Let's Create a Culture of Courage

While I have spoken extensively about the importance of companies supporting DEI in the present, workforces will continue to evolve as the future arrives. In turn, we must incorporate a focus on making our work cultures more courageous. If we don’t have this emphasis, we’ll lose out on the innovation of the younger generation, and that’s a situation no organization wants to be in!

Some companies are preemptively shifting toward this culture of courage, offering events like “Fail Forward” sessions that encourage employees to openly share their failures and the lessons they learned from these experiences. In doing so, they create an environment that welcomes risk-taking and prioritizes celebrating innovation and bold choices over penalizing mistakes. After all, we have to keep in mind that investing in a culture of courage doesn’t mean mistakes will no longer happen! Instead, when people inevitably make mistakes, a courageous work culture emphasizes taking those mistakes in stride and learning from them for the better. The more we encourage employees to trust themselves and the more we create a space where failure does not equate to losing one’s job, the more likely we are to inspire innovation and achieve exciting accomplishments among our organization.

So, what existing models can we learn from to foster a culture of courage? Let’s walk through four key examples!

1. Canadian Automobile Association

We’re starting off with a different sort of organization than I usually invoke, but hear me out: the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) demonstrates a deep investment in creating a culture of courage through the use of what they call “recognition data.” In other words, CAA carefully attends to the challenges and successes of their employees, allowing them to positively embrace and reward employee innovation and risk-taking! They have both monetary benefits and Team Awards (e.g. a “Round of Applause” award), where this support of employee ingenuity and emphasis on not penalizing failure has led to decreased turnover. What’s more, CAA’s data specifically “show[s] turnover is the lowest for employees who have received awards from both their managers and their peers.” In other words, when an organization invests in a culture of courage that inspires mutual support between peers, employees are more likely not only to recognize one another’s accomplishments but to come together and develop potentially revolutionary innovations together—sounds like a win-win to me!

2. W.L. Gore & Associates

W.L. Gore is a fun model to learn from, in my opinion, because of its unconventional approach to organizational management. Gore has what’s known as a “lattice organization”—in other words, there are no “ranks” of employees, and there is no absolute, supreme career hierarchy. Any associate can speak to another as an equal, a commitment to courageous conversation and risk-taking reflected in the fact that all employees of Gore become shareholders.

Now, I’m not suggesting every company needs to switch over to this horizontal structure! Rather, we can take inspiration from Gore’s commitment to a culture of courage through their dedication to ensuring that no conversations or mistakes are ever shied away from. Everyone is on an equal playing field, meaning individual mistakes become broader lessons for everyone to learn from, and individual accomplishments become uplifted for the entire organization to celebrate. The benefits to this courageous approach are infinite, as each and every employee contains limitless creativity and innovation! As such, if we learn from Gore’s example and emphasize a level playing field and courageous communication, there’s no telling how far that will propel that success of our organization.

3. Patagonia

Ah, Patagonia—a company renowned for its emphasis on tending to the environment and being a steward of the planet. This company’s emphasis on a culture of courage is all but endless! I could talk about the fact that their “retention rate for mothers returning from maternity leave is 100 percent,” how they offer subsidized childcare and have childcare centers on-site, how “[i]f a breastfeeding mother needs to go on a business trip, the company pays for the mother, baby, and a nanny to travel for that trip,” how Patagonia thus gives their employees the opportunity to bring their full self to work—how Patagonia ensures their employees have the tools to make courageous decisions about their careers without sacrificing other elements of their lives. I could talk in-depth about this marvelous set-up and Patagonia’s clear support of allowing their employees to practice courageous behavior.

Instead, though, what I want to focus on here is how Patagonia commits to crafting a culture of courage to the fullest extent: investing in courage outside of the workplace. What do I mean by this? Well, if a Patagonia employee “‘has previously taken a nonviolent civil disobedience class and is subsequently arrested while peacefully protesting,’” such as protests in support of the environment, the organization will post their bail. While I certainly don’t expect every organization to switch to this level of commitment to a culture of courage off the bat, isn’t that an inspiring example to learn from? To trust the courage of their employees both within and outside of the workplace—how incredible!

