WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.734 --> 00:00:11.514 Welcome to Inclusion Bites, your sanctuary 2 00:00:11.575 --> 00:00:15.320 for bold conversations that spark change. I'm Joanne Lockwood, 3 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:18.920 your guide on this journey of exploration into the heart of 4 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:22.619 inclusion, belonging, and societal transformation. 5 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.835 Ever wondered what it truly takes to create a world where 6 00:00:26.835 --> 00:00:30.515 everyone not only belongs but thrives? You're not 7 00:00:30.515 --> 00:00:33.880 alone. Join me as we uncover the 8 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:37.480 unseen, challenge the status quo, and share 9 00:00:37.480 --> 00:00:41.274 stories that resonate deep within. Ready to dive 10 00:00:41.274 --> 00:00:45.035 in? Whether you're sipping your morning coffee or winding down 11 00:00:45.035 --> 00:00:48.790 after a long day, let's connect, reflect, and 12 00:00:48.790 --> 00:00:52.090 inspire action together. Don't forget, 13 00:00:52.550 --> 00:00:55.590 you can be part of the conversation too. Reach out to 14 00:00:55.590 --> 00:00:58.635 jo.lockwood@seechangehappen.co.uk 15 00:00:59.415 --> 00:01:02.955 to share your insights or to join me on the show. 16 00:01:03.735 --> 00:01:07.480 So adjust your earbuds and settle in. It's time to 17 00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:11.020 ignite the spark of inclusion with Inclusion Bites. 18 00:01:16.135 --> 00:01:18.875 And today is episode 127 19 00:01:20.215 --> 00:01:24.010 with the title Equity in Action. And I have the 20 00:01:24.010 --> 00:01:27.229 absolute honor and privilege to welcome Sharitta Marshall. 21 00:01:27.690 --> 00:01:31.229 Sharitta is the founder of Visionary Development 22 00:01:31.290 --> 00:01:34.845 Consulting. She's dedicated to ensuring that everyone feels seen, 23 00:01:34.905 --> 00:01:38.665 heard, and valued within their organization. When I asked 24 00:01:38.665 --> 00:01:42.049 Sharitta to describe her superpower, she said, my 25 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:45.670 superpower is my ability to connect diverse perspectives 26 00:01:45.729 --> 00:01:49.535 and translate them into actionable strategies that 27 00:01:49.535 --> 00:01:53.215 align with organizational goal. Hello, Sharitta. Welcome to the show. 28 00:01:53.215 --> 00:01:56.655 Hi, Joanne. Thank you so much for having me. Oh, what a pleasure. What a 29 00:01:56.655 --> 00:02:00.490 pleasure. So, Sharitta, tell me. Equity in action, what does that mean 30 00:02:00.490 --> 00:02:04.250 to you? Well, let me first by saying equity is making sure 31 00:02:04.250 --> 00:02:07.915 that everyone has the appropriate resources that they need 32 00:02:07.915 --> 00:02:11.515 to thrive and be successful in any given 33 00:02:11.515 --> 00:02:15.099 situation or experience. So equity in action for 34 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:18.560 me, from the perspective of the work that I do, means that 35 00:02:18.780 --> 00:02:22.555 there is an acknowledgment of systemic inequities, and there 36 00:02:22.555 --> 00:02:26.315 is an intentional and impactful plan 37 00:02:26.315 --> 00:02:29.755 to address those systemic inequities. So everyone 38 00:02:29.755 --> 00:02:33.470 has not only the correct tools that 39 00:02:33.470 --> 00:02:37.230 they need to thrive, but also the opportunity that 40 00:02:37.230 --> 00:02:40.465 they need to be the best possible versions of themselves. 41 00:02:41.005 --> 00:02:44.445 Yeah. I I completely get that and resonate with that. But a lot of 42 00:02:44.445 --> 00:02:48.220 people, I find, don't truly buy into the concept of 43 00:02:48.220 --> 00:02:50.780 of equity. You know, they they look around and they think, well, hang on a 44 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:54.560 minute. This is it's all about meritocracy, isn't it? Everyone should succeed 45 00:02:55.020 --> 00:02:58.864 on their own merits. And that's a common myth 46 00:02:58.864 --> 00:03:02.625 that exists in in recruitment, in in the workplace, around this 47 00:03:02.625 --> 00:03:06.159 belief in the meritocracy. Yeah. And it comes 48 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:09.760 from the misguided belief that 49 00:03:09.760 --> 00:03:13.555 equality is available for everyone. And the 50 00:03:13.555 --> 00:03:17.395 simple fact is is that if you say, well, we've given 51 00:03:17.395 --> 00:03:21.095 everyone running shoes, so everyone should be able to run, 52 00:03:21.350 --> 00:03:24.950 but you have an individual who does not 53 