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In this episode VEST Members talk to gender-inclusive culture expert Brad Johnson, Professor of Psychology at the United States Naval Academy and Faculty Associate at John Hopkins University, about the skills and benefits men earn when they engage in advocating for women at work. The misconceptions and challenges that often get in the way of men engaging in gender-equity advocacy and the economics of inclusive workspaces. Special thanks to VEST Member, Jessica Dietrich,  Director of Government Relations and Policy for Hunger Free Oklahoma for moderating this session.  Join us as we delve into the multifaceted roles men can play as allies, mentors, and advocates. We also uncover the economic benefits of inclusive workspaces and how intersectionality further complicates women's professional journeys, especially for women of color. Our discussion reveals how evaluations often differ for men and women. We also dissect the evolving dynamics of remote and hybrid work, generational shifts in expectations for work-life balance and how men's engagement in domestic duties is crucial for supporting women's career growth.  Show NotesStanford Study on Language Bias in Performance ReviewsBrotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley by Emily ChangFair Play by Eve RodskyGuest BiosJessica Dietrich is a VEST Member and the Director of Government Relations and Policy for Hunger Free Oklahoma. In her free time you can find Jessica spending time with her Little through Big Brothers Big Sisters, serving as a violinist and board president for Oklahoma Chamber Symphony, and enjoying time at her home in OKC with her spouse and small fleet of pets including dogs, cats, and chickens.Brad Johnson, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist, Dr. Johnson is a mentoring expert specializing in developing gender-inclusive mentoring cultures for organizations around the globe. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, including: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (both with David Smith), and The Elements of Mentoring 3rd Ed. (with Charles Ridley).If you enjoyed the episode share it with a friend and don't forget to leave us a review. If you are ready to take your career to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Check out our VEST Membership and apply today! www.VESTHer.co

“Ouch.”Believe it or not, this one word could be all it takes to breakthrough bystander paralysis when a pattern interrupt is needed to disrupt someone who is making inappropriate comments. In this highlight episode of Brad Johnson's amazing interview last week, I review his brilliant action steps to help reduce bystander anxiety and step into the much-needed role of active ally at work and in life.More about Brad JohnsonW. Brad Johnson is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former commissioned officer  in the Navy's Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award, and has received distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, in the areas of gender in the workplace, mentoring, cross-gender allyship, professional ethics, and counseling. His most recent books include: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (Harvard Business Review, 2020, with David Smith), Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (Harvard Business Review, 2016, with David Smith), The Elements of Mentoring (3rd edition, St. Martin's Press, with Charles Ridley), and On Being a Mentor (2nd edition, Routledge Press).

There is a SCIENCE to BEING AN ACTIVE ALLY and it's anchored in our physiology. When disrespectful behavior is witnessed, many men experience by-stander paralysis. It's a real thing that often prevents men from speaking up in the moment. If bad behavior isn't disrupted in 2 seconds, the moment is lost. I had the privilege of learning about this and effective pattern interrupt techniques from the remarkable Brad Johnson, co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, both written with his partner in equity, David Smith. Listen. Share. Repeat : )More about Brad JohnsonW. Brad Johnson is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former commissioned officer  in the Navy's Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award, and has received distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, in the areas of gender in the workplace, mentoring, cross-gender allyship, professional ethics, and counseling. His most recent books include: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (Harvard Business Review, 2020, with David Smith), Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (Harvard Business Review, 2016, with David Smith), The Elements of Mentoring (3rd edition, St. Martin's Press, with Charles Ridley), and On Being a Mentor (2nd edition, Routledge Press).

Good Guys authors David Smith and Brad Johnson say that men are the key to gender parity. We agree but we need many more men as allies. In this episode, Cathy and Deborah ask the tough questions. What is standing in the way of full engagement by men? And for those men who are engaged, what can they do right now? You can learn more about the important work that Dave and Brad are doing on their webpage.  You can also read their books Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies For Women in the Workplace and Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women at Work. Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick 

In this episode, I highlight some key concepts from the amazing conversation I had with Dr David Smith  [Original air date August 10th].Strangely enough, one group of people that isn't top of mind when thinking about who to include in DEI conversations, are the white male leaders who can actually do a lot to improve equity at a company.When we create an inclusive forum, that welcomes everyone, including white men, where everyone feels safe, and their voices are valued, then we can start to make some big gains in equity, and inclusion and representation. More about Dr David Smith:Dr. David Smith, PhD, is co-author of the book, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. David is a former Navy pilot who  led diverse organizations of women and men, culminating in command of a squadron in combat. Over the course of his 30 year military career, Dr. Smith flew more than 3,000 hours including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including gender bias in performance evaluations, dual-career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women employees. He is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and numerous journal articles and book chapters that focus on gender and the workplace. Learn more about David at: workplaceallies.com

What is the fastest way to create sweeping improvements in equity and inclusion? Invite white men to the conversation! In this weeks episode, Dr. David Smith and I unpack the research that supports how engaging men as active allies and sponsors, creates inclusion for them in the equitable future we are all moving toward.More about Dr David Smith:Dr. David Smith, PhD, is co-author of the book, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. David is a former Navy pilot who  led diverse organizations of women and men, culminating in command of a squadron in combat. Over the course of his 30 year military career, Dr. Smith flew more than 3,000 hours including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including gender bias in performance evaluations, dual-career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women employees. He is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and numerous journal articles and book chapters that focus on gender and the workplace. Learn more about David at: workplaceallies.com

According to a recent survey performed by the Pew Research Center, 42% of women in the United States claim that they have faced some type of gender discrimination in the workplace. If a person is treated worse than their colleagues or job applicants due to their sex or gender, they face gender discrimination. Dr. David Smith is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, a gender, work and family researcher; author and speaker. Through his research and experience leading diverse organizations, he has established his value to organizations looking to improve gender relations. Dr. Smith is known for facilitating challenging topics about gender relations and brings this skill to his consulting, writing, and speaking. A sociologist trained in social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work and family issues including allyship, cross-gender mentoring relationships, gender bias, retention of women, dual career families, military families, and military women. In his speaking, consulting and teaching, he explores gender in leadership settings focusing on social science research illuminating the difficulties women experience attaining and being seen as effective leaders. Emphasis on gender and leadership styles, traits, and effectiveness is integrated with domestic responsibilities and organizational cultures and how they differently impact women and men. Dr. Smith engages audiences and clients in challenging conversations about stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination that contribute to women's under-representation in elite leadership roles. As a practitioner, Dr. Smith provides evidence-based best practices and strategies for promoting parity in top level leadership. Dr. Smith is a frequent presenter on gender relations topics and best practices in allyship and mentoring relationships, co-author of HBR Press books Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace; Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women; and numerous articles across his areas of expertise. Dr. Smith received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Maryland, an MS in Global Leadership from the University of San Diego and a BS from the U. S. Naval Academy.  He joined me this week to tell me more.   For more information: https://www.workplaceallies.com/

On this episode of Navigating Forward, Lisa Thee chats with David Smith and Brad Johnson, co-authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. These former naval officers are dedicated to helping men become better allies, colleagues, and mentors for women — which in turn helps men become better and more inclusive leaders within their organizations. Lisa, Brad, and Dave discuss some common misconceptions and fears that men might have on their journey to becoming better allies, along with some ways to conquer their fears of disrupting the behaviors of other men. Along with effective strategies for allyship, they also talk about the different ways in which younger workers may approach the workplace and the different questions and concerns that they might have. They also touch on how gender equity starts at home, noting the importance of role modeling allyship at home. Find Brad at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wbradjohnson/Find David at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgsmithphd/Find Lisa at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisathee/ Website: https://www.workplaceallies.com/Launch Consulting Navigators in the Age of Transformation

The CME experience for this Podcast is powered by CMEfy - click here to reflect and unlock credits & more: https://earnc.me/3mdnw9 Brad Johnson is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Clinical Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former officer in the Navy's Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served as a psychologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award, and has received distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, in the areas of mentoring, cross-gender relationships at work, and counseling. His most recent books include: Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, The Elements of Mentoring (3rd edition), On Being a Mentor (2nd edition), and his new book, Good Guys: How Men Can be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Dr. Johnson's work has appeared in outlets such as the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio. Group Coaching for Physicians MD Coaches is proud to offer Group Coaching for Physicians. This is a small, intimate virtual group that will help to inspire participants to experience personal and professional fulfillment. Sessions begin on Thursday, October 6th, 2022 and runs through November 10th, 2022.  You will also earn CME credits by participating! For more information or to register please visit us at mdcoaches.store   Join the Conversation! We want to hear from you! Do you have additional thoughts about today's topic? Do you have your own Prescription for Success? Record a message on Speakpipe   All The Tools You Need To Build and Scale A Integrative Health Business Get a behind the scenes look at our playbook at Texas Center for Lifestyle Medicine to see the underpinnings of how they deliver health while keeping team members fulfilled. Find out more at https://rxforsuccesspodcast.com/IPB Unlock Bonus content and get the shows early on our Patreon Follow us or Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Amazon  | Spotify --- Show notes at https://rxforsuccesspodcast.com/116 Report-out with comments or feedback at https://rxforsuccesspodcast.com/report Music by Ryan Jones. Find Ryan on Instagram at _ryjones_, Contact Ryan at ryjonesofficial@gmail.com

