Diversity is an incredible resource that is likely going untapped in your organization...Here is your chance to change that. Look around this country. Diversity & Inclusion professionals, as well as countless committed leaders and employees have been working hard for decades to create organization…
The 5 Stages of Cultural Competence What You Will Learn: What the 5 stages of cultural competence are. How the first three stages of developing cultural competence cultivate cultural humility. How cultural humility encourages cultural responsiveness. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are Good for Business What You Will Learn: The ways that diversity, equity, and inclusion promote innovation. How diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts influence long-term employee retention. Why inclusive, equitable, and diverse organizations generate a strong sense of belonging for employees. The cost of losing an employee due to lack of DEI standards. The value of managers maintaining a firm commitment to diversity. How cultural competence allows us to be our best selves in diverse workplace environments. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
What is Diversity? With Sara Taylor What You Will Learn: The value of answering the question “what is diversity?” How diversity was once defined, compared to the way organizations are encouraged to define it today. What aspects or characteristics of a person should be calculated into “diversity” metrics and where to draw the line. The limits organizations face when trying to implement diversity programs. The importance of finding out why people with specific identities are not finding their place in your organization. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara Other Resources: Recession Report: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/reports/recession-report
Predicting Recession Outcomes with Organizational Diversity What You Will Learn: What the Great Recession can teach us about the impact of diversity in organizations How diversity can impact your bottom line The difference between companies that thrived or flatlined between 2006 and 2014 What five marginalized groups impacted organizations the most What five key experiences these groups highlighted as having the greatest impact on them Where fairness, inclusivity, and validation matters for marginalized groups About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara Other Resources: Recession Report: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/reports/recession-report
Women's Wealth and Pay Equity Part III What You Will Learn: More about the insights into women's wealth that Robyn Ross developed over 20 years in the finance workforce. How the talent acquisition system in the financial services industry is currently backward compared to other industries. What women are doing to stand up for themselves and correct the system. Why diversity is the financially wise choice for financial services companies to make. How to allow people to make honest mistakes that make your company better. What we can do to be more vulnerable about our own biases regarding women's wealth. Countering Bias in The Finance Sector The finance sector is notoriously lacking when it comes to diversity. Only 8% of workers in this field are women, and an even tinier 0.4% of firms are owned by women. With these statistics in mind, it should be evident that women may feel like a fish out of water upon entering the workforce in this industry. Worse yet, some may never enter the industry because they fear they will be unable to have a rewarding career. While they may have the skill and talent needed to thrive in the field, issues with hiring and biased leadership could easily set a woman behind their male counterparts. In this week's episode of What's The Difference podcast, Sara Taylor invites guest Robyn Ross to discuss her actions to counteract bias in the finance sector. Currently, Fear Drives Decision-Making Many leaders in the financial space refuse to embrace diversity because they fear changes to their own position in their respective companies. They use phrases like “meritocracy” to describe why they deserve to succeed in finance while others do not. Yet, quite often, they disregard the reality that many of the people in positions of power in this industry come from incredibly privileged backgrounds. Understanding this, it is up to business leaders to create culturally competent hiring standards that help people who do not come from a place of inherent privilege. Show the Work That Matters Old systems are starting to fade as more women stand up for themselves and male allies support them. In time, the structural bias that has become commonplace will only be a chapter in the past. Yet, some companies are rushing to show off results that they haven't really achieved yet. They promote themselves as having embraced diversity, solely to make notes in their sustainability reports. Rather than considering the human element of diversity and inclusion, their actions are superficial and purely transactional. Change Won't Come all at Once You may not be around to see the impacts of the work that you've done. Still, that does not mean you shouldn't do it. Making the financial sector more diverse and inclusive is a collaborative effort that will take every one of you to work together to achieve a specific goal. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
Women's Pay and Wealth Equity: Part II What You Will Learn: Women earn less, and have less wealth to invest with The majority of investment management firms are owned by white men; less than 1% by women Why women get worse advice from financial advisors How women in investing outperform men by 40 basis points How gender plays a role in the treatment of investors by advisors and firms The effect of biases on wealth equity in society About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
Breaking Down the Wealth Gap, Part 1 What You Will Learn: What is Equal Pay Day, and what does it represent? How pay disparities between men and women increase for different ethnic groups Where women are continuously losing wealth outside of their jobs How much longer would a woman have to work than a man in a single year to earn the same wealth How education level actually increases the wealth gap The hiring and promotion gap between men and women About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara Other Resources: Merrill Study: https://www.ml.com/women-research.html Fortune study: https://fortune.com/2020/06/19/investment-management-diversity-hedge-funds-mutual-funds-real-estate-pe-private-equity/ Lifting as We Climb: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c50b84131d4df5265e7392d/t/5c5c7801ec212d4fd499ba39/1549563907681/Lifting_As_We_Climb_InsightCCED_2010.pdf Women's Wealth Gap: https://womenswealthgap.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Closing-the-Womens-Wealth-Gap-Report-Jan2017.pdf Student Loan Debt Gap: https://www.aauw.org/resources/news/media/press-releases/analysis-women-hold-two-thirds-of-countrys-1-4-trillion-student-debt/ Amazon, Women in the Workplace: https://wiw-report.s3.amazonaws.com/Women_in_the_Workplace_2019.pdf HBR Women's Raise Gap: https://hbr.org/2018/06/research-women-ask-for-raises-as-often-as-men-but-are-less-likely-to-get-them Forbes Unconscious Bias: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/08/27/financial-advisors-unconscious-bias-works-against-women/?sh=654a9c213f76
Cultivating an Equitable Hybrid Workplace: Part 2 What You Will Learn: Why it's important to consider the impact your decisions have on individuals in the workplace How our unconscious biases create distrust Why assuming difference will help us to break away from unconscious bias Why we should be outcome-focused; managing work over managing people How distrust of our workers keeps us from cultivating equity Strategies that can help us see other perspectives and do more to create equity Examples of the pitfalls leadership often faces when making decisions about equity About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
The Pitfalls of Creating Equity over Equality, Part 1 What You Will Learn: The difference between equality and equity in the workplace How approaching equity from the minimization stage (we're all the same) is actually creating more inequity How the status quo perpetuates ineffective strategies and practices at work Why focusing on the outcome of work (rather than the input) positively contributes to creating equity How “fairness” keeps us in minimization and doesn't achieve what we want it to Why we should challenge status quo thinking in a push for equity About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara
What Florida's Stop WOKE Act Means for Organizations What You Will Learn: What is Florida's Stop WOKE Act How this will affect educational and workplace organizations in the future What motivated this type of legislation to be created What the bill is trying to achieve vs. what it will actually achieve How some of the bill's overarching concepts are okay but fall flat in reality How this bill promotes continued polarization and minimization (stages 1 and 2 of cultural competence) Why the most important place to address cultural differences is still in schools and workplaces About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara The Journey to Equity and Inclusion Florida Senate Stop WOKE Act
Five Stages of Cultural Competence Part III What You Will Learn: Perceived orientation vs. developmental orientation: What is it, and how does it affect cultural competence? How unresolved issues from previous stages of development keep us stuck What is trailing orientation, and how does it create more polarization? How both dominant and marginalized groups can reverse their orientation and feed off of polarization Why our best intentions and moving toward equality often don't work How to begin breaking the cycle of trailing orientation and polarization in DEI work About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara CNBC Closing the Gap Digest of Education Statistics
What You Will Learn: How we see differences in each stage of cultural competence The specific areas of development that contribute to us getting stuck in one of the earlier stages Understanding why it's so difficult to approach DEI work from stage four or five How our own judgments based on which stage we're in can affect our perception of others Where most of the population sits on this scale of awareness Why the “us vs. them,” “good vs. bad” mentality continuously stagnates our cultural understanding How discomfort and fear play a role in the hesitancy to move into deeper stages of competence About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara CNBC Closing the Gap
Five Stages of Cultural Competence Part I What You Will Learn: What are the five stages of cultural competence How to view each stage from a conscious and unconscious framework of awareness Why DEI work can be so tricky when considering the stages of cultural competence Where most of the population sits on this scale of awareness Why our best intentions in DEI work are often not enough based on our own conscious beliefs and perceptions How the Intercultural Development Continuum Model explains why people can have different perceptions of identical experiences About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara CNBC Closing the Gap