00:03:24.950 --> 00:03:28.730 have ability to use their legs, who is 54 00:03:28.870 --> 00:03:32.635 blind, who never learned how to 55 00:03:32.635 --> 00:03:36.474 run. But the standpoint of, well, if we gave everybody shoes, 56 00:03:36.474 --> 00:03:40.140 then they should be able to do it. And that's why I come from the 57 00:03:40.140 --> 00:03:43.680 lens of equity because we need to be able to provide resources 58 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:47.395 for everyone given what they need in order 59 00:03:47.395 --> 00:03:50.295 to thrive and not just have the assumption 60 00:03:50.995 --> 00:03:54.675 from 1 perspective that if everyone is given this 1 thing, then that 61 00:03:54.675 --> 00:03:58.330 means everyone has the same starting point, the 62 00:03:58.330 --> 00:04:01.870 same ability, as well as the same information 63 00:04:02.090 --> 00:04:05.895 to be successful. Yeah. III see people talk about this all the 64 00:04:05.895 --> 00:04:08.855 time, and and a lot of people will tell me, well, they've had a tough 65 00:04:08.855 --> 00:04:12.390 life as well. You know, it's not been easy for them. No 1 gives 66 00:04:12.390 --> 00:04:15.990 them any help. That's the challenge, trying to allow people who 67 00:04:15.990 --> 00:04:19.834 hold privilege to recognize how 68 00:04:19.834 --> 00:04:23.294 that privilege has benefited for them all of their lives 69 00:04:24.075 --> 00:04:27.620 and to have and to be able to connect, as you say, with that sense 70 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:31.080 of equity where people need those tools, that that support to succeed. 71 00:04:31.460 --> 00:04:34.820 Yeah. And I think people misunderstand that 72 00:04:34.820 --> 00:04:38.275 privilege is not the erasure of 73 00:04:38.335 --> 00:04:42.095 hardship. That's not what privilege means. Privilege just means 74 00:04:42.095 --> 00:04:45.870 that there are not systemic inequities or issues 75 00:04:46.090 --> 00:04:49.630 that you have to deal with on a daily basis. 76 00:04:50.650 --> 00:04:54.095 So for me, I am privileged to 77 00:04:54.095 --> 00:04:57.775 have Internet and be in a place where I 78 00:04:57.775 --> 00:05:01.590 can, you know, afford to have a home and take 79 00:05:01.590 --> 00:05:04.730 care of my bills. Like, that's a privilege. And I don't 80 00:05:05.270 --> 00:05:08.845 negate the fact that, yeah, are there times that I struggle in 81 00:05:09.165 --> 00:05:12.845 to take care of my bills? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that I don't have 82 00:05:12.845 --> 00:05:16.525 the privilege to go out and, you know, figure something out 83 00:05:16.525 --> 00:05:20.270 or not have the, you know, the hindrance that 84 00:05:20.270 --> 00:05:23.870 if I was chronically dealing with housing 85 00:05:23.870 --> 00:05:27.495 insecurity and food insecurity, I don't, you know, I don't have to 86 00:05:27.495 --> 00:05:31.175 deal with that. So there are things that are not put 87 00:05:31.175 --> 00:05:34.535 in my my way in order for me to not be 88 00:05:34.535 --> 00:05:38.310 successful and being able just, you know, to live. Yeah. 89 00:05:38.310 --> 00:05:42.150 I mean, I guess, from your perspective, you have a Social Security number. You can 90 00:05:42.150 --> 00:05:45.845 get a job. You can get employment. You have a bank account. Whereas many 91 00:05:45.845 --> 00:05:49.225 people who are maybe escaping terror, fleeing 92 00:05:49.845 --> 00:05:53.365 persecution arrive in the country without even 93 00:05:53.365 --> 00:05:56.740 speaking 1 of the major languages, you know, Spanish or 94 00:05:56.740 --> 00:06:00.580 English in the US. So and and people 95 00:06:00.580 --> 00:06:04.415 often think about speaking English as a privilege, 96 00:06:04.555 --> 00:06:08.335 and it is. Yeah. For most of the vast majority of the world, 97 00:06:08.795 --> 00:06:12.620 speaking English is is still the dominant language and therefore is a privilege, isn't 98 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:16.000 it? It very much so is. And I think people don't understand, 99 00:06:16.539 --> 00:06:20.294 like, how how difficult that is. Everyone not 100 00:06:20.294 --> 00:06:23.335 everyone, but there are people that like to throw around, well, you know, just learn 101 00:06:23.335 --> 00:06:26.935 the language. I don't believe that people understand English is 1 of the 102 00:06:26.935 --> 00:06:30.690 hardest languages to learn in the world. It is there's so many 103 00:06:30.690 --> 00:06:33.830 caveats, so many if then then that. 104 00:06:34.210 --> 00:06:37.830 And as a parent of a child that has dyslexia, 105 00:06:38.185 --> 00:06:41.725 that makes it even more difficult. So the assumption 106 00:06:41.945 --> 00:06:45.785 that, you know, just because it's the norm for you, that 107 00:06:45.785 --> 00:06:49.600 that should be the standard for everyone is a misnomer and 108 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:53.300 very much steeped in, you know, a privileged eyesight. 