliefs about professionalism?

How do my beliefs about professionalism support the growth and development of others?

Honest answers to these questions will help you reveal outdated views and embedded biases within your own mindset. If you are struggling, engage an extra pair of eyes and ears to help you check your bias at the door and make sure your definition of professionalism aligns with your diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

2. Reconsider how you use and give feedback.

Feedback has long been touted as a critical component for leading and developing talent. It's also necessary to think about the purpose of your feedback models and how they might be contributing to or detracting from a DEI-focused environment.

Research has shown that managers are more likely to give actionable and in-the-moment feedback to men than to women. Similar dynamics have been observed based on race, ability, and sexual orientation. Employees who aren't given actionable feedback are less likely to become aware of potential areas of improvement and leverage the benefits of that feedback. In many cases, they might become frustrated or feel like they aren't recognized for their work, often resulting in negative outcomes such as reduced engagement, impostor syndrome, and even turnover.

This is especially important when those who aren't given actionable feedback are leaders. At most organizations, there is less diversity at higher levels. As more women and people of color achieve higher levels of leadership, there is more pressure to be successful, set an example for others, and "justify" their role. Stress about being seen as a good leader makes it more difficult to seek feedback and grow from it.

Another important aspect of feedback is to limit it to work-related topics and what is actually necessary for someone's role. Our expectations are usually a reflection of ourselves. When we focus on creating employees who are just like us, we either ignore people who have different experiences and knowledge or create strain for employees to work extra hard to emulate us - which is effort that could be better used to develop their skills. Here are a few questions to identify productive versus harmful feedback models:

Is the feedback based on subjective criteria and biased expectations?

Is the feedback aligned with the requirements of their role and a business need?

Am I expecting employees to assimilate unnecessarily?

3. Focus on the quality of your relationships.

It's important to be aware of the beliefs, biases, and mindsets that might drive our behavior. What's equally important is developing relational maturity that reflects our values and supports our vision. Without the ability to think and behave relationally, we will be unable to sustain any progress that we make.

Upskilling our capacity to actively listen and be more empathetic, vulnerable, and compassionate are a few ways that we can ensure that our diversity-focused professional development will stick. This work requires patience, understanding, and grace in the face of our challenges. We truly believe that diversity-focused professional development is a relational practice that requires conscious, intentional focus and commitment no matter what program you choose to implement.

Along those lines, it's vital to remember that authorship is ownership. We see many companies trying to create DEI programs to support a particular group without including this group in the process. It's surprising how often this piece is missing.

To serve marginalized employees, you need to give them a say in these initiatives, design programs that consider their needs, and gain their buy-in. At the same time, ensure that your efforts don't place the burden or responsibility solely on them. Be clear about your rules of engagement and clarify your efforts to avoid "spotlight stress" and tokenization. You need to ask:

What role have the program participants played in the decision-making process?

How did I determine the needs of the participants?

How will I check in with the participants to determine whether the program was successful?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion aren't realized as a result of a program or because of good intentions. If your organization's process for professional development places the burden solely on the individual, it's time to reexamine your approach and expectations. Just like the need to prioritize this work is unquestionable, so is the understanding that if employees change and their environments don't, diversity-focused professional development won't lead to progress.

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Do Your Diversity Initiatives Promote Assimilation Over Inclusion?

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Recently, a client asked us to put together a program to accelerate promotion opportunities for what it referred to as its "diverse talent." Based on our additional research, we realized the requirements for promotion at this company were skills that many employees were struggling with at the time - both those folks with marginalized identities and those without.

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In this issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, the article entitled "Creating a framework for medical professionalism: an initial consensus statement from an Arab nation" by Abdel-Razig and colleagues provides another enlightening contribution to our understanding of professionalism in global terms and adds to the literature on professionalism in the Muslim world. Our comments will be directed to 2 areas of interest: (1) the evolution of our understanding of professionalism, and (2) a brief analysis of the consensus definition developed for the United Arab Emirates as compared to definitions in contemporary use within Western cultures.

The independent and self-regulating professions, as we in Western society understand them, have their origins in Hellenic Greece, are derived from the guilds and universities of medieval Europe and England, and emerged in approximately their present form in the middle of the 19th century. Their moral foundations are deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian traditions of morality.

The Anglo-American world has exerted significant influence on the concept of the medical professional, although the role of individual physicians and the medical profession is very similar throughout Western culture. It is significant that if one consults dictionaries in non-English speaking countries, the references to professions and professionalism almost uniformly relate to differentiating amateurs from professionals. The autonomous and self-regulating professions are largely absent. Definitions of professionalism from dictionaries of the English language stress service and the fact that the professions are granted monopolies over the use of specialized knowledge, with the understanding that they will deliver certain services and behave in prescribed ways. We, and others, have termed this a social contract.

There is little question that, until recently, there was an assumption within the English-speaking world that this concept of professionalism was truly universal and applicable to all nations and all cultures. Indeed, the intent of the committee that created the International Charter on Medical Professionalism, to which the authors refer in their article, was to provide a document that would be universally relevant. We can attest to this, as we participated in the creation of the charter.

It is difficult to know when social scientists arrived at the conclusion that there were major differences in the interpretation of professionalism in different contexts. Most sociologists believe that society uses the professions as a means of organizing work-in the case of the professions, work of a specialized and essential nature. Thus it is logical to believe that even early sociologists would find it natural for different countries and cultures to choose different means of organizing this work. What is certain is that, for at least the last 2 decades, social scientists have recorded that each country expresses professionalism in a slightly different fashion. In 1993, contributors to a volume edited by Hafferty and McKinley compared professionalism in 15 Western countries and China, and in 1996 Krause studied 5 professions in 5 Western nations. Both seminal works noted, along with many commonalities, significant differences in the nature of professionalism across national boundaries. The contributors to this literature stressed the differences imposed in patterns of medical practice by different health care systems, but did not probe into the impact of culture. The consensus was that professionalism was used to organize the services of the healer, and that there were differences in national organizational approaches imposed by different health care systems.

Many assumptions long held by the medical profession in the Western world have been questioned in the course of an ongoing critical appraisal of professionalism in society that has taken place over the past half-century. These include the motivation of the medical profession to pursue its own self-interest, the profession's failure to self-regulate with rigor, its neglect of some issues of importance to society, and, of course, the relevance of the concept of the professions to countries with their own histories, cultures, and concepts of morality.

Ho and colleagues systematically studied the differences between Western concepts of professionalism and those rooted in Chinese culture. They compared the professionalism found in a North American medical school with students in Taiwan and, taking the study further, compared students in Taiwan and Beijing. They documented differences that appeared to arise out of both cultural traditions and different patterns of practice, while stressing the impact of Confucian thought on both.

The article that is the subject of this commentary is not the first to demonstrate that there is a concept of professionalism in the Arab world, and that it is deeply embedded in Muslim culture. Al-Eraky and colleagues, again leaning heavily on the Delphi method, proposed the "Four-Gates Model" of professionalism with the following 4 levels: dealing with God, dealing with others, dealing with tasks, and dealing with self. Significantly, and not surprisingly, the physician's faith is seen to be essential to the conceptualization of professionalism. This is notably different from Western interpretations of professionalism that, although rooted in Judeo-Christian beliefs, now seem to be resolutely secular.

Monrouxe, referring to her own work as well as that of others, has argued persuasively that national cultures, identified as norms, behaviors, beliefs, and customs, have a profound impact on the nature of the professional identity of each country's physicians. She points out the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, including individualism versus collectivism and major differences in hierarchies. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that differences in how professionalism is interpreted in different cultures are inevitable.

While there are major differences, it must also be noted that there are many more similarities found in the consensus statements developed within the Arab world than there are differences from the concept of professionalism extant in Western society. Thus, without making direct comparisons between the findings of Abdel-Razig and colleagues, those of Al-Eraky et al, and Western values as expressed in the Professionalism Charter, it should be pointed out that there does appear to be truly universal aspects to a physician's identity. Thus the qualities of compassion, commitment to the patient, advocacy for the patient and the health care system, duty, integrity, commitment to social justice and responsibility, respect, commitment to the profession, commitment to teamwork in health care, commitment to continuous personal improvement, and protecting patient confidentiality are all fundamental to both Eastern and Western interpretations of professionalism.

Our feeling has long been that the physician's function can be interpreted as containing 2 separate roles-that of the healer and the professional. While they clearly must be served simultaneously, they can be examined separately. The role of the healer is truly universal. Every human being needs the services of the healer when they are ill. We would suggest that the commonalities found refer to this traditional healer's role, and that the differences are in large part found in the professional role, derived from the fact that professionalism is used as a means of organizing the services of the healer. The differences based on culture and nationality are expressed in different national forms of professionalism.

It is important to understand these differences in a world in which movement of both patients and physicians across national and cultural boundaries is constant. Individuals from, for example, the Arab world who seek education and training in the Western world deserve respect, support, and understanding as they cope with the cultural differences and what it means to be a physician in their new setting. As they return to their native countries, it is equally important that they retain their national professional identities. Western physicians who function in non-Western cultures must adapt to the professional mores in which they find themselves, while attempting to retain their own professional identities. Hodges has stated the consequences of this situation well: "Curricula will have to evolve to promote healthy suspicion about any truth or practice that is prescriptive, dogmatic, or posited as universal, emphasizing that laws, practices, and professional codes of conduct are constructed and reconstructed across history and geography."

In the first study of the sociology of medical education in 1957, Merton stated that the task of medical education is to "shape the novice into the effective practitioner of medicine, to give him the best available knowledge and skills, and to provide him with a professional identity so that he comes to think, act, and feel like a physician." By now, based on the work of many perceptive individuals, including Abdel-Razig and colleagues, it should be clear to all that "thinking, acting, and feeling like a physician" varies between countries and cultures and that these differences demand to be respected.

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Professionalism as a Social Construct: The Evolution of a Concept

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In this issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, the article entitled "Creating a framework for medical professionalism: an initial consensus statement from an Arab nation" by Abdel-Razig and colleagues provides another enlightening contribution to our understanding of professionalism in global terms and adds to the literature on professionalism in the Muslim world.

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Recognizing and Responding to Microaggressions at Work

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Microaggressions, the insensitive statements, questions, or assumptions aimed at traditionally marginalized identity groups can happen to anyone, of any background, at any professional level. The research is clear about the impact seemingly innocuous statements can have on one’s physical and mental…

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An exploration of how design might be led by marginalized communities, dismantle structural inequality, and advance collective liberation and ecological survival.
What is the relationship between design, power, and social justice? "Design justice" is an approach to design that is led by marginalized communities and that aims expilcitly to challenge, rather than reproduce, structural inequalities. It has emerged from a growing community of designers in various fields who work closely with social movements and community-based organizations around the world.

