Podcasts about filter shift how effective people see

Thinking at the Speed of Bias: How to Shift Our Unconscious Filters by Sara Taylor Amazon.com Deepseeconsulting.com A practical guide to tackling unconscious bias in a polarized world. Learn to recognize your unconscious bias and create positive change. Respected DEI expert Sara Taylor presents a down-to-earth guide on how to tackle unconscious biases and foster true equity in our rapidly changing world. Through relatable examples and practical strategies, readers learn to deliberately slow down their thought processes and become aware of their filters in various situations. Taylor encourages readers to question their own assumptions by asking, "Do I know that what I'm thinking is actually true?" and "Why might I be reacting this way?" The book demonstrates the importance of a clear set of competencies, skills, and strategies for addressing unconscious bias. By developing a culturally competent mindset and using a shared, holistic language to discuss these issues, readers gain the tools to understand, discuss, and implement change both at home and in the workplace. This approach avoids blame or shame, making it accessible and empowering for everyone. The book's insights extend beyond individuals; it demonstrates how organizations can scale up cultural competence to transform their structures and systems. With a strong sense of hope, readers are empowered to make a difference, creating a more just and equitable world for all. About the author Diversity and inclusion strategist, renowned for her visionary work in culture competence, nationally recognized speaker, and bestselling author Sara Taylor is dedicated to changing the world through the workplace by making organizations across the globe more effective and inclusive and their leaders more culturally competent. She founded deepSEE Consulting in 2002 to provide insightful consulting and strategic diversity training, paired with measurement tools to build individual and organizational cultural competence. In her deepSEE Consulting role as President, Sara has worked with hundreds of national and global companies and their executives, including Chief Diversity Officers, Organizational Development and HR leaders as well as staff at all levels throughout the organization. She helps them to understand the full complexities of today's diverse workforce and to build the competencies necessary to create inclusion and equity. Her clients over the years have included reputable companies such as Walmart, 3M Company, AARP, Cleveland Foundation, Coca-Cola, Marriott International, General Mills, United Way Worldwide, National Credit Union Administration, Ingersol-Rand, Seagate Technologies, Thompson Reuters, Thrivent Financial, among others. Prior to deepSEE Consulting, Sara was the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, where she established a new department to lead D&I efforts for 5,000 employees. She began her career as a Leadership and Diversity Specialist at the University of Minnesota, where she developed state-wide diversity and leadership programs, created and managed a grant program to fund community-based diversity initiatives, and directed the activities of diversity and leadership educators. Sara's forthcoming book, Thinking at the Speed of Bias: How to Shift Our Unconscious Filters (Berrett-Koehler), helps individuals tackle their unconscious bias and empower organizations to scale cultural competence to transform their structural and systematic landscapes to become more effective and equitable. She previously authored the 2017 bestselling book Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World, which is used by numerous individuals and organizations across the globe to increase success and create greater effectiveness. She has been an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management, Twin Cities Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practitioners, Human Resource Professionals of Minnesota,

Are you ready to explore the transformative world of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? Join Cathleen as she sits down Sara Taylor the President and Founder of deepSEE Consulting. With over 35 years of expertise, Sara has become a nationally recognised thought leader in cultural competence and DEI. Together they explore the intricate layers of biases, the importance of cultural competence, and practical ways for leaders to create more inclusive environments. Sara shares her personal journey and how this has shaped her passion for DEI. They tackle current topics like the social polarisation in Europe and the US. Tune in for a conversation filled with profound reflections, so that we can all become better leaders.   Episode Timeline:  01:19 Sara Taylor: Cultural competence leader; diversity expert; author. 07:31 Inclusion and equity integrated. 19:54 Judgments and filters affect understanding and communication. 29:10 Diverse teams excel through inclusion, engagement, and performance. 32:22 How do you merge cultures if you are not culturally competent? 54:30 Are diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives effective? 01:03:40 Leaders using fear cause global polarisation to increase. 01:16:38 deepSEEConsulting: promoting global workplace equity.   Key Takeaways:  Sara highlights the importance of recognising and addressing hidden biases that influence communication and decision-making in leadership. Leaders need to develop cultural competence to foster inclusive environments where all voices are valued and heard.  Through her work with deepSEE Consulting, Sara emphasises the need for developing inclusive cultures that support diverse hires, warning against the pitfalls of forced diversity without proper cultural integration. By transitioning from automatic, filter-driven responses to conscious and thoughtful decision-making, leaders can create high-performing, diverse teams that excel by effectively checking and challenging their unconscious biases. ABOUT Sara: Sara Taylor, President and Founder of deepSEE Consulting, has 35 years of extensive experience, nationally recognized as in the practice of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion serving local, national and global clients. While her areas of specialty are in both Diversity and Leadership Development, Sara has become a thought leader particularly in the field of Cultural Competence. Her bestselling book, Filter Shift: How Effective People SEE the World, is used by numerous individuals and organisations to increase success and create greater effectiveness. Sara holds a Master's degree in Diversity and Organisational Development and, prior to founding deepSEE, held positions such as Chief Diversity Officer and Leadership and Diversity Specialist.  Connect with Sara: Website: https://www.deepseeconsulting.com/ Thinking at the Speed of Bias book link: https://bit.ly/3x9bWbY Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarajanetaylor/ deepSEE's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepsee-consulting/ Connect: 
  Find | Cathleen O'Sullivan  Business: cathleenmerkel.com   Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/     FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.

The 5 Stages of Cultural Competence What You Will Learn: What the 5 stages of cultural competence are. How the first three stages of developing cultural competence cultivate cultural humility. How cultural humility encourages cultural responsiveness. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are Good for Business What You Will Learn: The ways that diversity, equity, and inclusion promote innovation. How diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts influence long-term employee retention. Why inclusive, equitable, and diverse organizations generate a strong sense of belonging for employees. The cost of losing an employee due to lack of DEI standards. The value of managers maintaining a firm commitment to diversity. How cultural competence allows us to be our best selves in diverse workplace environments. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara

What is Diversity? With Sara Taylor What You Will Learn: The value of answering the question “what is diversity?” How diversity was once defined, compared to the way organizations are encouraged to define it today. What aspects or characteristics of a person should be calculated into “diversity” metrics and where to draw the line. The limits organizations face when trying to implement diversity programs. The importance of finding out why people with specific identities are not finding their place in your organization. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara Other Resources: Recession Report: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/reports/recession-report

Predicting Recession Outcomes with Organizational Diversity What You Will Learn: What the Great Recession can teach us about the impact of diversity in organizations How diversity can impact your bottom line The difference between companies that thrived or flatlined between 2006 and 2014 What five marginalized groups impacted organizations the most What five key experiences these groups highlighted as having the greatest impact on them Where fairness, inclusivity, and validation matters for marginalized groups About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara Other Resources: Recession Report: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/reports/recession-report

Women's Wealth and Pay Equity Part III What You Will Learn: More about the insights into women's wealth that Robyn Ross developed over 20 years in the finance workforce. How the talent acquisition system in the financial services industry is currently backward compared to other industries. What women are doing to stand up for themselves and correct the system. Why diversity is the financially wise choice for financial services companies to make. How to allow people to make honest mistakes that make your company better. What we can do to be more vulnerable about our own biases regarding women's wealth. Countering Bias in The Finance Sector The finance sector is notoriously lacking when it comes to diversity. Only 8% of workers in this field are women, and an even tinier 0.4% of firms are owned by women. With these statistics in mind, it should be evident that women may feel like a fish out of water upon entering the workforce in this industry. Worse yet, some may never enter the industry because they fear they will be unable to have a rewarding career. While they may have the skill and talent needed to thrive in the field, issues with hiring and biased leadership could easily set a woman behind their male counterparts. In this week's episode of What's The Difference podcast, Sara Taylor invites guest Robyn Ross to discuss her actions to counteract bias in the finance sector. Currently, Fear Drives Decision-Making Many leaders in the financial space refuse to embrace diversity because they fear changes to their own position in their respective companies. They use phrases like “meritocracy” to describe why they deserve to succeed in finance while others do not. Yet, quite often, they disregard the reality that many of the people in positions of power in this industry come from incredibly privileged backgrounds. Understanding this, it is up to business leaders to create culturally competent hiring standards that help people who do not come from a place of inherent privilege. Show the Work That Matters Old systems are starting to fade as more women stand up for themselves and male allies support them. In time, the structural bias that has become commonplace will only be a chapter in the past. Yet, some companies are rushing to show off results that they haven't really achieved yet. They promote themselves as having embraced diversity, solely to make notes in their sustainability reports. Rather than considering the human element of diversity and inclusion, their actions are superficial and purely transactional. Change Won't Come all at Once You may not be around to see the impacts of the work that you've done. Still, that does not mean you shouldn't do it. Making the financial sector more diverse and inclusive is a collaborative effort that will take every one of you to work together to achieve a specific goal. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara

Women's Pay and Wealth Equity: Part II What You Will Learn: Women earn less, and have less wealth to invest with The majority of investment management firms are owned by white men; less than 1% by women Why women get worse advice from financial advisors How women in investing outperform men by 40 basis points How gender plays a role in the treatment of investors by advisors and firms The effect of biases on wealth equity in society About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara

Breaking Down the Wealth Gap, Part 1 What You Will Learn: What is Equal Pay Day, and what does it represent? How pay disparities between men and women increase for different ethnic groups Where women are continuously losing wealth outside of their jobs How much longer would a woman have to work than a man in a single year to earn the same wealth How education level actually increases the wealth gap The hiring and promotion gap between men and women About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara Other Resources: Merrill Study: https://www.ml.com/women-research.html Fortune study: https://fortune.com/2020/06/19/investment-management-diversity-hedge-funds-mutual-funds-real-estate-pe-private-equity/ Lifting as We Climb: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c50b84131d4df5265e7392d/t/5c5c7801ec212d4fd499ba39/1549563907681/Lifting_As_We_Climb_InsightCCED_2010.pdf Women's Wealth Gap: https://womenswealthgap.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Closing-the-Womens-Wealth-Gap-Report-Jan2017.pdf Student Loan Debt Gap: https://www.aauw.org/resources/news/media/press-releases/analysis-women-hold-two-thirds-of-countrys-1-4-trillion-student-debt/ Amazon, Women in the Workplace: https://wiw-report.s3.amazonaws.com/Women_in_the_Workplace_2019.pdf HBR Women's Raise Gap: https://hbr.org/2018/06/research-women-ask-for-raises-as-often-as-men-but-are-less-likely-to-get-them Forbes Unconscious Bias: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2020/08/27/financial-advisors-unconscious-bias-works-against-women/?sh=654a9c213f76