What You Will Learn: Should organizations respond to identity-based trauma events How Americans view the responses of organizations following incidents What can organizations do if they misstep, and how can they strengthen their brand afterward How ongoing transparency and accountability impact the strength of a brand What consumer demographics expect the most and the least from brands Which demographic is the most loyal and less likely to shift How the language used when addressing social justice issues affects public opinion About Del Esparza & Dr. Brandale Mills Cox Del Esparza is a DEI advocate and the CEO of Esparza Advertising, a full-service marketing firm, focused on driving successful brands by making a scene. Del has a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry and is skilled in digital marketing, web design, market research, management, direct marketing, and marketing strategy. Dr. Brandale Mills Cox recently published her book, “Black Women Filmmakers and Black Love on Screen,” which offers a definition of Black Love and an analysis of how it is portrayed from the perspective of a Black female filmmaker. She has presented her research at international and national conferences, with her scholarship including issues related to feminism, social media, racial politics, film, female representations in the mass media, and popular culture. Dr. Mills' passion and desire for positive social advocacy is reflected in many of her roles in the journalism, communication, public relations, and event coordinating fields. Her position as Senior Coordinator for the National Diversity Council and as Operations Coordinator at d-mars.com Marketing and Communications, (publisher of the only African-American Business Journal in the city of Houston), has given her the opportunity to advocate for diverse communities and organizations. Dr. Mills has also served as a Public Relations Consultant for several Houston area non-profit organizations dedicated to assisting under-served communities. How to connect with Del Esparza & Dr. Brandale Mills Cox: Del Esparza: Website: https://esparza.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/del-esparza-8b49781/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/esparza-advertising/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esparzaadvertising/ Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/esparzaadvertising/ Dr. Brandale Mills Cox: Website: https://drbrandalemills.com/ https://www.inclusivemarketresearchgroup.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandale-mills-cox-ph-d-327751b/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/inclusive-market-research-group/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inclusivemrg/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/InclusiveMRG How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: How working as a Resident Advisor during college introduced Gina to DEI as a profession In what ways bias impacts productivity in the workplace, and how to overcome it How peer equity/inclusion coaches fit into the MnDOT organization Why it's important to contribute to DEI conversations that are already being held How to select peer equity/inclusion coaches for your organization What are the most important parts of peer equity coach training Why it's crucial that peer inclusion coaches know what is beyond the scope of their job About Gina Kundan Gina Kundan is Deputy Director and D&I Manager for the office of Equity and Diversity with MnDOT. She has a strong passion for equity and remains committed to integrating a culture of inclusion into best practices. Gina holds a Master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School, focusing on culturally competent leadership and management, and a Master's degree in Social Theory from Hamline University. She is a certified Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), Intercultural Conflict Styles (ICS) administrator, and a trained mediator. Making good use of her BFA in Dance from Wright State University, Gina spent several decades performing and teaching. She is currently board Chair for Ananya Dance Theatre. She's a proud mother, grandmother, spouse, and auntie. How to connect with Gina Kundan: Website: MnDOT - Diversity and Inclusion Contacts (state.mn.us) Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/GinaKundan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-kundan-ma-mpa-ba53231/ How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: How organizations support employees after DEI related trauma What are peer inclusion coaches, and how are they able to help organizations in being more effective and proactive in DEI efforts Why are the reasons that organizations need readily available resources What are the goals for peer equity coach programs in organizations What peer equity coaches are not, and what are their required qualifications How does deepSEE Consulting train peer equity/inclusion coaches About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why authentically listening to others is so important for leaders How Jason's personal experience allowed him to consider how minority groups feel in the workplace Why leaders should focus on impacting employees' lives outside of the workplace to foster a better workplace culture Why prioritizing equity and fairness resonates with more people than focusing on diversity How Jason discovered that men are often promoted over women because they are the loudest in the room What makes systems and processes in an organization not equitable About Jason Medley Jason Medley is Codility's Chief People Officer where he manages the People Ops, Talent Acquisition, and IT Security teams. He brings with him experience scaling multiple VC-backed technology companies through hyper-growth. As a recruiting leader and thought leader, Jason works closely with Codility's customers, Go To Market teams, and Product to help push the limits on Codilitys capabilities in the market. Jason graduated from the University of North Alabama with a degree in communications and marketing. How to Connect with Jason Medley: Website: www.codility.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonDiscovers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmedley/ How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: What are the four different root causes of microaggressions What are unconscious filters, and how do they impact our associations How do we typically respond or act based on filter associations How does our lack of exposure to different cultures, regions, or experiences affect our associations What are the three different ways that someone can be partially conscious of microaggressions What seven strategies can you take to reduce your likelihood of microaggressions About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: What are microaggressions, and how they emerge as patterns How microaggressions can become pile up and become traumatic for the receiver Why an employee who has experienced microaggressions will often fight, fly, or freeze Why stereotypical unconscious bias reinforces the advantages for dominant groups and reinforces the disadvantages for non-dominant groups What should organizations do when their employees experience microaggressions About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: What is the origin story of Black history month and why do we still have it How other heritage months differ from Black history month Why do we separate Black history from general United States history What is dominant culture and how does it create an advantage How to address Black history month in your organization Why history often doesn't mention races other than the dominant race About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why black professionals have lost faith in DEI efforts What is the most consistent frustration among black professionals throughout corporate America Why we should first focus on leading with inclusion rather than diversity What is the problem with only focusing on diversity in recruiting Why it's important to first understand how we got here to truly create a culture of inclusion How does the mindset of black millennials differ from other generations How to help leaders of organizations to understand what they can do to drive DEI work What should the goal and focus be for new DEI practitioners About Keith Wyche Keith Wyche is a recognized thought leader in the areas of Change Management, Executive Development, Leadership, Business, Career Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Transformation, and Innovation who excels at talent development and has a consistent record of growing revenue and expanding margins across a broad range of industries, including technology, manufacturing, outsourced services, and grocery retail. A frequent public speaker and author of Good Is Not Enough: And Other Unwritten Rules for Minority Professionals (nominated for an NAACP Award as an Outstanding Literary Work,) and Corner Office Rules: The 10 Realities of Executive Life, Wyches work and insights have been featured in TIME Magazine, USA Today, The New York Post, The Miami Herald, and Black Enterprise Magazine. He has appeared as a guest on NPR, Fox Business, NBC's The Today Show, Business News Network (BNN), and more. Wyche was named to the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Renaissance Leaders by Morehouse College for his dedication and commitment to the mentoring and talent development of young talent. Wyche holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administrations from Cleveland State University and an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace University. How to Connect with Keith Wyche: Website: https://www.amazon.com/Diversity-Not-Enough-Roadmap-Recruit/dp/1736939009/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithwyche/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KeithWyche How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: How Tadé discovered the transformative power of education through his father's career Why Tadé believes that providing access to higher education to oppressed communities will allow them to solve their own problems What unintentional barriers are often presented to minorities during their educational careers What is the difference between health equity and healthcare disparities and equity and equality How the healthcare practitioner and the healthcare industry's bias leads to health disparities What question should be asked before considering how to address health disparities What three items when utilized together can have a great impact on healthcare disparities How to understand the difference between implicit and explicit bias About Tadé Ayeni Dr. Tadé Ayeni is the Director of Diversity and Equity as well as Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. He is also the host of The Black Professional podcast and the CEO of Beyond Performative, a consulting firm specializing in the synthesis of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles with organizational growth and success models. He received his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University where he was first introduced to the study of societal inequities and people who have been historically marginalized. As an undergraduate student, he originally intended to major solely in English Literature and ended up accidentally double-majoring in Africana Studies as well. When he discovered that there was a field dedicated to understanding the historical contexts behind present-day inequality, he took so many courses in the discipline that his academic advisor informed him that he only needed a few more courses in Africana Studies to earn a major in that field. This began an increasingly developing interest in learning about domestic and global cultures and societies. From there, he completed a Master's degree in English Literature at Fairleigh Dickinson University and a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership at Saint Joseph's University. His dissertation was a phenomenological study of the experiences of underrepresented minority students in medicine as they matriculate to and through medical school. Dr. Ayeni has worked in various aspects of higher education from admissions to advising to teaching. This variegated background has equipped him with a detailed understanding of the student perspective as well as the systems and programs that help and hinder students in their academic pursuits. As the Director of Diversity and Equity, he enjoys creating meaningful connections with people from various backgrounds within and outside of the medical school to work toward a more genuinely equitable educational experience for all students, which is a key piece in the fight to produce more equitable health outcomes in society. In his role as a faculty member in the Human Dimension program, his educational philosophy centers on moving away from merely teaching students to memorize facts, and helping them to enter a more genuine learning process by focusing on equipping them with the tools of inquiry to become lifelong learners and researchers. How to Connect with Tadé Ayeni: Website: https://www.bpconsultants.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TadeAyeni LinkedIn: Tadé Ayeni How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