Frank Schaeffer In Conversation with Good Guys and Athena Rising Authors, David Smith and Brad Johnson, exploring the importance of and true meaning of Male Allyship._____LINKShttps://www.workplaceallies.com/http://www.wbradjohnson.comBOOKSGood Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplacehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1633698726?tag=&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Womenhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1633699455?tag=&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1_____David Smith, PhD, is co-author of the book, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including gender bias in performance evaluations, dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. He is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and numerous journal articles and book chapters that focus on gender and the workplace. Learn more about David at: workplaceallies.comW. Brad Johnson, PhD is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist, Dr. Johnson is a mentoring expert specializing in developing gender-inclusive mentoring cultures for organizations around the globe. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, in the areas of mentoring, professional ethics, gender inclusion. Recent books include: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (both with David Smith) and the Elements of Mentoring 3rd Ed. (with Charles Ridley)._____In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of Fall In Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy.Learn more at https://www.lovechildrenplanet.comFollow Frank on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaefferhttps://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTubeIn Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer PodcastApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-conversation-with-frank-schaeffer/id1570357787_____Support the show

How can you be a more inclusive leader; a better mentor and ally? Listen and learn with Brad Johnson and David Smith, authors of "Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women" and "Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace".

You don't have to look too far within a professional environment to see that there still exists a significant disparity between the opportunities offered to women and those provided to men. Many of those imbalances lay in employee wages, and other differences lay in the accessibility to higher positions. Because women are at the center of this issue, many deem it just that; “a woman's problem.” However, mentorship experts Dr. David Smith and Dr. Brad Johnson have shown through their extensive research that women can benefit from having men as mentors and allies. David Smith and Brad Johnson are co-authors of the books Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace.  Each of these books serves as a research-based guide on what men can do to be better mentors and allies to women in the Workplace. In our conversation, we also cover the significance of mentoring over other forms of support.  They discuss the dynamics of a mentor-mentee relationship, and share insights for women on what to expect as a mentee. Both men and women have something to gain from this podcast. Keep listening for helpful tips on how to be a good mentor, a better ally. 

Women are at a disadvantage. At home, they often face an unequal division of household chores and childcare, and in the workplace, they deal with lower pay, lack of credit for their contributions, roadblocks to promotion, sexual harassment, and more. And while organizations are looking to address these issues, too many gender-inclusion initiatives focus on how women themselves should respond, reinforcing the perception that these are "women's issues" and that men—often the most influential stakeholders in an organization—don't need to be involved. A Navy pilot-turned-associate-professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, David G. Smith PhD led combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trained in military sociology and social psychology, he now focuses his research on  gender, work, and family issues. W. Brad Johnson PhD, who served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy's Medical Service Corps,  is a professor of psychology at the U.S. Naval Academy. He specializes in mentoring, professional ethics, and counseling.  Dave and Brad have co-authored 2 books and numerous articles including those in the Harvard Business Review: Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. Some HBR articles:How Men Can Confront Other Men About Sexist Behavior The Missing Link in Gender Equality Efforts How Men Can Be More Inclusive Leaders Male Allyship Is About Paying Attention Gender Equity Starts in the Home Men Can Improve How They Mentor Women. Here's How. How Men Can Become Better Allies to Women Gender Equity Is Not Zero Sum Read more on their website:  Workplace Allies. Dave on twitter @davidgsmithphd

It's the second decade of the 21st century, we've sent spaceships to Mars and yet women still don't have equality in the workplace. Furthermore, many women still don't feel safe in the workplace. So, what can we all do better? Let's find out together. Our Guests on this episode are returning champions, Dr. David Smith & Dr. Brad Johnson. . . . . . Dr. Brad Johnson is a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins University. He is a mentoring and gender in the workplace expert who speaks to audiences around the globe. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books in the areas of mentoring, professional ethics, and gender inclusion. Joining him today is his co-author Dr. David Smith. He is Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Aa a former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years. David and Brad are the co-authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Their previous book is Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. They are the Dynamic Duo of Men Championing Women in the workplace. More about Dr. Brad Johnson & Dr. David Smith: Website: workplaceallies.com . . . . . . When you're curious about how to tap into what drives meaning in your life and create meaningful transformation in the lives you touch. Take a look at DovBaron.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are in the second decade of the 21st century, We've sent spaceships to Mars and yet women still don't have equality in the workplace. What's more, many women still don't feel safe in the workplace. So, what can we all do better? Let's find out together. Our Guests on this episode are returning champions, Dr. David Smith & Dr. Brad Johnson. . . . . . Dr. Brad Johnson is a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins University. He is a mentoring and gender in the workplace expert who speaks to audiences around the globe. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books in the areas of mentoring, professional ethics, and gender inclusion. Joining him today is his co-author Dr. David Smith. He is Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Aa a former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years. David and Brad are the co-authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Their previous book is Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. They are the Dynamic Duo of Men Championing Women in the workplace. More about Dr. Brad Johnson & Dr. David Smith: Website: workplaceallies.com . . . . . . When you're curious about how to tap into what drives meaning in your life and create meaningful transformation in the lives you touch. Take a look at DovBaron.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the second decade of the 21st century, we've sent spaceships to Mars and yet women still don't have equality in the workplace. Furthermore, many women still don't feel safe in the workplace. So, what can we all do better? Let's find out together. Our Guests on this episode are returning champions, Dr. David Smith & Dr. Brad Johnson.   . . . . . Dr. Brad Johnson is a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins University. He is a mentoring and gender in the workplace expert who speaks to audiences around the globe. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books in the areas of mentoring, professional ethics, and gender inclusion. Joining him today is his co-author Dr. David Smith. He is Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Aa a former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years. David and Brad are the co-authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Their previous book is Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. They are the Dynamic Duo of Men Championing Women in the workplace.  More about Dr. Brad Johnson & Dr. David Smith:  Website: workplaceallies.com . . . . . . When you're curious about how to tap into what drives meaning in your life and create meaningful transformation in the lives you touch. Take a look at DovBaron.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are in the second decade of the 21st century, We've sent spaceships to Mars and yet women still don't have equality in the workplace. What's more, many women still don't feel safe in the workplace. So, what can we all do better? Let's find out together. Our Guests on this episode are returning champions, Dr. David Smith & Dr. Brad Johnson.   . . . . . Dr. Brad Johnson is a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins University. He is a mentoring and gender in the workplace expert who speaks to audiences around the globe. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books in the areas of mentoring, professional ethics, and gender inclusion. Joining him today is his co-author Dr. David Smith. He is Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Aa a former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years. David and Brad are the co-authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Their previous book is Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. They are the Dynamic Duo of Men Championing Women in the workplace.  More about Dr. Brad Johnson & Dr. David Smith:  Website: workplaceallies.com . . . . . . When you're curious about how to tap into what drives meaning in your life and create meaningful transformation in the lives you touch. Take a look at DovBaron.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today my guest is David Smith. David Smith is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the United States Naval War College. Smith is the co-author with Brad Jhonson of the books: "Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace" and "Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women". Today we will talk about why men should be better allies to women in the workplace

Today my guest is David Smith. David Smith is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the United States Naval War College. Smith is the co-author with Brad Jhonson of the books: "Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace" and "Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women". Today we will talk about why men should be better allies to women in the workplace

David Smith, PhD, is co-author of the book, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including gender bias in performance evaluations, dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. He is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and numerous journal articles and book chapters that focus on gender and the workplace. Learn more about David at: workplaceallies.com