109 00:06:55.520 --> 00:06:59.104 Well, as someone who's spoken English all of my life, 110 00:06:59.104 --> 00:07:02.785 I I I've I've got the privilege of never having to try to 111 00:07:02.785 --> 00:07:06.600 learn it. And and when I hear the the complexities that other people 112 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:10.440 talk about, I think I never think about it because I don't think of 113 00:07:10.440 --> 00:07:14.200 language and English certainly in the same way that when I try to learn French 114 00:07:14.200 --> 00:07:17.435 or or German, other language. I don't think of English in those ways. I don't 115 00:07:17.435 --> 00:07:21.275 understand the construct of sentences and how it's built up. I I just know it 116 00:07:21.275 --> 00:07:24.919 inherently. And that's the challenge is is you say English is is 117 00:07:24.919 --> 00:07:28.600 complex. It changes the nuances that 118 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:32.435 help people talk and help what people say, and they make words up 119 00:07:32.435 --> 00:07:36.215 as well. And it it could be very complex. It's a very dynamic language. 120 00:07:36.594 --> 00:07:40.110 And, but it has some very, very strange rules as well, isn't it? Yes. 121 00:07:40.270 --> 00:07:43.789 And I like to tell people, like, if you don't believe that English is hard, 122 00:07:43.789 --> 00:07:47.090 then teach a preschooler English. 123 00:07:47.745 --> 00:07:51.185 Sit down with a preschooler and teach them English. Like, tell them words, and then 124 00:07:51.185 --> 00:07:54.705 tell them the words that are that sound the same that are spelled different. And 125 00:07:54.705 --> 00:07:58.430 then tell them about the silent letters and why they're gonna ask why well, 126 00:07:58.430 --> 00:08:02.270 why is that there? And it's it's a very interesting thing 127 00:08:02.270 --> 00:08:05.955 that I really didn't think about until I had a 128 00:08:05.955 --> 00:08:09.715 child, and I was teaching my child to read words and understand 129 00:08:09.715 --> 00:08:13.095 words. And then adding on the fact that she has dyslexia, 130 00:08:13.690 --> 00:08:16.830 it compounded her ability to be able to 131 00:08:17.130 --> 00:08:20.970 understand how to read and comprehend English. There are also a whole 132 00:08:20.970 --> 00:08:24.755 host of words that look the same, sound the same, but have a different that 133 00:08:24.755 --> 00:08:28.035 almost have the opposite meaning Yeah. Depending on how you use them and how you 134 00:08:28.035 --> 00:08:31.750 say them. And it's like, yeah. And people say this to me, like, okay. Yeah. 135 00:08:31.750 --> 00:08:35.530 I get it. And but that's just 1 example of expecting 136 00:08:35.669 --> 00:08:39.495 other people to just do something because I did, 137 00:08:39.495 --> 00:08:43.174 therefore, you can. It's almost like that. It's that rule, isn't it? Yes. And 138 00:08:43.174 --> 00:08:47.010 that where that's where equity comes in is the assumption that just because 139 00:08:47.010 --> 00:08:50.850 I did it with this, then if you have access to it, then you should 140 00:08:50.850 --> 00:08:54.390 be able to do the same thing. It's not coming from a place of, 141 00:08:54.529 --> 00:08:58.355 1, understanding diverse perspective and diverse 142 00:08:58.355 --> 00:09:01.795 lived experiences, but also having absolutely no empathy for someone 143 00:09:01.795 --> 00:09:05.399 having a different life experience and what that looks 144 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:08.920 like. And there are so many assumptions that are made 145 00:09:08.920 --> 00:09:11.899 by individuals of other individuals 146 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:16.245 that really do lend itself to people 147 00:09:16.465 --> 00:09:20.165 not wanting to contribute and push equity 148 00:09:20.560 --> 00:09:24.160 in the world. Yeah. I I just seen that in some of the show notes, 149 00:09:24.160 --> 00:09:27.440 there's some of the stuff you sent through. You talk about the work that you're 150 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:31.255 doing or helping organizations to do with their staff networks, the employee resource 151 00:09:31.255 --> 00:09:34.475 groups. Mhmm. I'm a great I'm a great believer that 152 00:09:34.774 --> 00:09:37.115 ERG staff networks give employees 153 00:09:38.910 --> 00:09:42.210 a a collective voice of support, also 154 00:09:42.670 --> 00:09:46.270 advocacy within the organization. I'm also a great believer that organizations can 155 00:09:46.270 --> 00:09:50.045 leverage the power of those perspectives and voices. So how 156 00:09:50.045 --> 00:09:53.665 how do you work with organizations to to empower 157 00:09:53.725 --> 00:09:57.190 ERGs and, you know, develop equity, I guess? 