4. Zappos

I want to conclude with Zappos because this organization offers an excellent example of investing in a culture of courage from as early as the hiring process. After all, demonstrating one’s commitment to courage must extend beyond employees who have “been there a while,” else newcomers become too fearful to embrace their individual ingenuity. Zappos offers dedicated training to new hires for its first week, but more crucially, they actively encourage these employees to reflect on how well they feel the position and work environment suit them. If these hires decide Zappos is not the right place for them, Zappos compensates them with $2,000 for their courage and honesty! While not every organization may implement this exact strategy, the example of Zappos is nonetheless crucial to learn from because of their emphasis on welcoming courageous behavior—behavior that may buck the status quo—from the moment employees are hired.

And there we have it! Four examples to learn from of companies demonstrating a clear commitment to crafting a culture of courage. I say we follow their footsteps and embrace the reality that failure is inevitable, mistakes are just opportunities, and success can only come after error—to do so, all we need is a little courage.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization. Reach her at DimaGhawi.com andBreakingVases.com.

Four Tips For Fostering a Culture of Courage at Work

Workplaces are driven by innovation. Innovation necessitates change. Yet so many of us find ourselves tied up in fear at the prospect of taking the risks required to propel change! After all, people are wired for survival. The consequence of this aversion to risk is that in organizations across industries, the dominant culture is the implicit insistence to play it safe, where we are “more afraid of potential losses than excited about potential gains.” So how can organizations challenge this mindset? How can we ensure our employees “feel psychologically safe at work” and are empowered to make innovative suggestions and pursue bold risks?

My suggestion is simple: we must foster a culture of courage.

In this blog, I will walk through four key strategies organizations can implement to promote a courageous work culture, because we must nurture courage in our everyday actions in order for courage to become something we successfully practice. Ready to get started?

1. Organizational Initiatives

Let’s begin with the broadest scale and gradually narrow our way inward! There are a multitude of company-wide initiatives that organizations can implement in order to incorporate a culture of courage into policies and opportunities, and here I will introduce us to just a few:

One way to introduce an emphasis on courage to employees is by hosting courage-building workshops. After all, when in doubt, bring in an expert! Inviting psychologists, guest speakers, or leadership experts to run engaging workshops with employees that help them develop tools to practice courage and hone resilience. Additionally, interactive discussions, artistic opportunities, and any other range of activities provided through these workshops can aid employees in identifying their fears and developing appropriate coping strategies for dealing with those fears. Does this initiative sound exciting? It does to me! A workshop-based approach is thus a great early step to fostering courage in one’s workplace.

Another strategy is to implement a “courage challenge” program. Gamification is ever popular in maintaining employee motivation, and thus an initiative that allows employees to “choose their own adventure” in the realm of learning and practicing courage is ideal. Employees can select goals that range from speaking up in meetings to public speaking to external volunteer commitments and anything in-between, where at the end of this program, organizations must reward employees who excelled at their “courage challenge” and recognize the efforts of those who may have struggled. After all, reducing shame and insecurity is imperative in fostering a culture of courage!

Speaking of avoiding insecurity, another early initiative for building courage is to ensure no one feels like they’re going at this task alone. Instead, create a “courage buddy” system. This initiative is as straightforward as it sounds: pair employees with a “courage buddy,” where both individuals are mutually supporting one another as they pursue various goals (be those goals a formal element of the “courage challenge” program or part of another initiative entirely). For these courage buddies, consider offering joint courage-building activities or other formal opportunities for these pairs to make progress together.

2. Destigmatizing Failure & Embracing Openness

I’ve offered some suggestions for initiatives an organization can implement to foster courage in their workplace, but what can we as individual leaders do to encourage courage amongst our employees? First and foremost, we must embody courage ourselves. Former Microsoft President Kate Johnson describes courageous leadership as “When you see a person trying to get it right, instead of trying to be right.” In other words, fostering courage in the workplace involves focusing on the process—getting things right along the way, including learning from our mistakes, instead of nailing everything perfectly on the first go. As leaders, we can thus foster courage by destigmatizing failure and embracing openness among ourselves. We must talk about our own failures in order to normalize failure as a necessary element of meaningful progress! We should share stories of times we’ve taken risks and made difficult decisions, and that includes being as open about the times those risks didn’t work out as we are about the risks that succeeded. When we frame the value of risk-taking as related to the choice rather than the outcome, we help foster courage in our employees by implicitly reassuring their anxieties about risks—it’s not about succeeding or failing, but the courage to make a decision and learn from whatever falling dominoes that follow.