Breaking through the ranks can be a challenging endeavor for females seeking leadership positions in a traditionally male dominated military force. The value of strong mentoring relationships cannot be overstated. Cultivating these strong, professional relationships with men who have previously held leadership positions can be challenging, often leaving women out of the equation. Dr. Brad Johnson and Dr. Davie Smith discuss the importance of men becoming allies to women in leadership roles and the added value to organizations when mentoring relationships are developed. http://www.wbradjohnson.com W. Brad Johnson, PhD, is professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former Lieutenant Commander in the Navy's Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served as a psychologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is an award-winning mentor with distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association. He is also a fellow of the American Psychological Association and recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award. He has served as chair of the American Psychological Association's Ethics Committee and as president of the Society for Military Psychology. Dr. Johnson is the author of more than 130 journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of mentoring—and 14 books, in the areas of mentoring, gender in the workplace, and professional ethics. Recent books include: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (2020, October, with David Smith) The Elements of Mentoring (3rd Ed.) (2018, with Charles Ridley), Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (2016, with David Smith), On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty (2nd Ed.) (2015), The Elements of Ethics for Professionals (2008, with Charles Ridley), and Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way (2006, with Greg Harper). He speaks around the globe on the topics of mentorship and cross-gender workplace relationships. Dr. David G. Smith is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the US Naval War College; a gender, work and family researcher; author and speaker. Through his research and experience leading diverse organizations, he has established his value to organizations looking to improve gender relations. Dr. Smith is known for facilitating challenging topics about gender relations and brings this skill to his consulting, writing, and speaking. Dr. Smith is a frequent presenter on gender relations topics and best practices in mentoring relationships, co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, and authored numerous articles across his areas of expertise. A sociologist trained in social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work and family issues including cross-gender mentoring relationships, gender bias, retention of women, dual career families, military families, and military women. In his speaking, consulting and teaching, he explores gender in leadership settings focusing on social science research illuminating the difficulties women experience attaining and being seen as effective leaders. Emphasis on gender and leadership styles, traits, and effectiveness is integrated with domestic responsibilities and organizational cultures and how they differently impact women and men. Dr. Smith engages audiences and clients in challenging conversations about stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination that contribute to women's under-representation in elite leadership roles. As a practitioner, Dr. Smith provides evidence-based best practices and strategies for promoting parity in top level leadership. Dr. Smith received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Maryland, an MS in...

Enjoy our conversation with W. Brad Johnson and David G. Smith, gender in the workplace experts. We discuss challenges women face at work, "workplace allies" and the culture of mentorship in the military. The conversation is filled with empirical evidence and practical guidance as we also discuss: Athenas Zero-sum bias of gender equalityPotential vs. competency Effects of being "rated" or evaluatedOvercoming exclusion Workplace Allies & gender equity Benefits of cross-gender mentorshipCulture of leadership expectation in military Advice for connecting with potential mentors Advice for new leaders Brad & Dave's work can be found here:https://www.workplaceallies.com/ https://hbr.org/search?term=david%20g.%20smithBiographies: W. Brad Johnson, PhD, is professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former commissioned officer in the Navy’s Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served as a psychologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology.He is an award-winning mentor with distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association. He is also a fellow of the American Psychological Association and recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award. He has served as chair of the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Committee and as president of the Society for Military Psychology.Dr. Johnson is the author of more than 130 journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of mentoring—and 14 books, in the areas of mentoring, gender in the workplace, and professional ethics. David Smith, PhD, is Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the United States Naval War College. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including bias in performance evaluations, retention of women, dual career families, military families, and women in the military.Dr. Smith is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of gender and the workplace—and 2 books in the area of gender in the workplace and inclusive mentoring relationships. These books include Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. You can reach us at: Website: https://earfulofleadership.buzzsprout.com/Email: earful.of.leadership@gmail.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/earful.of.leadership/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarfulofLeadership/This podcast was inspired by: Military Mentors, Militarymentors.orgSpecial thank you to your first sponsor: Mai Lee EskelundDisclaimer: Earful of Leadership is an independent project and is not endorsed by the Department of Defense or any Military component. The views expressed are those of the host and the content of this podcast is not meant to provide any legal or medical advice.

Being an ally in the workplace involves a willingness and personal commitment to take action in pursuit of justice and equality for the disenfranchised. Too often, the burden of attaining equality is placed on marginalized individuals. A good ally takes on that burden instead. In this episode of Psychologists Off the Clock, Jill is joined by Brad Johnson and David Smith, co-authors of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, to discuss how men can be better allies to women in the workplace. Together, they discuss good ally behavior including educating oneself about different identities or experiences, challenging one's assumptions and beliefs, and learning and practicing the skills necessary to make lasting change. Engage in some good ally behavior right now, and listen in to this episode to learn how to be a better ally today! Listen and Learn: -Brad and David's take on the problem of gender equality and whose job it is to solve it-How to practice situational awareness and make invisible workplace issues more visible-What the zero sum bias is and how to use the most current research on it to inform your behavior-All about EQ, IQ, and how they can work for you (or against you) in the workplace-How to be a ‘good guy' in the workplace and how to inspire other ‘good guys' to take action-What a likeability penalty is, who it affects, and why-Expert-approved steps you can take to be a more proactive ally at home and at work-Why the global economic benefits to eliminating the gender pay gap aren't more of a concern and who to hold accountable for eliminating that gap-Brad and David's views on the pandemic and gender in the workforce Resources: Brad and David's books, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the WorkplaceAlicia Menendez' book, The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed As You AreEve Rodsky's book, Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live)Brad and David's most recent article on Harvard Business Review about male allyshipKimberle Crenshaw's article, Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics About Brad and David: Dr. Brad Johnson is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the U.S. Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Johnson is the author of more than 130 journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of mentoring—and 14 books, in the areas of mentoring, gender in the workplace, and professional ethics. He speaks around the globe on the topics of mentorship and cross-gender workplace relationships. Dr. David Smith is Associate Professor of sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including bias in performance evaluations, retention of women, dual career families, military families, and women in the military. Dr. Smith is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of gender and the workplace—and 2 books in the area of gender in the workplace and inclusive mentoring relationships. He speaks around the globe on the topics of mentorship and cross-gender workplace relationships. They are co-authors of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Learn more about being a workplace ally, here at workplaceallies.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us on Be Brave at Work as we continue our conversation with W. Brad Johnson, a professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. Brad is the co-author of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, and today he chats about his, and colleague David Smith's, research around bravery in the workplace. Links of Interest On LinkedIn Website Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women More information about Ed, visit https://www.excellius.com/ © 2021 Ed Evarts

Join us on Be Brave at Work as we speak with W. Brad Johnson, a professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. Brad is the co-author of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, and today he chats about his, and colleague David Smith's, research around bravery in the workplace. Links of Interest On LinkedIn Website Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women More information about Ed, visit https://www.excellius.com/ © 2021 Ed Evarts

In today’s episode, I am joined by two gentlemen, Brad Johnson and David Smith. They are both experts on gender equality in the workplace. As a sociologist and a clinical psychologist, Brad and David are both Professors and former naval officers with a mission to help men become more effective allies, accomplices, mentors, and collaborators with women to create a more inclusive workplace.   In our discussion together, Brad and David share about why and how men have a critical role in promoting gender equality at work. They give advice for men on how they can become more effective allies, how to be better collaborators with women, how to forge more equitable allyships and mentorships with underrepresented individuals, and more. They also share key insights and takeaways from their two books, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.   This is a powerful, important conversation that I highly recommend both men and women alike tune in for.   Key Takeaways: [:49] About today’s episode. [1:29] Welcoming Brad and David to the podcast! [1:39] About Brad and David’s two books, Good Guys and Athena Rising. [1:56] Brad and David introduce themselves and share what led them to write these two books. [8:54] What is gynophobia? And how is it impacting mentorship and allyship? [11:42] How is it that we haven’t expected more from our leaders in regards to gender equality in the workplace and supporting underrepresented individuals? [16:09] Brad and David share their top pieces of advice for men in being better allies for women in the workplace from their books. They break up the advice into three buckets: home, interpersonal, and public allyship. [31:44] How you can be helpful as a male mentor or ally. [36:25] How to give constructive or critical feedback to a woman as a man, without biases. [37:19] Brad and David discuss women’s intersectional identities, share some key insights, and why it is important to understand. [42:20] Advice for women and men on forging equitable allyships and mentorships. [48:29] What is Brad and David’s vision for the future of gender equality in the workplace? How long do they think it will be before we no longer have to have this conversation? What might expedite or impede this process? [52:00] Thanking Brad and David for joining the podcast!   Mentioned in this Episode: Workplace Allies Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, by Brad Johnson and David Smith Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, by Brad Johnson and David Smith   About Fifth Dimensional Leadership & Ginny Clarke Fifth-Dimensional Leadership is a podcast about leadership — knowing yourself, speaking your truth, inspiring love, expanding your consciousness and activating your mastery. As an executive recruiter and career expert currently leading executive recruiting at a Fortune 20 tech company, Ginny Clarke is a passionate and authentic thought leader with a unique and deliberate perspective on work and life. She synthesizes aspects of her life as an African-American single mother who has successfully navigated corporate America for over 30 years. She has inspired, uplifted, and changed the lives of thousands and is intentional about bringing conscious awareness to people of all ages and stages.   Every other week, a new edition of Fifth-Dimensional Leadership will include fascinating guests, covering a variety of topics: power, personal branding, self-awareness, networking, fear, and career management   Stay Connected! To find more episodes or learn more, visit: GinnyClarke.com Connect with her on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube

In this SWE Diverse episode, Sandra Guy, Chicago-based journalist and SWE Magazine contributor, speaks with Brad Johnson, Ph.D. and David Smith, Ph.D., co-authors of "Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women." During this episode, they talk about men supporting women in the STEM workplace as well as their latest book, "Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace."