The Forgotten Identity: Disability at Work What You Will Learn: How Victor found his way to DEI work and to shining a light on the important issues around disability at work and its overlap with other minority identities Why Victor's goal in his role as Commissioner for the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities is to bring awareness to disability and accessibility issues What big wins and significant progress Victor has been able to facilitate in his role, including helping New York's park system become the most accessible in the world How around 11% of New York City's population lives their lives with disability, and why people's fear of self-disclosure makes underreporting a real challenge Why many of the technological innovations developed specifically for people with disability benefit all of us Why laws and systems to support people with disability in the workplace are crucial for allowing people to thrive in their roles Why the disparity between New York's pre-pandemic unemployment rate for non-disabled people (4%) and people with disability (79%) highlights key challenges Why people with disability experience employment discrimination far more often than most of us may realize What's next for Victor, and why making New York more accessible for people with disability is taking place at all levels of the city's government and infrastructure About Victor Calise As Commissioner for the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (PWD) under both the Bloomberg and the de Blasio administrations, Victor sets policy, advises the Mayor, agencies, creates public/private partnerships and initiatives, advocates for the passage of legislation; chairs the Accessibility Committee of the NYC Building Code and is responsible for helping to make New York City the most inclusive city in the world. In addition, as a Board Member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Victor plays an integral role in the planning and decision-making for the largest public transportation system in the United States. Spending the early part of his life as a plumber and later working in parks and playground design, Victor has a keen understanding of design and construction. He worked with the Department of Parks and Recreation Capital Projects Division, leading efforts to make one of the world's largest and most complex urban park systems universally accessible. Diversity is a workforce's biggest strength and Victor has worked to find diverse employers and candidates. He has secured relationships with businesses in technology, retail, finance, transportation, state and city government, hospitality, not-for-profits, and healthcare. Achieving gainful employment for these diverse candidates requires a network of public and private academic institutions, state vocational rehabilitation services, and service providers. He has achieved positive sustainable outcomes. Victor is a global expert in disability. He works and consults with not-for-profits, funders, technology companies, educators, and corporations. He has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has participated in numerous panel discussions in many US cities as well as Europe, South America, and the Middle East. On December 21, 2018, the Republic of Italy bestowed the honorific title of Knighthood in the Order of Merit to Victor for his work promoting stronger relations for people with disabilities between NYC-Italy. Resources: AccessibleNYC annual report: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/mopd/initiatives/accessiblenyc.page How to Connect with Victor Calise: Website: https://www.nycgovparks.org/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/victorcalise/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NYCCalise How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: In this unique episode of What's The Difference, you'll hear audio from a panel at the Stevens Institute of Technology about the benefits of inclusive leadership, in which we discussed Cultural Competence as a business skill, when it is and isn't appropriate to point out the “differences that make a difference,” and why context is vital. Hear insights about: Why developing your Cultural Competence is a key business skill that goes far beyond “knowing when to kiss, bow, or shake hands” Sara shares a story of being asked to point her husband out in a group and relates why people often become uncomfortable pointing out differences such as race Why the only time we should be identifying people by the “differences that make a difference” is when that difference is relevant to the situation Why preventing difficult situations and creating a more Inclusive environment is more effective than reacting to uncomfortable situations when they arise Why relying on research-based models is the key to developing your Cultural Competence skills and fostering an Inclusive work culture What benefits of inclusive leadership your organization can expect by doing the hard but necessary DEI work What difficult experiences Sara has had with regards to interacting across differences, both as part of the dominant and non-dominant groups Why it's important to avoid falling into a “savior” mentality if you are part of the dominant group in your workplace About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Stevens Institute of Technology Website: https://www.stevens.edu/ How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why objecting to change, feeling like giving up something, and feeling it's too much extra work are common points of resistance to diversity in the workplace and DEI efforts Why real change must happen across all levels of an organization, and why individual growth and transformation is the key to changing the organization Why the process of developing Cultural Competence isn't about giving up anything but about adding on new skills and abilities to navigate difference Why DEI efforts do require extra work upfront but will make for a more effective and enjoyable workplace on the other side Why DEI work is about creating organizational change by teaching people how to add new skills that will benefit them both individually and as an organization in the long run About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why it feels awkward and oftentimes uncomfortable for most of us when we are called by the wrong name incorrectly How Sara recently participated in a panel presentation on inclusive leadership and relationships at the Stevens Institute of Technology Sara shares comments from the other panelists that explain why “preferred pronouns” aren't really a preference, and why it's important to avoiding calling trans people by their deadnames Why a better way of referring to someone's chosen pronouns is by calling them “identity pronouns” rather than “preferred pronouns” Why calling by someone by the wrong name can leave them feeling uncomfortable, and why being referred to by the correct name and pronouns isn't a preference but an identity About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: How Hope transitioned her career from mechanical engineering to a brand new career in DEI practice Why Hope found her passion in making things better and affecting change, and why she chose to leave her engineering role behind to focus on DEI full time What challenges Hope faced and unexpected surprises she has experienced as a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practitioner How working with an outstanding mentor helped guide Hope's career and gave her a better understanding of the career path Why many of the leaders Hope has worked with started with the Diversity piece, and why she believes that we should focus more on Equity and Inclusion How Hope pushed through feelings of overwhelm when she first moved into her new role, and why she is passionate about always continuing to learn What advice Hope has for new practitioners and anyone interested in becoming certified in DEI practice About Hope Scheeler Hope Scheeler is a self-proclaimed cultural engineer who helps organizations create inclusive, equitable, culturally competent workforces and workplaces. A mechanical engineer by training, she chooses to apply the problem-solving principles of STEM to people and cultures in the field and personal life-calling of Diversity & Inclusion. Her scientific background helps her utilize Lean Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, and Project Management to drive sustainable results founded in data and analysis. Hope is currently a senior program manager on the D&I team at Riot Games, where she's working to drive meaningful change in the gaming and entertainment industry. How to Connect with Hope Scheeler: Website: www.riotgames.com/en LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lhopescheeler/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/riot-games Facebook: www.facebook.com/RiotGames/ Twitter: @riotgames How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
Who Leads DEI? DEI Leaders and the Importance of Roles What You Will Learn: How a survey of 383 U.S. employers from Xpert HR revealed that only 11% of these employers had Chief DEI Officers leading their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts Further findings of the Xpert HR survey: 15% had DEI efforts led by volunteer employee groups 17% said no one leads their DEI work 19% said a “social justice workgroup” or board of directors led their efforts 36% responded that it was lead by their CEO 52% said a Chief Human Resources Officer led their efforts 7% said a Chief Operating Officer led their DEI work 5% responded that their Chief Financial Officer led the way 4% said their General Counsel ran their efforts 2% responded that an outside consultant led their DEI efforts Why General Counsel, the CFO or even the CEO aren't the right people who should be leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work, and why it's crucial to appoint the right DEI leaders to oversee your efforts Why organizations who are truly committed to DEI work should follow best practices and assign an experienced, dedicated Chief DEI Officer About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Xpert HR “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Employer Trends in 2021” Survey (requires site registration to access): https://bit.ly/3zJ6o3w How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why 75% of people surveyed responded that, due to the global pandemic, they no longer feel comfortable shaking hands in a job interview Sara describes a pre-pandemic training exercise she and her team would employ to demonstrate the discomfort people sometimes experience when getting close to others Why shared meaning around our cultural behaviors informs how comfortable or uncomfortable we feel doing those behaviors How the “handshake” ritual came to be historically, why many of us don't know this origin, and what this tells us about how we view and question other cultures' behaviors Why it takes a significant disruption to change the shared meaning we associate with certain long-held cultural behaviors Why understanding the shared meaning behind behaviors is the key to understanding and changing our organizational culture Why our actions are created by our conscious thoughts, which themselves stem from our unconscious filters Why it is crucial to define the behaviors that you want to see or change and then work on the shared meaning that informs those behaviors About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Sara shares the story of “Jaden,” the manager of her local coffee shop who desperately needed a day off from nonstop work, an example of what happens when leadership does not invest in DEI work and learning Why Jaden chose to give her two-weeks notice because she felt her manager didn't respect her or her family Why Jaden's story demonstrates the need for businesses and organizations to invest in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work Why Jaden's manager's internal bias and lack of cultural competence has cost her a fantastic employee Why employees “quitting their managers” can be just as damaging to a company as employees leaving their jobs, and why this is a perfect example of the ROI of DEI work About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why Generation Z as a cohort is the most broadly diverse generation in history, and why DEI expectations from Generation Z in the workplace are important to understand Why Generation Z often defines Diversity as “who we are”, and why Cultural Competence is a crucial skill to help navigate their workplace expectations Why greater inclusivity in Generation Z's upbringing has played a big role in defining their expectations for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace Why Generation Z is adept at creating systemic and social change through collective advocacy Why generations engage differently with DEI workplace issues, and what differences are found in DEI expectations between Millennials and Generation Z in the workplace Why members of older generations often assume that Generation Z is inherently more culturally competent even though it isn't necessarily true How Generation Z finds strong motivation from making a difference for the people who matter to them Why it isn't possible to make blanket statements about Generation Z, and why their views on DEI work can vary broadly What steps you can take to better engage with Generation Z in the workplace around DEI issues DEI Expectations from Generation Z in the Workplace In episode 91 of the What's The Difference podcast, my guests were Dr. Corey Seemiller and Dr. Meghan Grace, researchers who study Generation Z, the generational cohort of people born between 1997 