Need a more specific example of how to model courageous leadership to employees? Leadership expert Karin Hurt recommends a simple courage-building team exercise, where we give every member of our team an index card or slip of paper with an “H” on one side and an “F” on the other, with all leaders keeping a card for themselves, too. Then, everyone takes a few moments to write down their biggest Hope and their biggest Fear about whatever project, task, goal, etc. is at hand. An open and honest discussion follows afterwards, with the team leaders leading courageously by example.

3. Create Channels for New Ideas & Dissent

We’ve gone through the initial steps of fostering a culture of courage, from introductory organizational initiatives to how leaders can embody courage as an example. But how do we put courage into action for our employees? My key recommendation is a simple one: create a “safe-to-fail” environment through the establishment of channels where people can safely express new ideas and concerns without the anxiety of judgment or punishment. These communication channels can take a multitude of possible forms, of which I’ll list a few:

• Anonymous suggestion boxes (physical or digital)

• Company-wide surveys (anonymous or optional identification)

• An in-person town hall (including the collection of written feedback, for people who prefer not to or may not physically be capable of speaking up)

Of course, we should not feel limited to these three avenues, because any channel that encourages employees to openly speak up is precisely the type of opportunity that fosters courage in the workplace. It is also often helpful to provide basic guidelines for these “safe-to-fail” opportunities in order to ensure mutual respect and polite engagement from all participants, such as limiting interruptions and offering the IDEA criteria: “Is the suggestion Interesting, Doable, Engaging and what Actions or first steps can put the plan in motion?” Some organizations have also found it useful to rotate the position of “dissenter” amongst employees, especially within teams, where the role of the dissenter is “to challenge a course of action or find flaws in a proposed decision.” By normalizing dissent and encouraging alternative ways of thinking, we “remove much of the individual’s personal risk [regarding new ideas] and replace it with institutional permission,” which allows courage and courageous action “to become the norm rather than the exception.”

4. Reward Courage & Courageous Actions

Perhaps the pinnacle element of fostering a culture of courage in our workplaces is the simple practice of positive reinforcement: reward acts of courage from employees and recognize their courage in public environments to demonstrate to others that courageous behavior is welcomed and supported! Such rewards might include a monetary bonus, an anecdote shared at a department meeting, or a physical trophy. Personally, one of my favorite examples of celebrating and rewarding courage is Google’s Courageous Penguin Award, given to individuals who dared to suggest or try a new strategy without certainty in its success. The name “comes from how penguins stand by the edge of an iceberg and consider jumping in the water,” unsure of whether they will dive neatly into the water or hit ice beneath the water’s surface; it thus “takes a courageous penguin to take the first leap.”

At the end of the day, organizations who recognize and reward their employees who dare to “‘stick their neck out’” and challenge the status quo “reduce collective fear [in their company] and build the psychological safety needed for others to report, share and discuss what’s not working.” To put it simply: a risk should beget a reward, and fostering a culture of courage involves recognizing that balance.

And there we have it—four key strategies for encouraging a culture of courage in any organization. So what are we waiting for? We’ve got risks to take, employees to inspire, and new ideas to celebrate!

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

3 Tips to Standing Against the Status Quo

I might summarize the ultimate desire of humanity as this: to be loved. To be wanted. To be included. The question then becomes… What sacrifices are we willing to make to achieve that?

Many of us, myself included, choose to conform because of our desire to feel loved and included. In the process of trying to fit in, however, we often lose part of ourselves. We lose what makes us unique, what lets us bring new ideas and perspectives to the table. So I ask all of us: is this loss worth it? In my opinion, no. That is why this blog will break down three tips to help us all challenge conformity. In the past, I have discussed how managers can address conformity bias, but today I want to focus on the individual. What can we as individuals do to counter conformity?

1. The little-by-little strategy

I will be the first to admit that challenging conformity can be frightening. Going against the tide means putting ourselves by default into a position that opposes what is agreed upon by many, from decisions as minor as what we wear to work to as major as discussions on who to hire. As such, my first piece of advice is simple: take it little by little! Starting with small changes helps us avoid becoming overwhelmed in the face of countering the status quo. For example, in a meeting, we may find ourselves disagreeing with the dominant trend of conversation. But outright disagreeing is intimidating, and worse, runs the risk of a consequence many of us loathe—making people uncomfortable. Instead, then, the little-by-little strategy posits that we ask a few questions, perhaps for clarification. By doing so, we can subtly offer a new perspective, one that complements or even redirects the thoughts of the majority, which consequently helps us challenge conformity.