158 00:09:58.390 --> 00:10:02.230 Well, I start from the the lens of 159 00:10:02.230 --> 00:10:05.590 them looking at the employee resource group as a strategic business 160 00:10:05.590 --> 00:10:09.145 unit. Not an Infinity Group, not a community group, not a 161 00:10:09.145 --> 00:10:12.445 club, or just a checkbox, but 162 00:10:12.585 --> 00:10:16.209 program of individuals that are 163 00:10:16.510 --> 00:10:20.190 underrepresented typically within the organization and setting 164 00:10:20.190 --> 00:10:23.630 them up to create equity throughout the 165 00:10:23.630 --> 00:10:26.915 organization. That is 1 of the cornerstones 166 00:10:27.695 --> 00:10:31.535 that organizations can use to create equity and create it in a 167 00:10:31.535 --> 00:10:35.240 way that people actually understand and get what it is. A 168 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:39.079 lot of times, especially now, the push for DEI is 169 00:10:39.079 --> 00:10:42.775 getting so much pushback on, 1, is it 170 00:10:42.775 --> 00:10:46.535 necessary? Does it discriminate against other people that are 171 00:10:46.535 --> 00:10:50.379 not considered protected groups? And, you know, why should people 172 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:53.519 give up what they have for other people. And 173 00:10:53.819 --> 00:10:57.475 when I come in and talk about how ERGs create 174 00:10:57.475 --> 00:11:01.155 equity, they create equity in several ways. 1, they give a 175 00:11:01.155 --> 00:11:04.915 voice to diverse lived experiences that a lot 176 00:11:04.915 --> 00:11:08.569 of people don't have insights into and don't 177 00:11:08.569 --> 00:11:12.410 understand. They allow for understanding through language and 178 00:11:12.410 --> 00:11:16.195 terminology. There are different, terminologies that are used 179 00:11:16.195 --> 00:11:19.875 in the they've added another letter, so I don't wanna mess this 180 00:11:19.875 --> 00:11:23.510 up. 2 s LGBTQI plus 181 00:11:24.370 --> 00:11:28.050 community where people don't understand is like, well, what's the 2 s, and what's the 182 00:11:28.050 --> 00:11:31.425 plus, and what is all that? Being able to give them language and 183 00:11:31.425 --> 00:11:35.045 terminology so that they understand that. Sharing what 184 00:11:35.425 --> 00:11:38.549 systemic inequities where they 185 00:11:38.948 --> 00:11:42.147 are able to express 186 00:11:42.546 --> 00:11:46.205 their lived experience, where they are 187 00:11:46.205 --> 00:11:49.964 able to express their lived experiences and 188 00:11:49.964 --> 00:11:53.805 show how those systemic inequities impact them on a daily basis, 189 00:11:53.805 --> 00:11:57.450 including their experience with the organization. And when they're able to 190 00:11:57.450 --> 00:12:01.230 do that, not only are they able to understand how they contribute 191 00:12:01.450 --> 00:12:05.235 to systemic inequities as an organization, but also how 192 00:12:05.235 --> 00:12:08.995 that contribution affects their community as at 193 00:12:08.995 --> 00:12:12.650 large, including their consumers. We live in a global 194 00:12:12.810 --> 00:12:16.570 economic global world, and so consumers are more diverse 195 00:12:16.570 --> 00:12:19.630 than ever. And ignoring the impact 196 00:12:20.935 --> 00:12:24.075 of systemic inequities in a capitalist society 197 00:12:24.615 --> 00:12:28.170 is going to pretty much create the ruin of 198 00:12:28.170 --> 00:12:31.870 capitalism. I tell people that equity is the antithesis 199 00:12:32.170 --> 00:12:35.875 of capitalism. And where wherever equity 200 00:12:35.875 --> 00:12:39.475 thrives, capitalism dies a little bit. So from the 201 00:12:39.475 --> 00:12:43.270 standpoint of organizations in ERGs, I 202 00:12:43.270 --> 00:12:47.110 am introducing the, I guess, the partnership, if 203 00:12:47.110 --> 00:12:50.790 you will, between equity and capitalism. I understand we live in a 204 00:12:50.790 --> 00:12:53.925 capitalist society. I understand I'm dealing with capitalist 205 00:12:54.145 --> 00:12:57.745 organizations. And for all of their, yes, we would like to, you know, 206 00:12:57.745 --> 00:13:01.345 have diverse teams, and we wanna, you know, create equality and 207 00:13:01.345 --> 00:13:04.820 equity. They have a bottom line that they have