and 2012. We had a remarkable discussion about things employers should be aware of that can help the transition as more and more of these people join the workforce. In this encore episode, Dr. Seemiller and Dr. Grace join me for an even deeper discussion about Generation Z in the workplace, their DEI expectations, and how this Generation differs from their older peers. Generation Z in the Workplace: The Most Diverse Generation in History Not only is Generation Z incredibly diverse racially and ethnically, they've also grown up in an environment in which we openly discuss Diversity in a way that our society hasn't done before. This means that members of Generation Z hold a greater expectation for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and they're adept at recognizing and challenging inequities while working within the existing framework and systems that exist in their work environments. How Gen Z pushes back against these inequities also differs from previous generations. Whereas sit-ins were popular in the 1960s to protest racial injustice, Gen Z today uses viral social media content to spread awareness and amplify their voices. They often focus on collective effort and recognize the strength of numbers. Diversity in Perspectives It's important to remember that with greater Diversity comes more perspectives and points of view. We must avoid making the mistake of blanket assumptions about Generation Z in the workplace, such as believing that they are inherently more Culturally Competent than previous generations. As Dr. Seemiller and Dr. Grace pointed out in our conversation, it's also important to engage with members of the majority when it comes to DEI issues. While members of Generation Z from marginalized groups are often adept at advocating for themselves, it is the majority that holds the power to enact real change. By engaging their extraordinary ability to work collectively, Generation Z can truly become a catalyst for greater Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace. If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Corey Seemiller and Dr. Meghan Grace and their extraordinary work, please visit their websites at www.coreyseemiller.com and www.meghanmgrace.com. I also encourage you to read their book Generation Z: A Century in the Making. About Dr. Corey Seemiller Dr. Corey Seemiller is a faculty member in the Department of Leadership Studies in Education and Organizations at Wright State University, teaching undergraduate courses in organizational leadership as well as graduate courses in leadership development and student affairs and higher education. She is the author of The Student Leadership Competencies Guidebook and associated tools and assessments to help educators develop intentional curriculum that enhances leadership competency development. She has served as an issue editor for New Directions for Student Leadership, the co-chair for the National Leadership Symposium and the Leadership Education Academy, and an associate editor of the Journal of Leadership Studies. Dr. Seemiller also has a deep understanding of today's young adults. She is the co-author of several articles as well as four books on Generation Z (born 1995-2010) including Generation Z: A Century in the Making, Generation Z Goes to College, Generation Z Leads, and Generation Z Learns. She also co-authored the Gen Z Voices on Voting research report. Her highly popular TED Talk on Generation Z at TEDxDayton showcased how Generation Z is making a difference in the world. Her work has been featured on NPR and in The New York Times as well as in several other news publications and academic journals. She has also been interviewed for podcasts as well as TV and radio shows worldwide. About Dr. Meghan Grace Meghan Grace is a generational researcher, author, speaker, consultant, and podcast host. She began her journey as a generational researcher in 2014, when she and her research partner, Dr. Corey Seemiller started to notice differences in the college students they worked with on campus and wanted to better understand their perspectives, values, and behaviors. In 2014, they launched their first independent study on Generation Z, which has since led to two more independent studies, two books, and two guidebooks about Generation Z. Meghan also serves as a consultant with Plaid, LLC., an organizational development firm, where she specializes in research and assessment, curriculum and program development, and strategic projects. Resources: Generation Z: A Century in the Making by Corey Seemiller and Meghan Grace: https://amzn.to/2SUtPYx Revisit What's The Difference episode 91 “Generation Z in the Workplace” with Dr. Corey Seemiller & Dr. Meghan Grace: https://whatsthedifferencepodcast.com/podcasts/generation-z-in-the-workplace/ How to Connect with Dr. Corey Seemiller: Website: www.thegenzhub.com Website: www.coreyseemiller.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/seemiller/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/coreyseemiller/ Twitter: @CoreySeemiller Twitter: @thegenzhub How to Connect with Dr. Meghan Grace: Website: www.meghanmgrace.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/meghanmgrace/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/meghanmgrace Twitter: @MeghanMGrace How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Sara defines Cultural Competence as understanding how our unconscious minds make decisions for us and taking conscious control of our behaviors Why the first step in defining the benefits of Cultural Competence involves recognizing the “differences that make a difference” Why our level of Cultural Competence is involved in virtually every interaction we have in the workplace How research by Joseph DiStefano and Martha Maznevski found that diverse teams make up both the worst and best performing, with Cultural Competence being the deciding factor Why less than 17% of our population falls within the two most effective stages of Cultural Competence, and how we can develop those skills Why major organizations like Google and Target even struggle to recognize and respond to the differences that make a difference Why tying Cultural Competence to your strategic priorities like breaking into new markets or mergers/acquisitions can help you make the case Why the “do nothing” strategy of maintaining the status quo is the only alternative to working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Creating Value with Diverse Teams in Global Management by Joseph J. DiStefano and Martha L. Maznevski How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why there are many business benefits of Inclusion in the workplace, and why Inclusion allows you to create an environment that takes advantage of the benefits of Diversity How the cost of talent turnover is anywhere from 40% to 150% of an employee's annual salary, and how an inclusive environment increases engagement and retention How Gallup found that 13% of the global workforce are actively engaged at work, and why management's strong commitment to Diversity is the #1 factor in increasing this number Why Diversity without Inclusion can result in high talent turnover, and why an inclusive environment is crucial for avoiding that turnover Why the level of engagement is lowest for workforce members born after 1980, and why Inclusion is necessary for helping them feel engaged What to look for to identify issues with Inclusion in your organization, and how to analyze your data to get a better picture of Inclusion at your workplace About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
Making the Case Part I: Why Diversity is Good For Business What You Will Learn: Why it is important to examine why Diversity is good for business, just as we examine the benefits of all the other business decisions we make Why the first component of why diversity is good for business is the moral implications of increased Diversity How studies have shown that the top 25% racially and ethnically diverse companies are 36% more likely to outperform less diverse companies in financial performance Why greater gender Diversity gives companies a 25% increased likelihood of outperforming the average and increase the value of these organizations How Diversity can help fuel innovation, new and fresh ideas, and more perspectives in decision-making Why tokenism isn't enough, and why diverse team members and business leaders need to be brought in as full members of the team Why our workforce is increasingly diverse and why organizations that value Diversity have greater access to talented team members How immigration is helping push back against the declining numbers in the workforce and helping fill the increased demand for workers Why Diversity is crucial as BIPOC people are becoming an ever-growing segment of our society Making the Case Part I: Why Diversity is Good For Business We all know that most business decisions are made on the basis of the impact they have on the bottom line. Luckily, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work does have a positive impact on the success of our organizations. The challenge is making the case for why we need to do this work in a way that illustrates this impact. In this first episode in a special three-part What's The Difference podcast series, I want to talk to you first about why Diversity is good for business and what effect increased Diversity can have on your organization's success. Why Diversity is Good For Business At deepSEE Consulting, we've designed a template to help you make the case for DEI work in your organization, which you can find on our website at www.deepseeconsulting.com. This template serves as the basis of our three-part series, so I urge you to check it out. First, let's talk about why Diversity is good for business. Just as we carefully consider the pros and cons before we make other key business decisions, we should consider these same factors when making the case for DEI work in our organizations. Of course, there's the moral imperative, but there are also tangible benefits of increased Diversity. McKinsey & Company periodically releases a report on the business impact of greater Diversity. First, they rank organizations based on their racial diversity and then they examine these companies' financial performance. According to their findings, organizations in the top 25 percentile of racially and ethnically diverse organizations were 36% more likely to outperform the median. Additionally, companies in the top ¼ of companies with Diversity in their leadership roles had a 20% higher probability of above-average performance. Greater gender Diversity also offers a 25% greater likelihood of outperforming the financial returns of less diverse organizations. It Takes Real Commitment Allow me to be clear, just hiring a female or BIPOC employee isn't enough to enjoy these benefits. Your organization must be truly committed to greater Diversity, and diverse team members need to be truly welcomed at the table. For example, gender Diversity doesn't have a major impact on performance until Diversity reaches a critical mass and at least 22% of the executive leadership team are women. It takes work and honest dedication. But the benefits go beyond just the financial boost. Princeton researcher Scott Page wrote an article in which he shared these findings: greater Diversity in an organization's leadership team enhances problem-solving because “organizations can improve their performance by tapping the power of differences in how people think. Likewise, Harvard Business Review found that homogeneity in business actually stifles innovation, and a Forbes study found that Diversity is a crucial driver of innovation in the workplace. Diversity is important, not just because it's “the right thing to do,” but because it helps our teams operate more effectively, it sparks innovation, and these are proven to have tangible financial benefits. If you'd like to learn more about the template we've created containing hard data highlighting these benefits, please visit us at www.deepseeconsulting.com. And please join me for next week's episode of What's The Difference, when we take a close look at the benefits of Inclusion. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: What possible reasons may be contributing to so many people asking Sara and her team at deepSEE Consulting for help defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Why it is especially important to have a shared clear, defined meaning around the important concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion How the team at deepSEE Consulting define Diversity as “the differences that may make a difference” How any business with more than one person inherently has Diversity, and what kinds of differences make a difference in interactions with others Why our “frames” and “filters” are so important in our interactions, including within the workplace How Inclusion represents acts and actions that create an environment where everyone feels they matter and are “a part of” rather than “apart from” How Equity differs from Equality, wherein Equity takes into account individual and systemic bias, and why Equity is about parity rather than fairness About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