2. Ask yourself: “Why?”

“Why”—a simple question with innumerable important effects. A crucial step to challenging conformity is questioning the systems of thought and behavior that have been handed down to us, and “why” is the ultimate tool. Why does everyone do [x] this way? Why do I believe [y]? Is it because I truly feel that way, or is it because familial, societal, or corporate expectations encourage me to do so? In particular, it is productive to ask “why” when we hear the age-old refrain of well, this is how it’s always been! Yes, but why? Today, we are in a different time and place, both literally and socially. What worked “then” may no longer be helpful now. Why do we abide by thoughts and behaviors of eras long since passed?

Learning to ask “why” was a major aspect of my own personal transformation. I was raised to believe negative things about my identity as a woman, and it wasn’t until I started to ask why those beliefs persisted and who they benefited that I came to truly understand how restrictive those ideas about women were. Asking “why” helped me challenge dominant expectations and make meaningful changes in my life. Simplistic though it may sound, I wouldn’t be who or where I am today if I hadn’t asked “why”!

3. Determine your goals

Questioning the beliefs we have been told throughout life is important to challenging conformity, and so is the follow-up component: determining our own goals. After all, how can we hope to counter conformity if we aren’t confident in our individual dreams, wishes, and desires? Fear not, however—I don’t intend to throw us in the deep end by declaring “determine your goals!” and offering no more.

As a key step to help determine our goals, I recommend creating a list of changemakers that you admire. For example, I admire Malala Yousafzai because of how she challenged the status quo of limited education access for young women and girls around the world. Write down why you admire these people, be it specific elements of their activism or how they present themselves as leaders. In this articulation, we can better identify our own priorities and values, which then helps bring us to a clearer understanding of our own goals.

While creating this list, keep the following in mind: the changemakers we admire likely failed at first. They were likely shunned, isolated, excluded—people probably didn’t like them! But they persevered. They continued to move forward and challenge conformity. In other words, we cannot just consider why we admire their results. What can we admire in their journey, too, that will guide us on our own paths to countering conformity?

And there we have it! Three straightforward tips to help any individual challenge conformity. Standing against the status quo is terrifying, I know, but nothing is more important than embracing what makes us unique. I hope these tips bring you comfort and reassurance as you begin your own journey of challenging conformity!

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

The Customer is NOT Always Right

Many organizations tout the mantra “the customer is always right.” And while they pursue diversity and inclusion initiatives amongst their employees, they are not always able to enforce that same level of respect from their customers. At hospitals, bigoted patients might see an overweight nurse and request that they be seen by a “thinner” nurse. Other patients have turned their noses up at a Black nurse, demanding that they wanted a white nurse instead. Such hateful rhetoric is not limited to the healthcare sector. At a bank, a customer encountered a Black teller and insisted they would rather wait for a white teller to assist them. Another customer even went so far as to refer to their Black teller as the n-slur. It is evident in these scenarios and too many others like it that the customer is not always right. The question, then, is how companies can create respectful, inclusive environments where their employees feel safe without the fear of losing business. Moreover, how can they create environments where their customers treat employees with the respect everyone deserves to receive.

An important solution is in the language. Instead of being complacent with the notion that “the customer is always right,” organizations can and should articulate specific statements that assert their expectations for customer behavior towards employees. The following companies have mastered the appropriate language, emphasizing that they will not tolerate harassment of employees from their clients:

An airline:

“Your safety and comfort – and that of our team members – are our top priority. We expect our team members to care for our customers with respect. We also expect our customers to interact with our team members and other customers with respect. If you act in a violent or inappropriate manner, you will not be able to continue your journey with us.”

Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge:

“Women’s Hospital has zero-tolerance for threatening or aggressive behavior. Disruptive visitors will be asked to leave.

Staff is supported in pressing charges for aggressive behavior they encounter while caring for patients.

Incidents may result in removal and possible prosecution.”

Cardiovascular Institute of the South:

“CIS fosters a safe, kind and secure environment for our patients, visitors and team members. We hold ourselves to these standards of behavior, and we kindly ask for your courtesy and respect in doing the same.