Allyship in the workplace Jennifer Hill and Brandon Maslan were joined by two very "good guys" David Smith and Brad Johnson to discuss allyship and sponsorship in the workplace. They are best selling co-authors of the books Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies For Women In The Workplace. Workplaceallies.com The key takeaways were: 1) Share your social capital 2) Establish trust with those you seek to be in support of 3) A sense of humility matters 4) Mentor up programs work j5) The more we interact the more me like each other 6) Practice the art of “I don’t know” 7) Allyship is not self-defined, those you seek to be an ally will let you know if you are one. 8) If you are in a position to do so, sponsor others 9) Stretch opportunities are critical to career growth 5) Toss the mic in a meeting to a colleague whose voice needs to be heard

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova.       This week I am beyond thrilled to be speaking with Dave Smith and Brad Johnson on the What’s Next Podcast! David G. Smith, Ph.D., is a professor of sociology in the National Security Affairs Department at the U.S. Naval War College. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research on gender, work, and family issues. He is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women along with Brad Johnson. W. Brad Johnson, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of thirteen books, including Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and his newest book, also co-authored with Dave Smith, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace.    THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… men in positions of power and leaders looking to be allies and mentors in the workplace to further workplace gender equity and inclusion.    TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… Diversity is often looked at as just counting heads without much thought given to how much individuals feel that they are included and included meaningfully. The research is really clear in terms of increased performance, creativity, and innovation, but diversity without thought to real inclusion does not often lead to those outcomes. Good leadership values this and takes it into account. So, how do leaders show that they have this awareness and demonstrate allyship in the workplace? That’s what Dave and Brad are all about, and that’s what they’re sharing with us in this episode! Diversity expands capacity and ability in an organization and creates more opportunities, not less. But to get there, you need to be intentional and set clear objectives. This also applies to mentors and mentorship, and it also applies to workplace culture and how men in positions of power and leadership speak to, with, and about the women in their organizations. Mentorship is the key to creating meaningful change, inclusion, and allyship in an organization. This isn’t about white-knighting or rescuing, this is about creating space, stepping back from the spotlight granted by privilege, and intentionally moving the dial on inclusion with that power.    WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST… Dave and Brad’s mission to create more allyship and inclusivity in the workplace.    Running time 35:03      Subscribe on iTunes     Find Tiffani on social:   Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Instagram      Find Dave and Brad online:   Dave Smith’s Website    Brad Johnson’s Website    Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace Book   Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women Book    

Dr. David Smith is co-author of the forthcoming book Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. David is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. His previous book, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, was named one of 25 books everyone should read by Inc. Magazine and TED Speakers when it was published in 2016. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including gender bias in performance evaluations, dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. In this episode, Stew and David talk about the various ways men can, and must, step up to help make our workplaces and our society more conducive to equal pay for equal work for women. Despite the many gains women have made in the workplace, there remains a pernicious pay gap and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the sorry fact that women are still doing what Arlie Hochschild decades ago called the “second shift” -- childcare and household work above and beyond their paid work outside the home. In this conversation about Good Guys, David explains why it’s in all our interests for this to change and he offers practical guidance for how men can overcome resistance to making it happen. Here’s an invitation, my dear gentlemen, a challenge for you to consider, after you’ve listened to this episode and learned more about what it takes to be an ally. Find an opportunity in the next day or so to inquire of a woman in your life -- just ask and listen, that is -- about inequities she has experienced or seen. What do you discover? Write to Stew Friedman to let him know, at friedman@wharton.upenn.edu, or connect with him on LinkedIn. While you’re at it, share your thoughts with Stew on this episode and ideas for future shows. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our guest on this episode is David Smith Ph.D. co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. Listen in to this insightful conversation as we discuss the story behind Athena Rising, mentoring women at the workplace, and the upcoming book of David, Good Guys: How men can be better allies for women in the workplace.

David Smith, PhD, is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and Associate Professor of Sociology in the National Security Affairs Department at the United States Naval War College. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including gender bias in performance evaluations, dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. Dr. Smith is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters - many on the topic of gender and the workplace.  Learn more about David at his website: https://www.davidgsmithphd.com https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1633699455/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1  

By now, most of us know that the research is conclusive -- organizations and institutions are better all around when they’re diverse, all the way up to the C-suite. Women and minorities are good for the bottom line, for creativity, and for healthier, happier work environments. But how can we encourage men to mentor women in a post #MeToo world? Many men feel that mentoring a junior woman is just too risky...not to mention it can seem uncomfortable. Brad Johnson is an expert in mentorship and in cross-gender work relationships. The researcher and author tackles this difficult subject in today’s episode. We start off with why mentorship matters and the difference it can make. We also discuss what makes a great mentor -- no matter the sex -- the barriers to effective mentorships, Brad’s top tips for mentors, and how to create a culture of mentorship. This is a timely episode for anyone concerned about women’s issues or interested in leadership. And don’t miss how you can be one of three recipients of Brad’s book, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.  In today’s episode you’ll learn: About Brad’s important work in the area of mentorship and man-woman mentoring relationship The difference a mentoring relationship can make How our personal biases affect mentoring relationships How Brad counsels men regarding mentoring women post #MeToo Brad’s top mentoring tips. These are for both women and men. How to build a mentoring culture What is “mentor in the moment” LINKS FROM TODAY’S EPISODE Brad Johnson’s bio at The Naval Academy Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women by Chris Johnson and David Smith Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace by Chris Johnson and David Smith Brad’s other books Brad’s personal website

Welcome to Mission Critical.A talk show on ITSPmagazine, hosted by Karen Worstell. This is Episode VII Athena Rising Mission Critical 7 What kind of myths get in our way when we try to create mentoring relationships especially cross-gender?  What is the big WIN when we have a culture that supports mentoring and allyship?  Was #MeToo a real problem for men and women in the workplace, or is that a myth?  We need to discuss and understand what’s real, what’s not, and how each of us can make a difference to make cyber the best place to work.   Please join me in this delightful conversation with my guests for the Ally of the Year Award celebration during RSA Conference Week, David and Brad, authors of Athena Rising, and get a copy of Athena Rising - it offers very practical advice on how you can uplevel your role as a mentor to others. David G. Smith, Ph.D., is professor of sociology in the National Security Affairs Department at the United States Naval War College. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues. He is coauthor of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women. W. Brad Johnson, Ph.D., is professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of 13 books, including Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.  ______________ Visit Mission Critical With Karen Worstell on ITSPMagazine: https://www.itspmagazine.com/mission-critical-a-podcast-series-with-karen-worstell ______________ Interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine talk show? Visit: www.itspmagazine.com/talk-show-sponsorships

David Smith, PhD, is co-author of the forthcoming book, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace and Associate Professor of Sociology in the National Security Affairs Department at the U.S. Naval War College. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 30 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including gender bias in performance evaluations, dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. He is the co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women and numerous journal articles and book chapters that focus on gender and the workplace. Learn more about David at: davidgsmithphd.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/freeman-means-business/support

David G. Smith is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the US Naval War College; a gender, work and family researcher; author and speaker. Through his research and experience leading diverse organizations, he has established his value to organizations looking to improve gender relations. Dr. Smith is known for facilitating challenging topics about gender relations and brings this skill to his consulting, writing, and speaking. A sociologist trained in social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work and family issues including cross-gender mentoring relationships, gender bias, retention of women, dual career families, military families, and military women. In his speaking, consulting and teaching, he explores gender in leadership settings focusing on social science research illuminating the difficulties women experience attaining and being seen as effective leaders. Emphasis on gender and leadership styles, traits, and effectiveness is integrated with domestic responsibilities and organizational cultures and how they differentially impact women and men. Dr. Smith engages audiences and clients in challenging conversations about stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination that contribute to women's under-representation in elite leadership roles. As a practitioner, Dr. Smith provides evidence-based best practices and strategies for promoting parity in top level leadership. Dr. Smith is a frequent presenter on gender relations topics and best practices in mentoring relationships, co-author of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, and authored numerous articles across his areas of expertise. Dr. Smith received a PhD in Sociology from the University of Maryland, an MS in Global Leadership from the University of San Diego and a BS from the U. S. Naval Academy. Specialties: Gender, work and family; mentoring relationships; gender bias; retention of women; dual career families; military families; military women; and leadership identity/efficacy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/freeman-means-business/support