This book explores the theory and practice of design justice, demonstrates how universalist design principles and practices erase certain groups of people-specifically, those who are intersectionally disadvantaged or multiply burdened under the matrix of domination (white supremacist heteropatriarchy, ableism, capitalism, and settler colonialism)-and invites readers to "build a better world, a world where many worlds fit; linked worlds of collective liberation and ecological sustainability." Along the way, the book documents a multitude of real-world community-led design practices, each grounded in a particular social movement. Design Justice goes beyond recent calls for design for good, user-centered design, and employment diversity in the technology and design professions; it connects design to larger struggles for collective liberation and ecological survival.
Chapters of Design Justice will be made OA on a monthly basis.

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An exploration of how design might be led by marginalized communities, dismantle structural inequality, and advance collective liberation and ecological survival. What is the relationship between design, power, and social justice? "Design justice" is an approach to design that is led by marginalized communities and that aims expilcitly to challenge, rather than reproduce, structural inequalities.

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The importance of representation in veterinary medicine

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The importance of representation in veterinary medicine

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The importance of representation in veterinary medicine

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During an interview, dvm360® student ambassador, Lakhia Fuller, MS, explained why representation in veterinary medicine is crucial to future generations of veterinary professionals.

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DEI Isn’t Enough; Companies Need Anti-Racist Leadership

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DEI Isn’t Enough; Companies Need Anti-Racist Leadership

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ALISON BEARD: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review. I'm Alison Beard.

Over the past few years in the US, we've seen some horrific examples of racism directed at Black Americans, Latinos, Asians, Jewish people, and those of Arab descent. We've heard anti-immigrant slurs, seen people of color attacked, and if we could stomach it, actually watched to the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and others.

Amid all these tragedies and the public protests that have followed, many U.S business leaders promised that they would do their part to fight the problem. They committed to making their workplaces more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. They came out strong, but for the past year and a half, they've been struggling with the hard part, putting their words into action, actually seizing this small window of opportunity to make lasting change.

Our guests today are here to help. James White is the former Chair, President, and CEO of Jamba Juice. Drawing on his experiences turning that company into one that delivered on DEI, and conversations and work with other executives doing the same, he and his daughter, Krista White wrote the book, Anti-Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World. They also wrote the related HBR article, "How to Build an Anti-racist Company". James and Krista, I'm so happy to have you here.

JAMES WHITE: We are thrilled to be on with you today.

KRISTA WHITE: Thank you for having us.

ALISON BEARD: As black Americans yourselves, this is obviously a pretty personal issue for you. I know this might be opening a huge can of worms right at the start, but could you first tell me a little bit about your own lives and career experiences and how they've shaped your thing on these issues? James, let's start with you.

JAMES WHITE: I'd make a couple comments as a black executive, the first member of my family to graduate from college, the events of 2020 and the global racial reckoning really brought to the fore the need for the book that we wrote together and the significant work that is yet to be done.

I've been blessed and very successful throughout my career, but my first assignment in sales with the Coca-Cola Company, we had to remove from my selling territory, the headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan in Arkansas. So there are not white colleagues that have that challenge as a first generation graduate from college first professional job, so that's just a challenge. And I think this is where we would love for all leaders that have much greater empathy.

KRISTA WHITE: I also feel that the 2020 situation was a huge moment of a lot of things coming to ahead for me between the racial reckoning that dad mentioned and the pandemic that we've seen have a disproportionate effect on people of color has really brought things to light for me after just my own experiences living as a black woman facing microaggressions, having people ask if they could touch my hair, and it really brought it to a greater scale for me.

There's certain challenges that you experience. I spend a lot of time in predominantly white spaces so you feel othered. Those microaggressions they add up and some of them are microaggressions. And also there have been times in my work experience where I've observed and you question whether this is racial or not, you second guess yourself, but I've seen white colleagues be promoted with less experience than me and things like that.

JAMES WHITE: And one of the other things we talk about in the book is the requirement for black executives to need to prove it again and prove it again. One of the stories that we really talk about is the fact that I've never, across really a long and successful career, been promoted on the basis of potential and I shared this story with 1,000 people at a company town hall, Medallia.

The CEO had me to address the group and this was post the murder of George Floyd. And I made the comment around never being promoted on potential and I could see the CEO rock back in his chair and he said, you know what? We've got black Medallians sitting in this audience. They don't even realize the potential that they have and we probably should be thinking about opportunities for them to play different roles inside the company.

ALISON BEARD: Yeah. And so that's a perfect transition, this problem plays out at the personal individual level, but the solutions don't happen there. They happen at the organization level. So I'd love to talk about your time at Jamba Juice, James. In broad strokes, what was the company like when you arrived and how did you change it to make it a more welcoming place for people of color, LGBTQ employees, a more inclusive organization?

JAMES WHITE: I think the foundational strength of Jamba is that it would've been more inclusive from the start than most other companies. The founder of the company, Kirk Perron, was a gay man. The foundation to be a really inclusive company was always there. The values and purpose of the company were very consistent with my own, but the focus that we brought over the course of the time that I was at the helm of Jamba was to add significantly more diversity of all kinds into the leadership level.

The one place the Jamba was not diverse was in the boardroom and we added more diversity into the boardroom. And then at all levels inside the company from a leadership perspective. One of the things that you'll find in corporations is some companies, especially in an industry like the restaurant industry are incredibly diverse on the frontline, but as people migrate across their careers you'll see little or no diversity in the leadership ranks.

ALISON BEARD: And Krista, after your dad stepped down, why did you two want to come together to write this playbook for other companies? In particular, what perspective did you want to bring to the table?

KRISTA WHITE: Yeah, so we had started working together on some consulting projects. And the more we were learning, the more we realized how much there was to share in that dad had this extremely unique perspective as someone who had been a black operating executive versus the usual perspective from DEI leaders and HR folks. And my perspective in the book is one that is very... It's informed by my experiences as a millennial I'd say, and someone who's not necessarily in the corporate world, but someone who is very passionate about social justice and in naming the things that we really have to reckon with of white supremacy, of the systemic nature of racism in this country and within a lot of corporations. So pushing the book forward in that way and naming anti-racism was really important to me.

ALISON BEARD: So this term anti-racist has really come to the fore over the past couple years, Krista, how do you define anti-racist leadership?

KRISTA WHITE: Yeah. I'd say that anti-racist leaders are really committed to looking at these systemic things within their company, looking at the processes and looking at their rituals. They move beyond lip service. A lot of people have put out Black Lives Matter statements and anti-racist statements for their companies, but who is actually taking action? Who is holding their top leaders accountable? Who is being really honest about where they stand currently because everyone has somewhere to go in terms of anti-racism.

They understand that it is an ongoing journey. It's a moving target. We are constantly evolving and learning. And an anti-racist leader is open to learning and acknowledging what they don't know. They recognize the implicit humanity in people and lead with empathy. And they're also surrounding themselves with great people who they can learn from and learn with and collaborate with. And they are also open to listening to their team from the top down, everyone within the company has the ability to have a voice. There's formalized opportunities to speak to the top such as town halls and one-on-ones with leaders. And they're just really committed to this multi-year journey.

ALISON BEARD: And James, why is it so important for all leaders from the top to the team manager, not just the HR department to lead this charge?

JAMES WHITE: I think the critical thing that we wanted to bring is really not the micro, but we wanted to step back and think about the systems and institutions and how we make sustainable change and sustainable progress around this work in to the point that Krista mentioned the systems and processes that are biased need to be retooled, reworked, and from a leadership perspective, we've got a number of beliefs. One, the CEO has to lead this work. She can't delegate it because this work is inextricably linked to culture and values of the company and that you never delegate.

It's important that the HR and the chief diversity officers are connected to the work where there's a chief diversity officer present, but the most important segment of the organization and population that we focus on in the book is the middle management. Most of us experience our own... All of our work experience is with the middle managers which is the place where most of the people report. So your experience with an organization is at that middle management level and we believe you need to bring process and tools and policies and incentives that enable that middle management group to really change the organization to create more inclusive workspaces that allow us all to bring our full selves to work.

ALISON BEARD: And so you have seven steps for making this happen. We just talked about enlisting the support of senior executives then it's... I'm going to go through them quickly for our audience. It's audit the culture, document what's already happening with DEI, find ways to measure progress, form action learning teams, and develop and communicate a plan. So let's dig into some of those in more detail. Krista, what do you mean by audit the culture?

KRISTA WHITE: Yeah. When you are auditing the culture, you want to really dig into all the different processes that touch culture. So it's important to look at the HR systems and see where there are gaps, see where there's bias. It also means digging into your data and looking at, say, what are the real numbers of diversity within your company? What's the representation of different people and also disaggregating that data so you know for example, how many women of color you might have at different levels and just really having an in depth look at those numbers as well as looking at employee survey data by different populations to see what experiences your employees are having. And if it changes based on race or gender or other identity categories.

ALISON BEARD: Because it seems so easy to fall back on things like the number of people of color hired at a certain level of management, but to not think about how things actually feel on the ground at the organization. How do you figure out which metrics are the most important? What are the areas in which you think it's most important to document where you are now and ensure that you're making progress?

JAMES WHITE: It is going to be situational. Every organization is going to be different. And one of the ways that I talk about it is, I think, organizations need to start where they are. You do it in the context with the filter of what are the company's values and mission. This is going to be, as Krista mentioned, a multi-year journey. And the most important thing is that we start.

ALISON BEARD: And Krista, what are action learning teams and how do they inform the plan?

KRISTA WHITE: Sure. Action learning teams are team cross-functional teams that bring together folks that may or may not have worked together before to tackle business issues and solve problems. It's a way that people can be brought together that aren't usually in the groups of folks who get to do these more high-profile assignments. And it's one way that you can identify these high potential people who might be in marginalized groups or might not just be the traditional cookie cutter fit of what your company been promoting. One example we use in the book is using action learning teams to bring more Jamba Juices into airports. They brought together people from different departments and you give them a timeframe. And it's these small groups of that really are able to ideate and innovate together.

JAMES WHITE: We view action learning as really a tool or a technology, but I've seen used effectively cross my own career. And the suggestion that we make is, as you bring people from inside the company that typically don't get to work on the organization level problems like culture, like diversity, equity and inclusion, like building an approach for anti-racist leadership inside the company and the formation or composition of that team should be cross-functional and should be representative of the diversity in the company. And you start to bring different voices into the company and have them focus on solving the critical challenges of the organization.

ALISON BEARD: S

ALISON BEARD: And so we've all seen this happen, you have a task force like that, an action learning team, they come up with a plan, they make recommendations and then nothing happens. So how do you make sure that all of this work amounts to something. It's one of these moments when people really are mobilizing around this issue of anti-racism, so how do we keep the momentum?

JAMES WHITE: Well, this work is not delegated, this work would be elevated to the C-suite. I have several examples in the book. Schnucks Supermarkets would be one of the fantastic examples. The CEO, Todd Schnuck, there over the last two years has been personally involved on a weekly basis with his chief people officer, head of diversity and aligned leader. And then on a monthly basis, I actually join the discussion with that group and we've been doing that for almost two years. And that's the leadership in this moment that I think we need to see and you see really real progress everywhere in an organization like that one where the CEO is committed. And we talk about one of the things that the team at Schnucks did last year to really bring their learning and work together. In their supermarkets had their employees to wear these t-shirts that says, unity is power, we stand against racism. And that was really a bold move. Schnuck Supermarkets is in St. Louis, Missouri. And if you just think about the makeup and composition of where their stores exist, this is the value purpose driven leadership that we're advocating for in the book. And I couldn't be more proud to have had a small part and work with that team.