to 208 00:13:05.040 --> 00:13:08.640 adhere to. And my point is that you can impact your 209 00:13:08.640 --> 00:13:12.185 bottom line in a positive way, but you don't have to continuously 210 00:13:12.325 --> 00:13:15.925 traumatize people to pay bills. And when you have an ERG 211 00:13:15.925 --> 00:13:19.280 program that is truly set up to create equity, not just 212 00:13:19.280 --> 00:13:22.880 from the fact of having creating those psychological safe 213 00:13:22.880 --> 00:13:26.260 spaces, but having the ability for your leaders to upscale 214 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:29.985 themselves so that they can have a career that truly reflects 215 00:13:30.125 --> 00:13:33.485 their education experience and know how. Having 216 00:13:33.485 --> 00:13:37.200 executive sponsors that are truly sponsors and sponsors those leaders 217 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:41.200 those leaders in spaces and places where they are not Jo that 218 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:45.040 they have an opportunity to have that sponsorship and say, you 219 00:13:45.040 --> 00:13:48.855 know what? Joanne has been a great ERG leader, and I think she will 220 00:13:48.855 --> 00:13:52.455 be a phenomenal director in this position. And I've been working with 221 00:13:52.455 --> 00:13:56.120 her and blah blah blah blah blah blah. That sponsorship, that is 222 00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:59.960 giving people access to spaces, places, and people that they 223 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:03.640 normally wouldn't have access to, and that creates equity. And 224 00:14:03.640 --> 00:14:07.115 then understanding your diverse clientele and community. 225 00:14:07.495 --> 00:14:11.274 We are moving into the Gen z workforce, 226 00:14:11.415 --> 00:14:15.130 and soon thereafter, the Gen Alpha. They have a very different 227 00:14:15.190 --> 00:14:18.810 perspective on, 1, how they wanna work in organizations 228 00:14:18.950 --> 00:14:22.410 they wanna work for as well as organizations that they wanna actually 229 00:14:22.495 --> 00:14:25.634 support and spend money with. And it would be to organization's 230 00:14:25.935 --> 00:14:29.375 detriment to ignore what they're looking for and how they can 231 00:14:29.375 --> 00:14:33.010 cultivate a culture not just for talent to come 232 00:14:33.010 --> 00:14:36.530 in and stay, but also to bring in those 233 00:14:36.530 --> 00:14:39.030 new consumer bases that are coming up. 234 00:14:40.835 --> 00:14:44.215 Right. I I love what you said in there. Acts to spaces, 235 00:14:44.275 --> 00:14:47.990 places, and people. And you often, if 236 00:14:47.990 --> 00:14:50.490 you hold privilege, you don't realize how 237 00:14:51.510 --> 00:14:54.650 empowered you are compared with people who are 238 00:14:54.915 --> 00:14:58.535 marginalized, voiceless, however you want to describe Joanne who who has less privilege, 239 00:14:59.075 --> 00:15:02.450 is that access to spacespaces and people, the 240 00:15:02.450 --> 00:15:06.290 networks, the unwritten rules, the the things that in the back of 241 00:15:06.290 --> 00:15:10.130 society that you you don't see advertised. They're just you know because 242 00:15:10.130 --> 00:15:13.855 you know. So it's just it's just like you say, 243 00:15:13.855 --> 00:15:17.535 ERGs with the exec with the right exec sponsors, the right 244 00:15:17.535 --> 00:15:20.435 mentorship programs, the right acceleration programs, 245 00:15:21.389 --> 00:15:25.149 provide that access to the to what you 246 00:15:25.149 --> 00:15:28.655 don't know. You didn't even know it exists, let alone you don't know. So that's 247 00:15:28.655 --> 00:15:31.735 quite that's quite it's a very powerful way of saying it. And, because a part 248 00:15:31.735 --> 00:15:35.555 of the problem is definitely not having access to that. So 249 00:15:35.695 --> 00:15:38.115 what other ways are you working with that? 250 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:42.980 Well, through my management my program management services, 251 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:46.660 I make sure that, 1, they are strategic 252 00:15:47.275 --> 00:15:50.795 in their build out of their ERG program, meaning that 253 00:15:50.795 --> 00:15:54.635 their goals for the overarching program, which is overall 254 00:15:54.635 --> 00:15:58.110 of the individual ERGs, are directly tied to the organization's 255 00:15:58.410 --> 00:16:02.089 business priorities or outcomes either for that year or a 256 00:16:02.089 --> 00:16:05.515 span of a couple years. In order for ERGs, 257 00:16:05.735 --> 00:16:09.415 1, to be supported, funded, and have 258 00:16:09.415 --> 00:16:13.209 accountability from leadership, there has to be a direct connection 259 00:16:13.269 --> 00:16:16.870 to the organization's business priorities. There has to be impact 260 00:16:16.870 --> 00:16:19.850 shown. There has to be metrics. There has to be data collected. 