Cultivating an Equitable Hybrid Workplace: Part 2 What You Will Learn: Why it's important to consider the impact your decisions have on individuals in the workplace How our unconscious biases create distrust Why assuming difference will help us to break away from unconscious bias Why we should be outcome-focused; managing work over managing people How distrust of our workers keeps us from cultivating equity Strategies that can help us see other perspectives and do more to create equity Examples of the pitfalls leadership often faces when making decisions about equity About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara

The Pitfalls of Creating Equity over Equality, Part 1 What You Will Learn: The difference between equality and equity in the workplace How approaching equity from the minimization stage (we're all the same) is actually creating more inequity How the status quo perpetuates ineffective strategies and practices at work Why focusing on the outcome of work (rather than the input) positively contributes to creating equity How “fairness” keeps us in minimization and doesn't achieve what we want it to Why we should challenge status quo thinking in a push for equity About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara

What Florida's Stop WOKE Act Means for Organizations What You Will Learn: What is Florida's Stop WOKE Act How this will affect educational and workplace organizations in the future What motivated this type of legislation to be created What the bill is trying to achieve vs. what it will actually achieve How some of the bill's overarching concepts are okay but fall flat in reality How this bill promotes continued polarization and minimization (stages 1 and 2 of cultural competence) Why the most important place to address cultural differences is still in schools and workplaces About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara The Journey to Equity and Inclusion Florida Senate Stop WOKE Act

Five Stages of Cultural Competence Part III What You Will Learn: Perceived orientation vs. developmental orientation: What is it, and how does it affect cultural competence? How unresolved issues from previous stages of development keep us stuck What is trailing orientation, and how does it create more polarization? How both dominant and marginalized groups can reverse their orientation and feed off of polarization Why our best intentions and moving toward equality often don't work How to begin breaking the cycle of trailing orientation and polarization in DEI work About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara CNBC Closing the Gap Digest of Education Statistics

What You Will Learn: How we see differences in each stage of cultural competence The specific areas of development that contribute to us getting stuck in one of the earlier stages Understanding why it's so difficult to approach DEI work from stage four or five How our own judgments based on which stage we're in can affect our perception of others Where most of the population sits on this scale of awareness Why the “us vs. them,” “good vs. bad” mentality continuously stagnates our cultural understanding How discomfort and fear play a role in the hesitancy to move into deeper stages of competence About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara CNBC Closing the Gap

Five Stages of Cultural Competence Part I What You Will Learn: What are the five stages of cultural competence How to view each stage from a conscious and unconscious framework of awareness Why DEI work can be so tricky when considering the stages of cultural competence Where most of the population sits on this scale of awareness Why our best intentions in DEI work are often not enough based on our own conscious beliefs and perceptions How the Intercultural Development Continuum Model explains why people can have different perceptions of identical experiences About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota, for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” which explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepSEESara @deepSEESara CNBC Closing the Gap