ALISON BEARD: That's a great story. Krista, how do you see the younger generation in particular, making sure that there is real permanent change on these issues and holding senior leaders into account.

KRISTA WHITE: Sure. I think we're seeing it. This is one of the reasons behind this great resignation that we're seeing is people are no longer accepting companies that don't align with their values. I think that's one way we're holding senior leadership accountable for their actions is by just we're not going to work here anymore. And being very intentional about... These days people are very intentional around keeping receipts, so keeping the screenshots of the email exchanges you might have with people or the Slacks and people are... I think one tool that have its problems, but has been very useful for people in my generation is social media and the ability to really be transparent. Whereas other people in previous generations A, didn't have those tools, but I think were just more likely to keep things close to the vest, but I think the social aspect of being able to band together and get support that way is something that has been really powerful.

JAMES WHITE: And it's really changed the nature of the job of the chief executive that have commented recently to groups. Social issues a decade ago even six years ago were ones that CEOs could opt in or out of. With the big push around ESG, Environmental Social Governance, related issues especially the S, you've got major investors that want to have the company's report and talk about those issues, but critically important is our consumers are holding companies to account is never before. And it's just a critical, critical issue that can't be avoided for this generation of executives.

And as we think about the future of work, we think this whole idea around any racist leadership and more inclusive leadership is going to be a core capability. My generation of leaders wouldn't have studied this in business school, but there's starting to emerge more work where this next generation of leaders are going to be exposed to these kinds of concepts. And I think the leaders that are going to be the most effective are going to be the most proficient at this skillset.

ALISON BEARD: We've talked about some success stories, but as you see people working on this, what are some of the biggest challenges that they're running up against? Where are the DEI efforts going wrong or falling flat or seeing growing pains?

JAMES WHITE: I think the challenges sit in places where there is really not the leadership at the top of the organization. Again, if you look at 2020 as a moment in time, there were hundreds of statements from companies. And I think as I go back and look at the statements versus the real work, there's a lot of distance between the commitments and what really has happened on the ground. I think the places where there is more progress in significant momentum forward are the places where there is solid leadership from the CEO and significant work around process and systems and there's action plans, and there's reporting, and there's transparency.

Where people just drop in incremental training on an individual basis, those end up being just events and really very little progress is made. So we're really focused on the system and process changes, the policy changes, and then there needs to be real change in terms of representation. An example we give in the book is at Medallia, the CEO, Leslie Stretch and his leadership team made a commitment to change the representation of blacks at Medallia, stood at 1% in 2020 and they had a commitment over four years to take that percentage of representation to 13% and they-

ALISON BEARD: That's a big jump in four years.

JAMES WHITE: And they incentivize themselves, they put 100% of their equity compensation at risk for that leadership team. So over the course of the first two years, they moved from 1% to 7% and this is in the technology space. And I think this really proves a couple points, one, the CEO and the management team were committed. Two, they put their own financial gain at risk around this work. And three that if we focus on this as a priority like we do everything else in business, we can move the needle and I'd love to see more companies take that kind of commitment.

ALISON BEARD: Yeah. At a time when the country does seem so politically divided, and I think we see a bit of this play out in Europe as well with anti-immigrant sentiment, for example, how do you square those two countervailing forces? On the one side, what seems like an increase in racist sentiment while at the same time we're seeing progress in workplaces. Is that what you're talking about that Corporate America can take the lead?

JAMES WHITE: Absolutely. I just think anytime when you have great potential change there's always pushback. And I think we're at that moment in time and what we hope to do with this book is to start the conversation, be a catalyst for change, but if we think about just the US marketplace and just the demographic changes, the new generations that are in the workforce, the change is actually coming and the companies and management teams that get this are going to be advantaged.

The great resignation at the better companies is not the same as the great resignation at companies that have terrible cultures that don't create environments and spaces for everybody to make their best contribution. And I think you're going to see the dichotomy, over the next decade, of company's capacity to access talent. And then I think consumers as well are voting with their feet.

ALISON BEARD: Yeah. And Krista, we are at a moment when there seem to be many different crises, we're perhaps emerging from the pandemic, the younger generation cares passionately about fighting climate change and protecting the environment, DEI is a big issue. How do you see younger leaders as well as senior executives balancing all of these priorities? Is there a danger that DEI slips to third or fourth when all of that other stuff is going on too?

KRISTA WHITE: I think that when DEI and anti-racism is built into the fabric of your company, that's when it permeates through everything. And we've seen this time and time again, of the culture and DEI goals sinking from must have to nice to have. But one of the things we talk about in the closing chapter of the book is setting up a new paradigm where when you're within this paradigm of anti-racism, a lot of things fall within that. So climate change has a huge effect disproportionately on people of color especially indigenous people. So when you're looking an anti-racist lens, climate change and sustainability is going to naturally follow.

The pandemic and those challenges, again, disproportionately affects communities of color. I'm just saying that all those things come together when you're looking through a certain paradigm and I won't say it's not difficult to manage all the different crises that we're dealing with, but they are all so connected that I'm seeing folks really take on a multi-pronged approach and everyone has to set their own, what their mission and vision and values are and approach everything from that place and keep going back to that.

ALISON BEARD: Yeah. And James, what's your wish for corporate America or global business? What do you want it to look like in five years time, in 20 years time?

JAMES WHITE: I'm actually hopeful that we all embrace this anti-racist approach to Corporate America. I think if we, to the point that Krista made, can enable that we will have a form of capitalism and business that is more thoughtful, that is more conscious, and we create environments and spaces where really everyone can bring their best selves into the workforce. This is a journey around purpose in any companies that proclaim to be purpose and mission driven. This work will be really foundational to the future. And I'm hopeful if we look out 10 or 20 or 30 years, that the conversation that we must have today is unnecessary sometime into the future.

ALISON BEARD: That would be so great. I just got chills. Well, thank you so much. That's a terrific book. I really enjoyed talking with you about these issues. Appreciate having you on the show.

JAMES WHITE: Alison, we're grateful. Thanks for having us on.

KRISTA WHITE: Yes. Thanks for having us.

ALISON BEARD: That's Krista White and James White. Together they wrote the book, Anti-racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World, and the HBR article, How to Build an Anti-racist Company.

For another conversation about how US business culture needs to change, listen to our interview with Chad Sanders, that's episode 782 titled, What Black Leaders Bring to the Table. This episode was produced by Mary Dew. We get technical help from Rob Eckhardt. Ian Fox is our audio product manager. Thanks for listening to the HBR IdeaCast. I'm Alison Beard.

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DEI Isn't Enough; Companies Need Anti-Racist Leadership

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ALISON BEARD: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review. I'm Alison Beard. Over the past few years in the US, we've seen some horrific examples of racism directed at Black Americans, Latinos, Asians, Jewish people, and those of Arab descent.

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Why Kids Need to Learn About Gender and Sexuality

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Why Kids Need to Learn About Gender and Sexuality

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Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality | Lindsay Amer

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Your Privilege Is Showing | Lillian Medville | TEDxBeaconStreet

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Screaming in the Silence: How to be an ally, not a savior | Graciela Mohamedi | TEDxBeaconStreet

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equity vs equality giving trees source unknown

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Indigenous Land Acknowledgements  - Anton Treuer

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Indigenous Land Acknowledgements  - Anton Treuer

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Nuts and bolts of good land acknowledgement

Local and specific

Acknowledge local injustice

Acknowledgement of contemporary Native existence and resiliency (Indigenous peoples are more than a sum of their tragedies)

Specific to institution in form of a call to action (these are the specific tribes that have called this area home, these are some of the specific injustices that they have endured, we acknowledge their contemporary existence and resiliency, and we as an institution are making a call to action to address injustice in all its forms)

Be brief - one paragraph max

Vocab that is accessible to all

Process just as important as final product - collaborative, conversations with all stakeholders, etc

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"Some people may argue that such concerns are unimportant, but if you consider that language is the primary filter through which we perceive the world, it's obvious that it affects how we relate to and make judgments about one another," Dowd tells Teen Vogue. "Until now, history has been written and told by men, to the detriment of others. Part of any attempt to create a society in which all people - regardless of gender, sexuality or race - have equal opportunities and freedoms is to use language that no longer excludes certain groups or creates unconscious bias."

Just because a nonbinary person isn't present doesn't make it OK to use binary language.

Many nonbinary people aren't as vocal about their identity and pronouns as others, and you can't know someone's gender by looking at them, Hoffman-Fox stresses. Nonbinary people reflect a wide variety of gender expressions and are sometimes still identified as male or female because they don't present as androgynous.

"It's fairly common for people to assume that a nonbinary person isn't in the room," Hoffman-Fox said. "The truth is, there is no way someone could know that, unless they have had conversations with every person in the vicinity and have asked them if they use binary terms to describe themselves."

Hold those around you accountable.

Don't be afraid to correct those around you, such as your classmates and even teachers, about using exclusive, gendered language, but do understand not everyone receives criticism in the same way.

"Some people will be comfortable with being very direct, like: 'Excuse me, but when you used ladies to describe our friend group, it leaves out those who are uncomfortable with being gendered as female,'" Hoffman-Fox tells Teen Vogue. "Some may want to take a more subtle approach, such as repeatedly using a gender-neutral term within earshot of the person using binary language."

Pay attention to which responses work better for certain people.

"Depending on the situation, you can address the situation with the person publicly or privately, in person or through a message," Hoffman-Fox adds. "Try to keep it as simple as possible, explaining briefly what binary language is and how it can often result in people feeling invisible."

Remember that binary language also harms cisgender and binary transgender people.

Nonbinary people aren't the only ones hurt by binary language. Binary transgender people (or trans people who aren't nonbinary) and cisgender people are also affected - and often harmed - by the gender binary and how ingrained it can be in our language. For instance, many women prefer not to be lumped into a group of "ladies" because of society's expectations of how a lady should act.

"There are people who aren't nonbinary who are uncomfortable with binary gendered terms, thanks to these terms also being experienced as stereotypical," Hoffman-Fox says. "Shifting to gender-neutral language is of benefit not only to those who are nonbinary but to many others in society who feel that binary terms are inaccurate ways of describing them."

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The Gender-Neutral Words You Need to Know for Back to School

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"Some people may argue that such concerns are unimportant, but if you consider that language is the primary filter through which we perceive the world, it's obvious that it affects how we relate to and make judgments about one another," Dowd tells Teen Vogue.

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https://jenniferbrownspeaks.com/inclusive-leader-book/assessment

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Visualizing Health Equity: One Size Does Not Fit All Infographic

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Download and share this image to #PromoteHealthEquity, which means a fair and just opportunity for all.

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Leadership Barriers to DEI and How to Address Them

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Leadership Barriers to DEI and How to Address Them

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According to a survey by Glassdoor, more than 50% of people think their companies should be doing more to increase workforce diversity.