261 00:16:20.505 --> 00:16:23.945 And that can't be done if there is not a direct 262 00:16:23.945 --> 00:16:26.765 connection to what is impacting the organization. 263 00:16:27.680 --> 00:16:31.520 So I make sure that, 1, the program is connected to 264 00:16:31.520 --> 00:16:35.280 those business priorities, but also that they're connected in a way that 265 00:16:35.280 --> 00:16:38.634 does not burden the program. It is not the 266 00:16:38.634 --> 00:16:42.475 ERG's responsibility to handle all of the DEI objectives. It is 267 00:16:42.475 --> 00:16:46.254 not the ERG's responsibility to handle all of the talent acquisition 268 00:16:46.394 --> 00:16:50.140 objectives, But it is part of their responsibility to 269 00:16:50.140 --> 00:16:53.900 directly impact those business priorities that they can have a 270 00:16:53.900 --> 00:16:57.415 very powerful impact for, and what does that look like. 271 00:16:57.875 --> 00:17:00.855 And being able to lay out a project plan, 272 00:17:01.315 --> 00:17:04.950 including time timeline resources needed, making sure 273 00:17:04.950 --> 00:17:08.390 that leadership not only understands what the 274 00:17:08.390 --> 00:17:12.135 program is, the goals that they're tied to, but also 275 00:17:12.595 --> 00:17:16.435 holding them accountable for success. When I say leadership, I just don't mean, 276 00:17:16.435 --> 00:17:20.200 like, c suite. I mean, middle managers. They need to understand 277 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:23.880 that they're directly tied to the ERG success because they need to make sure that 278 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:27.660 leaders have the support and ability to get those objectives 279 00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:30.154 done. And then creating a strategic 280 00:17:31.174 --> 00:17:35.015 implementation plan that is flexible enough to adjust with the business. Because 281 00:17:35.015 --> 00:17:38.770 as we all know, business happens. Sometimes priorities shift 282 00:17:38.770 --> 00:17:42.610 and change, and things happen with the business where sometimes they're like, hey. We're not 283 00:17:42.610 --> 00:17:46.265 even doing this anymore. So being able to have that flexibility to 284 00:17:46.265 --> 00:17:49.625 pivot whenever those things come up are also important as 285 00:17:49.625 --> 00:17:53.250 well. Because, again, when you treat the ERGs as your 286 00:17:53.570 --> 00:17:57.030 business unit, it is just like any other unit, like marketing, 287 00:17:57.330 --> 00:18:00.930 products, sales. They have their objectives. They have their resources 288 00:18:00.930 --> 00:18:04.355 needed, but they also know that sometimes the plan has to pivot. 289 00:18:04.735 --> 00:18:08.095 So by making sure the plan is flexible enough to 290 00:18:08.095 --> 00:18:11.830 pivot, you are still aiming for those goals and for that 291 00:18:11.830 --> 00:18:15.430 success, but also giving grace to the program in 292 00:18:15.430 --> 00:18:18.945 case things need to change that are completely out of the program's goal 293 00:18:19.265 --> 00:18:23.025 I mean, control. Yeah. I mean, you talked earlier about yep. You 294 00:18:23.025 --> 00:18:26.545 just been saying there about the ERG has to be seen like a business 295 00:18:26.545 --> 00:18:30.290 unit with exec or senior sponsorship to give them that 296 00:18:30.290 --> 00:18:33.670 voice. It's too often the case, though, 297 00:18:33.970 --> 00:18:37.174 and I'm afraid I didn't come across this too often, where the ERG 298 00:18:38.034 --> 00:18:41.414 doesn't have strategic access. It doesn't have strategic importance. 299 00:18:42.034 --> 00:18:45.770 It becomes a talking shop, an echo chamber of of the 300 00:18:45.770 --> 00:18:49.309 same voices, but change never occurs. The frustration 301 00:18:49.450 --> 00:18:52.990 often often is is around trying to find this exec sponsor who 302 00:18:53.165 --> 00:18:56.845 has the ability to make make change. How do you work with 303 00:18:56.845 --> 00:19:00.445 organizations to find and empower an exec sponsor to take 304 00:19:00.445 --> 00:19:04.220 over ownership of the their particular ERG, if you like? Because 305 00:19:04.220 --> 00:19:07.980 it's that's the hard business. Actually, that's not the hard bit. 306 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:11.600 The hard bit is getting them to actually do things. 