What You Will Learn: How organizations support employees after DEI related trauma What are peer inclusion coaches, and how are they able to help organizations in being more effective and proactive in DEI efforts Why are the reasons that organizations need readily available resources What are the goals for peer equity coach programs in organizations What peer equity coaches are not, and what are their required qualifications How does deepSEE Consulting train peer equity/inclusion coaches About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: What are the four different root causes of microaggressions What are unconscious filters, and how do they impact our associations How do we typically respond or act based on filter associations How does our lack of exposure to different cultures, regions, or experiences affect our associations What are the three different ways that someone can be partially conscious of microaggressions What seven strategies can you take to reduce your likelihood of microaggressions About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: What are microaggressions, and how they emerge as patterns How microaggressions can become pile up and become traumatic for the receiver Why an employee who has experienced microaggressions will often fight, fly, or freeze Why stereotypical unconscious bias reinforces the advantages for dominant groups and reinforces the disadvantages for non-dominant groups What should organizations do when their employees experience microaggressions About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: What is the origin story of Black history month and why do we still have it How other heritage months differ from Black history month Why do we separate Black history from general United States history What is dominant culture and how does it create an advantage How to address Black history month in your organization Why history often doesn't mention races other than the dominant race About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: In this unique episode of What's The Difference, you'll hear audio from a panel at the Stevens Institute of Technology about the benefits of inclusive leadership, in which we discussed Cultural Competence as a business skill, when it is and isn't appropriate to point out the “differences that make a difference,” and why context is vital. Hear insights about: Why developing your Cultural Competence is a key business skill that goes far beyond “knowing when to kiss, bow, or shake hands” Sara shares a story of being asked to point her husband out in a group and relates why people often become uncomfortable pointing out differences such as race Why the only time we should be identifying people by the “differences that make a difference” is when that difference is relevant to the situation Why preventing difficult situations and creating a more Inclusive environment is more effective than reacting to uncomfortable situations when they arise Why relying on research-based models is the key to developing your Cultural Competence skills and fostering an Inclusive work culture What benefits of inclusive leadership your organization can expect by doing the hard but necessary DEI work What difficult experiences Sara has had with regards to interacting across differences, both as part of the dominant and non-dominant groups Why it's important to avoid falling into a “savior” mentality if you are part of the dominant group in your workplace About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Stevens Institute of Technology Website: https://www.stevens.edu/ How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why objecting to change, feeling like giving up something, and feeling it's too much extra work are common points of resistance to diversity in the workplace and DEI efforts Why real change must happen across all levels of an organization, and why individual growth and transformation is the key to changing the organization Why the process of developing Cultural Competence isn't about giving up anything but about adding on new skills and abilities to navigate difference Why DEI efforts do require extra work upfront but will make for a more effective and enjoyable workplace on the other side Why DEI work is about creating organizational change by teaching people how to add new skills that will benefit them both individually and as an organization in the long run About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why it feels awkward and oftentimes uncomfortable for most of us when we are called by the wrong name incorrectly How Sara recently participated in a panel presentation on inclusive leadership and relationships at the Stevens Institute of Technology Sara shares comments from the other panelists that explain why “preferred pronouns” aren't really a preference, and why it's important to avoiding calling trans people by their deadnames Why a better way of referring to someone's chosen pronouns is by calling them “identity pronouns” rather than “preferred pronouns” Why calling by someone by the wrong name can leave them feeling uncomfortable, and why being referred to by the correct name and pronouns isn't a preference but an identity About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Who Leads DEI? DEI Leaders and the Importance of Roles What You Will Learn: How a survey of 383 U.S. employers from Xpert HR revealed that only 11% of these employers had Chief DEI Officers leading their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts Further findings of the Xpert HR survey: 15% had DEI efforts led by volunteer employee groups 17% said no one leads their DEI work 19% said a “social justice workgroup” or board of directors led their efforts 36% responded that it was lead by their CEO 52% said a Chief Human Resources Officer led their efforts 7% said a Chief Operating Officer led their DEI work 5% responded that their Chief Financial Officer led the way 4% said their General Counsel ran their efforts 2% responded that an outside consultant led their DEI efforts Why General Counsel, the CFO or even the CEO aren't the right people who should be leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work, and why it's crucial to appoint the right DEI leaders to oversee your efforts Why organizations who are truly committed to DEI work should follow best practices and assign an experienced, dedicated Chief DEI Officer About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Xpert HR “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Employer Trends in 2021” Survey (requires site registration to access): https://bit.ly/3zJ6o3w How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why 75% of people surveyed responded that, due to the global pandemic, they no longer feel comfortable shaking hands in a job interview Sara describes a pre-pandemic training exercise she and her team would employ to demonstrate the discomfort people sometimes experience when getting close to others Why shared meaning around our cultural behaviors informs how comfortable or uncomfortable we feel doing those behaviors How the “handshake” ritual came to be historically, why many of us don't know this origin, and what this tells us about how we view and question other cultures' behaviors Why it takes a significant disruption to change the shared meaning we associate with certain long-held cultural behaviors Why understanding the shared meaning behind behaviors is the key to understanding and changing our organizational culture Why our actions are created by our conscious thoughts, which themselves stem from our unconscious filters Why it is crucial to define the behaviors that you want to see or change and then work on the shared meaning that informs those behaviors About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Sara shares the story of “Jaden,” the manager of her local coffee shop who desperately needed a day off from nonstop work, an example of what happens when leadership does not invest in DEI work and learning Why Jaden chose to give her two-weeks notice because she felt her manager didn't respect her or her family Why Jaden's story demonstrates the need for businesses and organizations to invest in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work Why Jaden's manager's internal bias and lack of cultural competence has cost her a fantastic employee Why employees “quitting their managers” can be just as damaging to a company as employees leaving their jobs, and why this is a perfect example of the ROI of DEI work About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Sara defines Cultural Competence as understanding how our unconscious minds make decisions for us and taking conscious control of our behaviors Why the first step in defining the benefits of Cultural Competence involves recognizing the “differences that make a difference” Why our level of Cultural Competence is involved in virtually every interaction we have in the workplace How research by Joseph DiStefano and Martha Maznevski found that diverse teams make up both the worst and best performing, with Cultural Competence being the deciding factor Why less than 17% of our population falls within the two most effective stages of Cultural Competence, and how we can develop those skills Why major organizations like Google and Target even struggle to recognize and respond to the differences that make a difference Why tying Cultural Competence to your strategic priorities like breaking into new markets or mergers/acquisitions can help you make the case Why the “do nothing” strategy of maintaining the status quo is the only alternative to working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Creating Value with Diverse Teams in Global Management by Joseph J. DiStefano and Martha L. Maznevski How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why there are many business benefits of Inclusion in the workplace, and why Inclusion allows you to create an environment that takes advantage of the benefits of Diversity How the cost of talent turnover is anywhere from 40% to 150% of an employee's annual salary, and how an inclusive environment increases engagement and retention How Gallup found that 13% of the global workforce are actively engaged at work, and why management's strong commitment to Diversity is the #1 factor in increasing this number Why Diversity without Inclusion can result in high talent turnover, and why an inclusive environment is crucial for avoiding that turnover Why the level of engagement is lowest for workforce members born after 1980, and why Inclusion is necessary for helping them feel engaged What to look for to identify issues with Inclusion in your organization, and how to analyze your data to get a better picture of Inclusion at your workplace About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Making the Case Part I: Why Diversity is Good For Business What You Will Learn: Why it is important to examine why Diversity is good for business, just as we examine the benefits of all the other business decisions we make Why the first component of why diversity is good for business is the moral implications of increased Diversity How studies have shown that the top 25% racially and ethnically diverse companies are 36% more likely to outperform less diverse companies in financial performance Why greater gender Diversity gives companies a 25% increased likelihood of outperforming the average and increase the value of these organizations How Diversity can help fuel innovation, new and fresh ideas, and more perspectives in decision-making Why tokenism isn't enough, and why diverse team members and business leaders need to be brought in as full members of the team Why our workforce is increasingly diverse and why organizations that value Diversity have greater access to talented team members How immigration is helping push back against the declining numbers in the workforce and helping fill the increased demand for workers Why Diversity is crucial as BIPOC people are becoming an ever-growing segment of our society Making the Case Part I: Why Diversity is Good For Business We all know that most business decisions are made on the basis of the impact they have on the bottom line. Luckily, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work does have a positive impact on the success of our organizations. The challenge is making the case for why we need to do this work in a way that illustrates this impact. In this first episode in a special three-part What's The Difference podcast series, I want to talk to you first about why Diversity is good for business and what effect increased Diversity can have on your organization's success. Why Diversity is Good For Business At deepSEE Consulting, we've designed a template to help you make the case for DEI work in your organization, which you can find on our website at www.deepseeconsulting.com. This template serves as the basis of our three-part series, so I urge you to check it out. First, let's talk about why Diversity is good for business. Just as we carefully consider the pros and cons before we make other key business decisions, we should consider these same factors when making the case for DEI work in our organizations. Of course, there's the moral imperative, but there are also tangible benefits of increased Diversity. McKinsey & Company periodically releases a report on the business impact of greater Diversity. First, they rank organizations based on their racial diversity and then they examine these companies' financial performance. According to their findings, organizations in the top 25 percentile of racially and ethnically diverse organizations were 36% more likely to outperform the median. Additionally, companies in the top ¼ of companies with Diversity in their leadership roles had a 20% higher probability of above-average performance. Greater gender Diversity also offers a 25% greater likelihood of outperforming the financial returns of less diverse organizations. It Takes Real Commitment Allow me to be clear, just hiring a female or BIPOC employee isn't enough to enjoy these benefits. Your organization must be truly committed to greater Diversity, and diverse team members need to be truly welcomed at the table. For example, gender Diversity doesn't have a major impact on performance until Diversity reaches a critical mass and at least 22% of the executive leadership team are women. It takes work and honest dedication. But the benefits go beyond just the financial boost. Princeton researcher Scott Page wrote an article in which he shared these findings: greater Diversity in an organization's leadership team enhances problem-solving because “organizations can improve their performance by tapping the power of differences in how people think. Likewise, Harvard Business Review found that homogeneity in business actually stifles innovation, and a Forbes study found that Diversity is a crucial driver of innovation in the workplace. Diversity is important, not just because it's “the right thing to do,” but because it helps our teams operate more effectively, it sparks innovation, and these are proven to have tangible financial benefits. If you'd like to learn more about the template we've created containing hard data highlighting these benefits, please visit us at www.deepseeconsulting.com. And please join me for next week's episode of What's The Difference, when we take a close look at the benefits of Inclusion. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: What possible reasons may be contributing to so many people asking Sara and her team at deepSEE Consulting for help defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Why it is especially important to have a shared clear, defined meaning around the important concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion How the team at deepSEE Consulting define Diversity as “the differences that may make a difference” How any business with more than one person inherently has Diversity, and what kinds of differences make a difference in interactions with others Why our “frames” and “filters” are so important in our interactions, including within the workplace How Inclusion represents acts and actions that create an environment where everyone feels they matter and are “a part of” rather than “apart from” How Equity differs from Equality, wherein Equity takes into account individual and systemic bias, and why Equity is about parity rather than fairness About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Why the increased conversation around unconscious and implicit bias is significant, and why “affinity bias” (positive bias) is often overlooked but just as influential Sara shares a personal story from her daughter that illustrates the impact of positive and negative bias and responding to microaggression Why positive bias can create negative reactions, and why it is important to understand positive bias in our workplaces Why recognizing and responding to positive bias is an important component of bringing equity to a workplace Sara shares examples of highly visible affinity bias that her family experienced while visiting the Dominican Republic Why passing through Customs and Immigration was made easier by having Sara take the bags and go through before her husband Why it is vital that we begin addressing affinity bias in the same ways that we address implicit and unconscious bias About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: How the Golden Rule of “do unto others as you would want them to do unto you” needs to give way to the Platinum Rule, “do unto others as they would want done unto them” How oftentimes people struggle to let go of the Golden Rule and embrace the Platinum Rule, especially in terms of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace Which myths and misperceptions around the Golden Rule reinforce its existence as the default way to interact and often lead people astray in DEI work Why the Golden Rule isn't necessarily “wrong”, and why we need to reframe our thinking to realize that the Platinum Rule is more effective rather than “more right” How most of us are already using the Golden Rule daily, and how our unconscious minds often make an assumption about similarity despite our very real differences Why assuming that others want to be treated the way we want ourselves to be treated is based on fallacy and doesn't respect others' individual filters and experiences Why our own experiences aren't universal, and why seeing past the assumption of similarity is crucial to “doing unto others as they would want done unto them” Why it is important to consider how behaviors under the Golden Rule might be perceived as disrespectful by others, and how the Platinum Rule circumvents this problem The Platinum Rule: More Effective Than the Golden Rule We've probably all heard the adage “do unto others as you would have done unto you.” It's the Golden Rule, and most of us are taught to inform our interactions with others through this rule from a very early age. However…is that really the most effective way in which we can interact with others? The Golden Rule doesn't take into account what happens if the person we're interacting with doesn't want to be treated the same way we'd want to be treated. The Golden Rule is focused on our perceptions, experiences, and expectations and is centered around ourselves rather than the people around us. In this week's solocast episode of the What's The Difference podcast, I discuss the problems, myths, and misperceptions around the Golden Rule that prevent it from being the ideal north star of navigating our interactions with others, and I compare it to the Platinum Rule of “do unto others as they would have done unto them.” The wonderful thing about the Platinum Rule that makes it so effective is that it takes into account differences between the lenses and filters through which we view the world versus others and their own filters. It asks us to stop and consider how others might feel about a given interaction, rather than centering our behaviors on what we want. This difference is crucial! The Problem With the Golden Rule Consider for a moment that our subconscious minds process orders of magnitude more information than our conscious minds do, from moment to moment. Our subconscious minds serve as the filters through which we see the world around us, and most of our behaviors come from the subconscious. This means that when we're interacting with others, we are inherently practicing the Golden Rule. We're using our own filters to process our interactions and inform what we say and how we behave, on a natural and fundamental level. The problem is…what if the other person doesn't see the world in the same way? Could “doing unto others as we would have done unto us” be perceived as disrespectful? Absolutely. The other party is viewing our actions through their filters, not ours. Interacting with the assumption that they want the same things we do can absolutely lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication because we're rooting our behaviors in our expectations and our filters without considering theirs. Using the Platinum Rule for More Effective Interactions It is important to remember that the Golden Rule isn't “worse” than the Platinum Rule. Treating others as you would like to be treated is an admirable starting point, but it's not the most effective way to interact. The Platinum Rule helps us step outside our own filters and ask the right questions so that we better understand what others consider to be respectful and positive interactions, and it helps us make conscious decisions about the words to say and the actions to take. In Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work especially, it is critically important to consider others and their filters and perspectives. This is precisely why the Platinum Rule can be such a powerful and effective resource to help us engage with others more effectively, especially across the differences that make a difference. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of the podcast, and I encourage you to visit our website at www.deepseeconsulting.com for more information and resources. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Read Emotional Acknowledgment: How Verbalizing Others' Emotions Fosters Interpersonal Trust by Alisa Yu, Justin M. Berg, and Julian Zlatev How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why the way in which leaders engage with emotions at work matters, and why a lack of emotional support can be damaging Why emotional support in the workplace is key to allowing team members to feel engaged and valued Why too few business leaders see feeling involved in emotions at work as part of their leadership role How research by Alisa Yu and Justin Berg at Stanford and Julian Zlatev at Harvard Business School shows that people need emotional support and acknowledgment How the research shows that emotional acknowledgment is vital, and what important results the researchers discovered that business leaders can learn from Why incurring the “risk” of acknowledging employees' emotions out loud builds a strong sense of trust and can help leaders strengthen their leadership Why asking “how are you feeling?”, especially in the case of negative emotions, is crucial for building that trust About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Read Emotional Acknowledgment: How Verbalizing Others' Emotions Fosters Interpersonal Trust by Alisa Yu, Justin M. Berg, and Julian Zlatev How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: How Frank Slootman, CEO of Snowflake, recently told Bloomberg that the company's focus should be on “merit” rather than achieving diversity goals How the scientific data shows us that an organization that has a diverse workforce paired with greater cultural competence performs better than their peers Why the statement that the focus should be on “merit” over “diversity goals” is implicitly saying that white men are more capable than women and ethnic minorities Sara defines the term “meritocracy” and explains why the meritocracy fallacy doesn't stand up to logical scrutiny How only 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs are Black/African American, demonstrating that white CEOs are overrepresented in the Fortune 500 Why the meritocracy fallacy is based on false assumptions and ignores systemic and individual biases employees face Sara highlights key studies that demonstrate the very real problem of unconscious racial and gender biases in the hiring process How a study proved that white men with criminal records were more likely to be hired than Black men without criminal records Why the belief that you have to sacrifice merit to pursue diversity in the workplace is itself based on biases About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. Resources: Read Frank Slootman's Interview with Bloomberg: https://bloom.bg/3gMtoHk How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara  