Jennifer Brown is an award-winning entrepreneur, dynamic speaker, diversity and inclusion expert. She is the Founder, President and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting (JBC), a strategic leadership and diversity consulting firm that coaches business leaders worldwide on critical issues of talent and workplace strategy. Brown is a passionate advocate for social equality who helps businesses foster healthier, more productive workplace cultures. Her book Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change will inspire leadership to embrace the opportunity that diversity represents and empower advocates to drive change that resonates in today’s world.   Questions   Couldyou share with us a background of how did you end up in this arena of diversity and inclusion, what was your journey like? As it relates to diversity and inclusion, could you share with us some of the issues that have been may be barriers to preventing a fully diversified and inclusive workplace based on your experience? As it relates to diversity and inclusion, could you share with us maybe one or two strategies that you think small and medium-sized business owners could employ? Now in terms of how this impacts the customer experience, could you share with us some of the best practices that you've seen in organizations and how it has translated into retention and better customer experiences overall? Could you share with us how you stay motivated every day? Could you share with us what’s one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely cannot live without in business? Could you share with us some of the books that have had the biggest impact on you? What’s one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about - either something that you're working on to develop yourself or your people? Where can our listeners find you online? What’s one quote or saying that during times of adversity or challenge you revert to that quote to help you to become refocus?    Highlights   Jennifer shared, as we like to say in this field not a lot of standard paths towards a career in diversity and inclusion. In fact, if you try to find academic programs that address or degrees that address this topic you probably will come up empty-handed. We all come from different places, for her,she was an activist in nonprofits in her 20s, but she was also always a musician and it was sort of an amateur pursuit in those early days in her life, but it was a huge passion. So, she decided to make it her profession and give it a shot, she moved to New York to become an opera singer and study at a conservatory and get her Masters in voice which was really exciting and heady times for her.But unfortunately, through the course of training she injured her voice and ended up having to get several surgeries on her voice to repair it but ultimately, she realized it wasn't going to work, her voice just would not be an instrument that she could count on for a career where she could make her living.   It was heartbreaking but it's led her towards where a lot of theater people go because they love the stage and they're so good in front of people, a lot of them become trainers and educators. In fact, we find a home in leadership in the whole kind of field of leadership whether that's as consultant or a learning and development person. So, she ended up getting a second Masters in Organizational Development/ Organizational Change, it goes by a lot of different names but it's basically the HR education realm and she was a corporate learning and development, training and development leader for a while as an employee and then she got laid off and she said, “I think I can have more impact from the outside if I became kind of that third party, that expert.”That really appealed to her, it still appeals to her to this day, it's the best role for her to play which is that agitator, but not the employee which helps give her some authority, gives her some distance, gives her some credibility earned or unearned or deserved but it is what it is. People tend to want to listen to people who've written books on things and people who are external when they don't do a very good job of listening to their employees, which is another maybe we'll talk about that. So she ended up hanging her shingle out about 12 years ago and doing leadership and team development and morphing into DNI because she felt pulled in that direction to specialize because she’s a member of the LGBTQ community and she has been out since she was 22, and yet she had really struggled with being out throughout her life and even in the nonprofit world certainly in the opera music world and then as an entrepreneur where she felt very exposed to bias if she were to be honest and authentic about who she actually is and it's a huge part of our lives to deny and to walk around and do business without talking about it, without kind of leaving that hole and not feeling it's going to be accepted and it's also going to hurt your ability to make a living which is really problematic.   So, now they do specialize in Diversity and Inclusion, and she’s fully out all the time, you could Google her and it's very plain.It is actually, she considers part of her secret sauce, it's part of where she has cut her teeth on developing her own voice, her bravery, her courage, her resilience has a lot of that has come from that identity and the pain of some of the painful lessons of exclusion that that has allowed her and enabled her to feel, to think about, to empathize with and hopefully made her a more inclusive leader, not just because she’s LGBTQ, but for all communities that needs her voice as an ally. So, it's a very cool place to find herself where she gets to write books and speak about all this stuff and it's particularly timely because the topic is, she would say, there's never been more attention on the topic than there is now.   Jennifer stated that it has a lot of reasons and a lot of factors, it's rather complex and yet it's kind of simple at the same time because the mandate is simple, the need to reflect your customer base which is diversifying quickly who has the spending power for example that non-white communities are the fastest growing consumer communities with the largest spending power.She thinks the gay community now has a trillion dollars of spending power. So, consumers are getting smarter, they're getting organized, they're finding their voice, they're using it to hold brands accountable which is exciting and make spending choices that reflect their values. And yet companies in terms of their employee mix particularly in the top half or third of organizations really don't reflect that diverse world and companies structures are old school, there is no better way to say it, they have been unchallenged and they haven't challenged themselves in terms of the makeup of their senior leadership in particular and many companies not all but many companies have kind of gone about their merry way trying to make money and really not focused on anything larger than that, whether it's how employees feel, who's succeeding and feels they can thrive in the organization, who may be reaching senior leadership roles and who's not and why they're feeling thwarted in that process up the pipeline. And so, she thinks there's this business as usual, we're here to make money, we’re here to generate shareholder results and there's not been a lot of attention paid to values, the importance of the workforce and what they want and need in order to stay and thrive and there is honestly a lot of bias around, “Well, I worked hard and all you need to do is work hard too and you'll achieve what I've achieved.”So, this belief and meritocracy and it's really easy to believe in meritocracy when people that look like you have benefited from that, it hasn't been a challenge, there haven't been stereotypes that have affected you, you have been pulled forward by others that look like you without even knowing it sometimes, and so there's this willful blindness to the difficulties that are faced by anyone that is not of a certain demographic in workforces, it’s sort of, “I write it off. I don’t take it seriously. I don't listen to it. I don't even know it honestly.”So, there's a lot of education that's needed around micro inequities, unconscious bias, HR processes that are so critical like recruitment, retention, promotion and advancement, all those moments in the employee life cycle where bias occurs, it's in a large part still allowed to kind of continue and so what their job is to interrupt those things and come in as a company and build strategies that help companies wake up, get educated, care about it, honestly have empathy for other people which you shouldn't even need to say but it feels that it's hard, it feels that if I explain something to you and you don't care and then you don't take action, that hurts, there's a ton of research on this it's not even like this is a mystery. It's right there and so the best leaders and the best companies are really forward, they're asking all these great questions, they’re humbling themselves to their own learning, to their own mistakes, they're publishing their data and saying, “Hey, here's our data and I know it sucks and we're working to change it.”That's what courage looks like, that's what leadership looks like these days and she wish she saw more of it.   Yanique shared, I like the fact that you mentioned that it's not something that people are accustomed to and change is hard. Unfortunately, human beings don't adapt to change very readily, and I don't think it's based on the geography in terms of where you're from in the world, I think it's just general human nature. So, it would mean that you have to put yourself in a place of being uncomfortable in order to move from one stage to the next.   Jennifer agreed and stated that nobody wants to be uncomfortable, but the flip side is it makes you so much better of a leader and a better team member, better colleague and by the way better parent, better community leader, all of these. There's a reason that you open a paper today and diversities in every headline, it's everywhere because institutions are really struggling with it of all kinds for profit, nonprofit,community organizations, church leadership, so there is probably, no area of your life where you can afford to not understand and embrace this conversation and do your work, your kid could come home tomorrow and say, “Mom, I think I'm transgender.”You would be completely ill-equipped to deal with that and to be fair most parents are, it's something that is life and does not prepare you for that but at the same time don't you want to be ready? Even if you're interviewing for jobs, even if you're leading teams at a company that values diversity and you don't or you haven't paid attention to it, you've assumed it's somebody else's job to care about it, none of that is going to work for you in the long run, it's a little bit of a scare tactic but she has to use every tool she has to convince people that this is important which is really tiring and honestly kind of depressing sometimes because you're wondering how they don't get it, “Please have empathy for people that haven’t had as easy of a road as you.” It's just that and then she doesn't know why we have to ask and convince and scare, how many different techniques do we need to basically talk about something that's such a human right and is all about the dignity of everyone in this world to do their best work and to feel their sense of purpose every day.   Yanique agreed and stated, and to feel appreciated, a lot of people work in organizations and they just don't feel appreciated and I think they've lost the purpose if there was even a purpose from day one, they've definitely lost it. It comes out in the interactions that they have with customers, it comes out in how they relate to their team members sometimes unconscious of the fact that the customer is observing you in every interaction once they're standing in front of you or you’re on the phone and you ask them to hold but you didn't actually put the phone on hold, so they're hearing everything that's happening in the background.   