307 00:19:12.125 --> 00:19:15.885 So I always start with roles and responsibilities for the leaders, including the 308 00:19:15.885 --> 00:19:19.585 Executive Sponsors. A lot of times, Executive Sponsors within organizations 309 00:19:19.805 --> 00:19:23.610 are either volunteer or are voluntold to do something within 310 00:19:23.610 --> 00:19:27.210 the ERG space, but they don't know what that means. They're like, well, do I 311 00:19:27.210 --> 00:19:31.005 just go to meetings? Do I just say, hey. You know, I'm the executive sponsor, 312 00:19:31.005 --> 00:19:34.845 and that's it. I think it's very important to have the roles and 313 00:19:34.845 --> 00:19:38.630 responsibilities laid out. Jo, 1, the executive sponsor knows what 314 00:19:38.630 --> 00:19:42.470 is expected of them, but then if there is a point where they're 315 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:46.145 not willing to commit or cannot, that someone else is 316 00:19:46.145 --> 00:19:49.905 selected. Because the worst thing to do is assign somebody or 317 00:19:49.905 --> 00:19:53.670 have someone volunteer and they do absolutely nothing. And there there's 318 00:19:53.670 --> 00:19:56.410 no support. There's no sponsorship. There's no advocacy. 319 00:19:57.270 --> 00:20:00.544 And that role is super important, 320 00:20:00.684 --> 00:20:04.445 especially from a program standpoint. Because if the ERG 321 00:20:04.445 --> 00:20:08.125 program, including the individual ERGs, are having impediments to their 322 00:20:08.125 --> 00:20:11.820 goals, it is the executive sponsor's role to step in and deal with those 323 00:20:11.820 --> 00:20:15.580 impediments. If I am the executive sponsor for, let's say, the 324 00:20:15.580 --> 00:20:19.005 black ERG, and 1 of their goals is to get to more 325 00:20:19.005 --> 00:20:22.765 diverse conferences. And we've agreed and said yes. And then 326 00:20:22.765 --> 00:20:25.905 now they're like, okay. Here are the 2 conferences. This is the budget, 327 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:30.480 and they don't get approval. And they're getting the runaround. They're like, hey. We 328 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:34.480 this was agreed to. What's happening? And then my job as executive sponsor 329 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.155 is like, hey. You know, what happened to the budget budget for this? This was 330 00:20:37.155 --> 00:20:40.855 agreed to. They need to do this in order to do x, y, and z. 331 00:20:41.075 --> 00:20:44.855 So that is something that is part of the executive sponsor's role, 332 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:48.399 or at least it should be. But if they don't know what is expected of 333 00:20:48.399 --> 00:20:52.179 them, then they either don't do anything or do what they feel 334 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:55.962 is important, but that might not Jo 335 00:21:01.585 --> 00:21:05.020 your programs, have and do your programs have so that you you 336 00:21:05.020 --> 00:21:08.620 talk about making sure that they're performing and you use to add the role specs 337 00:21:08.620 --> 00:21:12.335 and the roles on to it. Do do we actually train them? I mean, I 338 00:21:12.335 --> 00:21:16.174 I would guess that Well, there should be training to most yeah. Yeah. 339 00:21:16.174 --> 00:21:19.775 There should be at least an onboarding so that they know, like, hey. Here's how 340 00:21:19.775 --> 00:21:23.240 this works. This is what you'll have access to. This is how you 341 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:27.080 communicate with your leadership. These are, like, the, you know, 342 00:21:27.080 --> 00:21:30.805 quarterly meetings of the executive sponsors and the ERG program manager 343 00:21:30.865 --> 00:21:34.705 to talk about the goals, where you are to go, how, 344 00:21:34.705 --> 00:21:38.325 you know, you can support the program, whatever it is that 345 00:21:38.409 --> 00:21:41.789 is your onboarding plan. That should be in place for 346 00:21:42.090 --> 00:21:45.929 the executive sponsors as well as the ERG leaders. There should be 347 00:21:45.929 --> 00:21:49.595 a laid out onboarding process, including the succession Joanne. Because, you 348 00:21:49.595 --> 00:21:53.434 know, people leave, change positions, stuff happens, so you 349 00:21:53.434 --> 00:21:57.240 don't wanna leave your program and your leadership just kind of, like, 350 00:21:57.240 --> 00:22:00.419 vacant and out there where they're like, well, we don't know what to do now. 351 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:04.019 That, you know, causes chaos, but then also doesn't lend 352 00:22:04.305 --> 00:22:07.985 