It all started in 1964, more than 50 years ago, when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The act, of course, applies to employers. Yet after all of the civil unrest we experienced in 2020, how many times did you hear a CEO or spokesperson for an organization say that they are committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture? Probably too many to count.

Why, then, are so many organizations failing to move the needle in-house? From what we've seen, many just can't seem to figure out how to be more inclusive. Why?

That was the question we posed to our company's Center for Diversity & Inclusion (CDI) when we were trying to identify the root causes that are preventing organizations from making progress toward inclusion.

The answer, in a word, is leadership.

We know this because our CDI's research identified three barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) success, all of which can be attributed to leaders. They are:

1. Leaders who are undermining DEI initiatives

2. Detrimental attitudes of the leadership majority

3. Not elevating DEI to a business initiative

Inclusion starts with changing the mindsets of leaders and addressing the barriers they often create. Without this first step, organizations won't be successful at moving the needle.

In its When Women Thrive 2020 global report, wealth management firm Mercer noted that 81% of the 1,157 organizations it surveyed were focusing on improving diversity and inclusion, but only 42% had a "documented, multiyear strategy" for doing so.

A 2018 report by professional services network Grant Thornton identified the difference between companies that claimed that diversity initiatives "are important" and those that were actually "taking action." In North America, just over 50% of companies thought it was important, but only 13% were actually doing something to improve diversity.

It's no wonder that we're still talking about DEI more than 50 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed.

If an organization has any hope of having successful DEI initiatives, you have to manage the mindsets of your leadership. Our CDI's research dives deeply into each of the three barriers I mentioned above and links them together.

Until leaders stop undermining DEI initiatives because they are "too busy" or think they are a waste of the organization's time, effort and money, you will never have an inclusive culture.

Until leaders recognize and acknowledge that meritocracy is not always a reality, and stop misconstruing equality and equity, you will never have an inclusive culture.

Until leaders start elevating DEI to a business initiative, with applied expertise, funding/resources, and tracking, you will never have an inclusive culture.

And succeeding with DEI initiatives is a worthwhile goal for companies. Deloitte found that organizations can see an 80% improvement in business performance when levels of diversity and inclusion are high. According to McKinsey & Company, companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity are 36% more profitable than those in the fourth quartile. I could go on and on.

So what can leaders do to address the barriers to DEI success that many of them are creating?

1. Demonstrate support for DEI initiatives and model inclusive behaviors so the rest of the organization will follow. Leaders set the tone and can drive the culture shift by example.

2. Invite and encourage different perspectives. Meritocracy is aspirational and does not necessarily represent the experiences of underrepresented talent. Understand the difference between equality and equity. As defined by the George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, "Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome."

3. Treat DEI initiatives like other business initiatives. They should be the result of strategic planning and should aim to create a better plan, company culture or workplace performance. Make sure every DEI initiative has a dedicated leader, and put success metrics in place to track progress.

Now is the time for leaders to step up. Only when they change their mindsets, address the barriers that many of them are creating and prioritize the necessary work to become a diverse and inclusive organization will they finally achieve the successful business outcomes that companies have been chasing for the last 50-plus years.

Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?

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Council Post: Leadership Barriers To Diversity, Equity And Inclusion, And How To Address Them

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According to a survey by Glassdoor, more than 50% of people think their companies should be doing more to increase workforce diversity. It all started in 1964, more than 50 years ago, when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

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Diverse Teams Feel Less Comfortable — and That’s Why They Perform Better

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Diverse Teams Feel Less Comfortable — and That’s Why They Perform Better

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In numerous studies, diversity - both inherent (e.g., race, gender) and acquired (experience, cultural background) - is associated with business success. For example, a 2009 analysis of 506 companies found that firms with more racial or gender diversity had more sales revenue, more customers, and greater profits. A 2016 analysis of more than 20,000 firms in 91 countries found that companies with more female executives were more profitable. In a 2011 study management teams exhibiting a wider range of educational and work backgrounds produced more-innovative products. These are mere correlations, but laboratory experiments have also shown the direct effect of diversity on team performance. In a 2006 study of mock juries, for example, when black people were added to the jury, white jurors processed the case facts more carefully and deliberated more effectively.

Under increasing scrutiny, and mindful of the benefits of diversity on the bottom line, many companies are trying to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce. Success has so far been marginal. With so much at stake, why aren't these companies making more headway? One reason could be that, despite the evidence about their results, homogenous teams just feel more effective. In addition, people believe that diverse teams breed greater conflict than they actually do. Bringing these biases to light may enable ways to combat them.

Homogenous Teams Feel Easier - but Easy Is Bad for Performance

A revealing 2009 study of fraternity and sorority members published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin offers a remarkable window into the workings of diverse and homogenous teams. Fraternity and sorority membership conveys a powerful group identity, much like political or religious affiliation, and consequently can create a strong sense of similarity (or dissimilarity) with others. In the experiment, teams were asked to solve a murder mystery. First, students were individually given 20 minutes to study the clues and pinpoint the likely suspect. Next, they were placed into teams of three with fellow members from the same Greek house and given 20 minutes to discuss the case together and provide a joint answer. Five minutes into the discussion, however, they were joined by a fourth team member, someone from either their own house or another one.

After collectively naming their suspect, members individually rated aspects of the discussion. More diverse groups - those joined by someone from outside their own fraternity or sorority - judged the team interactions to be less effective than did groups joined by insiders. They were also less confident in their final decisions.

Intuitively, this makes sense: On a homogenous team, people readily understand each other and collaboration flows smoothly, giving the sensation of progress. Dealing with outsiders causes friction, which feels counterproductive.

But in this case their judgments were starkly wrong. Among groups where all three original members didn't already know the correct answer, adding an outsider versus an insider actually doubled their chance of arriving at the correct solution, from 29% to 60%. The work felt harder, but the outcomes were better.

In fact, working on diverse teams produces better outcomes precisely because it's harder.

This idea goes against many people's intuitions. There's a common bias that psychologists call the fluency heuristic: We prefer information that is processed more easily, or fluently, judging it to be truer or more beautiful. The effect partially explains that we gain greater appreciation of songs or paintings when they become familiar because they're more easily processed. The fluency heuristic leads many people to study incorrectly; they often simply reread the material. The information becomes more familiar without much effort, and so they feel that they're learning. But in a 2011 study students performed better on a test after studying the text once and then trying to recall as much as they could, a strenuous task, than they did by repeatedly going over the text, even though they predicted that rereading was the key to learning. Similarly, confronting opinions you disagree with might not seem like the quickest path to getting things done, but working in groups can be like studying (or exercising): no pain, no gain.

Diversity Can Increase Conflict, but Not as Much as You Think

There's another bias at play here, too: A 2015 paper in Organization Science, summarized in this HBR article, suggests that people overestimate the amount of conflict that actually exists on diverse teams. In one study MBA students were asked to imagine that they were comanaging several four-person teams of interns, and that one team had asked for additional resources. They saw photos of the members, depicting four white men, four black men, or two of each. They then read a transcript of a discussion among the group and rated the team on various factors. Teams of four white men and four black men were seen as having equal levels of relationship conflict, but the diverse teams were seen as having more relationship conflict than the homogeneous teams, even though everyone had read the same transcript. Further, this perception of greater conflict made the participants less likely to provide the additional resources the mixed group had requested.

This type of unconscious bias can clearly have a significant impact not only on hiring but also on the ways in which leaders create teams and encourage collaboration. Without realizing it, they may be reluctant to add diversity to a team or to assign colleagues with different backgrounds to work together, in response to an (overblown) fear of the tension and difficulty that could ensue.

Capitalizing on Diversity Means Highlighting - Not Hiding from - Differences

It's critical to note that simply making a team more diverse is not necessarily enough to see the benefits. Diverse teams must find ways to work together productively, and often the best ways of working may seem counterintuitive.

For example, research suggests that when people with different perspectives are brought together, people may seek to gloss over those differences in the interest of group harmony - when, in fact, differences should actually be taken seriously and highlighted. In a 2012 study teams of three were tasked with generating a creative business plan for a theater. On some teams, members were assigned distinct roles (Artistic, Event, and Finance Manager), thus increasing diversity of viewpoints. These teams came up with better ideas than homogeneous teams - but only if they'd been explicitly told to try to take the perspectives of their teammates. They had to face up to their differences in order to benefit from them.

Another way to take advantage of differing viewpoints is to highlight the value of multiculturalism. One 2009 study looked at support for multiculturalism versus colorblindness in nearly 4,000 employees in 18 work units at a large U.S. health care firm. The more that workers agreed that "employees should recognize and celebrate racial and ethnic differences" and the more they disagreed that "employees should downplay their racial and ethnic differences," the more that minorities in those units reported feeling engaged in their work. In another 2009 study, pairs of students, one white and one Aboriginal Canadian, were teamed up for a conversation. Prefacing the meeting with a message supporting multiculturalism (versus no message) made the meeting more positive, while a message endorsing colorblindness led whites to turn negative toward their minority partners.

Of course, diversity is not always a panacea, and it can at times produce corrosive conflict. When that happens, it is often because team members are bringing different values, rather than different ideas, to the table. It's difficult to overcome differences in values, no matter how well-intentioned colleagues may be. In addition, diversity's benefits are rarely obtained without a strong sense of team and organizational inclusion. Only when people feel welcome and respected will the team be able to benefit from their unique perspective and experience.

The research presented here suggests that diversity initiatives may not be successful until we do more to address the way diversity is perceived. When leaders see it first and foremost as a social obligation that makes things difficult and slows progress, they will likely make decisions that undermine the organization's diversity goals. They may also, at least unconsciously, try to downplay the substance of existing diversity on their teams. If, however, leaders can recognize that the debate and unfamiliarity that come with diversity is an important catalyst for creativity and deep thinking, they will invite it and celebrate it. And very likely, the organization - and everyone in it - will reap the rewards.

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Diverse Teams Feel Less Comfortable - and That's Why They Perform Better

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In numerous studies, diversity - both inherent (e.g., race, gender) and acquired (experience, cultural background) - is associated with business success. For example, a 2009 analysis of 506 companies found that firms with more racial or gender diversity had more sales revenue, more customers, and greater profits.

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When and How to Respond to Microaggressions

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When and How to Respond to Microaggressions

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In U.S. workplaces - and around the world - people are finally engaging in real conversations about race, justice, diversity, equality, and inclusion. That's a good thing, hopefully paving the way for meaningful anti-racist action from both individuals and organizations. But those discussions will in all likelihood be very uncomfortable - not just for white employees and leaders who might be confronting their privilege for the first time but also for people of color, especially Black Americans, who know that candid talks with colleagues will mean they either face or need to call out "microaggressions."

These are incidents in which someone accidentally (or purposely) makes an offensive statement or asks an insensitive question. Microagressions are defined as verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group. For Black people, they are ubiquitous across daily work and life. Here are a few seemingly innocuous statements that, in the context of racist assumptions and stereotypes, can be quite damaging.

