Sales is the lifeblood of any organization. And our ability to generate sales is as dependent on our ability to build relationships with our clients as it is about the quality of the services and products we provide. The importance of cultural competence has never been more paramount than it is today.

The Making it Count for Sales: The What, Why, and How of Diversity & Inclusion is a 75-90 minute training that can be leveraged by D&I practitioners as part of their training offerings. The training is designed to help sales teams recognize and understand how they can best support the diversity and inclusion strategy.

A well-known and pervasive reality for ERG leaders is that they generally do not lead from a position of direct authority but rather indirectly through influence. So while the ERG leader is responsible for the performance of the ERG and delivering results, he or she has no real power or direct authority for getting things done.

The role of an ERG leader requires skill and competency in many areas. Most ERG leaders step into these roles with very little training or experience in some of these areas – yet surprisingly rise to the occasion. While some of the people skills require experience and practice, there are some guidelines that can help you manage any project.

The Project Planning Template is a tool to help you manage your project from design to execution.

An index by subject to various diversity and inclusion related organizations and resources. go to resources and links >

Leaders and managers can play a critical role in creating inclusive work cultures. Below you will find a few tips for helping you be a positive driver of change.  

Individual exercise exploring the concept of gender equity and what you can do to reverse the impact of bias.

A discussion guide for leading a Hidden Figures movie screening and follow up conversation.

The End in Mind Exercise is a quick 20-minute ideation activity to help participants create a plan or solution by starting with the end in mind and working backwards.

Let’s start our diversity and inclusion strategy with the end in mind. Here are some questions to get you started.

We focus so much on diversity and inclusion, combatting disparity and inequity, changing policies and procedures, that we totally missed the point. Maybe we need to make it more acceptable to talk about our feelings. To express our fears and our beliefs no matter how contrary or hateful they may appear to others. Even while I write this I shudder at the thought – honestly some of those feelings are better left unsaid. But really, are they?

Here are some tips to help you engage your ERG Members.

ERGs are just like any other team and ERG leaders can benefit from applying the concepts of Tuckman’s Team Development Model and the four-stages teams will experience on their way to high-performance: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.

Your leadership style throughout your career often defines you. As we explore the concept of leading others inclusively, I would argue that defining your leadership style is the most important leadership success factor. Who do you want to be and how do you want to lead? Read more below…

This Developing Direct Reports Conversation Starter is designed to help leaders and managers understand the impact and importance of inclusion in employee development.

The Power of Privilege Exercise is an interactive exercise designed to help participants explore the emotions associated with exclusion and how one can leverage his or her privilege to promote inclusion.

Consider sending a personally addressed letter from your CEO to each veteran thanking him/her for his/her service to “our country and our company.” Here is a sample letter

Sebastian Junger suggests there’s another major cause of pain for veterans when they come home: the experience of leaving the tribal closeness of the military and returning to an alienating and bitterly divided modern society. Listen and engage in an enlightening conversation about how we can created more tribal work cultures that support military veterans as well as all employees.

Many companies have Mentorship programs and Sponsorship programs, some consider the two interchangeable. However, there are vast differences between them and other options to consider, namely Coaching and Advocacy. Coaching, Mentorship, Advocacy, and Sponsorship offer a flexible platform to maximize Talent Management. This suite of options can also help increase the visibility of diverse talent.

The business case for diversity and inclusion is rarely disputed these days. But despite widespread
commitment and investment in diversity and inclusion efforts, most organizations fall short year after year. Here are a few tips to help you close those gaps.

The subject of race can be very touchy. As finance executive Mellody Hobson says, it’s a “conversational third rail.” But, she says, that’s exactly why we need to start talking about it. In this engaging, persuasive talk, Hobson makes the case that speaking openly about race — and particularly about diversity in hiring — makes for better businesses and a better society.

Despite investment and rigorous efforts dedicated to diversity and inclusion, organizations struggle with widespread disparity. This can often be difficult to explain and extremely frustrating on the part of D&I leaders.

Bias can lead to disparity and unfair treatment, can have a negative impact on individuals,
and can erode self-confidence and engagement. Here are some tips for mitigating the impact of bias on your decision-making process.

The Impact of Exclusion Exercise is an interactive exercise designed to help participants explore the emotions associated with exclusion. It provides a safe and fun experience to build awareness and understanding of how exclusive behavior and conversely inclusive behavior can impact coworkers.

In this short video Marshall Goldsmith explains the role we as individuals play in our own engagement. This exercise walks you through a step-by-step process for finding purpose and meaning in your work.

Employee engagement scores are down. As leaders, we grapple with the “why” and the “what to do.” Companies invest millions in employee engagement surveys and consulting services yet still struggle to make significant strides in those engagement scores. Read more below.

We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.

Employee engagement is a difficult nut to crack and there is plenty of information and advice readily available. We have culled through a lot of information and research and
pulled together this quick reference tip sheet.

All too often we think it is our employer’s job to keep us engaged at work. However, what can we
personally do to ensure that we take control of our own engagement? Below we provide some tips on how to stay engaged at work and lead a productive, happy career.