Next Generation Leadership

Microaggressions and How to Manage Them When They Occur

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Ableism is probably one of the least discussed topics in the equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) conversations, yet it’s one that also affects an enormous portion of the population globally.  Racism and sexism are pretty simple to understand as a concept and something we are more aware of. Most people can say with some degree of confidence if they hold any of those mentioned above prejudices,...

I love holidays and celebrations as much as the next person. Any time for happiness, joy, togetherness, food, and activities are times that should be treasured and valued; they are the times that feed our spirits. But the only holiday that I dislike deeply is Groundhog Day.

I started my career, literally, as an undergraduate in college. Yep. I’ve basically been doing the exact same work since I was 18 years old. The formal starting point was when I participated in a course called the President’s Leadership Program. I was in the inaugural course and it was being facilitated by a woman named Barb, who I came to know as a preeminent facilitator, voracious learner, and...

DEI in Action – The 3-Step Process of Moving From Conceptual Understanding to Integrated Practical Application

Traditional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts have focused heavily on recruitment and retention, totally missing the bigger picture issues that have kept either from having deep impact or being sustainable. The emphasis has been on “diversity hires'': Where are they? How do we get our position descriptions to them? How do we convey a compelling story about our organization that will draw...

No matter how hard we try, we exist in a world where social media filters create an unattainable standard – an unattainable standard of beauty, life, relationships, and reality altogether. So, how do we create space to feel like we are fully seen? Sure, sometimes posting a picture of a new outfit or an inside look at a special event makes us feel relevant like we're participating in the world in...

Everyone is “aware” - we all “know.” Over the last several years, society has been a part of a shared experience of becoming more “aware” - of racism, discrimination, misogyny and sexism, homophobia and transphobia, classism - the gamut of destructive ideologies. And as well-intended and necessary as awareness is, it’s been used so much, or overly prioritized with nothing supporting it, that it’s...

It’s necessary to focus on the experience of marginalized communities, not to obsess about “identity” as would be used as a pejorative in today’s constant cultural arguments, but to concretize the fact that marginalized communities don’t just have a different experience; in many instances, they have a different reality. There are universal human experiences that unite us all—the need for safety...