"When I see you, I don't see color." (signaling that the person doesn't acknowledge your Blackness or won't hold it against you)

"We are all one race: the human race." (signaling that your experience as a Black person is no different from the experience of people of other races)

"You are so articulate." (signaling that Black people are not usually capable of competent intellectual conversation)

"I see your hair is big today! Are you planning to wear it like that to the client meeting?" (signaling that natural Black hairstyles are not professional)

"Everyone can succeed in society if they work hard enough." (signaling that disparate outcomes for Black people result from laziness)

As suggested by the name, microaggressions seem small; but compounded over time, they can have a deleterious impact on an employee's experience, physical health, and psychological well-being. In fact, research suggests that subtle forms of interpersonal discrimination like microaggressions are at least as harmful as more-overt expressions of discrimination.

Microaggressions reinforce white privilege and undermine a culture of inclusion. The best solution is, of course, increasing awareness of microaggressions, insisting that non-Black employees stop committing them, and calling out those who do. But in the absence of those changes - and understanding that complete prevention is probably impossible - how should Black employees and managers respond to the microaggressions they face, within and outside of current discussions around race in the workplace?

There are three main ways to react:

Let it go. For a long time, the most common default response was choosing not to address offensive comments in the workplace. Because they are pervasive yet subtle, they can be emotionally draining to confront. Yet silence places an emotional tax on Black employees, who are left wondering what happened and why, questioning their right to feel offended, and reinforcing beliefs that they are not safe from identity devaluation at work.

Respond immediately. This approach allows the transgression to be called out and its impact explained while the details of the incident are fresh in the minds of everyone involved. Immediacy is an important component of correcting bad behavior. But this approach can be risky. The perpetrator might get defensive, leaving the target feeling like they somehow "lost control," did not show up as their best self, and will be labeled an overly sensitive whiner, a trouble-maker, or the stereotypical angry Black person.

Respond later. A more tempered response is to address the perpetrator privately at a later point to explain why the microaggression was offensive. Here, the risk lies in the time lag. A follow-up conversation requires helping the person who committed the microaggression to first recall it and then to appreciate its impact. The Black employee bringing it up might be deemed petty - like someone who has been harboring resentment or holding on to "little things" while the other party, having "meant no harm," has moved on. Such accusations are a form of racial gaslighting, which can be very damaging.

We recommend the following framework for determining which course is best for you in any given situation and then, if you decide to respond, ensuring an effective dialogue.

Discern

Determine how much of an investment you want to make in addressing the microaggression. Do not feel pressured to respond to every incident; rather, feel empowered to do so when you decide you should. Consider:

The importance of the issue and the relationship. If either is or both are important to you, avoidance is the wrong approach. Express yourself in a way that honors your care for the other party, and assert yourself in a way that acknowledges your concern about the issue.

Your feelings. Microaggressions can make you doubt the legitimacy of your reactions. Allow yourself to feel what you feel, whether it's anger, disappointment, frustration, aggravation, confusion, embarrassment, exhaustion, or something else. Any emotion is legitimate and should factor into your decision about whether, how, and when to respond. With more-active negative emotions such as anger, it's often best to address the incident later. If you're confused, an immediate response might be preferable. If you're simply exhausted from the weight of working while Black, maybe it is best to let it go - meaning best for you, not for the perpetrator.

How you want to be perceived now and in the future. There are consequences to speaking up and to remaining silent. Only you can determine which holds more weight for you in any specific situation.

Disarm

If you choose to confront a microaggression, be prepared to disarm the person who committed it. One reason we avoid conversations about race is that they make people defensive. Perpetrators of microaggressions typically fear being perceived - or worse, revealed - as racist. Explain that the conversation might get uncomfortable for them but that what they just said or did was uncomfortable for you. Invite them to sit alongside you in the awkwardness of their words or deeds while you get to the root of their behavior together.

Defy

Challenge the perpetrator to clarify their statement or action. Use a probing question, such as " How do you mean that?" This gives people a chance to check themselves as they unpack what happened. And it gives you an opportunity to better gauge the perpetrator's intent. One of the greatest privileges is the freedom not to notice you have privilege; so microaggressions are often inadvertently offensive. Acknowledge that you accept their intentions to be as they stated but reframe the conversation around the impact of the microaggression. Explain how you initially interpreted it and why. If they continue to assert that they " didn't mean it like that," remind them that you appreciate their willingness to clarify their intent and hope they appreciate your willingness to clarify their impact.

Decide

You control what this incident will mean for your life and your work - what you will take from the interaction and what you will allow it to take from you. Black people, as well as those with various other marginalized and intersectional identities, are already subject to biased expectations and evaluations in the workplace. Life is sufficiently taxing without allowing microaggressions to bring you down. Let protecting your joy be your greatest and most persistent act of resistance.

A note of advice for non-Black allies old and new: The work of allyship is difficult. You will make mistakes as you learn - and you will always be learning. For anyone accused of committing a microaggression or counseling someone who has been accused, here are a few notes on how to respond:

Remember that intent does not supersede impact.

Seek to understand the experiences of your Black peers, bosses, and employees without making them responsible for your edification.

Believe your Black colleagues when they choose to share their insights; don't get defensive or play devil's advocate.

Get comfortable rethinking much of what you thought to be true about the world and your workplace and accept that you have likely been complicit in producing inequity.

Although more organizations are encouraging candid discussions on race in the workplace, we cannot ignore the historical backlash that Black employees have endured for speaking up. Cultural change takes time and intention. So while we encourage timely and strategic dialogue about microaggressions, it is ultimately up to each individual to respond in the way that is most authentic to who they are and how they want to be perceived.

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When and How to Respond to Microaggressions

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Microagressions are defined as verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group. For Black people, they are ubiquitous across daily work and life. You can respond in one of three ways: let it go, call it out immediately, bring it up at a later date.

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How to Use Your Privilege to Even the Playing Field

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How to Use Your Privilege to Even the Playing Field

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Broker introductions. To you, a friend is exactly that: a friend. To someone else, that same person could be the key to a job, promotion, or opportunity

Be a mentor (or sponsor). If you are in a position to influence project assignment or promotion decisions, make sure that the good people - and not just the visible people - are considered, recognized, and rewarded.

Ensure that everyone can participate equally in conversations. If you find yourself talking a lot and someone else not saying anything at all, consider introducing a topic that everyone can contribute to

Help others be seen and heard. If you hear a good idea from someone who does not typically speak up, or witness good work from someone who is not typically visible, be doubly sure that others hear it, know about it, and give credit where credit is due.

Rotate the non-glamorous work. To prevent non-promotable tasks from disproportionately falling upon women or people of color, consider taking turns so that the load is shared.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here.

Think about your average day at work. How many of the following questions can you answer with "yes"?

1) Did you know someone at your organization (especially high up) on your first day?

2) Do you feel welcome at work without changing how you naturally speak or look?

3) Does speaking up - and being heard and getting credit for your ideas- come effortlessly to you?

Now, try answering these questions again, but from the perspective of a coworker who is having an easier time at work than you, or more challenging time at work than you. Compared to your answers, how many more or fewer times might they be able to answer "yes"?

Though an imperfect proxy, the number of times you can answer "yes" compared to your coworker says a lot about who has relatively more privilege at work.

Yes, privilege.

What does it mean to have privilege?

The word "privilege" may appear antagonistic, but the dictionary definition is actually more subtle. It's "a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group."

Having privilege doesn't mean you're a bad person. It just means that the playing field is tilted in your favor.

Take the case of the three questions above.

1) Someone who answers "yes" to question #1 is a new hire who already knows someone high up in their organization. This person has an advantage over other new employees because they know someone who can introduce them to important decision makers, navigate the workplace culture, and give them tips around how to succeed.

Anyone who has this kind of "guardian angel" has more access to opportunities for growth, whereas others may not even know those opportunities exist.

2) Someone who answers "yes" to question #2 is an employee who has the ability to show up at work without feeling compelled to change how they authentically speak or look. This person is able to spend more of their time and mental energy thinking about their work as opposed to how they might be coming across to their colleagues.

They feel no need to defy stereotypes about their race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation, dis/ability, religion, age, class, nationality, physical appearance, accent, vocal pitch, language proficiency, degree of introversion or extroversion, cultural customs, educational background, or upbringing.

They feel no need to "fit in" or prove themselves over and over again. As a result, they have an advantage. Their only job is to do their job. They aren't burdened with the extra work of performing for the majority demographic.

3) Someone who answers "yes" to question #3 finds it effortless to speak up, be heard, and be remembered. Now, imagine contributing to every bit of small talk without running out of things to say. Imagine speaking your mind without the burden of imposter syndrome. Imagine people seeing you, hearing you, and respecting you just because you are you.

The first two privileges only enhance this third one. If you inherently "fit in," then this is probably your reality. To you, the workplace feels inclusive (not isolating), work events are fun (not a chore), meetings are easy (not a struggle), and being recognized is normal (not a constant fight).

Sure, skill and effort are factors. The more effective you are at networking, public speaking, and navigating the unspoken rules of the workplace, the more successful you will be at building allies and getting heard.

But that doesn't change the fact that the playing field isn't level. Small advantages early on can build and build and build, making it increasingly challenging for someone without this running start to catch up. Think of it this way:

For whom is it easiest to inherit friends in high places? Someone who grew up rubbing shoulders with the insiders, whether through a prior (elite) job, (elite) school, or (elite) social group.

For whom is it easiest to be one's authentic self at work? Someone who looks like, talks like, and/or has the same backgrounds, interests, and/or identities as their coworkers.

For whom is it easiest to speak up? Someone who is confident.

For whom is confidence the easiest to come by? Someone who is an insider - especially the one with friends in high places.

For whom is it easiest to be heard and be credited for their ideas? Someone who "fits in" with the majority.

My point is: privilege compounds.

How can you level the playing field?

Recall that privilege is defined as "a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group." The key word here is "granted." Privilege can be shared. But it can only be shared by someone who already has it. Privilege cannot be willed into existence by someone who lacks it.

That's why it's so important for those who are in a position of privilege to a) recognize their position and b) use their position for good.

If this is you, what can you do to level the playing field? Here are five ways to start:

Broker introductions.

To you, a friend is exactly that: a friend. To someone else, that same person could be the key to a job, promotion, or opportunity. A quick, "I'd love to introduce you to ______ given that you're both interested in ______" can often be all it takes to help someone build their network and unlock opportunities for themselves. And if you are in a position to influence how onboarding is done, consider offering every new hire a buddy to help them acclimate to their new environment.

Be a mentor (or sponsor).

No matter how inexperienced you may be, there is always someone even more inexperienced (or who feels that way). An equally quick, "I'd love to learn more about what you're working on" is often all you need to turn silence into dialogue. And if you are in a position to influence project assignment or promotion decisions, make sure that the good people - and not just the visible people - are considered, recognized, and rewarded.