What You Will Learn: Why managers can't effectively set their employees up for success if they can't recognize inequity in the workplace Sara shares a story of a rockstar physical therapist who had to do lots of extra, unnecessary work because his manager wasn't setting him up for success Why one theme that always comes up in workplace focus groups with employees from non-dominant groups is that they have to work much harder for less recognition Why managers or supervisors who can't see the presence or impact of inequity in the workplace can't set their employees up to succeed Why self-awareness of your own cultural competence development is the first step in making positive change Why you should acknowledge employees' additional burden and then ask how you can help ease that burden, and why you must be prepared to listen to the hard truths About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why it is important to reflect on how DEI work has evolved in the workplace, from when intentional DEI work began to the present Why the intentionality to seek greater Diversity within the workforce is a more recent phenomenon, beginning with Affirmative Action How DEI work began with a focus on Diversity and equality primarily in recruitment, and how inclusion was added around 25 years ago How Equity is the most recent aspect of DEI work, and how it focuses on going beyond the concept of “equality” to achieve true parity Why it is important to identify the systems of bias and our individual biases within our organizations to progress toward parity Why developing our cultural competence is the starting point for DEI work, so that we can begin to recognize biases and inequities in our organizations for what they are About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why many, many times over the years of her work, Sara has been asked for a “list”: an instruction list of what to do and what to say in given situations How this desire for a “list” can be likened to a “fast food drive-thru” approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion issues, attempting to shortcut the real equity work Why there is no magic list that offers a shortcut, and why ongoing development, recognizing issues and addressing them with new policies and processes is unavoidable Why this desire for a list does come from the positive intent of wanting to not offend or cause issues, but why it also trivializes real equity work and its complexities Why doing the hard, intentional development work and understanding the unconscious lenses through which we see difference is vital for lasting change Why a lack of time and fear or uncertainty about the unknown are the two driving forces behind the desire for a magic list About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: How we are genetically programmed to deal with danger situations through the “fight, flight or freeze” response How marginalization in the workplace and minimization of differences cause people to often respond through the same survival mechanism Sara shares her personal experience of minimization and marginalization in the workplace when she was a young woman on a team of otherwise older men How another way people respond is through the “fight” response by pushing back against minimization and loudly calling out the things that make them different How there is often an undiscussed fourth response, “fawn”, where people seek the approval of those who are minimizing them How all four of the responses (fight, flight, freeze and fawn) are natural reactions for someone who is marginalized in an environment of minimization Why feeling marginalized, overlooked, excluded and having your differences minimized makes it that much harder to contribute or to do your best work Why too often, the response to someone reacting with fight, flight, freeze or fawn is to blame the victim rather than recognizing that their responses are natural Why these responses are also the typical responses to trauma, and why a minimization culture dramatically impacts an organization's bottom line About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: How our unconscious minds work, and how thoughts begin in the unconscious mind before being passed to conscious awareness How the brain processes 11 million separate pieces of information in one second, and how 10,999,960 of those pieces of information are never passed to the conscious mind Why the unconscious mind is prone to making the assumption that our own personal experience is actually a universal experience How our lives are highly segregated, with people in the US averaging only one person in their circle of friends from a different racial group Sara shares a story of an encounter she had while playing tennis with her Black/Latino husband and her young daughter Sara shares a different story of how her son was stopped and interrogated by police multiple times a week in their neighborhood How the difference in experience shows up in the workplace, and how marginalized groups have a very different work experience from dominant groups How asking yourself “can I consider the possibility?” consciously tests your unconscious mind and helps you recognize that others have different experiences How Black and Brown people statistically have a very different experience interacting with police, even when they have committed an identical crime to White people Why the next step is to ask yourself the question “what would it mean if it were true?”, and how that can lead to greater understanding Universal Experience Did you know that your mind processes eleven million separate pieces of information per second? That number is astonishing and hard to believe, right? That’s because 10,999,960 of those pieces of information are processed within your subconscious mind and never rise to the level of conscious thought. Why does this statistic matter? It’s because our minds naturally gravitate towards believing that our own personal experiences are actually universal experiences; that our path through life is shared by everyone else. The reality is very different, however, and we must learn to consciously be aware that universal experience isn’t an accurate way to view the world. At one year out from the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Black and Brown people are still being murdered by police. Why isn’t there greater outrage, specifically from White people? It’s exactly because of the tendency to believe that our experiences are universal. “I’ve never had a problem interacting with police” can quickly become “therefore other people don’t either or the situation is overblown.” How do we press back against our tendency to believe in the universal experience? Asking the Right Questions When I am working with people to help them understand that our experiences aren’t necessarily universal, I challenge them to ask themselves a very important five-word question: “Can I consider the possibility?” Can they consider the possibility that Black and Brown people have a very different experience in life in this country than White people? Can they consider the possibility that the statistics are true and that their own personal experiences don’t reflect the experience others have? When you ask this question, you are challenging your subconscious thoughts by bringing them forward into your conscious mind. You are considering the possibility that injustices and disparities do exist, even if you have never personally experienced them. The next question to ask is: “What would it mean if it were true?” By asking this follow-up question, you are telling your mind to extrapolate from the basic premise that our experiences aren’t actually universal. “What would it mean if it were true that a person from a different racial group was having a very different experience in my workplace than I am?” How would that impact their ability to feel safe at work? How would that impact their feeling that their work is valued, respected, and recognized for what it is? The universal experience is a fiction our subconscious minds prefer, because it fits with our past experiences and reassures us that the world is as we see it and believe it to be. By questioning our subconscious beliefs and challenging them with conscious thought, we can open our minds to the “differences that make a difference”, and that’s the first step to real change and progress. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara YouTube video from the show “What Would You Do? with John Quinones” that shows an example of very different experiences

What You Will Learn: How Polarization is the us/them stage of development, and why it often leads to defending the indefensible and hurtful actions of others Why Minimization sweeps differences under the rug, and why the language of minimization is a key component in defending the indefensible How the tragedy at the Unite the Right rally and counterprotest in Charlottesville is an example of defending the indefensible How the then-President of the United States used Minimization language by saying that there were “very fine people on both sides” How the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandal led to Minimization statements defending the abusing priests How Minimization language continues to be used to defend the police murders of Black and Brown people Why we must recognize where the defense of indefensible actions comes from and address the root cause if we hope to move beyond Minimization Defending the Indefensible When terrible events like the murder of peaceful protester Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017 happen, we often hear people defending the indefensible actions that created those events. In this case, then-President Donald Trump famously claimed that there were “very fine people on both sides” between the protesters and counter-protesters. What is the justification and rationale behind defending the indefensible? Where does this mindset come from? To answer this question, we must look to the five stages of cultural competence for answers. As we’ve discussed before, these stages in order are: Denial Polarization Minimization Acceptance Adaptation Defending the indefensible begins in the Polarization stage, the “us versus them” stage of development in which we focus solely on the differences. However, defending the indefensible uses language from the Minimization stage, in which we ignore or refuse to recognize difference and instead draw similarities that may not exist. This Minimization language can be found in former President Trump’s response to the terror attack in Charlottesville. “There are very fine people on both sides” seeks to minimize the differences between the groups of protesters and counterprotesters and equate one group with the other, despite the many differences in behavior and mindset that existed between the two groups. So how do we respond when others use Minimization language to defend actions that by all rights are indefensible? Acceptance, the fourth stage of cultural competence, does not mean that we must accept the defensive statements at face value. Rather, we must work to look beyond the words and understand and address the root causes that lead people to defend these actions. We must work to move beyond Minimization into the more effective stage of Acceptance. Unfortunately, attacks like the police murder of Black and Brown people continue to occur. And when they do, people will continue to use the language of Minimization to defend the indefensible. We must pay attention and recognize this when it happens if we hope to achieve a greater level of cultural competence in our society. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why it is as important as ever to continue making the case for DEI in the workplace in today’s competitive environment How DEI work directly connects to business results, and how to use this information in your case for DEI work Why more racially diverse companies and teams tend to outperform companies that are more racially homogenous Why gender diversity in a company’s leadership team has a direct result in the value of the organization Why the increasing diversity of the labor pool highlights a growing need for a work environment that attracts that diverse talent Why it is important to tie your case to actual data from your own organization and its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (or lack thereof) Why DEI work has an impact on talent retention and can help you dramatically lower your turnover and its associated costs Why cultural competence has a powerful and positive impact on an organization’s bottom line, and why developing your organization’s cultural competence offers a competitive advantage Why cultural competence is a vital skill that can help you in many common business scenarios and challenges Making the Case for DEI It can sometimes feel overwhelming when making the case for DEI in the workplace. It can feel a bit like swimming upstream, especially if your organization doesn’t truly understand the benefits they could be reaping from a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment…or the price they’re paying for not putting in the effort to create one. However, it has never been more important to keep making the case for DEI than it is today. The labor pool is growing increasingly diverse, and creating a work environment that attracts that diverse talent is a crucial competitive advantage. Why DEI Work Matters to Your Bottom Line It isn’t just about the moral benefits of a healthier and more equitable organizational culture, though that is a powerful positive side to DEI work. It’s also about the direct productivity and financial benefits of doing the work. A frequently-cited McKinzie & Company study found that the top 25% of racially and ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to outperform the median. On the flip side, the least diverse companies tend to lag behind their competition. Likewise, those in the top 25% of gender diverse companies were 15% more likely to outperform the median on financial returns. The effect is just as impressive when we’re looking at the diversity of leadership teams. Research from the University of Maryland found that gender diversity in business leadership correlated with a staggering $42 million increase in the value of S&P 500 firms. In his book The Diversity Bonus, Princeton University researcher Scott Page found that diversity in organizational leadership teams enhances problem-solving due to a greater variety of perspectives. The Harvard Business Review published a report showing that homogeneity stifles innovation. With so much published research demonstrating the profound impact of Diversity on an organization’s success at all levels, making the case for DEI in the workplace is vital for giving your organization these powerful competitive advantages. The data proves beyond a doubt that the “do-nothing” strategy has a real, tangible cost on your organization’s effectiveness, profitability, and overall success. Where to Start in Making the Case for DEI It can feel like a daunting task, but making the case can be made easier by connecting it to your organization’s real data and to the impact DEI work can directly make on the business needs of your company. You need to understand where your organization is now, so that you know what areas need to be worked on and what positive benefits you’ll be able to achieve going forward. It all starts with data as a foundation you can build upon. Getting buy-in from your organization’s leadership team can be made much easier if you can show exactly how DEI work stands to strengthen your organization, even beyond the moral case for a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive workplace. The effort is certain to pay off in the end. At deepSEE Consulting, we offer a number of resources you may find helpful as you collect and collate your data. Please feel free to visit our website and explore the many tools found in our resource library at www.deepseeconsulting.com/resources. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What You Will Learn: Why mental health in the workplace during Covid-19 is changing, and how this is impacting individuals and teams Why the mental health impact of the pandemic is having an outsized impact on women and BIPOC, amplified by systemic disparities How the CDC released a report in early April about the impact the pandemic is having on mental health, and what crucial information that report contains How the layers of traumas we are all experiencing in trying to adapt to the realities of the pandemic are making it more difficult to navigate through our normal work life How all of the various changes in our lives are feeding each other, and why marginalized people especially feel these changes How 42% of Black, 27% of Asian, and 22% of Latinx and 19% of multiracial people have experienced an increase in race-based hostility, compared with 1% of White people How 40% of women and nonbinary people and 42% of transgender people have experienced gender-based harassment compared to only 2% of men Why more than 1/3 of respondents said that they don’t trust their employer to react fairly to harassment situations How you can help within your organization, and what strategies you can follow to make your workplace more safe and supportive for the mental health of team members Why intentionality and accountability are vital ingredients to creating positive, lasting, systemic change in your organization Mental Health in the Workplace During Covid-19 At the beginning of April, the Centers for Disease Control released a report on the impact the global pandemic has had on mental health in America, and the results probably won’t surprise you. Overall mental health is on the decline, and many people are struggling to access mental healthcare due to economic disparities, lockdowns and many other factors. Just as in the population at large, mental health in the workplace during Covid-19 is also displaying many troubling warning signs. Isolation and work/life balance struggles due to working from home, increase in anxiety and depression, and a lack of support systems are all factors. It probably also won’t surprise you to learn that people within marginalized communities are experiencing an outsized impact on mental health in the workplace during Covid-19, because disparities within our systems have an amplifying effect. While 1% of White people have reported an increase in race-based hostility during the pandemic, a staggering 40% of Black people have reported the same. For people of Asian ethnicity, that number is 27%. 22% of people in the Latinx community reported an increase in hostility, and 19% of multiethnic and multiracial people reported an increase. Gender-based harassment is also on the rise during the pandemic. 2% of men reported an increase of harassment based on gender, but 40% of women and nonbinary people and 42% of transgender people experienced harassment during the same period. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are steps you can take in your workplace to make your organization more safe and more supportive for team members who are dealing with mental health challenges, now and in the future. What Can Be Done to Support Mental Health in the Workplace During Covid-19 Here are the steps you can take to foster a work environment that can better meet the mental health needs of your team members: Acknowledge your team’s experiences and the ongoing impact of mental health in the workplace during Covid-19. Identify existing resources in your organization that can help, and look for opportunities to create new ones. Seek organizational policy flexibility that gives team members the freedom to take time away as necessary. Ensure that staff know who they can go to internally in your organization if they need help and support. Get comfortable talking about mental health and talking about how people from different groups are impacted differently. Take your DEI work seriously, make it a priority, and treat the work with intentionality and strategic thinking. By following these steps, you can have a massive impact on your workplace and on creating an environment where employees feel safe to voice their concerns, talk about their mental health needs, and seek the support they need. If you’d like to learn more, please explore www.deepseeconsulting.com/resources where you’ll find more tools, resources and information that can help you create lasting transformation within your organization. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why adapting and responding to others’ filters is one way to communicate and interact across the stages of development Why responding to stage-appropriate development is crucial, and why leading up in cultural competence is important for communicating effectively across stages Sara cites an example of Polarization and offers how to communicate with someone in Polarization by focusing on commonalities Why it is important to use the developmental strategy for each stage to move conversations into a more effective place How to use the developmental strategy for minimization, by “seeing self” and understanding your own filters without judgment Why it is important to avoid moving into the Polarization stage along with the person you’re interacting with, and how you can move the conversation beyond Minimization Why it is important to be patient and understanding toward people who are operating from lower stages of development Sara shares an analogy of a teacher working with a student struggling with fundamental skills and explains how this relates to communicating across stages of development How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why people often struggle with talking about minimization and addressing Diversity and Inclusion issues with leaders they report to in their organizations What the “situational leadership” model is, and how it specifically addresses “skill and will” in any given situation Why high will, low skill leaders are often clueless to the fact that they are lacking in particular cultural competency skills, and why telling them what they aren’t seeing is usually counterproductive Why keeping a high will, low skill person’s will at its high level while gently guiding them to the skills they need to develop is crucial Sara offers an example of a high will, low skill situation with her daughter when she was very young and how Sara guided her to find her own solutions Why “leading up” in the workplace means helping leaders above you in an organization discover and see things you can see and they can’t How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara  