We ask that you:

• Show courtesy and respect

• Be appropriate in language, tone and interactions

• Abide by public health rules

• Be an active participants in your plan of care

Please refrain from:

• Discriminatory language

• Rude, threatening or demeaning language or tone

• Profanity

• Verbal harassment”

These statements have important qualities in common.

1. Emphasize the need for mutual respect between customers and employees.

2. Specify that aggressive and hateful behavior will not be tolerated from workers or customers.

3. State outright that there will be consequences for individuals who do not meet these expectations, from as simple as a customer being asked to leave to as drastic as legal prosecution.

The specificity of the languages leaves no room for misinterpretation. By setting firm guidelines, these organizations are being intentional in generate environments of true inclusion, where respect is fostered with every interaction on all levels.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company. Her mission is providing guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within their organization.

Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential.

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5 Tips for Diversifying Board of Directors

In today’s climate, it is common to hear the phrase “we need to diversify,” particularly at upper corporate levels. Namely: the board of directors. But despite the increased citation of this desire, diversity within boards of directors is not yet commonplace. According to a fall 2020 analysis of the 3,000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies conducted by the Institutional Shareholder Services’ ESG division:

“[J]ust 12.5% of board directors were from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, up from 10% in 2015. The report also found that only 4% of directors were Black (up from 3% in 2015), while female directors held 21% of board seats (up from 13% in 2015).”

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, there were increases in the number of women and racial minorities appointed to Fortune 500 boards, but the majority of directors are still white men. How can this issue of homogeneity be adjusted? Fortunately, there are five crucial steps boards of directors can take to ensure diversity in their ranks:

1. Analyze the Demographics

In order to improve diversity within a board of directors, the board must know where their organization stands. First, look at the racial, ethnic, gender, etc. demographics of the board. Second, look at these same demographics within the community as a whole. What groups are disproportionately represented? Underrepresented? How drastic is this difference? Once a gap in diversity is identified, work can begin on deciphering why this gap exists, and from there a board can begin searching for solutions to resolve it.

2. Offer Training

This step is essential to understand how beneficial diversity is to an organization. By offering diversity training, individuals will better understand why diversity is so crucial in the first place. On a similar note, unconscious bias training is also important, as it helps combat internalized prejudices all individuals have, be they aware of them or not. How? Because “[u]nconscious bias can shape all aspects of the hiring and recruiting process, from the way openings at your organization are posted to the experience employees or board members have once they’re selected.” While no individual can ever be free of bias, making people aware of their biases will allow for implementation of genuine diversity in these upper levels.

3. Expand Your Candidate Pool

When appointing boards of directors, many organizations appoint retired executives. However, appointing active executives is also beneficial, as they are more aware of current situations evolving around them (e.g. in a market, with COVID-19, etc.). Similarly, when appointing new members to a board of directors, an organization should broaden their horizons beyond accepting referrals from current members, as people tend to have connections with individuals similar to them. Consequently, a board is unlikely to see an increase in true diversity with applicants garnered through such narrow recommendations. Expanding the pool of candidates is a simple yet effective way of diversifying a board.

4. Avoid Tokenism

As aforementioned, some boards are interested in diversity only for appearances’ sake. Diversity and unconscious bias training are key ways to address this issue, but another important tactic is ensuring new voices make up at least 30% of the total in a group. By doing so, a board not only avoids tokenism in appearance, but also in practice, as these new members will feel less isolated and therefore will likely be more encouraged to speak their minds. As stated earlier, increased diversity leads to increased innovation, meaning hearing these new ideas more often than not ends up being helpful.

5. Measure Progress

The final step is simple and perhaps the most important: “To stay focused on your objectives and goals, monitor your progress semi-annually.” Yes, it is that straightforward. Diversity is not a simple checklist but a practice. Are the demographics improving and representing the community that the organization serves? Are individuals from diverse groups being appropriately represented? Are their ideas being heard and implemented? Are these individuals staying on? Are they reporting any issues? Keeping track of progress is thus the ultimate step to truly diversifying a board of directors.

While the task of diversifying boards of directors may seem daunting, it is a necessary one, and only through active change can it be accomplished.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

4 Tips To Boost Morale During Uncertain Times

When the future seems uncertain, it is important to first and foremost be genuine and empathetic. As a leader, these qualities are critical for building a connected and engaged team. With these characteristics in mind, there are several ways we can boost morale and inspire, motivate, and engage the team during turbulent times.