Why the increased conversation around unconscious and implicit bias is significant, and why “affinity bias” (positive bias) is often overlooked but just as influential Sara shares a personal story from her daughter that illustrates the impact of positive and negative bias and responding to microaggression Why positive bias can create negative reactions, and why it is important to understand positive bias in our workplaces Why recognizing and responding to positive bias is an important component of bringing equity to a workplace Sara shares examples of highly visible affinity bias that her family experienced while visiting the Dominican Republic Why passing through Customs and Immigration was made easier by having Sara take the bags and go through before her husband Why it is vital that we begin addressing affinity bias in the same ways that we address implicit and unconscious bias About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Namita shares how others' filters lead to comments from them on her lack of a “foreign” accent, which belies the occasional language differences that she sometimes encounters even today How people often have the expectation that Namita, an Asian woman, will be passive or quiet, and how they are surprised when she steps outside their expectations How Namita has experienced expectations around her ability with technology and computer programming entirely because she is Asian How the stereotypes Namita has experienced over her career have impacted her, even (and especially) when she doesn't fit the stereotype How Namita also experiences these expectations from others in the Asian community, and how people often assume Namita is her kids' nanny rather than their mom Namita offers her perspective on the increase in incidents of violence against Asain women, and why that race-based hate is frightening to Namita Why negative news headlines often reference the race of an individual when they are non-white but not when they are white, and how this impacts marginalized communities Why it is vital to consider the possibility that someone else's experiences aren't the same as your own and recognize your own cultural filters What advice Namita offers for anyone who is being forced to confront microaggressions and bias situations in the workplace Cultural Filters: Examining How Our Filters Impact Our Workplace Interactions We all have specific cultural filters, unconscious lenses through which we see the world. These follow us from interaction to interaction, from our home lives to our workplaces. Recognizing these filters is crucial for engaging with others more effectively, especially across the “differences that make a difference”. In the previous episode of the What's The Difference podcast, I was joined by Namita Eveloy, an expert and senior consultant here at deepSEE Consulting. Namita has a fascinating and unique perspective to share as a first-generation Asian immigrant to the United States who moved here when she was just eight years old. Namita has experienced many different situations of bias, microaggressions and other situations that spawned from the filters through which others viewed her and set expectations of her. In this week's follow-up episode, Namita shared how these experiences often run both ways, when people are surprised when she doesn't fit their expectations. These two special episodes of the podcast are all about cultural filters and how they inform our interactions, often unconsciously. What happens when filters clash, when two parties are viewing the exact same situation through different lenses? And what happens when you defy someone's expectations set by their filters? Understanding filters can lead to engaging in a much more effective way, in the workplace and in any other situation in which we find ourselves needing to interact across differences. When Cultural Filters Differ Here in the United States, our dominant culture typically places a greater focus on individuality, on determining one's own destiny. This isn't universal, of course, but at the wider cultural level we do lean towards greater individualism. However, in other cultures around the world, the emphasis seems to lean more towards a collectivistic culture in which there is greater pressure to conform to a unifying standard. So, what happens when these filters clash? Frequently, misunderstandings, miscommunications or friction result. Whether it is in how we communicate, what actions we consider to be “polite” or socially expected, or even in how we engage with figures of authority, we must remember that our filters aren't universal. What we consider to be “casual office banter”, someone with different filters might see as disrespectful or inappropriate. When We Defy Others' Expectations and Stereotypes As Namita explained in our conversation, she is often greeted with surprise by other moms when they realize she isn't her own children's nanny but rather their mother. Her children are mixed race and lighter skinned than she is, and so she is often presumed to be their nanny. These kinds of microaggressions often come from situations in which we step outside the expectations of others. Likewise, throughout her career people have assumed certain details about Namita's personality based on their cultural filters and expectations. As an Asian woman, she is often expected to be demure, quiet, great with technology, and other stereotypes, even if the truth is wildly different from people's expectations. However, this isn't always a two-way street. As Namita mentioned, when incidents of violence occur, the news headlines often mention the person's race if they are non-white but seldom or never mention their race if they are white. When the September 11 terror attacks took place, there was a swift and violent backlash against many members of the Middle Eastern-American community, and the news media made a constant point of mentioning the race of the terrorists. However, when a white gunman shot and killed 23 people in a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas in 2019, the fact that he was a white man wasn't mentioned in the headlines nearly as often, even though he was specifically targeting the Latinx community. This is why we must work to be aware of our own filters and to ask the very important question “can we consider the possibility…?” Can we consider the possibility that someone else's experiences don't match our own? What changes if that possibility were true? How would that inform our interactions? Recognizing our filters is crucial for more effective communication, and the first step is to ask ourselves, “can we consider the possibility?” To reach out to Namita Eveloy, you can email her at namita@deepseeconsulting.com or visit our website at www.deepseeconsulting.com. I also invite you to visit our podcast archive found at https://whatsthedifferencepodcast.com/ for more informative episodes like these. About Namita Eveloy Namita Eveloy is an experienced professional with a broad background in Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Organizational Development. With extensive experience facilitating learning for multinational companies, Namita knows how to navigate large, matrixed corporations. With professional experience in five countries, in both public and private sectors, Namita offers an unmatched international perspective. Namita holds an MBA from the prestigious Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Master's in Education from the University of Minnesota. How to Connect with Namita Eveloy: Email: namita@deepseeconsulting.com Website: https://www.deepseeconsulting.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/namitaeveloy/
What You Will Learn: How Namita's unique experiences as an immigrant to the United States informs her work in the DEI space What Namita's experiences were like after immigrating to Minnesota at the young age of eight years old, and how she first recognized differing cultural filters in others How Namita began making friends, and how she started to recognize differences in formalities in family life from what she was used to How Namita's experiences with difference carried over to her transition into the workplace, and how she had to consciously work to acquire the skill of using her voice How differences in individual and collective cultural filters can sometimes cause misunderstandings or miscommunications in the workplace Why it is important to recognize that our own filters may differ from those of others, and why misaligned expectations can cause workplace tension Namita shares the story of a colleague who considered resigning from a new job because he hadn't been approached by his boss and made to feel welcome to the company Why the differences in cultural filters between “collectivistic” and “individualistic” societies can cause friction in the workplace About Namita Eveloy Namita Eveloy is an experienced professional with a broad background in Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Organizational Development. With extensive experience facilitating learning for multinational companies, Namita knows how to navigate large, matrixed corporations. With professional experience in five countries, in both public and private sectors, Namita offers an unmatched international perspective. Namita holds an MBA from the prestigious Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Master's in Education from the University of Minnesota. How to Connect with Namita Eveloy: Email: namita@deepseeconsulting.com Website: https://www.deepseeconsulting.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/namitaeveloy/
What You Will Learn: How the Golden Rule of “do unto others as you would want them to do unto you” needs to give way to the Platinum Rule, “do unto others as they would want done unto them” How oftentimes people struggle to let go of the Golden Rule and embrace the Platinum Rule, especially in terms of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace Which myths and misperceptions around the Golden Rule reinforce its existence as the default way to interact and often lead people astray in DEI work Why the Golden Rule isn't necessarily “wrong”, and why we need to reframe our thinking to realize that the Platinum Rule is more effective rather than “more right” How most of us are already using the Golden Rule daily, and how our unconscious minds often make an assumption about similarity despite our very real differences Why assuming that others want to be treated the way we want ourselves to be treated is based on fallacy and doesn't respect others' individual filters and experiences Why our own experiences aren't universal, and why seeing past the assumption of similarity is crucial to “doing unto others as they would want done unto them” Why it is important to consider how behaviors under the Golden Rule might be perceived as disrespectful by others, and how the Platinum Rule circumvents this problem The Platinum Rule: More Effective Than the Golden Rule We've probably all heard the adage “do unto others as you would have done unto you.” It's the Golden Rule, and most of us are taught to inform our interactions with others through this rule from a very early age. However…is that really the most effective way in which we can interact with others? The Golden Rule doesn't take into account what happens if the person we're interacting with doesn't want to be treated the same way we'd want to be treated. The Golden Rule is focused on our perceptions, experiences, and expectations and is centered around ourselves rather than the people around us. In this week's solocast episode of the What's The Difference podcast, I discuss the problems, myths, and misperceptions around the Golden Rule that prevent it from being the ideal north star of navigating our interactions with others, and I compare it to the Platinum Rule of “do unto others as they would have done unto them.” The wonderful thing about the Platinum Rule that makes it so effective is that it takes into account differences between the lenses and filters through which we view the world versus others and their own filters. It asks us to stop and consider how others might feel about a given interaction, rather than centering our behaviors on what we want. This difference is crucial! The Problem With the Golden Rule Consider for a moment that our subconscious minds process orders of magnitude more information than our conscious minds do, from moment to moment. Our subconscious minds serve as the filters through which we see the world around us, and most of our behaviors come from the subconscious. This means that when we're interacting with others, we are inherently practicing the Golden Rule. We're using our own filters to process our interactions and inform what we say and how we behave, on a natural and fundamental level. The problem is…what if the other person doesn't see the world in the same way? Could “doing unto others as we would have done unto us” be perceived as disrespectful? Absolutely. The other party is viewing our actions through their filters, not ours. Interacting with the assumption that they want the same things we do can absolutely lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication because we're rooting our behaviors in our expectations and our filters without considering theirs. Using the Platinum Rule for More Effective Interactions It is important to remember that the Golden Rule isn't “worse” than the Platinum Rule. Treating others as you would like to be treated is an admirable starting point, but it's not the most effective way to interact. The Platinum Rule helps us step outside our own filters and ask the right questions so that we better understand what others consider to be respectful and positive interactions, and it helps us make conscious decisions about the words to say and the actions to take. In Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work especially, it is critically important to consider others and their filters and perspectives. This is precisely why the Platinum Rule can be such a powerful and effective resource to help us engage with others more effectively, especially across the differences that make a difference. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of the podcast, and I encourage you to visit our website at www.deepseeconsulting.com for more information and resources. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Read Emotional Acknowledgment: How Verbalizing Others' Emotions Fosters Interpersonal Trust by Alisa Yu, Justin M. Berg, and Julian Zlatev How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
Generation Z in the Workplace What You Will Learn: How Meghan and Corey each found their way to generational research and began studying Generation Z in the workplace How Corey and Meghan each bring their own perspectives to the research due to belonging to different generational cohorts How the scope of Corey and Meghan's work has grown over time, and why they have focused on qualitative data What common misperceptions exist around Generation Z in the workplace, and what key formative experiences the generational cohort has collectively experienced What important points to be aware of about Generation Z as they begin to enter the workforce Why there are patterns within cultural groups in their experiences and perspectives, but why it is important to remember that these patterns aren't universal Corey and Meghan share some of the common patterns in how Generation Z sees hierarchy, individuality, leadership and transparency How Corey and Meghan's research shows that the perception that Generation Z is flighty or less likely to stay with one company is a misconception What steps Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practitioners can take to better engage with Generation z in the workplace Generation Z in the Workplace Generation Z includes anyone born between 1997 and 2012. This means that in 2021, the oldest members of this generational cohort are turning 22 years old. As members of Generation Z begin entering the workforce, it is important for employers to address some of the commonalities and misconceptions surrounding these young adults. My guests for this week's episode of the What's The Difference podcast are Dr. Corey Seemiller and Dr. Meghan Grace, generational researchers and the co-authors of Generation Z: A Century in the Making. During our conversation, we discussed several of the major misconceptions that are often held about Generation Z that aren't supported by the facts. It is important to note that, while common patterns do appear within members of any generation, those patterns are by no means universal. It is important to remember that every individual is unique and that generalizations don't always apply. Common Misconceptions About Generation Z One of the most common misconceptions people tend to hold about Generation Z is that they're “glued to their phones”, that they excel in technology but struggle to operate without it. As Corey and Meghan explained, members of every generation have adapted to smartphone technology. Generation Z is the first generation to have never seen life before the internet, it's true, but the evidence shows that they aren't significantly more attached to their phones than other age groups. Generation Z can also be seen as flighty, ready to leave their employer for another job opportunity at any moment. However, Corey and Meghan's research shows that Generation Z will happily stay with an employer, provided their needs and expectations are being met. Many members of Generation Z value transparency and honesty from their employers, and they want to feel satisfaction in their work. Addressing the Needs and Expectations of Generation Z in the Workplace Many members of Generation Z value diversity, equity and inclusion, and they are adept at detecting inauthentic action. If a DEI practitioner truly wants to engage with Generation Z employees, it is important to be authentic about your work. If a business says they value diversity and inclusion but their senior staff is made up exclusively of straight, white, cisgender men, their DEI messaging might very well appear inauthentic. As another example, if a business changes to a rainbow logo for LGBTQ+ Pride month in June but then does nothing to show support for the LGBTQ+ community and employees within the organization who identify in that community, Generation Z employees may call attention to this lack of alignment between stated DEI messaging and an organization's visible actions. If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Corey Seemiller and Dr. Meghan Grace and their extraordinary work, please visit their websites at www.coreyseemiller.com and www.meghanmgrace.com. I also encourage you to check out their book Generation Z: A Century in the Making. About Dr. Corey Seemiller Dr. Corey Seemiller is a faculty member in the Department of Leadership Studies in Education and Organizations at Wright State University, teaching undergraduate courses in organizational leadership as well as graduate courses in leadership development and student affairs and higher education. She is the author of The Student Leadership Competencies Guidebook and associated tools and assessments to help educators develop intentional curriculum that enhances leadership competency development. She has served as an issue editor for New Directions for Student Leadership, the co-chair for the National Leadership Symposium and the Leadership Education Academy, and an associate editor of the Journal of Leadership Studies. Dr. Seemiller also has a deep understanding of today's young adults. She is the co-author of several articles as well as four books on Generation Z (born 1995-2010) including Generation Z: A Century in the Making, Generation Z Goes to College, Generation Z Leads, and Generation Z Learns. She also co-authored the Gen Z Voices on Voting research report. Her highly popular TED Talk on Generation Z at TEDxDayton showcased how Generation Z is making a difference in the world. Her work has been featured on NPR and in The New York Times as well as in several other news publications and academic journals. She has also been interviewed for podcasts as well as TV and radio shows worldwide. About Dr. Meghan Grace Meghan Grace is a generational researcher, author, speaker, consultant, and podcast host. She began her journey as a generational researcher in 2014, when she and her research partner, Dr. Corey Seemiller started to notice differences in the college students they worked with on campus and wanted to better understand their perspectives, values, and behaviors. In 2014, they launched their first independent study on Generation Z, which has since led to two more independent studies, two books, and two guidebooks about Generation Z. Meghan also serves as a consultant with Plaid, LLC., an organizational development firm, where she specializes in research and assessment, curriculum and program development, and strategic projects. Resources: Generation Z: A Century in the Making by Corey Seemiller and Meghan Grace: https://amzn.to/2SUtPYx How to Connect with Dr. Corey Seemiller: Website: www.thegenzhub.com Website: www.coreyseemiller.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/seemiller/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/coreyseemiller/ Twitter: @CoreySeemiller Twitter: @thegenzhub How to Connect with Dr. Meghan Grace: Website: www.meghanmgrace.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/meghanmgrace/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/meghanmgrace Twitter: @MeghanMGrace How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why the way in which leaders engage with emotions at work matters, and why a lack of emotional support can be damaging Why emotional support in the workplace is key to allowing team members to feel engaged and valued Why too few business leaders see feeling involved in emotions at work as part of their leadership role How research by Alisa Yu and Justin Berg at Stanford and Julian Zlatev at Harvard Business School shows that people need emotional support and acknowledgment How the research shows that emotional acknowledgment is vital, and what important results the researchers discovered that business leaders can learn from Why incurring the “risk” of acknowledging employees' emotions out loud builds a strong sense of trust and can help leaders strengthen their leadership Why asking “how are you feeling?”, especially in the case of negative emotions, is crucial for building that trust About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Read Emotional Acknowledgment: How Verbalizing Others' Emotions Fosters Interpersonal Trust by Alisa Yu, Justin M. Berg, and Julian Zlatev How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: How Frank Slootman, CEO of Snowflake, recently told Bloomberg that the company's focus should be on “merit” rather than achieving diversity goals How the scientific data shows us that an organization that has a diverse workforce paired with greater cultural competence performs better than their peers Why the statement that the focus should be on “merit” over “diversity goals” is implicitly saying that white men are more capable than women and ethnic minorities Sara defines the term “meritocracy” and explains why the meritocracy fallacy doesn't stand up to logical scrutiny How only 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs are Black/African American, demonstrating that white CEOs are overrepresented in the Fortune 500 Why the meritocracy fallacy is based on false assumptions and ignores systemic and individual biases employees face Sara highlights key studies that demonstrate the very real problem of unconscious racial and gender biases in the hiring process How a study proved that white men with criminal records were more likely to be hired than Black men without criminal records Why the belief that you have to sacrifice merit to pursue diversity in the workplace is itself based on biases About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Read Frank Slootman's Interview with Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/3gMtoHk How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why managers can't effectively set their employees up for success if they can't recognize inequity in the workplace Sara shares a story of a rockstar physical therapist who had to do lots of extra, unnecessary work because his manager wasn't setting him up for success Why one theme that always comes up in workplace focus groups with employees from non-dominant groups is that they have to work much harder for less recognition Why managers or supervisors who can't see the presence or impact of inequity in the workplace can't set their employees up to succeed Why self-awareness of your own cultural competence development is the first step in making positive change Why you should acknowledge employees' additional burden and then ask how you can help ease that burden, and why you must be prepared to listen to the hard truths About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why it is important to reflect on how DEI work has evolved in the workplace, from when intentional DEI work began to the present Why the intentionality to