One way is to navigate this situation is to ask, "How did we come up with this list?" when you are in a meeting where candidates are being considered for a certain opportunity. If you hear an awkward silence followed by, "Uhh ... because they came to mind first," see if there may be someone else who isn't as loud or popular who may be just as, if not more, qualified. Their name might be unjustly missing from the table because they don't look like, talk like, or think like everyone else in the group - but are no less competent and committed.

Ensure that everyone can participate equally in conversations.

Small talk that's enjoyable to you could be exclusionary to someone else. If you find yourself talking a lot and someone else not saying anything at all, consider introducing a topic that everyone can contribute to.

Conversations about your alma mater or favorite sports team can be fun if everyone went to the same school or follows the same sports, but they can also be anxiety-provoking for those who can't relate. If you find yourself speaking more frequently than others, consider pausing to give others room to contribute. While you're at it, try speaking in plain English over dropping lingo or inside jokes that only a few will understand.

Help others be seen and heard.

It can be easy for a group to assume that if someone speaks a lot, every idea they talk about is their own. Misattributing good ideas not only further perpetuates privilege, but also discourages those who are less comfortable raising their voices from speaking up. If you hear a good idea or see good work, amplify it so that people hear it and know about it.

If you hear a good idea from someone who does not typically speak up, or witness good work from someone who is not typically visible, be doubly sure that others hear it, know about it, and give credit where credit is due. And if others' gaze naturally falls back to you, consider sharing the spotlight, whether by allowing someone less visible to send out that email, sit near the front of that conference table, deliver that presentation, and/or answer that question.

Rotate the non-glamorous.

It's hard to be visible when you are stuck doing "office housework" - taking notes, planning events, or completing other tasks that aren't core to your job. While every employee has to do housework from time-to-time to prove that they can take on more serious responsibilities, there is a difference between assigning it as a short-term stepping stone and assigning it to the same groups time and again. That is when this kind of "housework" turns into a long-term shackle. Unfortunately, women are 29% more likely than men to report doing this these kind of chores.

To prevent non-promotable tasks from disproportionately falling upon women or people of color who tend to be "voluntold" more for office housework - and penalized more when they say "no" - consider taking turns so that the load is shared. The next time your boss asks your colleague to take notes during the team meeting or call in the lunch order, consider doing your part.

In the end, leveling the playing field isn't just about doing good. It's also about doing well - by building a higher-performing team. It's hard to imagine how any organization can reach its full potential without including everyone and rewarding the best work. If you've ever found your employer saying that your workplace's most valuable resource is its people, then contributing to a more level playing field can be a great way to invest in that resource.

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How to Use Your Privilege to Even the Playing Field

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Broker introductions. To you, a friend is exactly that: a friend. To someone else, that same person could be the key to a job, promotion, or opportunity Be a mentor (or sponsor). If you are in a position to influence project assignment or promotion decisions, make sure that the good people - and not just the visible people - are considered, recognized, and rewarded.

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This seems to be a crucible moment in our history. We are in the midst of a pandemic that brought most of the world to a screeching halt. We also were faced with the horrific video of an African American man, George Floyd, being killed on camera by law enforcement. For many of us, these two events will be forever linked in our consciousness.

For months, many of us stayed home to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As more than 115,000 Americans lost their lives to the virus, we witnessed communities band together to ensure that individuals who needed assistance received it. Neighbors picked up essential groceries for one another. Letters of support were sent to senior centers especially hard hit by the virus. We raised money and resources to support essential workers of all kinds.

We also saw a shift in the response to the death of Mr. Floyd. Large protests across the United States and around the world continued for weeks, focusing on police brutality specifically and the persistence of systemic racism more broadly. In many ways, the protests seemed different than the countless moments of civil outrage before it.

The racial diversity of the protests was greater than ever, as well. White allies joined African Americans and other people of color in taking to the streets. A recent Monmouth University poll indicated that 76% of Americans believe that racial discrimination is a significant problem, an increase of 25 percentage points since 2015. The New York Times' nonfiction bestsellers list is dominated by books that explore racism, criminal justice, apartheid and Black life in America.

It is unclear why white Americans are more engaged on the issue of race at this moment. Maybe it is because of the disturbing images of Mr. Floyd's last moments. Maybe it is because we have all sheltered in place for so long that we have a greater capacity to pay attention to the discrimination that has been documented for centuries. Maybe it is just the awakening so many of us have been seeking for so long.

Whatever the reason, new people are joining the movement to stamp out racism and other forms of systemic discrimination.

The Next Move Is Yours

As veterinarians from all backgrounds reach out to one another during this time, the No. 1 question I am asked as both a Black woman and a diversity and inclusion professional is, "What can or should I do?"

My response is: Be an ally.

Being an ally is learned behavior and those who practice it demonstrate specific characteristics. As you consider ways to support your veterinary colleagues and clients, it is important to learn and embrace those behaviors and characteristics of an ally.

There are five key elements of allyship, and they need to constantly be pursued simultaneously. Allyship is not a step-by-step process. You must jump on into the deep end of the work.

1. You need to assume responsibility to learn how systemic discrimination impacts everyone, and you must do it on your own or with other allies. It is not the job of people who are marginalized to educate you; it is your job to catch up. Like how you commit to lifelong learning in veterinary medicine, allyship requires you to commit to lifelong learning about racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism and other forms of oppression.

There is no shortage of resources available to you: books, documentaries, podcasts, movies, discussion groups and websites. Sponsor a Community Reads program or a staff lunch to discuss a documentary. Learn, discuss, rinse, and repeat.

2. Understand that true allyship does not center the ally; it centers the oppressed. You should expect to be a follower and not a leader in these moments. Movements for change elevate the voices of the unheard.

Allies, by their very nature, are privileged and often do not have the shared lived experience of specific marginalized populations. You can and should offer your time, talent and financial contributions to advance the dismantling of oppression. This might mean volunteering with and financially supporting community organizations centered on diversity missions. This means staying in your lane when it comes to understanding the issues - you are not the expert. Listen, learn and follow.

3. Know that it is OK to be afraid and to be an ally anyway. In today's cancel culture, there is always the fear of saying or doing something wrong and losing everything as a result. Stepping into allyship requires vulnerability. The people you support might not always trust you; you might fear being called a racist or a sexist or some other term. This is the opportunity to consistently demonstrate you are not those things. This is the time to learn to give genuine apologies.

Allyship requires you to take on the risk of alienating those who seek to maintain the status quo. Allies often find themselves in the crosshairs of conflict with friends, family and colleagues. It is also an opportunity to build your own community of shared values. This might look like putting a Pride symbol in your window or on your advertisements. It can be publishing a statement of support for Black Lives Matter or adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. Take a stand, and assume the risks.

4. Allyship requires you to use your privilege for the good of change. Privilege comes in many flavors - racial, gender, sexuality, ability and more. Allies recognize the areas in which their lives are unhindered by these demographic markers and how that reality grants unearned privilege.

Using that privilege can take many forms. If you are involved in organized veterinary medicine, you know the lack of diversity that persists in those spaces. Using your privilege means that you bring up issues related to diversity and inclusion, that you seek to create less exclusionary pathways for access to participation and leadership, and that you support the recognition of affinity groups across the profession. You do this because those for whom you advocate are absent in those spaces. Speak up in places where it matters.

5. Allyship requires that you fully commit to the effort to make change even if you do not fully understand what it is like to be oppressed. Members of marginalized populations are unable to change their identities to reduce their social oppression. Allies can, at any time, walk away from their advocacy, but they do not. Becoming an ally is a lifetime commitment to advocacy for justice and equality. It means bearing the full emotional burden of your marginalized friends, family and colleagues. It means making mistakes, apologizing and trying again and again.

In meetings where everyone else wants to gloss over issues related to diversity and inclusion, you insist on working through those issues. In moments of great discomfort when you are suddenly the lonely only in a space, you sit, stay, learn and help. It means that you constantly seek ways to be inclusive even when doing so is challenging. Allyship requires persistent work toward ideals. Stay and work toward inclusive change at all times.

Are You Ready?

Allyship is not easy. It is humbling, demanding and at times exhausting. It can be risky; it can feel dangerous. It requires disciplined study and a thirst for learning more about one's self and others. Despite these discomforts, allyship is integral for societal change.

Until those of us with privilege recognize the cost of that privilege to others, no real, substantive change is possible.

Now more than ever, I implore my colleagues in veterinary medicine to become allies to your professional colleagues and to the communities they serve. I promise you that your commitment and the work that stems from it will be worth the effort and the risk.
Diversity Toolbox columnist Dr. Lisa M. Greenhill is senior director for institutional research and diversity at the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. AAVMC's "Diversity & Inclusion" podcasts are available at bit.ly/2APLtk4.
RESOURCES FOR ALLIES

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How to be an ally - Today's Veterinary Business

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This seems to be a crucible moment in our history. We are in the midst of a pandemic that brought most of the world to a screeching halt. We also were faced with the horrific video of an African American man, George Floyd, being killed on camera by law enforcement.

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5 Terms to Learn to Become a Better Ally

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5 Terms to Learn to Become a Better Ally

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Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here.

You want to support your colleagues of color. You want to call out sexist comments. You want to use inclusive language.

You want to be a better ally - but where do you start?

The first step to becoming an ally at work is understanding the concepts that will help you act in support of your colleagues. But it's not enough to just learn the definitions or use these words in a sentence. You have to take action.

Here are five terms you should know if you want to be a better ally at work - and how to act on them.

Privilege

Definition: A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, wealth, class, education, and/or ability, among other things.

How to use this: "Privilege creates an uneven playing field because the early advantages can build and build and build, making it increasingly challenging for someone without the privilege to catch up."

In action: In his article, " How to Use Your Privilege to Even the Playing Field," Gorick Ng writes that privilege can be shared - but only by someone who already has it. Privilege cannot be willed into existence by someone who lacks it.

That's why it's so important for those who are in a position of privilege to: a) recognize their position and b) use their position for good.

If you are in a position of privilege, here's how to level the playing field:

Broker introductions. To you, a friend is exactly that: a friend. To someone else, that same person could be the key to a job, promotion, or opportunity. A quick, "I'd love to introduce you to [name] given that you're both interested in [topic]" can often be all it takes to help someone build their network and unlock opportunities for themselves.

Help others be seen and heard. If you hear a good idea from someone who does not typically speak up, or witness good work from someone who is not typically visible, be doubly sure that others hear it, know about it, and give credit where credit is due.

Rotate the non-glamorous work. To prevent non-promotable tasks from disproportionately falling upon women or people of color, consider taking turns so that the load is shared. If your boss asks your colleague to take notes during the team meeting or call in the lunch order, consider doing your part.

Microaggressions

Definition: Behaviors or actions - whether accidental or purposeful - that subtly undermine someone's identity by playing into stereotypes or biases aimed at historically marginalized groups.

How to use this: "When you ask me where I'm 'really' from just because my skin color is different than yours, it's hard not to read that as a microaggression."

In action: In " What's Wrong with Asking 'Where Are You From? '," Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar, associate editor at Ascend, explains that microaggressions typically stem from unconscious biases. That's why it's so important to be mindful of where, when, and how you ask questions about someone's identity. If you want to avoid microaggressions, here are a few things you can do:

Rethink your own privilege. When you become more aware of your place in the world and the impact your status has on those around you, you gain the ability to hold yourself accountable.