1. Building trust and promoting honesty are the foundations of a strong team. Showing the team we are committed to them and communicating directly and clearly are great ways to foster these relationships. When the team feels prioritized, they will feel motivated. On the other hand, manipulating the team or making misleading promises is the quickest way to lose trust and respect as a leader.

2. When we talk about what it means to be empathetic and how we can put the team first, we can start by taking a step back and recognizing that everyone we work with is human. We all have worries, fears, and difficulties in our personal lives. Make sure to check in regularly and spend one-on-one time with each employee to better understand their situation. When we speak with our employees, we can work with them to find potential solutions and, when possible, create more flexibility with their situation. Showing this type of commitment is a great way to connect and motivate the team.

3. Motivation is a great way to empower individuals, but boosting morale also means empowering the entire team. We can do this by building a sense of togetherness and inspiring collaboration. Show employees how their role contributes to the bigger picture and reinforce that the team excels when we all work together. Instilling this sense of togetherness will engage the team and encourage them to take ownership of their individual roles.

4. With everything we do, we should inspire hope in our team by having conversations about the future. While it is important to recognize that times may be tough, we need to then guide the team to focus on future opportunities to help everyone see beyond today’s challenges and keep the bigger picture in mind. Sharing potential new opportunities and remaining positive will help to motivate and inspire.

What about you? What are you doing to boost morale within your team during these uncertain times?

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

5 Tips for Diversifying Board of Directors

In today’s climate, it is common to hear the phrase “we need to diversify,” particularly at upper corporate levels. Namely: the board of directors. But despite the increased citation of this desire, diversity within boards of directors is not yet commonplace. According to a fall 2020 analysis of the 3,000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies conducted by the Institutional Shareholder Services’ ESG division:

“[J]ust 12.5% of board directors were from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, up from 10% in 2015. The report also found that only 4% of directors were Black (up from 3% in 2015), while female directors held 21% of board seats (up from 13% in 2015).”

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, there were increases in the number of women and racial minorities appointed to Fortune 500 boards, but the majority of directors are still white men. How can this issue of homogeneity be adjusted? Fortunately, there are five crucial steps boards of directors can take to ensure diversity in their ranks:

1. Analyze the Demographics

In order to improve diversity within a board of directors, the board must know where their organization stands. First, look at the racial, ethnic, gender, etc. demographics of the board. Second, look at these same demographics within the community as a whole. What groups are disproportionately represented? Underrepresented? How drastic is this difference? Once a gap in diversity is identified, work can begin on deciphering why this gap exists, and from there a board can begin searching for solutions to resolve it.

2. Offer Training

This step is essential to understand how beneficial diversity is to an organization. By offering diversity training, individuals will better understand why diversity is so crucial in the first place. On a similar note, unconscious bias training is also important, as it helps combat internalized prejudices all individuals have, be they aware of them or not. How? Because “[u]nconscious bias can shape all aspects of the hiring and recruiting process, from the way openings at your organization are posted to the experience employees or board members have once they’re selected.” While no individual can ever be free of bias, making people aware of their biases will allow for implementation of genuine diversity in these upper levels.

3. Expand Your Candidate Pool

When appointing boards of directors, many organizations appoint retired executives. However, appointing active executives is also beneficial, as they are more aware of current situations evolving around them (e.g. in a market, with COVID-19, etc.). Similarly, when appointing new members to a board of directors, an organization should broaden their horizons beyond accepting referrals from current members, as people tend to have connections with individuals similar to them. Consequently, a board is unlikely to see an increase in true diversity with applicants garnered through such narrow recommendations. Expanding the pool of candidates is a simple yet effective way of diversifying a board.

4. Avoid Tokenism

As aforementioned, some boards are interested in diversity only for appearances’ sake. Diversity and unconscious bias training are key ways to address this issue, but another important tactic is ensuring new voices make up at least 30% of the total in a group. By doing so, a board not only avoids tokenism in appearance, but also in practice, as these new members will feel less isolated and therefore will likely be more encouraged to speak their minds. As stated earlier, increased diversity leads to increased innovation, meaning hearing these new ideas more often than not ends up being helpful.

5. Measure Progress

The final step is simple and perhaps the most important: “To stay focused on your objectives and goals, monitor your progress semi-annually.” Yes, it is that straightforward. Diversity is not a simple checklist but a practice. Are the demographics improving and representing the community that the organization serves? Are individuals from diverse groups being appropriately represented? Are their ideas being heard and implemented? Are these individuals staying on? Are they reporting any issues? Keeping track of progress is thus the ultimate step to truly diversifying a board of directors.