Jennifer shared that small companies have a great opportunity, it's actually much easier to shift things than for large organizations, and certainly remembering that if you build it right from the beginning, you will have a much easier time down the road. So, it's very important to think about how you are recruiting and retaining all kinds of talent, how comfortable they feel once they are in your organization and really being open to feedback about when that inclusiveness, the desire for inclusiveness is actually though being interpreted and the impact of an intention is one of exclusion. She thinks that sometimes we don't want to know the answer to that question so we don't ask and so it's very critical, particularly, if you're not a person of a marginalized or underrepresented background yourself, you're going to have some blind spots, your network is going to look a lot like you so you will tend to recruit from that network. You will have blind spots around how people perceive your brand and by even blind spots probably about your desired customers so that to the extent that you can ensure your team that you build reflects the world that you're doing business in, it will allow you to resonate and to see around that corner and to anticipate that audience and that customer and gear your communications accordingly and have kind have a check in balance on how are we coming across in the marketplace and like you said, we're being observed all the time, so your future talent is looking at your current organization and looking at your website and thinking about, “Would I be comfortable there? I don't see anyone that looks like me there.”That's something that's hard to fix in some cases because when you're an entrepreneur you're grabbing warm bodies, you're trying to get work done, it's very fast, you are going to pull from your own network because it's most expedient and that network is going to tend to look like you and so you've got to actively counterbalance that in your outreach, in the talent pools that you're seeking, in the way you talk proactively and very overtly about your commitment to inclusion.Shewould really recommend you have that in all of your marketing materials, it doesn’t matter what business you're in, there's always a way to talk about what inclusion means as a value to you and to what you're trying to build and to the customers you're trying to serve, there are ways to do that and she would recommend you do it because it's a beacon, not only for talent you hope to recruit and to say, “Hey, this is a safe place for you.This is a place that you are wanted and needed not just tolerated or accepted. We need all of you to bring your full self to work, this is a place in which you can do that.”Then we want to best serve the customer and their needs and wants, and companies are at real risk of missing some key….There's just a lot of mistakes that are made because diverse talent is not at the table when creative decisions are made or marketing collateral is designed, we've seen very high level mistakes made by brands like PepsiCo with the ad that they had where there was like a mock black lives matter march and one of the Kardashians was handing a Pepsi across the police line, it’s a nightmare and they pulled it immediately. And it became a kind of a case study that a lot of us talking about where we wonder who was at the table making those decisions, and if they were at the table, were they listened to, were they really considered, was that feedback taken into account?So, she doesn’t know where the error happened in their process because she doesn't have the inside look into them but at a smaller scale this stuff can happen all the time and she thinks you've got to make sure your mentored and coached and you run things by people, you think about the nuances of the diversity conversation because it is really nuanced, languages changing all the time and she gets a lot of complaints about are trans and gender non-conforming friends will say, “Yeah, I identify as they, them.So that's my preferred pronoun.”People will literally say, “Well, I don't feel comfortable referring to you as that, it's grammatically incorrect and I feel uncomfortable.”It's just amazing to her, to the point earlier, it’s a small action on your part that allows somebody to feel seen and heard is that so much work, she thinks it's such a red herring, it's just an excuse to not grow and she doesn't understand it. Jennifer thinks if you're in business, you should want more language, you should want more ways to talk to people in and resonate with them, that's what you should want.   Jennifer shared that she thinks that companies that are designing products for example for different communities, some of the larger organizations she worked with literally have something called Employee Resource Groups or they're called Business Resource Groups, but they are diversity networks, maybe they're a multicultural talent network, maybe they're a black employee network, maybe there are an LGBTQ network and most companies are trying to reach those diverse demographic so they can sell more to them, but they realize that they don't have the intelligence on the inside to really do this well and effectively, the smart ones realize that so they have these groups or these networks for a lot of reasons, these networks serve a lot of purposes in organizations and these can exist in small companies to by the way. She has worked with 200-person companies that have a full diversity committee, they have several Employee Resource Groups that are literally playing kind of this market intelligence role for the company so you don't have to be big to access this idea and they are at the table informing product design, informing marketing strategies, informing sales, educating the sales team and anyone that's external facing around cultural nuances and behaviors and language.In banks and financial services, a lot of the financial advisors are tend to be white and to be male and yet the biggest growth and wealth is in diverse wealth holders, female heads of households, people of color and yet you have a financial advisor community in all the big banks and insurance companies that doesn't really look like that and they're struggling to diversify those ranks on the inside.So, literally there are certifications you can get for example as a financial advisor, you can get certified in selling to the LGBTQ community, selling financial products to that community and you go somewhere, and you get a designation that you can put after your name and yes, you're an ally, you're a straight ally, you're not in that community but you know and you're investing in how to be culturally competent when you are selling to that community. So, you're listenership probably selling a lot of different kinds of things, we're all in sales all the time, we all have customers and it's all about resonating with them and making sure you're staying up to speed on what their care abouts are and how they talk about themselves and how they kind of getting inside their lives and anticipating what they want and need.It's just that awareness and there's just a lot of examples of brands that have done this really well. Heineken had a great ad that aired a Super Bowl ago that she would encourage everybody to go look at where they introduce people to each other without providing a lot of demographic information about the person and they give them some questions to talk about and they pair somebody who might have very conservative views with somebody who's in the military and who identifies as transgender.But they don't tell them any of these things and then they encourage some conversation and then they kind of reveal later on, “Well, actually this person that you've bonded with, this is who they actually are and how they identify and are you surprised and do you feel your bias is being challenged?”It's really, really neat and there's a lot of interesting ads, Gillette just came out with an incredible ad, she would encourage everyone to go and watch it on masculinity, it was so good and there was a lot of threatened boycotts and she watched it with her partner and they literally cried and it was so moving and to think that something that could move us and touch your soul could make so many people angry is really indicative of the polarized times we live in but by the way, Gillette's sales went up after that ad, by a considerable amount.So, threatened, boycott or not, anger or not and social media, they correctly diagnosed the bump that they would get through putting their values out there and saying, “Here's what we want to be about and we know that as a brand we haven't always been all that hip to the issue, so, we're trying to be.”She thinks it really worked.It definitely burnished the brand for her and a countless other potential customers.   Yanique stated, so this is definitely something that's new and of course it's definitely going to continue into another couple of years as you said people are trying to flesh out what does that mean for them based on their organization, based on where they operate in the world, based on who they are trying to target and as you said, how much sales they're trying to increase in what community and if they can connect with these people because as you stated at the beginning of our conversation, people are now buying from brands that represent the values that they hold near and dear to them and sometimes that's very hard to find and it's amazing that consumers are taking this stance because it just goes to show that the power is really in the hands of the consumer and it's going to be continuing even more, social media has given themso much power in terms of the things that they do, the comments and the feedback that they give and so it's not so much about what the brand says about themselves, but what the consumer has to say based on their experiences with the product or the service.   Jennifer agreed and stated that it goes beyond the four walls of the company, there is no such thing anymore, there's total transparency as you said, there's a lot of accountability and a lot of communities are diverse communities who are questioning - Do we want to work at a place like that? Do we want to patronize a place like that? What do they stand for? People really now want to hear what do you mean and are you walking the talk?And she’s really excited to see this accountability and the visibility that they have, they can peer into how companies do business and employees are finding their voice and really being public about it like the Google walk out of a couple months ago had 20,000 employees all over the world walking out and protesting their whole process that they handle sexual harassment claims and pay equity.They had his whole list of demands and it was really inspiring to seeing Google had to pay attention. They just had to and they've been kind of on a journey of addressing some, not all of the requests/demands that the employees had, so, we're going to see this is not going away, this accountability and it's exciting because brands have gotten away with a lot in the past, they've gotten away with unfair workplace practices, they've protected their data, they haven't been forced to admit where they're board is entirely white and male but it's never been talked about in the news before, those days are over and if you're in a company where you haven't been called out publicly, it will happen.And so, a lot of their work is actually these days about helping brands and companies make sure they're doing their work internally, and so hopefully that day never comes, hopefully they never mess up but that accountability is fierce and swift and she almost feel like we need to start teaching the art of the apology to our customers because they're going to make mistakes, they are absolutely going to and so the question is, how do you come back from a mistake? How do you apologize, own what happened, say you're learning, talk about what you're going to be recommitting to, what are you going to do differently in the future, even that as something you're prepared for, that's a new idea but she thinks it would behoove all business owners and even all managers to think about when I say the wrong word, do people trust me enough and they know that they can come to me and tell me, that's what you really want, you want to ask for that, you want to earn people's trust because by the way, you can't just one day and once only say, “Hey, can you let me know if I ever make you feel uncomfortable?”It's not a one and done. So, you've got to earn that trust that somebody then will trust you enough to be honest with you and say, “Hey, that joke you say or that saying you say or you know that you stole that person's idea in the room or assigned it to, you took it and you attributed it to somebody else or did you realize that men did 90% of the talking in that meeting?”We've got to be sensitive to these things and we just haven't been in the past and we need help to learn and so it's not just something you do need to do a lot on your own, you need to educate yourself, you need to read a lot of books about bias and team dynamics and being an inclusive leader, her book is helpful she has been told by a lot of people, she hopes it's helpful, so read these books, but they commit to making behavior change in yourself and inviting feedback and then act on that feedback, adjust, be humble be resilient, have that growth mindset which is failing forward.You know you're going to fail, it happens to all of us, we're all bias and it's hard to keep up with this, but you just have to try, that's huge points for trying.   Yanique stated, I like the fact that you made a point to the fact that the change starts with you because I find in a lot of organizations, the managers or the leaders are quick to say well they need to do so and so and they're not including themselves in the process because it all starts with them as well and as a leader or a manager, if I'm in an organization, I'm looking to see what you are doing because I'm taking lead from the behaviors that you've demonstrated, the attitudes that you've demonstrated and yes, I may have my own values but in an organization people kind of watch what's happening and they kind of conform to the culture that exists and if they do anything out of the norm, it means that they're going to stand out and because most people don't want to stand out, there kind of just going to go along with whatever is happening there, whether it's good or bad sometimes.   