Listen more deeply. The key is to listen more than you speak. When speaking to someone, listen closely to the details they give you. Truly have a conversation and be willing to get to know them. This will help you avoid boxing in someone's identity based on what you believe due to your unconscious biases.

Apologize if you hurt someone. You will make mistakes. But if you say something that you immediately regret or get called out on, say, "I'm sorry if I crossed a line there." If someone doesn't respond positively to you, understand that they may not be willing to address what you've said, and let it go. Avoid saying, "Oh, don't be so sensitive," or, "I was just joking." Be sincere in how you apologize and move on from the conversation.

Ableism

Definition: Discrimination or social prejudice against people with disabilities. Ableism and ableist language assumes that a disability is something that needs to be "fixed."

How to use this: "Words like 'stupid,' 'insane,' 'crazy,' 'lame,' or 'dumb,' are ableist and stigmatize marginalized groups."

In action: In " Why You Need to Stop Using These Words and Phrases," Rakshitha explains how ableism often manifests itself in the way we speak. But there are ways to change your vocabulary for the better. Here are a few tips:

Acknowledge the disability around you. More than one billion people worldwide, around 15% of the population, have some type of disability. The more conscious we become of the disability around us, the less we are likely to stigmatize it as something to be fixed and look at it as something that is. Don't try to fix disability; instead fix the oppression.

Learn, learn, learn. Becoming aware of our own biases - many of which we've picked up from the people we've met, the experiences we've had, and the media we've consumed throughout our lives - is the first step to educating ourselves. Seek out resources put into the world by people with disabilities. Remember, it's on you to educate yourself. Don't rely on others to teach you.

Don't make assumptions about someone's identity. If you're unsure of how someone identifies, just ask. For example, some people prefer "people-first" language: Saying "a person with a disability" instead of "a disabled person." Others may prefer identity-first language. For example, some individuals may prefer 'Deaf' (capitalized) instead of "people who are deaf" or "people with loss of hearing."

Benevolent Sexism

Definition: Beliefs, values, and attitudes that are covertly misogynistic but take on a seemingly positive tone. It is often exhibited through behaviors that suggest women are weak and need men's protection.

How to use this: "Not giving women a certain assignment under the assumption that it would be 'too stressful' for them is benevolent sexism."

In action: In " How Not to Advocate for a Woman at Work," David M. Mayer explains how sexism can be encountered in even the friendliest of conversations. This "benevolent sexism" can sound like:

"You were great as a moderator on the seminar! That hair and makeup were so on point!"

"I just want to make sure that your family is okay with you taking on this new role."

"Oh, I didn't want to trouble you with that negotiation."

Research shows that benevolent sexism makes it less likely for women to get candid feedback and challenging assignments, and more likely for them to receive confidence-eroding offers of unsolicited assistance. All of this undercuts women's perceived competence and makes it harder for them to advance at work.

Those who accept, overlook, or endorse such behaviors are also more likely to accept the mistreatment and harassment of women at work. So it's important to call it out when you see it.

Opportunity Gap

Definition: A historic and systemic outcome that is the result of hundreds of years of exclusion, oppression, and racism.

How to use this: "Historically, underrepresented young people of color have not been made aware of the career possibilities that are available to them due to the opportunity gap."

In action: In an interview with HBR Ascend, AiLun Ku, CEO of The Opportunity Network, explains how the opportunity gap can impact communities of color. For people whose family or community have historically been excluded from opportunities, that exclusion may continue for generations.

In the context of today's workforce, the opportunity gap starts really early in terms of the careers that different communities are exposed to, the options that young people in those communities feel that they have the agency to pursue, as well as what other people deem as appropriate for them.

You can help by making others aware of the opportunities you come across. Especially if you come from a privileged background and you know about an opportunity exclusively through a family member or friend, share it with others.

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5 Terms You Should Learn to Become a Better Ally

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Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here. You want to support your colleagues of color. You want to call out sexist comments. You want to use inclusive language. You want to be a better ally - but where do you start?

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Our partners share our mission

On a global, national and local level, we work with and support organizations that are working to advance diversity and inclusion in the tech industry-and in workplaces worldwide through research, benchmarking, program development and advocacy platforms.

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Beyond Microsoft | Global Diversity and Inclusion at Microsoft

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Our approach to diversity and inclusion doesn't stop with our workforce. It includes helping to build a pipeline of candidates for jobs in the tech industry, investing in diverse suppliers, and partnering with policy makers and others on broad reaching activities in this space.

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Preface

The following guidance is intended as a starting point for AVMA member veterinarians, and not as a definitive statement of the law concerning harassment and discrimination. Anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws may differ greatly from state-to-state and from city-to-city. Federal, state and local laws prohibit harassment and discrimination based on an individual's actual or perceived protected class or the actual or perceived protected status of the individual's relatives, friends, or other associates, which may include, but not be limited to, such categories as sex, color, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital or parental status, or military or veteran status, medical condition, citizenship status, pregnancy status, or disability (physical or mental). Moreover, depending on the size of a practice/workplace and/or the affiliation of a practice/workplace with public entities, these laws may or may not apply to that practice/workplace. Each practice/workplace, therefore, should consult an attorney who is knowledgeable in employment law in its jurisdiction, to determine which federal, state, and local laws apply before developing a harassment and discrimination-free workplace policy or any employment policy.

Establishing such a policy assures individuals in the workplace that the organization is committed to preventing harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Management has a responsibility to address complaints of harassment or discrimination in the workplace, as well as complaints of harassment or discrimination between staff members and other outside parties doing business with a practice/workplace (e.g. contractors, vendors, or clients). The AVMA Policy on Harassment and Discrimination-Free Veterinary Workplace is intended as a guide for management in the veterinary workplace or setting to develop a specific policy tailored to the circumstances of that workplace. In addition, having an established harassment and discrimination policy that is well written, well communicated to staff, and appropriately enforced, will aid in the defense of any external legal claims. This is why it is so important to consult an attorney who is knowledgeable about the employment laws in the practice's/workplace area for specific guidance and legal advice.

Purpose

The policy should help employees understand and recognize harassment and discrimination, and how to deal with it appropriately. The policy should address what employees need to know about harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The organization's policy should be clearly communicated so that employees know how to comply.

Policy elements

A policy regarding harassment (unwelcome conduct) and discrimination (unequal treatment) in the workplace should set forth the organization's strong commitment to maintaining a work environment where employees are treated with dignity and respect, and where harassment and discrimination are not tolerated. The policy should clearly describe all individuals who are covered by the policy and the range of consequences for violating the policy, such as disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. The policy should, at the very least, set forth each of the categories protected by the discrimination laws applicable in the practice's/workplace's state and locality.

Harassment, including sexual harassment

The AVMA recognizes that sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious issue. Harassment, or unwelcome conduct, may become illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision, such as the victim being fired, demoted, or not promoted. Sexual harassment is a common form of harassment and includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. To ensure a work environment where harassment is not tolerated, the policy should clearly describe the type of conduct that is in violation of the policy, which may include a broader range of conduct than is actually unlawful in order to make the workplace more comfortable. Employees should also be informed that the policy extends beyond the workplace to other work-related settings, such as business trips, meetings, and business-related social events. Employees should also be informed that harassment based on all protected categories is equally prohibited by the policy.

Procedure for filing a complaint of harassment or discrimination

The organization's policy should clearly outline the procedure for employees to file a complaint of harassment or discrimination. Employees should be informed about the process that will ensue after a complaint is filed so that they know what to expect, including setting the expectation of privacy and confidentiality.

Retaliation

The policy should define retaliation and inform employees that retaliation will not be tolerated. Retaliation can come from the organization or from individuals, and can be directed at the person who made the complaint or individuals who participated in the investigation.

Policy implementation

In addition to having a member of management as the designated staff member to whom complaints of harassment and/or discrimination are to be made, it is important that staff members have an alternate designated staff member(s) to report complaints to in the event the primary contact is identified as the source of harassment and/or discrimination.

Staff members should sign an acknowledgement and receipt form when they receive a copy of the written policy.

In addition to the written policy, staff should also receive meaningful training on the policy, and their rights and responsibilities under the policy. This will also assist in the defense of any outside legal claims. Some states require employers to conduct mandatory anti-harassment/anti-discrimination training for staff annually or within other specified timeframes; this training may also be required to maintain professional licensure.

All members of the management staff should be advised that they are accountable for the effective administration of this policy and that they may have personal liability for failure to adhere to the policy.

Once a complaint is received, a fair and impartial investigation of the complaint should begin immediately. These investigations should be conducted as confidentially as possible, on a need-to-know basis. The employee filing the complaint should be interviewed in confidence, as well as the individual(s) against whom the complaint has been filed. Any witnesses to the alleged harassment should also be interviewed in confidence if necessary. The investigation and the results should be fully documented in writing.

Once the investigation has been completed, if the charge is found to have merit, appropriate disciplinary action should be taken against the employee who violated the policy, up to and including immediate termination of employment based on the severity of the infraction. It is important that disciplinary actions be applied in a consistent manner, and that they are sufficient to stop the harassment and to prevent its recurrence.

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The following guidance is intended as a starting point for AVMA member veterinarians, and not as a definitive statement of the law concerning harassment and discrimination. Anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws may differ greatly from state-to-state and from city-to-city.

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Introduction What Is Social Justice? Communal Agreements Icebreaker: Respect Activity Activities: Introducing Identity: "My Fullest Name" Understanding Privilege and Systems of Power: "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" Gender and Sexuality Workshop: Creating Gender-Free Nouns Race and Ethnicity: Diversity Profile Intersection Identity and Privilege: Crossing the Line Recap and Closing Activity Closing and Recommended Resources
Introduction

This toolkit is meant for anyone who feels there is a lack of productive discourse around issues of diversity and the role of identity in social relationships, both on a micro (individual) and macro (communal) level. Perhaps you are a teacher, youth group facilitator, student affairs personnel or manage a team that works with an underserved population. Training of this kind can provide historical context about the politics of identity and the dynamics of power and privilege or help build greater self-awareness.

The following activities are intended for groups of 10 to 60 people. For larger groups, you can break into multiple sessions with additional facilitators to ensure the conversations and activities remain focused. The diversity toolkit outlined here may be used as a guideline and can be modified to better fit your group's unique needs.

A note on facilitators: Facilitators should be well versed in the topics and themes we will be discussing, but they do not need to be experts. This workshop is organized as a popular education activity where the majority of the outcomes are learned from the experiences and knowledge of the individuals participating rather than a teacher/student relationship.

Facilitator Sensitivity

Facilitators will be experiencing and addressing the feelings that come with confronting participants' notions of identity, privilege, race and sexuality. Some participants may be required to attend this workshop (through work or school, etc.), so facilitators should be clear that participants are there because these are issues that affect everyone and that there will not be personal judgment of anyone's feelings about a particular issue. Facilitators should remind participants that:

Facilitators should emphasize that what is shared during the workshop is private and confidential. Participants can talk about how the workshop affected them personally and what they learned generally, but they should respect the privacy of the personal information of the other participants.

