Quick tips and how-tos to help you navigate diversity challenges and opportunities

Power from unearned privilege can look like strength when it is in fact permission to escape or to dominate. It is important to note that privilege is not necessarily a bad thing – just unfair. Privilege used positively can actually be leveraged to support the advancement of others and to benefit the organization as a whole.

If you are in a situation where you have privilege, you have an opportunity to leverage that privilege to help and support others. Leveraging our privilege is a great way to serve as an ally. Allies can help amplify the message, break down barriers and secure support of the masses. Here are some things you can do to leverage your privilege as an ally.

The article revisits the question are diversity and inclusion efforts unfair to white men from the perspective of equity.

Support Material to be assigned as prework for The Crafting My Career Development Plan Circle Meeting

One of the most effective ways to develop yourself and move your career forward is to create a well-thought-out plan. Here are some tips and strategies to help you take control of your own career journey and successfully identify and pursue a career joy and fulfillment.

Ideas for developing skills and experience to propel you forward and help you achieve your career goals.

We have a problem in the United States. It’s systemic, wide-spread racism. I don’t know how to solve for it. I don’t have any answers. But this much I know…

VisionSpring’s Respect in the Workplace is a 90-minute training that can be leveraged by D&I practitioners as part of their training offerings. Respect in the Workplace Virtual Classroom will help participants more fully understand the dynamics and characteristics of a respectful workplace and the steps each of us can take to ensure all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.

An organization’s ability to benefit from diversity and inclusion is directly relative to the D&I competency across the organization. All employees must understand the power in D&I and how to leverage that power to drive business outcomes. Here are some tips to get you started.

Tips for understanding positions of power and privilege and how to leverage in support of goals and the success of others.

VisionSpring’s Diversity, Inclusion & Identity: Building Awareness and Understanding Virtual Classroom is a 90-minute experience that will help participants more fully understand concepts associated with diversity and inclusion and explore the intersectionality of identity, privilege, and equity.

The success of any ERG is contingent on its leadership team. The specific leadership team put in place will depend on the goals and in some cases size of the group. At a minimum each ERG should have a chair, cochair and someone in charge of logistics (secretary), programming and communications. Here is a list of the most common ERG leadership positions and the responsibilities associated with each.

Your ERG Value Statement should describe how ERGs will add value to the organization and your employees. This tool can be used by individual ERGs as well in a large group with multiple ERG leaders. The purpose of this exercise is to engage in true brainstorming to come up with words that capture the value of your ERG program.

The Inclusive Leadership Personal Development Plan is a tool designed to help individuals identify inclusive leadership competency strengths and opportunities for development. The tool identifies key competencies associated with the concept of leading inclusively and provides a thought process for building competency in each area.

What exactly do we mean by the term inclusive leadership? Is leading inclusively an entirely different concept that “regular” leadership? Or do we just need a strategic shift in our mindset?

Pursuing a career you love starts with self-knowledge – truly understanding what brings you joy, what value you bring to your work, and what skills, strengths and talents are your greatest assets. Mentoring circles can help get you there. Here’s how.

Here are some tips you can follow in order to pursue a career path that leverages our innate talents, energizes us and brings us joy.

This tool can be used to craft employee profiles. It is a great way for employees to get-to-know your fellow coworkers as well as to highlight employee accomplishments and build a sense of belonging.

During this time of social distance and remote working it is critical that we maintain a culture of belonging to reduce feelings of isolation in our workplaces.  Here you can find a list of ice-breaker questions that you can use at the start of your meetings to engage employees and provide them the opportunity to dialogue with colleagues.

A quick, fun and engaging way to test your multicultural knowledge, learn a few fun facts about other countries, cultures and religions and prompt discussion around cultural awareness.  You can use these questions as part of your daily trivia contest as a way to keep employees connected and engaged in a fun and interactive way.

Belonging is an innate human need to be part of something larger than ourselves. In this unusual and stressful time of self-isolation and social distancing, the need for connection may be even more critical. We all understand the need to do our part to help mitigate the spread of this virus, but there are some things we can do to cultivate that sense of belonging while keeping our distance.

We all have goals and will undoubtedly encounter barriers that can prevent us from achieving those goals. The key to removing those barriers is to be purposeful, to follow your passion, and to lay out a plan to get you there.

Over the past several years there has been an explosion of activist movements such as #METOO and #BLACKLIVESMATTER to address injustice and inequality in our society and our workplaces.  Dialogue, debate, and controversy surround many of these movements and there is no denying that the windows of the world permeated the walls of our workplaces. So, how do we manage the movements in our workplaces? 

Robin J. DiAngelo is an American academic, lecturer, and author working in the fields of critical discourse analysis and whiteness studies. In her latest book White Fragility, DiAngleo takes a hard and compelling look at racial and social justice and explores how whiteness is reproduced in everyday narratives. This discussion guide builds on the concepts expressed in the book as a way to explore our individual experience with systemic racism and the role each of us plays in perpetuating it.  

MTV Decoded is a weekly series where the fearless Franchesca Ramsey tackles race, pop culture, and other uncomfortable things, in a funny and thought-provoking way. This short video explores the topic of systemic racism and white fragility. Watch this video as a group and use the discussion prompts to explore reactions to the video and advance the dialogue.  

The ERG Sample Scorecard provides a comprehensive list of metrics you can use to measure the impact of your ERG.

The ERG Spotlight Series is a template that was designed for you to use to profile an ERG and share best practices. You can profile and event, program or activity as a way to reinforce the ERG brand and the value you provide to members and the organization.

This document provides tools and resources to help ERG leaders increase member engagement, create a manageable and meaningful calendar of events, identify opportunities to better engage your executive sponsor, enhance visibility and the ERG brand across the organization/build strategic relationships with HR and leaders throughout the organization, explore opportunities for cross-group collaboration/opportunities to pool resources and reduce challenges resulting from calendar overload.

Whether you’re working towards a promotion, looking to build your confidence and self-advocacy skills, or simply seeking support with your personal and professional goals, a mentoring circle can help get you there. Here’s how.