Jennifer agreed and stated that the best example of what Yanique is talking about is watching how many men take paternity leave or parental leave. We don't get a lot in this country, some companies are really trying to become much more generous around leave and actually going as far as requiring some employees to take leave because there's such a stigma around taking leave and particularly for men and male parents in any family configuration, it is particularlyshamed to take. Even the leave that's provided, take all of that leave, it's not viewed as a positive, you get pressure, it's spoken and unspoken pressure and men follow other men and follow what they do and they decide what the norms are based on what they see particularly senior people doing so you're right that we take our cues from everyone we watch above us in a way and we say, “Well, that's acceptable, that's not acceptable, that's a boundary I can cross or that's a boundary that I shouldn't cross.”This is why it particularly would leave and also vacation interestingly, there are some companies that are starting to require vacation because we don't take all the vacation we haveand that’s not because we don't want to take the vacation, it’s because we don’t think it's going to be okay to do. So, the norms that are communicated through behavior of others particularly senior people, we are watching, and we are then deciding, “What should I do that's not going to hurt my career in this particular culture?”So, she wouldn't encourage people to think about, it almost needs to be mandated because until such time as we can change this dynamic of pressure and peer pressure and watching these role modeling behavior happen and kind of employees not taking care of themselves and not really doing what they need to do to have a balanced life, we may need to mandate some things. She just interviewed this woman, Erica Keswin, and she really recommend her book called Bring Your Human to Work  and she has so many examples of what companies are doing in this vein to encourage leave, to encourage parenting and to encourage balance and flex and literally power to the employee to really have that balance that is the theme, the theme of women's month is how do we achieve this?But remember men need balance too, we single parents need balance, people without children need balance who are caregiving, we may be doing none of those things, but we may need just balance for our time off. So, let's not be biased in terms of how we set systems up as well and assume that only one group of people needs to manage their work-life balance, but traditionally was spoken of as a sort of women's challengeand that's really changing, and she hopes it's changing. She hopes men are thinking about what they need and they're advocating for themselves, younger men, she has a lot of hopes for millennial generation to say, this is what I need and want whether that's a sabbatical, whether it's flexible work assignments and arrangements, whether it's different career opportunities and moving around a lot more often and she just hopes that employees are in the driver's seat, it's time to assume our more powerful position as you mentioned earlier.   When asked about how she stays motivated every day, Jennifer shared that she calls it self-care and when you do diversity work, it has to be radical self-care because it can get kind of depressing to have to have these conversations over and over about why empathy matters. We have not succeeded in building healthy workplace cultures and that is wearing us down, it's tiring us, it's actually making us physically ill from stress-related issues when you can't be yourself, it’s harmful. So, talking about this all the time as is equally inspiring and also kind of depressing and makes her angry and frustrated and she has days when she wants to give up but that's also entrepreneurship. You have this passion, you're trying to raise money, you're trying to hire your team, you're trying to get contracts signed. So, how she fills her cup is gathering with people that care about what she cares about and just being able to let her guard down and be real about the frustrations and how it feels every day and for her, that might be in a room of women entrepreneurs as it fills her up to think about how are you growing your business?Just to see herself in them is a way of finding that space where you can say, “I'm not alone.” As she thinks isolation is really dangerous for us. So, who your community, where can you be real and let your hair down and let your guard down, be honest. Where can you go to feel re-inspired to realize the size of the community that's trying to do similar things or that shares your values.There's a lot of conferences on conscious capitalism and so, it's not just diversity conferences, it's conferences about values at work and culture conference, which is about why workplace cultures matter, there's a lot of great HR conferences that are talking more and more about what she does. So, it's this incredible convergence that she’s seeing in her conversation to many other sort of parallel worlds, which is a really cool thing to see. So, she would just recommend find your community, gather with them, put yourself around people that are having the highs and lows and everything in between, find folks you can be really real and honest with where it's off line and so nobody's watching and people who will hold your confidence. But ultimately, to her that has really sustained her. She has an amazing team as well, she doesn't try to do this alone, she has always wanted to build this beyond herself because she knew she wouldn't be able to touch all the lives that she wanted to without a team of people that could be going out and being in those classrooms and building those strategies for the companies and bringing those practices back to their group, so that they could do more of it. So, she has an incredible consulting team that does client work but also has a great marketing team that feels like they are all very aligned in terms of how much they believe in what they're doing every day and they're all sharing articles all the time, they're sending inspirational stuff to each other, they're sending discouraging new data to each other which just fuels the fight. So, she’d say if you're the kind of person that for maybe a team would feel that it would help you do the work and get up every day for a reason, then you might want to build a different kind of organization.There's a lot of us that just want to do it alone and that takes a certain kind of personality, it was never really her so, it's important to know what kind of leader are you? What do you need around you? Who do you need around you to be able to do your work and really find your sweet spot and your voice in that work and then who needs to surround you to enable that so that you can focus on what you do best.   When asked about an online resource, tool, website or app, Jennifer stated that it's such a hard choice, there is so many, she has her favorite podcasts, she has her favorite research institutions.She really relies on research by McKenzie and Deloitte are probably her favorite things, her go-to resources for data on the way the workforce is changing. So, there are these amazing think tanks, they very well resourced, they are very cutting edge and a lot of that information fuels their consulting work, they just take that to clients and they hadn't seen it, it's compelling data about the future and they can help kind of flush it out because of their expertise, so it really works well. And then on the personal side, she really loves this woman who runs a daily Facebook live called, Resistance Liveand that's more of a sort of for her personal fuel.It talks about what's happening in our political system, the new generation of democratic leaders and candidates and the whole developing conversation around progressive values is exciting to her and again, kind of feeds her the certainty that she’s going in the right direction and that there is a big community that is asking the same questions that she’s asking so, but there's so many women's podcasts that she listens to, so many where she also gets her education around difference.She listens to code switch which is an NPR Podcastabout race and ethnicity and code-switching which is a critical foundational principle in terms of what we talk about diversity and all of us are code-switching all the time around a variety of aspects. So, that's one of her go to podcasts to learn about how other people experience code-switching and how she can be an ally to lessen some of what people feel that need to code switch every single day, how she can lessen that need and support people to bring their full selves to wherever and not have to put all that energy into hiding and minimizing and shifting and speaking a different language to different people, it's exhausting stuff and we shouldn't have to do it.   When asked about books that have had the biggest impact, Jennifer shared that she has many favorite authors that are difficult to narrow it down as usual, but there's a new book called Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplacesby her friend Karen Catlin and literally she's a woman in Tech.She was a VP in a technology company in a technical role and today she's an author and keynoter and she has a million ideas for how to be a better ally. She's got a hashtag and a handle on Twitter called #betterallies, which she really recommends everybody follows but she has a new book that literally pulls all that together in one place which is so helpful.So, that's one book that she would encourage reading. She doesn’t think there's a lot written on Allyship, so, this is an emerging area. Her new book coming out in August does talk about this a lot as well and sort of the allied journey, how you can get on board, how you can put one foot in front of the other and whether it's adopting one new word and trying to understand what it means and using it all the way to kind of advanced Allyship, which is she’s an advocate in her organization, she’s a big-time voice, she’s challenging the system and everything in between so, Better Allies is great. David Smith wrote a book called Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Womenabout why men should mentor women and she really pays a lot of attention to men and there are not many men who are writing about inclusion and men who speak on it because it's so important in so many ways. The (a) that they're involved but (b) other men are going to listen to them and read them in a different way and she thinks maybe many people are used to people who look like me and you speaking about all these things but for a man to speak about it is powerful.So, those are two amazing books she would point people towards that are great reads and full of practical advice.   Jennifer shared that they are embarking on a big shift in their business strategy at her company, they've been highly like white glove bespoke consulting has been their bailiwick and then she gave a lot of key notes, which is great, and she loves, and she just plan to do a lot more of them. She thinks it's really her sweet spot honestly, but she thinks they're moving into the online product arena and they've launched their first online program in the last couple of months and have their first cohort of students and thinks their programs could be so many things. They're going to launch a new assessment behind the second book that's coming out in August around how inclusive of a leader are you and actually give people a score and then kind of break down their score within 6 different domains. And so, it’s the first assessment they've ever really had like that as a company. She thinks it has a lot of potential because people want to know where they are and then they want resources and tools whether it's a quickie online program that's really affordable or whether it's much longer, six months multi-course program where they can really do a deep dive. They're starting to build all those things on the back end, to get access to their knowledge, you don't need to hire them to come into your company basically, there's going to be a whole way to access what they do online. So, she’s just really excited to investigate that, it's a great revenue generator for them, a different kind of workstream business unit and who knows what's in store for them with the economy, but it's been a long time since they've had a correction and corrections and recessions are really difficult for consulting companies, a lot of us don't make it through and she thinks they're recession-proof now but it's very important and every entrepreneur that listens to you will know this, that we must diversify your revenue, spread out the ways that you make money in as many ways as you can to protect yourself against downturns particularly if you are a service company, and you're attached to corporate budgets.And diversity has been viewed as a nice to have traditionally and so, she thinks a lot of us, it really would behoove all of us to think about how are you going to weather storms? Because we know storms are going to happen and so that's another aspect that she’s really excited about having these online offerings.They're more affordable, they are something that people can do even with in a recession environment to invest in themselves, continue to learn and grow and prepare for the upswing, not to be morbid but it is something that has crossed her mind and she’s sure has crossed everyone's minds that are listening to you if they run a business.   Jennifershared listeners can find her at – info@jenniferbrownconsulting.com Stitcher Radio – The Will to Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion Twitter - @jenniferbrown Instagram - @jenniferbrownspeaks Facebook – Jennifer Brown Consulting LinkedIn – Jennifer Brown Consulting   ****Special Note: the book is available for pre-order on Amazon in order to get into the flow that way   Jennifer shared that she likes to think about the quote that was on President Obama's rug in the Oval Office. It says, “The Arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”You talked about like an idea that keeps you working and getting up in the morning and thinking that what you're doing is making a difference, there's no better quote than that. I think Martin Luther King originated it, but she thinks about it a lot because it is a struggle, because progress can feel slow, sometimes it's a real galvanizing idea for her and many others who do the work that she does.     Links   Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace & The Will To Change by Jennifer Brown Bring Your Human to Work: 10 Surefire Ways to Design a Workplace That Is Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World by Erica Keswin Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces by Karen Catlin Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women by David Smith  