About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What is dominant culture (and what isn’t), and how being a part of the dominant culture can sometimes cause you to be blind to other perspectives Why everyone else is forced to adjust to the dominant culture, and how multicultural people sometimes struggle to identify with all parts of themselves Why cultural engagement offers a sense of belonging, and why cultural disengagement makes it more difficult to navigate difference Sara offers examples of people straddling multiple cultures and how they navigate within them, as well as examples of frames vs. filters How identification and engagement are the keys to recognizing and navigating your own culture, and why it is important to recognize your advantages Resources: Free Activity to Resolve Cultural Disengagement How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the first step in developing cultural competence is to “see self”, the secret to more effectively understand yourself and understand others Sara offers a simple exercise that can help you better define and understand your culture, and she explains how uses this question in training to create an eye-opening experience Why it is important to differentiate your cultural descriptors by whether they are frames or filters, and how frames and filters differ Sara defines her personal frames, such as being White, cisgender, and female, and her filters, such as being extroverted, competitive, and a woman small business owner Why identifying your filters is critical in seeing yourself and understanding how you relate to the world and the people around you Why paying attention to your interactions throughout your day can help you see how your filters often make your decisions for you Why it is so important to understand your own culture and see yourself, and how this can help you better understand others when you first understand yourself What is Your Culture? Understand Yourself and Understand Others What is your culture? It’s a deceptively simple question…but the answers you arrive at can help you understand yourself and understand others in a more personal way. Take a moment to think about it and list as many identifying factors about your culture as you can. Now, let’s talk about the difference between frames and filters. Frames are descriptors about you, immutable facts such as your ethnicity, your age, your gender and your sexual orientation. Filters, however, are the ways you interact with the world, such as being highly focused, introverted or patient. Your frames are defined traits, but your filters are subconscious tools you use to make decisions. It’s within these subconscious filters that you can get to the heart of how you interact with difference. These filters inform many of the choices and decisions you make, and truly “seeing” yourself and your filters clearly can enable you to understand yourself and understand others better. How You Show Up in the World We often allow our subconscious minds to make quick decisions for us; it’s a natural process and one that generally happens in the background without our active mental input. However, developing cultural competence requires us to take a look at these filters on a conscious level. When you understand the filters through which you interact with the world, you can begin to consciously change your filters to better suit your interactions. This can be transformative, and it’s the key to improving your skill in cultural competence. Understand Yourself and Understand Others In this week’s episode of the What’s The Difference podcast, I gave an example of trying to teach fish about land and air. Fish only have experience with water, and so teaching them about land and air would mean first teaching them about their own environment so that they can identify and recognize how land and air differ from their experiences in water. There are parallels between teaching fish about land and air and recognizing and learning about difference in people and in cultures. For us to understand someone else’s very different experiences in life, we must first create a reference point by understanding ourselves. Then we can begin to see and acknowledge the difference. Here’s an exercise to try: in the coming week, really begin to pay attention to your filters and how they inform your interactions and choices. Observe yourself and your moment-to-moment thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and try to recognize when your filters come into play. In doing so, you may begin to recognize patterns in yourself that can truly help you understand yourself and understand others on a more effective level. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What you’ll learn about in this episode: What patterns and challenges people often struggle with when developing their cultural competence, and why the sense of “having to give up” is a common obstacle Sara gives a hypothetical example to illustrate the importance of how you deliver a message to get your intent across effectively Why shifting our filters isn’t about giving anything up but instead can be a powerful way to “add on” in our messaging Why Black women are often given the message that to be “professional” or “promotable”, they must have the “right” hair Why we don’t have to abandon our preferences but instead shift how we see and understand those preferences Why people often retreat to their “favorite tools” if they’re in a lower stage of effectiveness, and how moving out of our automatic responses gives us more effective tools Why pushback from the perspective of the dominant culture often comes from fear of losing out, whereas from a nondominant culture it comes from frustration Why we must first recognize and acknowledge the frustration someone from a nondominant culture may feel Why shifting our filters allows us to be more effective in navigating difference, and why being intentional isn’t about losing something but about gaining Giving Up or Adding On: The Benefits of Cultural Competence One of the most common forms of pushback against DEI work is that people often feel like they’re being forced to “give up” something…often something they consider to be a key part of their identity. However, one of the benefits of cultural competence — the ability to navigate the differences that make a difference — is that it gives you new tools to be able to use rather than taking anything away from you. As I explain during this week’s solocast episode of What’s The Difference podcast, it’s like a mechanic having a favorite tool, a wrench for example. Adding more tools to the mechanic’s toolbox doesn’t mean they can’t still use that trusty wrench…but that wrench may not be the right tool for every situation. Cultural competence gives you more options, more tools to use so that you can choose the one that fits the situation. It doesn’t strip anything away from you. That favorite wrench is still there, waiting for the moment when it’s the right tool for the job. The Benefits of Cultural Competence in Effective Communication Communicating effectively often requires tailoring your messaging to your audience. You probably wouldn’t communicate with a teenager in the same way you would communicate with your grandparents, for example. Cultural competence allows you to more effectively communicate across differences by adding new tools and filters you can use to better understand a situation. Again, this is additive, not subtractive. You don’t have to give anything up to add new communication skills. Your existing skills are still there, you are just adding another layer of depth to them. So often, the pushback we as DEI practitioners see from the perspective of someone in the dominant culture is coming from a place of fear. The unknown can be scary — but that’s precisely why developing your cultural competence can be so powerful. It can help you tackle unfamiliar situations more effectively. The work is hard, but it is always worth it. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara  

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the New York Post recently featured an article titled “(company) slammed for diversity training that urged workers to be ‘less white'” Why “White” is a frame but “whiteness” is a filter, and why the first can’t be changed but the second can How our dominant culture is White, cisgender, straight, able-bodied, and male, and why it is vital to recognize the difference between the frame of White and filter of whiteness Why it is important to approach, think about and discuss the topic of White vs. whiteness from the later stages of cultural competence development Why clarity, not judgment, is the key to better understanding the role of race in our individual interactions and our organizational structures and systems Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why organizations do more and more DEI work but seem to make no real progress, because they focus on Minimizing the differences instead of maximizing them! focused on Minimization How to determine if your organization is operating from Minimization, and what impact this can have on your workplace and your team Why being in Minimization will predictably bring lukewarm compliance and wasted resources without getting results. How to do DEI work with intense and effective commitment Why Minimization means being unable to differentiate the “differences that make a difference” when you need to be able to differentiate Why the Minimization stage can be a difficult barrier to hiring, retaining and promoting diverse talent How the inability to differentiate can also be costly in your market and within your relationship to existing and potential customers or clients Why cultural competence is shown to be a key separator between the lowest performing and highest performing teams DEI Work and the Minimization Barrier If you’ve been following the What’s The Difference podcast for a while, you know that there are five stages of cultural competence that individuals and organizations move through as they learn to navigate what makes us all different from each other. Today, I want to talk to you about the third stage, Minimization, and its impact on your organization’s DEI work. Minimization is the stage that the vast majority of organizations and individuals find themselves operating from. The big problem here is that the first three stages (denial, polarization, and Minimization) are the ineffective stages, and it isn’t until the fourth stage where we can recognize and accept our differences that we are able to successfully navigate across differences and create a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. So what exactly is Minimization? This is the stage in which we focus on “equality” by attempting to treat everyone as “fairly” as possible…without taking into account the differences that make a difference. It’s about setting the finish line for the marathon at the same place for everyone, without taking into account how close or far away everyone is starting the race. Minimization attempts to treat everyone equally and turn a blind eye to their differences, without recognizing that sometimes they really are “differences that make a difference”. This is why many organizations who have the best of intentions spend time, money, and resources on DEI work without actually moving the needle, and the Minimization barrier can be a difficult one to cross if you aren’t able to see and recognize the differences that make a difference. DEI Work that Moves the Needle So what can be done to ensure that the DEI work you’re doing gets traction and makes a difference? First, you need to identify where your organization is within the hierarchy of cultural competence. Look at your leadership team, at the managers within your organization. Are you hiring, retaining, and promoting diverse talent? If your leadership team doesn’t reflect the organization as a whole, this is a strong indicator that you’re in the Minimization stage. The next step is to begin doing the difficult, important development work to help you move out of Minimization and into the fourth stage, acceptance. This requires a strong buy-in from your entire organization and an ongoing commitment to development, individually and collectively. Why Does it Matter? According to the findings of researchers Martha Maznevski and Joseph Distefano, diverse teams that lack cultural competence are among the lowest-performing teams. The good news is that teams that are both diverse and culturally competent are some of the highest-performing teams. Cultural competence makes a dramatic difference in a team’s ability to work together and operate at the highest levels. So, while the necessary development work can be difficult, the results speak for themselves. Research shows that cultural competence results in greater diversity and higher levels of engagement and inclusion. DEI work is vitally important, but before it can make an impact we must move our organizations out of the first three stages of cultural competence and into the higher fourth and fifth stages, acceptance and adaptation. Only then can we begin to gain traction and move the needle forward. About Sara Taylor Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. How to Connect with Sara Taylor: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why we typically pay attention to and notice another person’s visible actions and behaviors, rather than the thoughts that drive those actions How our unconscious filters are what drive our thoughts that lead to our actions, and why recognizing and paying attention to filters is the key to breaking the feedback loop Why, in any unpleasant interaction, it is important to stop and consciously consider the filter the other person is experiencing that started the interaction Why in the workplace we often focus on rewarding positive behaviors and reprimanding negative ones but don’t consider where those behaviors are coming from Why the conscious thought isn’t always a part of the process and is sometimes skipped when unconscious filter leads directly to action How we sometimes have well-worn “go to” filters that cause us to skip the conscious thought process and go straight from filter to action How repetitive experiences and interactions can form pathways that help us unconsciously make decisions Why the thought step, the one we often skip, is the important one that we need to expand on and spend more time in Why taking the time to think allows us the opportunity to decide whether there is a better response to the situation Why it is important to consider what advantages and disadvantages your filters may give you in your interactions with others Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara  

