Episode 16 - Making DEI work Beyond the Training

When the word leadership is mentioned, we often think of a role or position. The truth is something entirely different. Leadership is being personally responsible and creating a sense of ownership and empowerment. This episode discusses why we aim to develop leadership in everyone. We want to create a future where everyone is a leader.

Is masculinity a performance that men are conditioned into by society? How is this showing up in the workplace, and how does it affect leadership? In this episode, we will explore masculinity and redefine what it is to be a man in the workplace and society. Spoiler: Masculinity, is it whatever you want it to be?

In many companies, DEI initiatives stay on the level of initial training, and not much changes for the employees. Typical DEI training initiatives can go from interesting to creating fear of getting "it"wrong. In this episode, we want to discuss what we found from our own experience that works. And also discuss how we can go beyond the DEI training and make a difference.

Work Pressure = Results  Is this true when it comes to applying Pressure on your team or colleagues? It isn't, but how often do we pressure ourselves and others to make things happen. Pressure (internal and external) creates stress and frustration, and we make more mistakes when we are under pressure. In this Unlearning Labels episode, we talk about this belief and how to change our personal and professional lives to achieve better results and enjoy the process more.

Unlearning the Definition of Work; what is the new paradigm of working after COVID 19? This episode explores why companies are creating FOMO around coming back into the office and how we can challenge that. We have to find a way forward where companies can offer choices for their employees so that each individual can decide when and if they come into the office.  When employees are listened to, they are empowered to make decisions about their ways of working; there is more trust, transparency, and collaboration, which positively impacts the company's culture and results.

There is often pressure to be someone different in our work environment; this can bring lots of insecurity, stifle our potential, and cause us to feel inadequate and fell like an imposter. On the other hand, we can also get so attached to the professional labels that we feel like we lose ourselves when our status changes. In both situations, we are shackled with fear and unable to do our best in our professional and private life. We mistakenly believe that who we are and what we do are the same. We say I am a leader, I am a manager, I'm weak, I'm not confident, I'm not good enough... Who are you actually?

The power is in the listening, so listen well.  Do you listen to reply or to understand?  Do you listen with judgement or compassion?  Do you communicate to connect or project?   Listening is 90% of communication and the source of creating healthy relationships.  This time on Unlearning Labels, we are pulling back the layers of when listening goes well in organizations. It is the creator of impactful companies and the destroyer of others.

Are leaders listening to their teams?  Is the Great Resignation just a bit of hype, or is this something that all compnaies need to take seriously and reflect on why it is happening? Maybe the last two years have made people more aware of what is important to them or it might have magnified the fears and inabilities of leaders to create trust and allow people to do their best work. We explore the root causes of why people are leaving their jobs in great numbers. HBR says in a recent article that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. 

We see more talk in the news about how proud companies are now allowing their employees leave of absence for things such as fertility, menopause, and miscarriage leave, to name a few. There is nothing wrong with updating your compnaies HR policies and procedures; however, the crux of the problem is not allowing your line managers to make their own decisions and developing them to build trust and engage with their employees. Policies do not make employees feel psychologically safe; it is how your people managers act around them if they are comfortable standing for their team and not perpetuating the toxic behaviour. 

Why technology will not replace good leadership skills Google queries for “remote monitoring” were up 212% year-on-year; by April this year, they’d continued to surge by another 243%. The pandemic prompted a surge in the use of workplace surveillance programs – and they’re not going away any time soon According to a recent Guardian article If you would like help addressing any of the topics we explore during the show, such as Diversity & Inclusion, Cultural Change, Leadership Development, or 121 Executive Coaching. Please get in touch with us via www.unlearninglabels.com or reach out to us via Linkedin. Cordelia https://www.linkedin.com/in/cordelia-gaffar/ Mira https://www.linkedin.com/in/mira-culic-griffiths/ Peter https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-griffiths-coach/