What Is Social Justice? Setting a Stage for Discussion

Before beginning, it's important that everyone have a basic understanding of two core concepts related to privilege and identity. This will allow everyone to start the conversations on the same page and ensure that the participants have a foundation upon which to build future knowledge.

The first core concept is culture, which is:

The second core concept is identity, which is:

Everyone Has Many Identities

Age, gender, religious or spiritual affiliation, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status are all identities. Some identities are things people can see easily (like race or assumed gender), while other identities are internalized and are not always easy to see (like a disability, socioeconomic status or education level). There are two types of identities that need to be defined in order to spark a discussion on social justice. The first type deals with identities that are part of a majority status - or "agent" - while the second includes identities that are part of the minority status - or "target."

Agent: Members of dominant social groups privileged by birth or acquisition who knowingly or unknowingly exploit and reap unfair advantage over members of the target groups.

Target: Members of social identity groups who are discriminated against, marginalized, disenfranchised, oppressed, exploited by an oppressor and oppressor's system of institutions without identity apart from the target group, and compartmentalized in defined roles.

After participants understand the difference between agent and target groups, the facilitator can begin a discussion on oppression. The key features of oppression are:

But remember:

When the facilitator talks about these concepts with the group, it is helpful to start with an understanding that everyone experienced being a target or agent at some point in their lives. This helps create a dialogue of understanding. This is not to say that some target statuses are more salient (for example, people can see I am a woman, or a Black woman, before they even speak with me) and others may be easier to conceal (for example, if I am lesbian). But each creates a burden on the individual and each has its own set of challenges to overcome.

Communal Agreements

Before initiating any activity, it is critical that the group builds communal agreements. Rather than naming these "rules" that are then placed upon the group, we will call these "agreements" because these are the guidelines built by the group that all members agree to follow during the course of the workshop. Once an agreement has been put forward, the facilitator should then ask for a definition of what that agreement means to ensure that there is a communal language. Below are several suggested agreements.

Icebreaker: Respect Activity

Source: Critical Multicultural Pavilion

Ask participants to find someone in the room they don't know and make an introduction. Talk for five to 10 minutes about respect. What does it mean to you to "show respect?" How do you show respect to others? After the allotted time, ask all participants to sit and open the discussion. How did people define respect? What were some of the core concepts discussed?

Common responses will likely include:

All responses are worthy of reflection in terms of their cultural and hegemonic influences. Ask participants where their ideas of respect come from and whom they are meant to protect. If the group raises any of the common responses above, challenge them to answer the following questions:

The point of the discussion is to reflect critically on assumptions and socializations regarding respect. The point is not to agree and to learn from each other's differences.

This activity helps to establish a basis of respect within the group, helping the participants take the first steps toward creating and maintaining a constructive discussion of social justice and equity. At the very least, participants meet someone new and exchange ideas with that person. The group also gets its first look at the similarities and differences between participants, potentially in ways that reflect privilege and power.

Activity One: Introduction Identity

Definition
Everyone has a personal and social identity. Personal identities include an individual's name, unique characteristics, history, personality and other traits that make one different from others. Social identity includes affinities one has with other people, values and norms that one accepts, and the ways one has learned to behave in social settings.

Objective
The following activity is particularly useful when working with participants who don't know one another very well. The goal of this activity is to warm up participants to sharing about themselves and start revealing a bit about each participant's background.

Materials
Markers and 8-by-10-inch sheets of paper folded horizontally.

Instructions
Write out your fullest name and tell your story. On the back of the piece of paper write the top three identities you feel closest to. The facilitator encourages participants to go around the circle to share any meanings, significance, culture, significant ancestors and the top three identities they hold dearest. Everyone will have a chance to share and be heard by the group.

Suggested questions if participants need help getting started:

Facilitators should encourage students to be creative. Make it clear that it is acceptable to write poetry, list adjectives that describe them, include humor, etc.

If your group is large, break into diverse small groups of five or six to make sure everyone has an opportunity to share their story. Ask for volunteers to get the group started and tell participants they can share their stories from memory, or read them.
Facilitator Notes

Discussion
When everyone has shared, ask participants how it felt to share their stories. Why is this activity important? What did you learn?

Activity Two: Understanding Privilege and Systems of Power

Activity
"Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"

Objective
The objective of this activity is to confront entrenched systems of power and privilege, and identify common situations when privilege is not acknowledged, to the detriment of the disadvantaged and oppressed.

Discussion
What is privilege? We all have privileges. What are yours? Were you surprised by any of the privileges you found in your invisible knapsack?

Activity Three: Gender and Sexuality

Group Definition
Have the group describe what they believe to be the definition of the terms "gender" and "sexuality."

Objective
The objective of this activity is to reconsider male-gendered nouns that we consider "generic." Generating gender-free nouns and pronouns will help participants incorporate more inclusive language in their daily speech and writing.

Instructions
Break participants into small groups and give them a printout of the chart below. Instruct participants to convert the suffixes of the nouns into gender-free, inclusive terms by changing the noun root word or substituting a non-gender-specific root word from another language. Tell participants that since male endings are so pervasive, it is OK to invent new words by replacing the endings of existing words with something non-gendered.

Discussion Questions
The facilitator should ask the following questions of the group while also encouraging them to share personal experiences that speak to their point. What are characteristics of what society believes a [woman/man/girl/boy] should be? What are the norms for appearance/behavior? What happens when someone falls outside of this norm? How do the words we use influence the way we think about certain professions?

Activity Four: Race and Ethnicity

Definition
Race is a social construction that has real consequences and effects. Race is colloquially used to refer to a person's skin color, religion or area of origin (e.g., Black, Jewish or African). Technically, however, race is based on national origin, sociocultural groups and self-identification. The U.S. government, including the Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, does not attempt to identify race according to biology, anthropology or genetics. Religious belief is not considered a race, but can be a factor in identifying one's sociocultural group. (For a full explanation of how each racial category is defined, refer to the U.S. Census About Race page). In a historical context, race has played a large part in how our society has evolved, and it shapes the way we see others and how we experience our lives. (For more on race from a historical perspective, read " A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America," by Ronald Takaki.)

Objective
The objective of this activity is to help participants take stock of the multicultural diversity in their lives. It should help participants get a clear image of how diverse or homogenous their surroundings are and identify ways to improve their exposure to multiculturalism on a daily basis.

Instructions
Fill in the appropriate boxes:

Activity Five: Intersectional Identity and Privilege

Activity
Crossing The Line

Objective
The purpose of this activity is to explore the diversity among the members of our community. How a person identifies can affect many facets of his or her life. We will use this activity to get to know one another on a deeper level. What are our values, backgrounds, and visible and invisible labels? This activity requires everyone to step outside of his or her comfort zone. Participants being vulnerable can help the group learn more about the identities they do not share.

Instructions
Have all participants line up in a straight line facing the facilitator. If the room is too small to have each participant standing shoulder to shoulder, an alternative is to have the group stand in a circle and step into the circle. The facilitator should explain that they will read a statement. If the statement describes you, then silently step across the line. Everyone should quietly notice who stepped across the line and who did not. After a moment, the facilitator will thank those who stepped forward and will then have everyone step back in line.

Discussion
Activity Six: Recap and Closing Activity

This toolkit was designed to address human issues that everyone faces and help participants recognize how they can better understand and work toward solving, or at least improving, these issues. Participants were often forced to confront socialized and entrenched notions of privilege, identity and social justice. Anything that was difficult to confront during the training will be even more difficult to confront in practice, but if these were easily solvable issues, they wouldn't be issues for long. Participants should feel better equipped with newfound knowledge and empathy, and prepared to apply the lessons they learned in their own lives and communities.

Objective
To practice giving positive feedback and to have participants leave the workshop feeling energized.

Instructions
Have participants mingle randomly in a large group and then instruct them to stop and share with the person in front of them one way in which that person "shined" during the workshop. Repeat several times so that each person gets feedback and support from different people in the group. If there are an odd number of participants, the facilitator should address the odd person out each time.

Completing this training is not the end, but merely the beginning. Hopefully, this toolkit has helped to create new understanding among your participants. Individuals should have learned about their own identity and of those around them, as well as the implications of socially constructed labels and stereotypes of an individual's experience. Those interested in this type of work may be interested in a career in social work, facilitation, advocacy or sociology. At the end of the training, facilitators should be prepared to provide additional resources for participants who want to learn more about issues of identity, power and privilege. Below we cite several resources to help you get started.

Recommended Resources

Resources for Additional Activities

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Citation for this content: The MSW@USC, the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California.

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Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege

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This training is meant for anyone who feels there is a lack of productive discourse around issues of diversity and the role of identity in social relationships, both on a micro (individual) and macro (communal) level.

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AVMA policy on diversity and inclusion

The AVMA is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the profession of veterinary medicine so that we can best serve the animals, the public, and our members. Our goal is to mirror the growing diversity of the communities we serve and to promote an understanding of their varied needs. To this end, we are committed to actively promoting and maintaining diversity and inclusion in our membership, leadership, and organization, and educating our members regarding the value of diversity and inclusion. This commitment embraces the value of the many areas of the veterinary profession, and the value of our members' and their clients' varied backgrounds, including but not limited to race; ethnicity; physical and mental abilities; gender; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; parental, marital, or pregnancy status; religious or political beliefs; military or veteran status; and geographic, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds.

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Diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine

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The AVMA is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the profession of veterinary medicine so that we can best serve the animals, the public, and our members. Our goal is to mirror the growing diversity of the communities we serve and to promote an understanding of their varied needs.

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Diversity is one of the most critical challenges facing veterinary medicine today. Beyond the indisputable fact that our profession is one of the least racially and ethnically diverse in the nation, it can no longer be ignored that the future relevance of our field hinges upon the growth and development of a workforce that more closely resembles the American population at large.

The veterinary community has discussed and explored the issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion enough. The time for talk is over. The time for decisive, committed action is now.

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Diversity is one of the most critical challenges facing veterinary medicine today. Beyond the indisputable fact that our profession is one of the least racially and ethnically diverse in the nation, it can no longer be ignored that the future relevance of our field hinges upon the growth and develop

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The mission of the Veterinary Medical Association Executives is to help VMA executives create thriving organizations and provide effective leadership within the veterinary profession.

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The mission of the Veterinary Medical Association Executives is to help VMA executives create thriving organizations and provide effective leadership within the veterinary profession.

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Talks, people, playlists, topics, and events about "diversity and inclusion" on TED.com

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DEI Definitions Please send suggestions/additions to miacarydvm@gmail.com. Ally An ally is someone from an overrepresented or nonmarginalized group who uses their privilege to advocate for someone in an underrepresented or marginalized group. They transfer the benefits of their privilege to thos...

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The Genderbread Person | Gender Revolution

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A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop. It's all here.

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A new music service with official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances and more for Android, iOS and desktop. It's all here.

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