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 highlights deep racial inequities, especially when compared to the Black Lives Matter protests How the national outcry over the nonviolent protest of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other players further illustrates racial inequity compared to the storming of the Capitol How the treatment of the rioters at the Capitol demonstrates how the almost exclusively white crowd were treated very differently from protestors of color How the “blue lives matter” slogan was never really about law and order and was instead designed to depower the slogan “Black Lives Matter” Why most of the rioters who were arrested were middle or upper-middle class and weren’t acting out of economic anxiety but out of fear of losing their privileged status Why race and economic caste are inherently connected in the United States, and how caste plays a major role in racial inequity How many people who looked like the 9/11 terrorists experienced attacks based on appearance, and how the same hasn’t been true for people who look like the insurrectionists Why white people are typically viewed as individuals, and why people of color are often viewed as part of a group How to begin conversations in the workplace to begin addressing fear and moving out of polarization Additional resources: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson: https://amzn.to/35QPnsf Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why we often feel discomfort discussing differences that make a difference, and why opening dialog is necessary even if it is uncomfortable How our subconscious minds take in 11 million pieces of information per second, but our conscious minds are only aware of 40 at most What “stereotype threat” is and how it causes us to second-guess our subconscious thoughts, and how it impacts our behaviors How our worries caused by stereotype threat cause us to act differently when navigating challenging situations How our concern about inadvertently stereotyping others can affect our interactions across differences How “racial anxiety” is a specific type of stereotype threat that happens when interacting across racial differences Sara provides examples of stereotype threat and racial anxiety from her own professional experiences What strategies we can employ to reduce racial anxiety, and why it is important to recognize and acknowledge it when it is happening Why more frequent exposure to people who are different from us can help alleviate stereotype threat and racial anxiety Why developing cultural competence can help improve our ability to interact with difference and reduce polarization Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

In this unique episode of What’s The Difference, you’ll hear audio from Sara Taylor’s recent guest appearance on the Undeclared podcast. Undeclared is a higher education marketing podcast hosted by Allison Lanier and Scott Fogleman from Up&Up, a branding and marketing agency focused exclusively on the unique challenges and needs of colleges and universities. Scott and Allison speak with Sara about the importance of diverse, equitable and inclusive marketing in the higher education space, and how it plays a key role in creating a welcoming and safe environment for students of all backgrounds. Allison Lanier’s Bio: As a Business Development Manager for Up&Up, Allison Lanier brings her experience in sales leadership and execution from past employers such as Verizon Wireless and PepsiCo. At Up&Up, she uses her passion for people to create a positive, effective, and rewarding campaign experience for the West Sales Region. Allison is our resident mud lover and spends most of her free time at obstacle course races with her husband, David. They also enjoy various outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, geocaching, and Pokemon hunting. Scott Fogleman’s Bio: Scott Fogleman is The Director of Business Development for Up&Up and he brings together his passions for the creative world and the impact education has on students. After graduating from Clemson University, he began his career in advertising sales at The Wall Street Journal, followed most recently by a successful sales career with SYNNEX Corporation managing the Google Brand inclusive of Chrome Education. Scott’s passion for higher education began during his time with Clemson’s Undergraduate Student Government and as a member of the President’s Cabinet. At Up&Up, he leads the East Sales Region with a mission to impact change by bringing strong, positive, executable campaigns to his clients and their constituents. Outside of work, Scott takes full advantage of the wonders of the outdoors ranging from hiking, water sports, snow skiing, photography, concerts, as well as lawn care (yes, he actually loves to cut grass)! Scott also enjoys spending time with his wife, Kate, their cat George, and friends and family. Sara Taylor’s Bio: Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why Sara and her team at deepSEE Consulting define diversity as “differences that make a difference” What unconscious bias is and how, of the millions of pieces of information we take in every second, we are only conscious of around 40 of them Why bias isn’t just about negative feelings toward marginalized groups but also includes positive feelings toward dominant groups What the five stages of cultural competence are and how each stage affects our ability to navigate difference How Sara helps people overcome feelings of self-consciousness over their unconscious biases and move forward How diversity can be included in marketing in an authentic and effective way, and what organizations should avoid doing Why diversity alone isn’t enough to improve productivity, and why a team’s cultural competence makes a big difference Why developing cultural competence is a process that starts with your own subconscious bias first How to best deal with situations in which people push back against diversity and inclusion work, and why commonality is the key Why equality isn’t the same as equity, and how doing the work can impact all aspects of an organization Resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency Scott Fogleman’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/foglemanscott Allison Lanier’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lanier Facebook: www.facebook.com/upandupagency Twitter: https://twitter.com/upandupagency @upandupagency Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the individual traumas we experience differ from our collective, societal traumas such as the murder of George Floyd How the murders of unarmed Black men by police officers have continued unabated, even since George Floyd’s murder Why the staggering number of reported murders of unarmed Black men only speaks to part of the story and represents only part of the true tragedy Why the desensitization of these tragic experiences causes us as a society to keep going under the status quo Why organizations need to create resources to support people directly or indirectly affected by these societal traumas Why it is important for diversity, equity and inclusion practitioners to take the time for self-care Why Sara considers conducting focus groups to be the most draining and difficult part of her work in the DEI space Why the number one challenge that marginalized people in organizations face is feeling the need to operate at 150% just to be perceived as working at 80% How diversity, equity and inclusion practitioners are positioned to stop the downward spiral in organizations, but only if they take care of themselves Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara  

Sara Taylor, President and Founder of deepSEE Consulting, has over thirty years of extensive experience in the practice of Diversity and Inclusion serving local, national and global clients. While her areas of specialty are in both Diversity and Leadership Development, Sara has become a thought leader particularly in the field of Cultural Competence. Her bestselling book, Filter Shift: How Effective People SEE the World, is used by numerous individuals and organizations to increase success and create greater effectiveness. Sara holds a Master's degree in Diversity and Organizational Development and, prior to founding deepSEE, held positions such as Chief Diversity Officer and Leadership and Diversity Specialist. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why Sara and her team at deepSEE Consulting define diversity as “differences that make a difference” What unconscious bias is, and how of the millions of pieces of information we take in every second we are only conscious of around 40 of them Why bias isn't just about negative feelings toward marginalized groups but also includes positive feelings toward dominant groups What the five stages of cultural competence are and how each stage affects our ability to navigate difference How Sara helps people overcome feelings of self-consciousness over their unconscious biases and move forward How diversity can be included in your marketing in an authentic and effective way, and what you should avoid doing Why diversity alone isn't enough to improve productivity, and why a team's cultural competence makes a big difference Why developing cultural competence is a process that starts with your own subconscious bias first How to best deal with situations in which people push back against diversity and inclusion work, and why commonality is the key Why equality isn't the same as equity, and how doing the work can impact all aspects of your institution Resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Website: http://filtershift.com Twitter: @deepSEESara Facebook: www.facebook.com/deepsee.consulting LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarajanetaylor/ Additional resources: Website: www.theundeclaredpodcast.com Website: www.upandup.agency Email: contact@upandup.agency