seek greater Diversity within the workforce is a more recent phenomenon, beginning with Affirmative Action How DEI work began with a focus on Diversity and equality primarily in recruitment, and how inclusion was added around 25 years ago How Equity is the most recent aspect of DEI work, and how it focuses on going beyond the concept of “equality” to achieve true parity Why it is important to identify the systems of bias and our individual biases within our organizations to progress toward parity Why developing our cultural competence is the starting point for DEI work, so that we can begin to recognize biases and inequities in our organizations for what they are About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why many, many times over the years of her work, Sara has been asked for a “list”: an instruction list of what to do and what to say in given situations How this desire for a “list” can be likened to a “fast food drive-thru” approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion issues, attempting to shortcut the real equity work Why there is no magic list that offers a shortcut, and why ongoing development, recognizing issues and addressing them with new policies and processes is unavoidable Why this desire for a list does come from the positive intent of wanting to not offend or cause issues, but why it also trivializes real equity work and its complexities Why doing the hard, intentional development work and understanding the unconscious lenses through which we see difference is vital for lasting change Why a lack of time and fear or uncertainty about the unknown are the two driving forces behind the desire for a magic list About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: How we are genetically programmed to deal with danger situations through the “fight, flight or freeze” response How marginalization in the workplace and minimization of differences cause people to often respond through the same survival mechanism Sara shares her personal experience of minimization and marginalization in the workplace when she was a young woman on a team of otherwise older men How another way people respond is through the “fight” response by pushing back against minimization and loudly calling out the things that make them different How there is often an undiscussed fourth response, “fawn”, where people seek the approval of those who are minimizing them How all four of the responses (fight, flight, freeze and fawn) are natural reactions for someone who is marginalized in an environment of minimization Why feeling marginalized, overlooked, excluded and having your differences minimized makes it that much harder to contribute or to do your best work Why too often, the response to someone reacting with fight, flight, freeze or fawn is to blame the victim rather than recognizing that their responses are natural Why these responses are also the typical responses to trauma, and why a minimization culture dramatically impacts an organization's bottom line About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What Has Changed Since George Floyd: The New Landscape of DEI Work What You Will Learn: What has changed since George Floyd was killed at the hands of Minneapolis police a year ago, and the global protests his killing sparked Dawn shares her thoughts on DEI practice today and on our society’s evolving views of equity and diversity Why it is crucial to remember that Diversity is not new, and how the murder of George Floyd opened people’s eyes to the reality that has been with us all along How in some regards we’ve slid backwards in our collective cultural competence, and why some people now feel free to voice racist opinions openly How Diversity’s slow slide towards being a “political” topic has created an additional challenge for DEI practitioners Why more businesses are making public statements after race-based violent events take place, and why they are sometimes getting pushback from employees How DEI work has evolved since the 1980s and 1990s and moved beyond just training to more organizational and strategic efforts, and what work still needs to be done Why “training” isn’t the quick fix for racial equity in the workplace, and what positives Dawn recognizes in our progress Why Dawn is happy to see that we’re still having conversations around these subjects and providing a framework for new DEI practitioners to build on Why Dawn suggests new practitioners focus on understanding where your organization is, where they want to go, and what challenges they face What Has Changed Since George Floyd It has been nearly a year since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. In that time, so much has changed in the collective awareness of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. But as the expression goes, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” In some regards, the national and global conversation about racial equity sparked by George Floyd’s murder has opened society’s eyes to the pervasive inequities that were here all along. But in other ways, it feels like we’re sliding backwards into further divisiveness and race-based hostility, as though people with racist views and opinions feel empowered to air those views openly. So what has changed since George Floyd was killed, and since the video of his murder forced us to have a global conversation about systemic racism and police violence against unarmed Black people? How has DEI work changed in the last year, and what work do we still need to do? Pushing Forward and Sliding Backward To answer these questions, I invited Dawn Cooper to join me on this week’s episode of the What’s The Difference podcast. Dawn is a Diversity and Inclusion practitioner with an extensive and extraordinary depth of experience, consulting for some of the biggest brands in the world, from American Express to Amoco. During our conversation, we discussed how things have changed in the last year, both in positive ways and in negative ones. Somehow, the concept of Diversity has become a “political” topic, and some organizations who have voiced support for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society have received resistance for “pushing a political agenda”. This politicization of DEI work has created yet another obstacle for practitioners to have to overcome, and the reality can feel overwhelming and progress can feel nearly impossible. However, new data, new methods and a new understanding of the challenges we face mean that we can make progress. It’s important to remember that, as Dawn said in our conversation, Diversity isn’t a new concept, and the last year has only illuminated issues that have been a part of our world all along. One key piece of advice Dawn shared for anyone new to DEI work, especially if you’re entering the field in today’s complicated environment, is to focus on understanding where your organization is now, what goals your organization has for the future, and what challenges your organization faces in achieving those goals. Doing so will offer you a road map for the work you must do, and that can be invaluable in helping you navigate the complexities. If you would like to connect with the extraordinary Dawn Cooper, you can reach out to her on LinkedIn. About Dawn Cooper Dawn Cooper, MA is Principal of DMC Consulting Services and a seasoned Diversity and Inclusion professional who provides strategic and tactical direction, consultative support and training to clients looking to implement change, manage conflict, and improve organizational effectiveness. She also consults to organizations on ways to leverage diversity and build inclusion as an organizational imperative. She specializes in cross-cultural communications, program development including initiating diversity councils/ committees, developing and facilitating training programs, retreat facilitation, program evaluation, leadership development and executive coaching. She has served in diversity leadership positions at The Arc of the United States in Washington, DC; Erickson Living in Baltimore, MD; InterAction in Washington, DC; Freddie Mac in McLean, Virginia; Amoco in Chicago, Illinois; and American Express in New York, New York. Dawn specializes in developing strategic diversity plans and has worked with organizations to create action items and deliver measurable results. She developed the 5-year diversity strategic action plan for The Arc and implemented a Diversity Annual Report for monitoring progress. As an independent consultant, Dawn has taught courses in Diversity Certification programs at Cornell, Georgetown and most recently at Thomas Jefferson University including: Facilitating Strategic Diversity Planning and Goal Setting, Diversity Strategy and Leadership, Fundamentals of Conducting a Diversity Assessment, Introduction to Diversity as Organizational Change, Strategic Approach to Diversity Councils and Measurement and Evaluation. Dawn has a M.A. in I/O Psychology from New York University and a B.S.in Psychology from Howard University. She is based in Washington, DC. How to Connect with Dawn Cooper: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dawncooperhr/ Twitter: @dmedinacooper
What You Will Learn: How our unconscious minds work, and how thoughts begin in the unconscious mind before being passed to conscious awareness How the brain processes 11 million separate pieces of information in one second, and how 10,999,960 of those pieces of information are never passed to the conscious mind Why the unconscious mind is prone to making the assumption that our own personal experience is actually a universal experience How our lives are highly segregated, with people in the US averaging only one person in their circle of friends from a different racial group Sara shares a story of an encounter she had while playing tennis with her Black/Latino husband and her young daughter Sara shares a different story of how her son was stopped and interrogated by police multiple times a week in their neighborhood How the difference in experience shows up in the workplace, and how marginalized groups have a very different work experience from dominant groups How asking yourself “can I consider the possibility?” consciously tests your unconscious mind and helps you recognize that others have different experiences How Black and Brown people statistically have a very different experience interacting with police, even when they have committed an identical crime to White people Why the next step is to ask yourself the question “what would it mean if it were true?”, and how that can lead to greater understanding Universal Experience Did you know that your mind processes eleven million separate pieces of information per second? That number is astonishing and hard to believe, right? That’s because 10,999,960 of those pieces of information are processed within your subconscious mind and never rise to the level of conscious thought. Why does this statistic matter? It’s because our minds naturally gravitate towards believing that our own personal experiences are actually universal experiences; that our path through life is shared by everyone else. The reality is very different, however, and we must learn to consciously be aware that universal experience isn’t an accurate way to view the world. At one year out from the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Black and Brown people are still being murdered by police. Why isn’t there greater outrage, specifically from White people? It’s exactly because of the tendency to believe that our experiences are universal. “I’ve never had a problem interacting with police” can quickly become “therefore other people don’t either or the situation is overblown.” How do we press back against our tendency to believe in the universal experience? Asking the Right Questions When I am working with people to help them understand that our experiences aren’t necessarily universal, I challenge them to ask themselves a very important five-word question: “Can I consider the possibility?” Can they consider the possibility that Black and Brown people have a very different experience in life in this country than White people? Can they consider the possibility that the statistics are true and that their own personal experiences don’t reflect the experience others have? When you ask this question, you are challenging your subconscious thoughts by bringing them forward into your conscious mind. You are considering the possibility that injustices and disparities do exist, even if you have never personally experienced them. The next question to ask is: “What would it mean if it were true?” By asking this follow-up question, you are telling your mind to extrapolate from the basic premise that our experiences aren’t actually universal. “What would it mean if it were true that a person from a different racial group was having a very different experience in my workplace than I am?” How would that impact their ability to feel safe at work? How would that impact their feeling that their work is valued, respected, and recognized for what it is? The universal experience is a fiction our subconscious minds prefer, because it fits with our past experiences and reassures us that the world is as we see it and believe it to be. By questioning our subconscious beliefs and challenging them with conscious thought, we can open our minds to the “differences that make a difference”, and that’s the first step to real change and progress. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara YouTube video from the show “What Would You Do? with John Quinones” that shows an example of very different experiences