While the task of diversifying boards of directors may seem daunting, it is a necessary one, and only through active change can it be accomplished.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

The Customer is NOT Always Right

Many organizations tout the mantra “the customer is always right.” And while they pursue diversity and inclusion initiatives amongst their employees, they are not always able to enforce that same level of respect from their customers. At hospitals, bigoted patients might see an overweight nurse and request that they be seen by a “thinner” nurse. Other patients have turned their noses up at a Black nurse, demanding that they wanted a white nurse instead. Such hateful rhetoric is not limited to the healthcare sector. At a bank, a customer encountered a Black teller and insisted they would rather wait for a white teller to assist them. Another customer even went so far as to refer to their Black teller as the n-slur. It is evident in these scenarios and too many others like it that the customer is not always right. The question, then, is how companies can create respectful, inclusive environments where their employees feel safe without the fear of losing business. Moreover, how can they create environments where their customers treat employees with the respect everyone deserves to receive.

An important solution is in the language. Instead of being complacent with the notion that “the customer is always right,” organizations can and should articulate specific statements that assert their expectations for customer behavior towards employees. The following companies have mastered the appropriate language, emphasizing that they will not tolerate harassment of employees from their clients:

An airline:

“Your safety and comfort – and that of our team members – are our top priority. We expect our team members to care for our customers with respect. We also expect our customers to interact with our team members and other customers with respect. If you act in a violent or inappropriate manner, you will not be able to continue your journey with us.”

Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge:

“Women’s Hospital has zero-tolerance for threatening or aggressive behavior. Disruptive visitors will be asked to leave.

Staff is supported in pressing charges for aggressive behavior they encounter while caring for patients.

Incidents may result in removal and possible prosecution.”

Cardiovascular Institute of the South:

“CIS fosters a safe, kind and secure environment for our patients, visitors and team members. We hold ourselves to these standards of behavior, and we kindly ask for your courtesy and respect in doing the same.

We ask that you:

• Show courtesy and respect

• Be appropriate in language, tone and interactions

• Abide by public health rules

• Be an active participants in your plan of care

Please refrain from:

• Discriminatory language

• Rude, threatening or demeaning language or tone

• Profanity

• Verbal harassment”

These statements have important qualities in common.

1. Emphasize the need for mutual respect between customers and employees.

2. Specify that aggressive and hateful behavior will not be tolerated from workers or customers.

3. State outright that there will be consequences for individuals who do not meet these expectations, from as simple as a customer being asked to leave to as drastic as legal prosecution.

The specificity of the languages leaves no room for misinterpretation. By setting firm guidelines, these organizations are being intentional in generate environments of true inclusion, where respect is fostered with every interaction on all levels.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company. Her mission is providing guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within their organization.

Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential.

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"Every Eagle Needs a Push"

When I first moved to the US, one of the first phrases I heard that stuck with me was every eagle needs a push. Something about this phrase spoke to me, and it was later that I discovered the story behind it and even a book written about it.

In the world of eagles, mama eagles build their nests at the tops of mountains to hatch and grow their eaglets. These young eagles grow in treacherous conditions, shrouded in mountain mist, foliage, and other wildlife while their mama stays nearby to protect them. 

However, when it is finally time for them to learn how to spread their wings and learn how to fly, the mama eagle gathers her squawking eaglets, and one by one, with no warning, she pushes them off the mountain! 

Now, you may be thinking, how cruel of the mother! But in reality, the initial push – as challenging, terrifying, and risky as it may be – is exactly what these eaglets need to develop sinewy, strong wing muscles and take flight. 

In my coaching work, I meet people everyday that have been metaphorically trapped on their own mountaintops for many, many, many years, and they have not yet mustered the courage needed to build their wings and fly. They are haunted by fear, which results in them losing themselves and missing out on opportunities. Whether it’s through our own will or with the help of a coach, we need to push ourselves into the unknown. 

For those of us in leadership roles, this lesson applies toward the teams we lead as well. Our team will thrive as long as we continue to push and challenge them into uncharted territory. As leaders, we need to be like the mama eagle. Imagine how scared she must feel when she pushes her babies off the mountain. She has to put immense trust in their capability to soar because it is the only way to empower them to discover their potential. 