people to want to participate because they're like, well, what's the 353 00:22:07.985 --> 00:22:11.665 point? You know, you guys aren't really doing anything, or we do stuff 354 00:22:11.665 --> 00:22:15.169 and then nothing happens. So you want to make sure there's transparency, 355 00:22:15.549 --> 00:22:19.230 but also there are laid out plans so everyone knows what to do, how to 356 00:22:19.230 --> 00:22:22.865 do it, and when to do it. But how do we stop the ERGs becoming 357 00:22:23.645 --> 00:22:26.285 AA1 person crusade for their particular 358 00:22:27.565 --> 00:22:30.990 their focal point? Now they they get have a passion around, they've been wronged, or 359 00:22:30.990 --> 00:22:33.950 they have something they wanna try and solve. The the the danger is you end 360 00:22:33.950 --> 00:22:37.630 up spending all your time dealing with single issues. It's trying to how how do 361 00:22:37.630 --> 00:22:41.465 you keep the ERG focused on more strategic, bigger goals? 362 00:22:42.245 --> 00:22:46.005 It comes from the program itself. When the program has the strategic goals that are 363 00:22:46.005 --> 00:22:49.600 aligned with the business outcomes, it is the individual ERGs 364 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:53.420 to have those projects and initiatives that directly connect to 365 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:57.105 those program goals. So if the program goal is 366 00:22:57.105 --> 00:23:00.805 to increase diverse leadership throughout the organization by 2%, 367 00:23:01.665 --> 00:23:05.380 1 of the projects that each of the ERGs has 368 00:23:05.380 --> 00:23:08.980 is leadership development. What does that look like? Is that upskilling the 369 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:12.525 leaders? Is that offering management courses to the team 370 00:23:12.525 --> 00:23:16.045 members? Whatever those agreed upon projects 371 00:23:16.045 --> 00:23:19.345 are. So the connection to the program 372 00:23:19.830 --> 00:23:23.270 is what ties them together, but also 373 00:23:23.270 --> 00:23:26.950 understanding that that upskilling of these members 374 00:23:26.950 --> 00:23:30.185 and leaders are important to that group because 375 00:23:30.645 --> 00:23:34.165 they haven't had access to leadership development because they are 376 00:23:34.165 --> 00:23:37.540 individual contributors. They haven't been able to be 377 00:23:37.540 --> 00:23:41.140 seen by directors in higher level management 378 00:23:41.140 --> 00:23:44.680 because they're individual contributors, but now they're doing presentations 379 00:23:45.455 --> 00:23:49.294 around the program goals to to date. 380 00:23:49.294 --> 00:23:52.610 They're presenting that. They, you know, they have that ability to do that so that 381 00:23:52.610 --> 00:23:56.210 they have that visibility. That lends itself to that 382 00:23:56.210 --> 00:23:59.975 upscaling and leveraging for career success. So 383 00:24:00.195 --> 00:24:03.415 when I say that the program goals and individual ERGs 384 00:24:03.875 --> 00:24:07.640 should be tied to the organization's business priorities, I don't mean 385 00:24:07.640 --> 00:24:11.420 that to be the detriment to the individual ERGs and what they're trying to do. 386 00:24:11.560 --> 00:24:15.240 I mean that to create a holistic, everyone is going in the same 387 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:18.815 direction type of strategy. We're we're 388 00:24:18.815 --> 00:24:22.414 mid 2024, so June 2024 at the moment when we're recording 389 00:24:22.414 --> 00:24:26.015 this. The US is in its political cycle 390 00:24:26.015 --> 00:24:29.679 of going to having a an election not in not too 391 00:24:29.679 --> 00:24:32.799 distant future, a change of well, potentially a change of of, 392 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:36.895 leader, maybe not. The UK is just going through its cycle 393 00:24:36.895 --> 00:24:39.855 of general elections at the moment. We've got ours in about 2 or 3 weeks' 394 00:24:39.855 --> 00:24:43.399 time. There's a a lot of pushback 395 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:46.679 and a lot of political divide on the value 396 00:24:47.539 --> 00:24:51.000 of EDI initiatives both at 397 00:24:51.565 --> 00:24:55.245 government level, central government, also devolved government, state 398 00:24:55.245 --> 00:24:58.845 level in the US. We're seeing a lot of pushback in the UK around 399 00:24:58.845 --> 00:25:01.100 government department having their DEI budget slash 400 00:25:02.860 --> 00:25:06.700 slash being almost forced and told not to invest in DEI. So DEI is is 401 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:10.165