Growing up in the US in predominantly white communities, Canwen Xu struggled to reconcile her American and her Chinese identities. She explains the unique ways that racial bias affects Asian Americans — and shares how she has learned to embrace all of the different parts of her background.

In this touching talk, Ash Beckham offers a fresh approach to empathy and openness. It starts with understanding that everyone, at some point in their life, has experienced hardship. The only way out, says Beckham, is to open the door and step out of your closet.

When journalist Mariana Atencio was seven, her father sent her from her home in Venezuela to a summer camp in Brainerd, Minnesota. Unsurprisingly, she was treated like an outsider. Over the course of many more such camps and a senior year in an American high school, she discovered that the best way to belong was to embrace the qualities that made her different. In this deeply personal talk, Atencio describes how these early lessons helped her succeed as an immigrant and as a journalist.

Making your mark in a world increasingly defined by strong or even overbearing personalities can be a daunting prospect even when you know it’s essential to getting ahead. In this inspiring talk, Emily Jaenson examines her journey from timid undergrad to senior executive in the male-dominated field of sports management to illustrate actionable tips on asserting yourself and fulfilling your potential.

Know you should establish clear limits at work but not sure how to do it? Here are a few strategies from relationship therapist and author Nedra Glover Tawwab that can help you feel more empowered and less overwhelmed, both on and off the job.

Belonging is something all humans crave. And often we find ourselves navigating different social situations, feeling comfortable and accepted for who we are in some and needing to hide parts of ourselves in order to “fit in” or achieve acceptance in others. In those situations where we lack a sense of psychological safety, we may change our linguistic and behavioral patterns to adapt and connect with others. This is known as code-switching, and it raises important questions about authenticity and belonging.

Covering, Code-Switching and The Imposter Syndrome Virtual Classroom is a 90-minute training that introduces participants to the concept of covering, why we do it and what can be done to foster workplaces where people can be more authentic.

It’s common practice for employees to reflect organizational norms and values to fit in and move ahead. But when employees whose backgrounds, values and perspectives differ from those of the dominant employee groups, this can be particularly challenging and stressful – and authenticity often comes at a price. If the upside of authenticity is a greater sense of overall wellbeing, then how do we manage the downside? Here are some tips to pursue authenticity at work.

When employees are concerned about being judged or discriminated against for their unique identities, they’ll often hide or mask parts of themselves in order to fit in. This behavior is exhausting and requires constant thought and energy that is dedicated to actively obscuring their thoughts, opinions, and feelings in an effort to feel accepted by their colleagues. Covering, code-switching and the imposter syndrome are all ways in which we hide or downplay who we are, what’s important to us and how we present ourselves.

This short, interactive microlearning and discussion guide takes a deeper dive into the concepts of covering, code-switching and the imposter syndrome and how they impact the way we show up at work.

The CNBC|Momentive survey found the majority of workers (72%) say morale among coworkers is either “excellent” or “good,” up three points from May 2022 (69%) and up from 64% year over year, and that morale has increased among nearly all workers, regardless of gender, race or job level…. This content is for members only.Login Join...

To better understand the importance of workplace culture, SHRM conducted a study in 12 countries to identify workplace trends across the globe. SHRM found, by and large, that workplace culture remains positive across the 12 countries. Even a pandemic couldn’t wreak havoc on workplace culture, which speaks to the strides that organizations have made in…...

“What gets measured gets done.” This mentality will help you grow your company in a direction that encourages, creates, and supports a diverse working environment where employees feel valued and heard…. This content is for members only.Login Join Now...

The DEI Sample Scorecard provides a comprehensive list of both quantitative and qualitative metrics you can use to measure the impact of your DEI efforts.

The ERG Sample Scorecard provides a comprehensive list of metrics you can use to measure the impact of your ERG…. This content is for members only.Login Join Now...

Measuring the impact of DEI and progress towards your goals is a critical success factor. Metrics are the best way to solidify focus and commitment, to demonstrate ROI, and to signal when to pivot, where to stay the course, and what to change. Here are some tips for measuring DEI impact in your own organization…....

Metrics matter. It is the best way to solidify focus and commitment, to demonstrate ROI, and to signal when to pivot, where to stay the course, and what to change. But what we measure is just as important as the mere act of measuring in the first place…. This content is for members only.Login Join...

DEI is one of the most effective ways to increase innovative thinking, boost employee engagement, and ultimately drive performance and superior business results. Yet despite compelling data, organizations often struggle with the gap between effort and outcomes and can find it difficult to achieve sustainable change and demonstrate ROI. One key piece of the ROI…...

Calls for authenticity at work ask for passionate people with diverse, fresh perspectives who challenge old ways of thinking. But too often workplace culture fails to support the authenticity of professionals of color and other underrepresented groups, leading instead to backlash and fewer opportunities. Writer Jodi-Ann Burey outlines steps toward exposing privilege and achieving true equity on the job — and implores those in leadership positions to accept responsibility for change.

Supporting authenticity at work requires systemic change at the organizational level. Here are some tips to support authenticity in your organization.

Authenticity has long been the subject of conversations focused on leadership and more recently on the individual contributor. Research suggests that when employees feel like they belong and can bring their true authentic selves to work there are benefits. But simply inviting people to be authentic at work creates unrealistic expectations, putting the burden on the individual to shed their protective mask despite the consequences.

When we feel comfortable bringing our authentic selves to the workplace, we’re more effective at building meaningful relationships, we’re more focused on our work, we’re more successful, we feel better, perform better and are in overall better health. In short, authenticity is better. Furthermore, inclusion happens when and only when everyone feels comfortable being who they are, and everyone is accepted for who they are.

This exercise uses independent work and dialogue to explore the difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion – and understanding that different situations may call for different reactions or responses.

This short, interactive microlearning explores how important empathy is in a hybrid workplace.

Empathy is the ability to recognize and share other people’s emotions, and to understand their perspectives and what they might be thinking or feeling. Empathy fuels connection and is driven by our ability to accept another person’s perspective without judgment or disregard.

Fostering belonging is challenging in the best of times. The new era of hybrid working has changed how we connect, interact, and socialize as employees. It’s changed how we experience ‘belonging’ but not our need for it.

Over the past decade or so, empathy has gained notoriety as an important leadership competency. It’s important to keep in mind that empathy means something specific and depending on the situation is not always the best response. This article explores the difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion – and understanding different situations may call for different reactions or responses.

Research shows that most people tend to feel greater empathy for people that are most like themselves and may feel less empathy for those outside their family, community, ethnicity, or race – suggesting that addressing the connections between empathy and inclusion in DEI strategies could lead to more favorable outcomes.

We’ve all heard presentations about the importance of DEI. In this powerful talk, Carin Taylor shares why belonging should be the focus of any DEI strategy and the most important piece of the DEI discussion. She outlines the key ingredients needed to belong and how to create them. Leverage the discussion guide to host a conversation with your team after watching the Ted Talk.

This workbook was designed to help anyone in the organization support inclusion and belonging through bite-sized practical actions.