It may be frightening, but in the end, there is no greater feeling than the unbridled sensation of growth, so why not take the leap?

Tips for Networking

DimaGhawi.com

Originally published by The Baton Rouge Business Report.

OK ladies, let’s talk about networking. We all know that hard work and dedication to “the company” simply aren’t enough. Building mutually beneficial and trustful relationships opens new doors that expedite career and business growth. The good news is that as women, we naturally gravitate toward building such meaningful relationships. The secret is to integrate it as part of our daily work and career goals.

Seven tips that I learned over the years and found helpful:

1. Every conversation is an opportunity to form a new connection. We are networking daily with every interaction—with co-workers, neighbors, and even when standing in line at the grocery store. In addition to meeting new people, it is critical to nurture existing relationships by staying in touch and always offering support. Focus on what you can contribute to your existing and new connections instead of just what you need their help with.
2. Define your career goals and create your networking plan. Identify what you want to achieve in the next X number years, then start establishing meaningful business relationships that would help you along the way.
3. Create a quarterly networking plan that specifies the professional meetings, email follow-ups, a list of people you want to schedule phone calls with or invite for coffee at Magpie. Make it a habit to mark these plans on your calendar and give them a priority.
4. Network with decision makers within your company. Many employees are unfamiliar with other areas of the business outside their core team. Periodically, identify a manager from a different department and request a 30-minute one-on-one introduction meeting. Prepare questions to learn about the manager’s role and background and the department’s mission. This will enable you to develop a cross-functional understanding of the business while building new strategic relationships. Most managers are usually happy to help and appreciate the curiosity.
5. Social media is a powerful tool for network expansion. Repurposing just a few minutes of your Instagram or Facebook time can really pay off. LinkedIn has groups for every aspect of business that attract individuals globally with a similar focus. Get engaged in group discussions, provide comments, post ideas and virtually meet other members. Take the opportunity to evolve the most promising virtual contacts by scheduling a phone call or meet them in person if they live close.
6. Volunteering and supporting a cause you are passionate about is also an effective and less intimidating way for meeting like-minded people. Volunteers are brought together by a common interest, which makes it easier to start conversations and connect while giving back to the community.
7. Find opportunities to introduce your existing contacts to each other that have similar interests and backgrounds. Being the connector not only feels good, but it also will ultimately strengthen your core network and expand it.

Now, when you hear the words “networking event,” the first image that may come to your mind is a huge bright room, filled with strangers, all professionally dressed and wearing name tags, forming small discussion circles, and exchanging well-rehearsed elevator pitches followed by colorful rectangular business cards. As you walk in, you carefully scan the room nervously hoping to find a familiar face, and wondering how to join in one of the group discussions. Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Seven tips for navigating at networking events:

1. Some may recommend attending these events alone to motivate you to meet new people, which has merit. But, let’s face it, if you are not comfortable with attending alone, don’t miss out completely!Invite a co-worker to go with you. A familiar face can be comforting as long as you both focus on supporting each other to meet new contacts while networking together.
2. Arrive early. This gives you the opportunity to meet and connect in a smaller group before everyone else arrives. It is less intimidating than entering a crowded room and trying to break into an ongoing conversation.
3. Attend events with topics that excite you, and participate because of your desire to learn. This will reduce the stress related to networking. Instead, meeting new people with similar interests becomes a byproduct.
4. Have a professional business handshake. Make it firm while maintaining eye contact. Your handshake is critical for building a good first impression and demonstrating confidence.
5. Be present, listen, ask questions and show genuine curiosity to learn about the people you meet. Silence two distractions: the cellphone ringing in your purse, and the internal voice wondering “who should I talk to next.”
6. Follow up within two days with the new contacts that you want to stay in touch with. Send them a personalized email, or even mail a hand-written letter. Send a LinkedIn connection request and include a lagniappe of an article or a resource that is related to the discussion you had.
7. Enjoy yourself and have fun.

Men and women alike, we all know that we prefer to do business with people that we like and trust. Professional networking is how we get there. These tips use the power of connection to add value to your meaningful relationships and encourage you to be generous in offering help. Use a mix of networking methods that fit your personality. Be diligent and align your networking plan with your career goals. Most importantly, enjoy the process and make new friends.

For more information about Dima's leadership speaking, training, and coaching, visit DimaGhawi.com