Rose Hollister and Michael Watkins, consultants at Genesis Advisers, argue that many companies today are taking on too many initiatives. Each manager might have their own pet projects they want to focus on, but that trickles down to lower level workers dealing with more projects at a time that they can handle, or do well. This episode also offers practical tips for senior-level leaders to truly prioritize the best initiatives at their company — or risk losing some of their top talent. Hollister and Watkins are the authors of the HBR article "Too Many Projects." with. They are the authors of "Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.”

David Smith, associate professor of sociology at the U.S. Naval War College, and Brad Johnson, professor of psychology at the United States Naval Academy, argue that it is vital for more men to mentor women in the workplace. In the post-#MeToo world, some men have shied away from cross-gender relationships at work. But Smith and Johnson say these relationships offer big gains to mentees, mentors, and organizations. They offer their advice on how men can be thoughtful allies to the women they work with. They are the authors of "Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women.”

When I started this podcast, I imagined all my guests would be women. But David Smith breaks the mold in a unique way - as a much needed expert male voice in the gender equality conversation. I couldn't wait to meet him and hear about his work helping men learn to be better allies and more effective mentors for women at work. David and his co-author, Brad Johnson, wrote Athena Rising - How and Why Men Should Mentor Women when they realized many of the gender equality policies and programs being implemented by the US military weren't working as well as expected and they began to research why. What they found was that the issues plaguing women at work across society (bias, stereotypes, discrimination) were affecting the ranks in the military as well. Their idea is that teaching men how to be effective allies and mentors to women at work will help everyone become better leaders and build stronger organizations. David is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the National Security Affairs Department at the United States Naval War College. His research focuses on gender, work, and family issues including dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. A former Navy pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 19 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.   Follow: Instagram Twitter

This week on Relationships 2.0 my guests are W. Brad Johnson, PhD & David Smith, PhD authors of Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women About the book: Increasingly, new employees and junior members of any profession are encouraged-sometimes stridently-to “find a mentor!” Four decades of research reveals that the effects of mentorship can be profound and enduring; strong mentoring relationships have the capacity to transform individuals and entire organizations. Organizations that retain and promote top talent-both female and male-are more likely to thrive. But the mentoring landscape is unequal. Evidence consistently shows that women face more barriers in securing mentorships than men, and when they do find a mentor, they may reap a narrower range of both career and psychological benefits. Athena Rising is a book for men about how to mentor women deliberately and effectively. It is a straightforward, no-nonsense manual for helping men of all institutions, organizations, and businesses to become excellent mentors to women. Co-authors W. Brad Johnson, PhD and David Smith, PhD draw from extensive research and years of experience as experts in mentoring relationships and gender workplace issues. When a man mentors a woman, they explain, the relationship is often complicated by conventional gender roles and at times hostile external perceptions. Traditional notions of mentoring are often modeled on male-to-male relationships-the sort that begin on the golf course, involve a nearly exclusive focus on career achievement, and include more than a few slaps on the back over drinks after work. But women often report a desire for mentoring that integrates career and interpersonal needs. Women want a mentor who not only “gets” this, but truly honors it. Men need to fully appreciate just how crucial their support of promising junior women can be in helping them to persist, promote, and thrive in their vocations and organizations. As women succeed, lean in, and assume leading roles in any organization or work context, that culture will become more egalitarian, effective, and prone to retaining top talent. About the authors: W. Brad Johnson, PhD is professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former Lieutenant Commander in the Navy’s Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served as a psychologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award. He has served as chair of the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Committee and as president of the Society for Military Psychology. Dr. Johnson is the author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of mentoring—and 12 books, in the areas of mentoring, professional ethics, and counseling. Books of related interest include: On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty (2nd Ed.) (2015), The Elements of Mentoring (Revised Ed.) (2008, with Charles Ridley), The Elements of Ethics for Professionals (2008, with Charles Ridley), and Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way (2006, with Greg Harper). David Smith, PhD is an active duty U.S. Navy Captain and permanent military professor in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy having served four years as the chair. A former Navy Pilot, Dr. Smith led diverse organizations of women and men culminating in command of a squadron in combat and flew more than 3,000 hours over 19 years including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a sociologist trained in military sociology and social psychology, he focuses his research in gender, work, and family issues including dual career families, military families, women in the military, and retention of women. Dr. Smith is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters—many on the topic of gender and the workplace. His most recent publications include: “On the Fast Track: Dual Military Couples Navigating Institutional Structures” in Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research (2013), “Dual Military Families: Confronting a Stubborn Military Institution” in Military Families and War in the 21st Century, Comparative Perspectives (2015), “Leadership and Peer Behaviors: Women in Combat” in Military Medicine (2016) and “Gender and the Military Profession: Early Career Influences, Attitudes and Intentions.” in Armed Forces & Society.

Segment 1: Thomas Gagliano says he grew up as a bully and struggled to overcome his own addictions. He wrote two books about it: “The Problem Was Me”, landed on the bestseller list, and his second title is, “Don't Put Your Crap in Your Kid's Diaper: The Clean Up Can Last a Lifetime”.Segment 2: Captain David Smith, PhD, is an active duty U.S. Navy Captain and Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the United States Naval Academy. He is the co-author of “Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women”. Segment 3: Eric P. Bloom is an Amazon #1 Bestselling Author, TEDx Speaker and the President of Manager Mechanics LLC, a company specializing in IT leadership, business skills and productivity training. He is the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, “Productivity Driven Success: Hidden Secrets of Organizational Efficiency.”Segment 4: Mike Ferguson serves as president & CEO of the Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc., a national trade association that represents companies involved in the self-insurance marketplace.  Segment 5: Josh F. Brown is a franchise attorney and host the own podcast entitled, “Franchise Euphoria,” a top-rated podcast on iTunes. Sponsored by Nextiva and Microsoft.