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why equality and equity are very different concepts, and why working toward equality rarely creates equal results Why equality doesn’t take into account of individual bias, structural bias, systemic bias, and lack of cultural competence How individual bias can begin to create patterns that impact different social groups in profound ways How the two types of individual bias (stereotypical and preferential) are magnified when we come together in groups How Sara believes structural bias and systemic bias differ, and how both are challenging to recognize How systemic bias is impacting the world of education, and how the global pandemic is amplifying this bias and its impact on students and teachers How systemic bias touches almost every aspect of our lives and our society, from economics to healthcare to criminal justice How the five stages of cultural competence interact with the dynamic of equality versus equity Why we only focus on equality within the first three stages of cultural competence, and why it is only in the last two stages that we can shift our focus to equity Why we must begin recognizing and addressing disparities now, and how deepSEE Consulting’s Equity Framework can help Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the office of the President of the United States has issued an executive order banning diversity and inclusion training for all federal agencies and employees How the census is predicting that the US will be a majority-minority country by the year 2044, and why diversity and inclusion training is more important than ever How research shows that homogenous teams have mediocre performance, while diverse teams represent the lowest and highest performing teams How cultural competence determines whether diverse teams are in the lowest or highest performing brackets, and why diversity and inclusion training is critical Why polarization, the second stage of cultural competence, is based on fear and on a win/lose mentality How a pair of segments on FOX News featuring Chrisotopher Rufo and his so-called “critical race theory research” led to this executive order from the President’s office How Christopher Rufo stoked race-based fear and polarization with his segments, and why turning to solid research is vitally important to make fact-based policy decisions How the research that Christopher Rufo cited is based on misconstrued information, and how the claims he made come from a place of polarization Why the claims Rufo makes about diversity and inclusion training being unAmerican aren’t backed by facts or reality Why viewing the world through a lens of polarization is a choice we make, and why moving beyond the polarization stage is also a choice we can make Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why companies often treat diversity, equity and inclusion work differently than they do any other aspect of the organization, and why comparisons between the ways companies approach DEI work with the way they treat other major decisions can be valuable to help highlight the disparity Sara compares a CEO announcing sudden changes they want to see in their company’s DEI to a CEO announcing relocating the business to Brussels Sara compares a CEO dodging bold action suggested by a DEI practitioner within the company by consulting a non-practitioner first to a CEO consulting a DEI practitioner about the company’s marketing Sara provides another example of an organization forming a committee of volunteers to make DEI decisions, compared to forming a committee to revamp the organization’s finances Sara compares a company who says DEI work is important but then allows employees to do whatever they want with no coordination, with allowing everyone in the organization to choose their own company retreat location individually Sara compares a CEO sending a Diversity 101 video from YouTube to their DEI practitioner as if it’s new and exciting information with sending a patient care 101 video to the chief medical officer Sara compares an experienced practitioner telling a new leader about the efforts they’ve been making and the leader sending them a link to an organization doing elementary work and wanting to do the same, compared to a school principal sending a 7th grade teacher the kindergarten lesson plans and asking them to do that same work with the 7th graders Sara compares people suddenly interested in DEI work going to the company’s practitioner and asking why they aren’t doing anything with a teacher of another subject telling the math teachers what to teach when they have no idea what the math teachers have been teaching all along Sara compares a company assigning DEI work to the HR department three levels down with a company assigning their marketing work to the operations team three levels down Sara compares a CEO sending out public messages after the murder of George Floyd without consulting their DEI practitioners but instead consulting their black friend, with a governor sending out a message about the pandemic without consulting their health department but instead consulting a a podiatrist Why taking this work seriously by including DEI practitioners and their expertise is the only way our companies will create solutions Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How companies and organizations of all kinds spoke out with clear, decisive messaging after the murder of George Floyd, and why following those messages with action is vital Why the first step to taking action is to decide your approach of whether you want to take a transactional strategy or a transformational strategy Why you should only promise what you truly plan to deliver, and why you should conduct an equity audit to identify gaps that exist within your organization Why you need to shift from an equality-based approach to an equity-based approach, and why the two are fundamentally different Why an effective equity strategy must go beyond the obvious, and how a cadre of culturally competent equity coaches throughout the organization can be powerful How a Safe Space program can be invaluable for employees who have experienced identity-based trauma How springboard positions can help prepare and elevate employees from marginalized communities into higher positions within the organization Why an organization must focus on developing leaders first and then holding them accountable for creating an equitable workplace Why focusing on leading indicators rather than lagging indicators can help you steer your organization toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace Why it is important to only put people who are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in charge of your organization’s efforts Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are reluctant to start or join the difficult conversations about race How “IVI” (intent, vulnerability, inoculation) can help you overcome your fear in talking about race Why signaling your intent to join the conversation can help prepare you and others for the discussion Why signaling positive intent is healthy and helps give others perspective on your hopes for the conversation Why entering conversations about race requires courage, and why people may be afraid to enter these conversations Why we are socialized and conditioned to remain silent about race, and not to talk about difference in a broad sense Why leaders, in particular, can build trust with their teams by expressing their own vulnerability How inoculation, preempting resistance and acknowledging discomfort from the people you’re speaking with, can help you address potential reactions Why these important conversations are the foundation on which our organizations can begin to take action Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara discusses the impact of a recent post listing the names of Black individuals who were killed or experienced racism during everyday activities like walking home How Sara’s pain, frustration, and anger after George Floyd was murdered caused her to feel a rawness that her family’s loved ones didn’t understand the pain they were experiencing How Sara’s unique perspective as a white woman married to a black man with a mixed-race family has shown her two distinct worlds, with privilege and advantage when she is alone and a world of racism when she is with her family Sara shares her own list of the places and situations in which she has experienced bias and racial discrimination with her family How Sara’s own son was stopped and questioned by police simply for walking, on an almost weekly basis Why the fact that it isn’t every walk makes systemic racism all the more insidious and traumatic and make it easy for outsiders to dismiss and victims to second-guess themselves Why there are distinct parallels between systemic racism and familial dysfunction, and why gaslighting plays a major role in both Sara shares the definition of gaslighting from Wikipedia and explains why it applies both to disfunction within families and racial disfunction in society Why recognizing racism and acknowledging that it happens is the key to fighting back against the collective gaslighting Additional resources: “It’s Not All Walks”, source unknown: https://whatsthedifferencepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/image001.png Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why there are so many differing, personal opinions over what the words “Black Lives Matter” actually mean How our stages of cultural competence development determine how we view the message of Black Lives Matter Why some people view the statement as “Black Lives Matter More” while others hear “Black Lives Matter Equally” How people stuck in the second stage of development often retort with the response “Blue Lives Matter” Why some people view Black Lives Matter as a win/lose scenario, a viewpoint reinforced by centuries of systems of power and oppression How to download a free checklist to help you better communicate with your employees, external stakeholders, and the community during painful, traumatic events How 15% of the population exists within the polarizing second stage of development, while nearly 70% are in the third stage and still controlled by our unconscious biases Why people in the third stage of development minimize differences, replying to “Black Lives Matter” with “All Lives Matter” or “Black Lives Matter Equally” Why the second and third stages of cultural competence aren’t just ineffective but serve to perpetuate systemic inequities How the fourth stage of development allows us to move from an equality-based approach to a more effective equity-based approach Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara discusses the pain and trauma felt by “Fernando,” a gay man at a company she was working with, six months after the PULSE night club tragedy in Orlando Why a non-response from Fernando’s employer after the shooting made him feel unvalued, unrespected, and unimportant to his employer How hate-based violence targeting marginalized communities is on the rise, reflecting the injustice, inequities, and disparities built into our society’s systems Why employer silence after these attacks leaves their employees feeling unsupported and leaves external stakeholders in the dark about what the organization stands for Sara shares an important checklist of dos and don’ts organizations can use to better respond to and address these tragedies Why empathy, authenticity, sincerity, clear, and frequent communication, and deep commitment to your employees and their pain are vital Why short-term messaging isn’t enough, and what steps you can take to clearly demonstrate your support over the long-term Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you will learn from this episode: How Sara’s own experience as a white woman in a mixed-race family has helped drive her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion Why Sara created a recent episode of her podcast around what she wishes she had known earlier about racial injustice, in an effort to process her own pain Why Sara struggled with some of her own stories, and why we as humans naturally hold onto our pain and trauma Sara shares an exchange she had with another small business owner that led to racist comments directed at her husband How microaggressions can build up over time to create painful traumas that have lasting repercussions in our lives How an episode of John Quiñones’s “What Would You Do” series titled “The Bike Thief” highlights how we all experience the world differently Sara shares some of the shocking disparities and inequities that people of color experience in the United States How our societal systems have created these inequities and have done exactly what they were designed to do Why “equality” and “equity” aren’t the same thing, and why we should be pursuing equity, not equality Sara explains and defines cultural competence, and she shares the five distinct stages of cultural competence What steps business owners can take to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace within their organizations Resources: What Would You Do’s “Bike Thief” Episode from John Quiñones: https://youtu.be/ge7i60GuNRg Dos and Don’ts Checklist: https://www.deepseeconsulting.com/shop/dos-and-donts-checklist Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Website: www.filtershift.com Filter Shift by Sara Taylor: https://amzn.to/2N2QWJL Email: sara@deepseeconsulting.com Podcast: https://whatsthedifferencepodcast.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarajanetaylor/ Additional Resources: Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13 Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/ Stephen Woessner’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara shares some of the important race and culture lessons that, as a white person, she wasn’t taught but had to learn through the experiences of her mixed-race family Why it is important to recognize that our life experiences and opportunities often aren’t universal Why What Would You Do’s “Bike Thief” Episodes featuring John Quiñones highlights how the experiences we have can change solely based on who we are How individual bias creates disparity in many different aspects of our lives including how we are disciplined and even our economics Why large majorities of people have been proven to have unconscious stereotypical biases against people of color and other marginalized groups How widespread individual bias becomes systemic bias, with shocking statistics to demonstrate these systemic disparities How this systemic bias leads to very different interactions with police for black and white people Why we all need to know that divisiveness and polarization aren’t just bad for the “other” group but is harmful to ourselves as well Why remaining silent perpetuates the systems of dysfunction in racism, and why fear, ignorance, and guilt support racial anxiety How our economy was built on a foundation of slavery, and how even our religious institutions supported slavery at one time How White Guilt isn’t helpful, but White Accountability is necessary Additional resources: What Would You Do’s “Bike Thief” Episode from John Quiñones: https://youtu.be/ge7i60GuNRg Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the dominant culture in the United States is strongly focused on individualism rather than the group How the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging our individualistic society with new requirements sometimes at odds with our natural inclinations Why all of the challenges brought by COVID-19 are group-oriented and require a group-oriented mindset to effectively address Why many are struggling to see any personal connection to the group, resulting in some people protesting the measures we are taking to address the pandemic Why our orientation towards individualism is neither right nor wrong but is culturally ingrained Why viewing the individualistic perspectives of others requires a lack of judgment and an understanding of where these feelings are coming from Additional resources: The ADL H.E.A.T. Map: https://www.adl.org/education-and-resources/resource-knowledge-base/adl-heat-map Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the COVID-19 pandemic has created powerful change in all of our lives, including health challenges and work changes How the team at deepSEE is using William Bridges’ Transition Model, both for themselves and with their clients, to help adjust to these major changes Why change is far more than transactional, with psychological reorientation happening behind the scenes How the Bridges’ Transition Model works with three stages of change: the “ending” or “letting go”, the “neutral zone”, and the “new beginning”, and why the middle stage is the most complex and difficult to navigate Why COVID-19 has put us all in the low-productivity and chaotic neutral zone, and how knowing we are all at this stage can help better understand ourselves and our peers How to validate your feelings and narrow your focus to better deal with being stuck in the neutral zone Additional resources: The ADL H.E.A.T. Map: https://www.adl.org/education-and-resources/resource-knowledge-base/adl-heat-map Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why everyone is naturally predisposed to automatically identify who is a part of their “group” and who is “apart from” Why those that we see as “apart from” can instill discomfort and even fear, and why that sense of discomfort or fear plays a role in how we see the “other” How polarization, the second stage of development, limits people to painting groups in broad brush strokes with all members sharing the same traits and qualities Why our internal filters completely define our experiences of others, especially for those in the first three stages Why the social context of an environment and fear combine to determine whether we classify someone as “part of” or “other” Sara shares a story of a Jewish woman killed in a mass shooting and discusses the shooter’s stage of development and inability to see his victim as a complete person Why you should take a look at the Anti-Defamation League’s H.E.A.T. (Hate, Extremism, Anti-Semitism, Terror) Map Why the staggering increase of hate-based violence from 2015-2020 is based on our society’s increased polarization and fear Why fear often quickly turns into anger, and why anger is almost universally the primary driver in incidents of violence Why the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing social fear, resulting in an 85% increase in gun sales during the month of March 2020 What steps we can take if we begin to feel polarization or fear to help break out of those feelings Additional resources: The ADL H.E.A.T. Map: https://www.adl.org/education-and-resources/resource-knowledge-base/adl-heat-map Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Sara reads an article she wrote for Forbes titled Full Contrast: How a Pandemic Exposes and Amplifies Systems of Inequity How COVID-19 is exposing many of the already-present injustices in our country in greater detail than ever before, and why injustices within our socio-economic, healthcare and education systems are of particular note during the pandemic How “equality” and “equity” differ in focus and impact, and why our cultural focus on equality created systems of inequity that give systemic advantage to some but not all Why those who are within the first three stages of cultural competence focus on equality rather than equity How there is inequity in our education system that causes black, brown and poor kids of all races to be two years behind white and wealthier kids as early as fourth grade How COVID-19 is impacting students who have limited or no access to the internet, with only 56% of households making $30,000 a year or less having access to the internet How the average white family has significantly more wealth than the average black or Latinx family, and how unemployment rates are impacting blacks far more than whites Why whites are twice as likely to be able to work from home, meaning black and brown workers are more likely to be forced to go to work, exposing themselves to health risks How a staggering number of black people prematurely die in America every day as a direct result of racial inequities in healthcare Sara shares state-by-state statistics of the disparity between the percentage of black residents of each state and the number of lives lost to the coronavirus Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara Forbes article: Full Contrast: How a Pandemic Exposes and Amplifies Systems of Inequity

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How we have three kinds of cultural preference filters that exist as a spectrum: direct vs. indirect communication, hierarchy vs. egalitarian, and task vs. relationship How the direct vs. indirect communication filter determines whether we prefer to address things face to face and with specificity, or indirectly and through metaphors and stories Sara offers an example of a past client company in Germany looking for help dealing with Japanese employees where direct filters were clashing with indirect filters Why working remotely creates a unique challenge due to missing out on conversational cues and body language that help us communicate face-to-face What steps you can take to communicate with someone who prefers a communication style opposite your own Why someone who prefers a hierarchy filter will look to leadership for decision-making, while an egalitarian expects others to make their own decisions Why working remotely can create a disconnect between hierarchical and egalitarian team members, and why generational differences might also have an impact on this disconnect Why trust and communication are the solutions that can help bridge the gap between hierarchy and egalitarian Why working remotely is particularly challenging for people who have a preference for relationship-based work over task-based work Why frequent check-ins and other daily touch points can help build trust and strengthen communication Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How nearly everyone has been impacted by the global pandemic outbreak, and how there is a universal sense of stress What changes and reactions experiencing trauma and stress cause in our bodies and our brains, even small day-to-day stress How our sympathetic nervous systems activate a survival response that redirects energy from our core organs and channels it to our extremities when we are under stress Why overtime repeated exposure to stress can create a host of health problems that we may not even be aware are related back to the stress Why the best response to stress is to intentionally activate our parasympathetic nervous system to redirect energy back to our core organs Which three key techniques and practices can be used to help you activate your parasympathetic nervous system during times of stress Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The definition of the words ‘appropriation’, ‘frames’, and ‘filters’, and how cultural appropriation is really about taking someone’s cultural frames Why it is difficult or impossible to honor the symbols of a culture without honoring the people belonging to that culture Sara shares why wearing Native American war bonnets (headdress) while being ignorant of their spiritual and cultural meaning is an example of cultural appropriation Why it is important to consider the power differential and history between dominant groups taking from marginalized groups who have been historically oppressed by them Sara provides an example where black women often experience heavy social pressure to straighten their hair but white models wear cornrows on the runway How to identify whether appropriation is truly cultural appropriation, and why cultural appropriation is often harmful to marginalized groups Why understanding a cultural group requires looking beyond its frames and going deeper by understanding its filters Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why the Superbowl LIV football game featuring the Kansas City Chiefs sparked controversy over the team using the name “Chiefs” How the Kansas City Chiefs organization defended the use of their name as well as cultural icons such as traditional Native American headdress and face paint How a recent article defending the use of the name “Chiefs” made the case that the name can’t be offensive because the intent is to convey strength Why intention doesn’t equal impact, and why personal experiences determine how we take in and feel about information Why listening to others, acknowledging their differing experiences, and being sensitive to their reactions is the key to understanding Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why “systemic filters” are really just shared patterns of unconscious judgment across a group, and why systems are perfectly designed to create the results they create How 95-98% of Fortune 500 CEOs are white males, how 58% of them are more than six feet tall, and why this is an example of a system at work An example of unconscious filters creating a real world impact, reflected in the extreme disparities of the initial price a car buyer is given based on their race and gender Further examples of how racial, gender, sexual orientation, and body weight bias are factors considered in many different scenarios What the Harvard Implicit Associations Test (IAT) is, and how researchers at Harvard use it to test unconscious associations we make automatically How the Harvard IAT test results teach us that the vast majority of us hold to the stereotypical bias, and very few of us hold to the opposite of the stereotypical bias How systemic disadvantage and systemic advantage create strong disparities between advantaged groups and disadvantaged groups How systemic advantage and disadvantage have far-reaching implications up to and including mortality rates What the “three sees” are and how they can help you recognize systemic bias, recognize the part you play in the system, and recognize how to take action to change the system Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara Share this episode on:

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and cultural competence in the workplace adds rather than detracts from the organization How teaching people to improve their cultural competence gives them new tools to approach challenges and situations Why these new tools only serve to add to a person’s existing filters but don’t take away from them, and why fear is often the root of pushback Why increasing cultural competency doesn’t mean catering to groups whose purpose is to polarize, such as ISIS or the Ku Klux Klan How organizations focused on polarization are trapped in the second stage of cultural competence, and how the best response to their ideology is to find commonality Why diversity, equity and inclusion work means rejecting polarization and doesn’t mean accepting every group Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

For over three decades, Sara Taylor has been helping organizations and the individuals within them to be more effective and inclusive through her engaging diversity and inclusion trainings, comprehensive leadership development programs and innovative cultural competence frameworks. Since 2002, as the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting, she has worked with HR managers, chief diversity officers, and high-level executives at 3M Company, AARP, Cleveland Foundation, Coca-Cola, Marriott International, General Mills, United Way Worldwide National Credit Union Administration, Ingersol-Rand, Seagate Technologies, Thompson Reuters Thrivent Financial, and many others. She is the author of a new book, Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World, that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why little-t “traumas” have physical and mental effects on our us that are similar to big-T “Traumas” Sara relates the story of a comparatively minor trauma she experienced as a child growing up on a farm, and the lasting fear it created that she experiences to this day How our sympathetic nervous systems draw energy from other biological systems to activate the “fight or flight” response How repeated first- and second-hand exposures to racial trauma can create lasting health and economic struggles for the people affected How epigenetic modifications of gene sequences in our DNA can create trauma responses not just in those who experience them, but in their children and grandchildren as well Sara shares real-world examples of traumas creating an intergenerational response that affected the children of people experiencing those traumas Sara provides details of a fascinating experiment of how mice began relating a certain smell to traumas that happened to their parents and grandparents Why our response to trauma is intended to help us avoid and escape danger, and how that relates to experiencing trauma in the workplace Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

For over three decades, Sara Taylor has been helping organizations and the individuals within them to be more effective and inclusive through her engaging diversity and inclusion trainings, comprehensive leadership development programs and innovative cultural competence frameworks. Since 2002, as the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting, she has worked with HR managers, chief diversity officers, and high-level executives at 3M Company, AARP, Cleveland Foundation, Coca-Cola, Marriott International, General Mills, United Way Worldwide National Credit Union Administration, Ingersol-Rand, Seagate Technologies, Thompson Reuters Thrivent Financial, and many others. She is the author of a new book, Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World, that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The difference between an “up” and a “down” Why ups don’t have to interact with downs, but downs have to interact with ups How easy it is to be blind to one’s “upness” and others’ “downness” The systems that support inequities between ups and downs Why three ups meeting is a board meeting, but three downs meeting is pre-revolutionary activity How being up can make people stupid and how ups try to remedy this The fact that we’re all have situations of both upness and downess Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The widespread negative impact of political polarization in people’s business and family lives Extreme trends in polarization and violence that reflect the current reality of our political and cultural spheres What cultural competence is and the five stages of it (and how wine is a great metaphor for this) The “my team vs. your team” mentality that we all need to break out of to foster a better workplace How hyperpolarization turns everyone against each other, including people who share the same ideologies Moving conversations in the workplace forward from polarization using minimization and common ground Fighting the fear that underlies various problems and divisions in people’s personal and professional lives Best practices for addressing hyperpolarization among employees and how to approach specific scenarios with the right perspective Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years. Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What micro-inequities are and where they come from Examples of micro-inequities that people may experience on a daily basis, including Sara’s own examples The innocent, “hand slap” nature of micro-inequities and why that makes them that much more dangerous “Stupid question syndrome” and its impact on others The intent vs. impact dichotomy and how to reframe your perspective on interactions with others How to stop, slow down one’s thoughts, and reevaluate what you want to say and why you want to say it What your organization can do to address micro-inequities and create an inclusive, safe work environment Additional resources: Website: www.deepseeconsulting.com Twitter: @deepseesara

  My guest, Sara Taylor is the CEO and founder of DeepSEE Consulting, a training and consultancy firm specializing in diversity and inclusion. Sara is a nationally recognized speaker with over 25 years of experience in leadership and diversity. She’s recently written a best-selling book, Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World.

Today's interview is with leadership and diversity specialist Sara Taylor. Sara is the president and founder of deepSEE Consulting. She is a nationally-recognized speaker and consultant specializing in the areas of leadership, diversity, and organizational effectiveness. With over 25 years of experience, Sara balances her real-life anecdotes with research-based theories to deliver for her reader what she delivers for her clients. In her latest book, Filter Shift: How Effective People SEE the World, Sara takes us through an approach that helps us learn how to put our unconscious judgement aside in order to have better interactions in the workplace, in relationships, and in our daily lives. We discuss: Why so many of us are ineffective in our interactions across difference Why the Golden Rule isn’t effective How we all frequently deny the obvious How focusing on our similarities isn’t helpful How you can learn to Filter Shift to improve your communication with others You can grab her book here:... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Podcast 627: Filter Shift-How Effective People See the World with Sara Taylor by Greg Voisen