What You Will Learn: How Polarization is the us/them stage of development, and why it often leads to defending the indefensible and hurtful actions of others Why Minimization sweeps differences under the rug, and why the language of minimization is a key component in defending the indefensible How the tragedy at the Unite the Right rally and counterprotest in Charlottesville is an example of defending the indefensible How the then-President of the United States used Minimization language by saying that there were “very fine people on both sides” How the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandal led to Minimization statements defending the abusing priests How Minimization language continues to be used to defend the police murders of Black and Brown people Why we must recognize where the defense of indefensible actions comes from and address the root cause if we hope to move beyond Minimization Defending the Indefensible When terrible events like the murder of peaceful protester Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017 happen, we often hear people defending the indefensible actions that created those events. In this case, then-President Donald Trump famously claimed that there were “very fine people on both sides” between the protesters and counter-protesters. What is the justification and rationale behind defending the indefensible? Where does this mindset come from? To answer this question, we must look to the five stages of cultural competence for answers. As we’ve discussed before, these stages in order are: Denial Polarization Minimization Acceptance Adaptation Defending the indefensible begins in the Polarization stage, the “us versus them” stage of development in which we focus solely on the differences. However, defending the indefensible uses language from the Minimization stage, in which we ignore or refuse to recognize difference and instead draw similarities that may not exist. This Minimization language can be found in former President Trump’s response to the terror attack in Charlottesville. “There are very fine people on both sides” seeks to minimize the differences between the groups of protesters and counterprotesters and equate one group with the other, despite the many differences in behavior and mindset that existed between the two groups. So how do we respond when others use Minimization language to defend actions that by all rights are indefensible? Acceptance, the fourth stage of cultural competence, does not mean that we must accept the defensive statements at face value. Rather, we must work to look beyond the words and understand and address the root causes that lead people to defend these actions. We must work to move beyond Minimization into the more effective stage of Acceptance. Unfortunately, attacks like the police murder of Black and Brown people continue to occur. And when they do, people will continue to use the language of Minimization to defend the indefensible. We must pay attention and recognize this when it happens if we hope to achieve a greater level of cultural competence in our society. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why it is as important as ever to continue making the case for DEI in the workplace in today’s competitive environment How DEI work directly connects to business results, and how to use this information in your case for DEI work Why more racially diverse companies and teams tend to outperform companies that are more racially homogenous Why gender diversity in a company’s leadership team has a direct result in the value of the organization Why the increasing diversity of the labor pool highlights a growing need for a work environment that attracts that diverse talent Why it is important to tie your case to actual data from your own organization and its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (or lack thereof) Why DEI work has an impact on talent retention and can help you dramatically lower your turnover and its associated costs Why cultural competence has a powerful and positive impact on an organization’s bottom line, and why developing your organization’s cultural competence offers a competitive advantage Why cultural competence is a vital skill that can help you in many common business scenarios and challenges Making the Case for DEI It can sometimes feel overwhelming when making the case for DEI in the workplace. It can feel a bit like swimming upstream, especially if your organization doesn’t truly understand the benefits they could be reaping from a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment…or the price they’re paying for not putting in the effort to create one. However, it has never been more important to keep making the case for DEI than it is today. The labor pool is growing increasingly diverse, and creating a work environment that attracts that diverse talent is a crucial competitive advantage. Why DEI Work Matters to Your Bottom Line It isn’t just about the moral benefits of a healthier and more equitable organizational culture, though that is a powerful positive side to DEI work. It’s also about the direct productivity and financial benefits of doing the work. A frequently-cited McKinzie & Company study found that the top 25% of racially and ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to outperform the median. On the flip side, the least diverse companies tend to lag behind their competition. Likewise, those in the top 25% of gender diverse companies were 15% more likely to outperform the median on financial returns. The effect is just as impressive when we’re looking at the diversity of leadership teams. Research from the University of Maryland found that gender diversity in business leadership correlated with a staggering $42 million increase in the value of S&P 500 firms. In his book The Diversity Bonus, Princeton University researcher Scott Page found that diversity in organizational leadership teams enhances problem-solving due to a greater variety of perspectives. The Harvard Business Review published a report showing that homogeneity stifles innovation. With so much published research demonstrating the profound impact of Diversity on an organization’s success at all levels, making the case for DEI in the workplace is vital for giving your organization these powerful competitive advantages. The data proves beyond a doubt that the “do-nothing” strategy has a real, tangible cost on your organization’s effectiveness, profitability, and overall success. Where to Start in Making the Case for DEI It can feel like a daunting task, but making the case can be made easier by connecting it to your organization’s real data and to the impact DEI work can directly make on the business needs of your company. You need to understand where your organization is now, so that you know what areas need to be worked on and what positive benefits you’ll be able to achieve going forward. It all starts with data as a foundation you can build upon. Getting buy-in from your organization’s leadership team can be made much easier if you can show exactly how DEI work stands to strengthen your organization, even beyond the moral case for a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive workplace. The effort is certain to pay off in the end. At deepSEE Consulting, we offer a number of resources you may find helpful as you collect and collate your data. Please feel free to visit our website and explore the many tools found in our resource library at www.deepseeconsulting.com/resources. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara
What You Will Learn: Why mental health in the workplace during Covid-19 is changing, and how this is impacting individuals and teams Why the mental health impact of the pandemic is having an outsized impact on women and BIPOC, amplified by systemic disparities How the CDC released a report in early April about the impact the pandemic is having on mental health, and what crucial information that report contains How the layers of traumas we are all experiencing in trying to adapt to the realities of the pandemic are making it more difficult to navigate through our normal work life How all of the various changes in our lives are feeding each other, and why marginalized people especially feel these changes How 42% of Black, 27% of Asian, and 22% of Latinx and 19% of multiracial people have experienced an increase in race-based hostility, compared with 1% of White people How 40% of women and nonbinary people and 42% of transgender people have experienced gender-based harassment compared to only 2% of men Why more than 1/3 of respondents said that they don’t trust their employer to react fairly to harassment situations How you can help within your organization, and what strategies you can follow to make your workplace more safe and supportive for the mental health of team members Why intentionality and accountability are vital ingredients to creating positive, lasting, systemic change in your organization Mental Health in the Workplace During Covid-19 At the beginning of April, the Centers for Disease Control released a report on the impact the global pandemic has had on mental health in America, and the results probably won’t surprise you. Overall mental health is on the decline, and many people are struggling to access mental healthcare due to economic disparities, lockdowns and many other factors. Just as in the population at large, mental health in the workplace during Covid-19 is also displaying many troubling warning signs. Isolation and work/life balance struggles due to working from home, increase in anxiety and depression, and a lack of support systems are all factors. It probably also won’t surprise you to learn that people within marginalized communities are experiencing an outsized impact on mental health in the workplace during Covid-19, because disparities within our systems have an amplifying effect. While 1% of White people have reported an increase in race-based hostility during the pandemic, a staggering 40% of Black people have reported the same. For people of Asian ethnicity, that number is 27%. 22% of people in the Latinx community reported an increase in hostility, and 19% of multiethnic and multiracial people reported an increase. Gender-based harassment is also on the rise during the pandemic. 2% of men reported an increase of harassment based on gender, but 40% of women and nonbinary people and 42% of transgender people experienced harassment during the same period. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are steps you can take in your workplace to make your organization more safe and more supportive for team members who are dealing with mental health challenges, now and in the future. What Can Be Done to Support Mental Health in the Workplace During Covid-19 Here are the steps you can take to foster a work environment that can better meet the mental health needs of your team members: Acknowledge your team’s experiences and the ongoing impact of mental health in the workplace during Covid-19. Identify existing resources in your organization that can help, and look for opportunities to create new ones. Seek organizational policy flexibility that gives team members the freedom to take time away as necessary. Ensure that staff know who they can go to internally in your organization if they need help and support. Get comfortable talking about mental health and talking about how people from different groups are impacted differently. Take your DEI work seriously, make it a priority, and treat the work with intentionality and strategic thinking. By following these steps, you can have a massive impact on your workplace and on creating an environment where employees feel safe to voice their concerns, talk about their mental health needs, and seek the support they need. If you’d like to learn more, please explore www.deepseeconsulting.com/resources where you’ll find more tools, resources and information that can help you create lasting transformation within your organization. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara