What Does Non-Binary Mean?

Gender equality has always been a strong part of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. However, current shifts in gender inclusivity have added new topics to this discussion. Growing communities of gender non-conforming and transgender individuals have expanded the male and female dynamics. One of the most common gender identifications is non-binary. These individuals do not consider themselves to be simply male or female; rather, their identity falls between these labels on the gender spectrum.

Non-binary describes any individual who does not exclusively identify as a man or a woman. This gender may mix and match characteristics from either gender, lean towards one side of the gender spectrum, or distance themselves from male and female traits completely. It is not always possible to label someone as non-binary simply from their clothes, hair, or body parts. Instead, allow those around you to come out as non-binary and share which pronouns they prefer. Oftentimes these individuals will use they/them terms or a combination of gendered and non-gendered pronouns, like she/they. Each non-binary person is different and will have a unique version of their gender expression. If you find yourself confused, consider delving deeper into credible research about gender identities, listening to the stories from non-binary speakers, or approaching your gender non-conforming team members with polite and curious questions. 

When in the workplace, respect should always be the number one priority. Some non-binary employees will be open to sharing their stories and proudly display their pronouns, but others may be more reserved and closeted. Meet these team members where they are and ensure that they feel valued and understood. Most importantly, listen when gender non-conforming individuals divulge their experiences and take their words to heart. Ease their work lives by using the correct pronouns for coworkers. Over 30% of the LGBTQ+ community has reported that being repeatedly misgendered elicits feelings of depression, doubt, and anxiety (Healthline). As allies, we can incite inclusion through intentional language and caring actions, fostering a welcoming workplace for non-binary team members.  

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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. For more information, visit DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Four Tips for Creating a DEI Council Charter

            When founding a DEI Council, one of the most integral elements to discuss is the creation of a charter. This document will help guide the group’s meetings, decisions, and initiatives from its conception throughout its future work. A successful DEI Charter interweaves several elements, including a strong mission statement, related goals, leadership assignments, and membership requirements. Through this article, I share the benefits of designing and implementing a charter and breakdown the central tenets of this initiative. 

1.  One of the first things a DEI Council should consider is its mission statement. This set of phrases lays the foundation for all initiatives to come. When dividing the mission statement, consider incorporating key language from the organization’s DEI strategy as well as the central mission of the company itself. Through this piece, we establish the sentiments which will underscore all future efforts of the DEI Council. First, evaluate the general values and goals of the group and devise language that encompasses these ideas into a defined and uniting statement. The following stages of the DEI charter will fall into place under this guiding light.

2. After a strong and clear mission statement has been established, begin listing understandable and achievable goals for the council. Consider employing SMART goals or objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. This step ensures that future initiatives will align with the organization’s mission and create measurable positive change. Attempt to break down larger goals, like increasing the culture of inclusion in the company, into achievable objectives. These smaller and more manageable programs and initiatives will help the council efficiently dedicate their time and resources to achieving their monumental milestones. With the combination of workable projects and affiliated goals, the charter defines the DEI Council’s critical responsibilities and emphasizes positive progress. 

3. Another important aspect of a DEI Council is leadership. In the charter, make sure to include a clear definition of these positions with detailed descriptions of roles and responsibilities. These statements will establish and support the backbone of leadership for the group. While in this section, give some thought to the technicalities of term lengths, elections processes, and committees. I strongly recommend including smaller leadership opportunities to encourage members to develop their communication and interpersonal skills. Additionally, these roles will allow current chairs and officers to recognize and groom organizational talent for upcoming leadership positions. By determining these aspects of the council early on, future transfers of power and leadership changes will progress more smoothly. 

4. The DEI Council charter should establish the central tenets and responsibilities for members. These are enthusiastic about increasing diversity within the organization but may not have the time necessary to serve as council leadership. Similar to the previous section, consider the election of members into the council, expected contributions, and their term lengths — should these be longer, shorter, or the same as leadership term lengths? The answer to these questions revolves around your company’s ideals, employee availability, and DEI strategy. Lastly, establish membership diversity as an integral aspect of the DEI Council. At all times, the council should accurately represent the employee base that they serve. This means a diverse demographic foundation with contributions from different races, genders, generations, and even departments. By integrating these tenants into the DEI Council charter, we ensure that members will remain committed, passionate, and dedicated to elevating diversity and inclusion within the workplace. 

While founding a DEI Council may be daunting, creating a solid charter will provide organizational leadership and future council members with the necessary guidance to enact change and positive progress. Upon establishing the council, set a preliminary meeting aside to either discuss or draft the charter together. Through this act, we gain the support and involvement of employees and move towards a greater understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

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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. For more information, visit DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Tom Cruise’s Bold Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Stance

This past week, actor Tom Cruise astonishingly returned his three Golden Globe awards to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The reason for this action: a stunning lack of diversity and inclusion within the HFPA has led to nationwide criticism of the awards show. This situation emphasizes the importance of intentional action as we create both diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Each one of us has a choice. We can choose whether or not to participate in a system that suppresses and discriminates against others. When confronting this predicament, Tom Cruise chose a reassuring path that emphasizes the three Cs of inclusion, renouncing the titles given by a discriminatory organization and showing us that we, too, can create progress.

• This change starts by being curious and questioning why things are the way they are. In regards to the Golden Globes, Tom Cruise opened his mind to critical thinking and asked why, in 2021, there was still a distinct lack of Black members in the HFPA.

•  Being an ally and driving change requires courage, as exemplified by Tom Cruise’s bold actions. Allyship means being intentionally inclusive and saying “NO” to the old ways of suppression, even if this takes the form of prestigious awards. We each have a role to play, and that will involve bravery from each one of us. 

• Continuing to increase awareness calls for commitment. We must continue the momentum of this moment to break from the old ways of discrimination. From small daily changes to famous actors making a statement, we have to dedicate ourselves to this movement to ensure success. 

There is a ripple effect in Hollywood, resulting in companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Warner Brothers boycotting the Golden Globe awards. These boycotts grew into a massive wave demanding change as NBC announced the cancellation of the 2022 awards ceremony, calling for immense change within the HFPA. Through this messaging, NBC and other organizations have demonstrated the importance of standing up for diversity and inclusion. This event illuminates the power that organizations have to create change and illustrates the intentional commitments we must make to ensure inclusion. 

Stories like this excite me because they create a strong positive ripple effect that challenges oppression and helps to increase awareness. By channeling this progress, we can continue the momentum of change and champion the values of DEI on a larger platform. Through this event, we see the power of both the individual and the organization as a whole to create impactful change and motivate positive progress. 

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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.

Uncover Your Unconscious Biases

Unconscious biases are subliminal prejudices that influence the way we make decisions. These practices often negatively impact our businesses, leading to an unhealthy workplace. We each have over 180 biases. In this blog, I share information about fifteen of the most common ones and provide examples for each. With the knowledge of these biases, we can begin the conversations needed to create an inclusive workplace for all. 

Affinity Bias: Responding more positively to individuals with a similar race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

 A supervisor is considering employees for a promotion. One team member reminds the manager of themselves when they were just starting out in the field. Based on this information, the supervisor promotes this employee. 

Anchoring Effect: Relying too heavily on the first piece of information offered 

A manager reviewing resumes for possible candidates notices that one individual attended an Ivy League college. Without reading the rest of the resume, the manager offers the candidate an interview. 

Bandwagon Effect: Jumping on board with something primarily because other people are doing it

When making corporate decisions, managers are swayed to agree with large groups and fail to discuss unique options. 

Beauty Bias: Prejudices based upon the attractiveness, superficial personality, or physical appearance of an individual 

A survey of Fortune 500 companies found that male CEOs are 2.5 inches taller than the average man. People unconsciously perceived tall men as powerful, smart, and capable when compared to shorter men.

Confirmation Bias: Seeking information that supports one’s beliefs and ignoring details to the contrary

A CEO who believes the organization does not need to improve diversity and inclusion conducts a workplace survey to investigate the status of diversity and inclusion. When reviewing the results, the CEO highlights and reports all the positive comments and overlooks areas of improvement. 

Guilty By Association: Unfairly judging individuals by the company they keep 

A new employee is assigned a desk next to known slackers in the office. After some time, the employee becomes friends with these individuals, and the manager notices. In performance evaluations, the manager penalizes the new employee for being a slacker, even though they have met all deadlines.  

Hasty Generalization: Making a large claim based on a small amount of information

A supervisor has a team of 300 employees. When conducting a workplace survey, the manager only asks three employees for their opinions. The manager then makes executive decisions based on this small sample size. 

Halo/Horn Effect: Allowing impressions of an individual in one area to influence the overall impression

A manager invites two equally high-performing employees to an upper management meeting. One comes dressed in a well-tailored suit, while the other wears slacks and a button-down. The upper management team believes that the employee in the tailored suit is a more effective employee and should be promoted, while a performance review should be conducted of the other employee.

Herd Mentality: Adopting specific thoughts, prejudices, or behaviors to fit in with a certain group of individuals

A manager joins a company with a pervasive sexist office culture. When given the chance to hire a new team member, the manager only interviews men for the position and unconsciously disregards female applicants.

Hindsight Bias: Believing that a past event was predicted without any reasoning or evidence 

A candidate fails to prepare for a job interview and has a bad interaction with the hiring manager. When the candidate does not get a job offer, they insist that they wouldn’t have been hired anyway. 

Negativity Bias: Allowing adverse events to overshadow equal positive events 

Employees have three great quarters and one quarter below average. In performance reviews, the manager focuses the majority of their evaluation on the negative quarter. 

Optimism/Pessimism Bias: The likelihood to overestimate a positive/negative outcome based on attitude

In the morning, news is shared that the company met all its deadlines and goals and saved money over the past fiscal year. In the afternoon, during a team meeting, the marketing plan for the following year is discussed. Exciting and innovative ideas are presented that will use the entire year’s budget by the second quarter. Everyone is excited and sees the rewards from this plan and gets started right away.

A hiring manager is late to work due to a flat tire. After getting in, they only have a few minutes before an interview. They doubt that the candidate will be hired and think they will need to start the search from all over.

Self-Serving Bias: Taking personal credit for positive events but blaming outside forces for negative events

When getting a promotion, an employee states it is all because of their hard work and diligent effort; however, when falling short of a deadline, the employee blames faults on their team members. 

A manager takes credit for a great quarter of sales but blames their team for the following below average quarter. 

Slippery Slope Fallacy: Rejecting an idea with little to no evidence simply because someone insists it will lead to an adverse major event

A prejudiced supervisor arguing that hiring one minority employee will lead to the deterioration of company culture and, eventually, the fall of the organization. 

Stereotypes: Overgeneralized beliefs about a particular group of people

 A manager assumes that an Asian employee is good with math and assigns them to certain projects because of this belief. This practice prevents the manager from realizing the employee’s real strengths and viewing all team members equally. 

These definitions and examples allow us to spot biases and accurately correct injustices. With this information, we can strengthen our culture of inclusion and empower employees with a deeper understanding of biases. By increasing our awareness of discrimination, we prevent negativity from subliminally spreading within our workplaces. 

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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.

Emotional Intelligence Videos

Tips For Establishing a DEI Council

Establishing a DEI Council makes it possible to ensure a dedicated focus on DEI priorities. This selected group of employees, including executive sponsors, is responsible for setting the short and long-term initiatives identified by the organization, creating DEI programs, and managing their implementation. The DEI Council is a structured and collaborative way to get employees from across the organization to lead, participate in, and own the DEI initiatives. While this council supports the success of DEI efforts, it also provides personal development opportunities and visibility for its members. 

For the DEI Council to be effective, we need to ensure:

• Support from senior leadership.

• A composition of diverse members from different ethnicities, gender, generation, department, and other dimensions of diversity.

• Clear goals and expectations, structure, and leadership.

• An understanding of their roles as an advisory group and the DEI initiatives-focused team.

• Estimated time commitment: 2-3 hours per week per member. For employees that are billable, ensure that the organization issues a DEI non-billable code.

• A dedicated annual budget to support the DEI Council initiatives.

• An actionable project plan and metrics to track progress.

• An effective council chair and leadership team, rotating the responsibility for creating the meeting agenda and taking minutes.

These eight puzzle pieces come together to create an efficient, representative, and dedicated DEI Council for any organization. By gaining the support of executives and incorporating the advice from employees, we can revolutionize our view of DEI, creating more diversity than ever before. Through the implementation of a DEI Council, our organizations can constantly progress towards a brighter and more inclusive future.  

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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.

Main Areas of Focus in a DEI Strategy

Embarking on the journey of increasing diversity and fostering inclusion in the workplace can seem daunting. However, with a well-defined diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy, we can establish a clear plan to execute our DEI vision. To fully ingrain DEI into our businesses, we must integrate our inclusion efforts into all aspects of the organization. Through this blog, I will share key internal and external ways to incorporate diversity into our businesses.

Here are some areas to look into as we put together a DEI Strategy for our organizations:

Internal communications: Ensure the leadership team communicates the company’s focus on DEI in its corporate values, mission statement, and other messaging within the organization. 

Feedback channels: Implement ways for employees to share ideas for increasing DEI or to express concerns about discrimination and harassment in the workplace. 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Create ERGs to bring together employees with similar backgrounds, such as women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and emerging professionals. The most effective ERGs are inclusive and open to everyone – both members and allies.

Recruitment: Determine the most common barriers that affect recruiting historically marginalized groups and seek a diverse pool of candidates. Offering unconscious bias training to hiring managers supports diverse recruitment efforts.

Talent pipeline: Create a talent pipeline to develop diverse candidates for future leadership roles, and ensure underrepresented employees are included in mentorship programs. 

Ongoing workshops: Provide ongoing workshops regarding DEI topics like unconscious bias, working across generations, and handling discrimination case studies.

Roundtable discussions: Plan monthly small group roundtable discussions with executive team members and a diverse group of employees to gain input on workplace culture in relation to inclusion. 

Leadership Compensation: Include the focus on DEI in the leadership team’s performance evaluation and compensation plans. 

In addition to making improvements within the organization, we can exhibit our DEI commitments externally:

External communications and branding: Share the company’s focus on DEI by stating the commitment on the website and through social media posts.

Community engagement: Encourage employees to volunteer with associations and universities serving historically underrepresented groups. 

Putting together and implementing a DEI strategy can feel overwhelming since it needs to be integrated throughout all aspects of an organization. The best way to tackle this process is through a phased approach. We begin by identifying and implementing the low hanging fruits:  initiatives that are easier to start implementing. What matters is creating momentum and gaining buy-in. That is when we are able to foster real long-term change in our workplace and surrounding communities. 

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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.

Understanding your Audience

To create an immersive and informative presentation, we must first reach our audience. Engaging our audience may be the most critical part of our work as each individual has their own background, interest level, and motivation to learn from our presentation. However, there is a simple guide to establishing a unique, entertaining, and informational speech by catering to four distinct groups of people.  

• The first group are individuals who focus on the big picture. Think of a busy CEO who is interested in getting the most out of your presentation with the least amount of time commitment. These people search for key statements supported by bottom-line results. By including a mission statement or central theory at the start of our presentation, we can reel these big picture audience members in, enticing them with the important facts and then delivering relevant details.  

• Next are individuals who are exactly the opposite! These audience members are process oriented, searching for data, statistics, and spreadsheets that backup our claims. These are the analysts who love to get into the nitty gritty and pick apart the problem themselves. In order to reach these audience members, I would recommend including a few impactful pieces of research throughout your presentation. By calling attention to reputable sources and intriguing results, we catch the attention of these detail-driven groups. Finally, include links to data or provide a handout to share the complexities of the presentation. Through this process, we can capture the attention of both the big-picture and the little-details audience members. 

• Following these two groups are the collaborative thinkers. Similar to those obsessed with details, these individuals care about the step by step process of our presentations, emphasizing the usage of communication and teamwork to achieve the ultimate solution. This group may be filled with team leaders or conflict mediators interested in working with their group to implement the strategies we share. To attain their attention, discuss small but actionable changes that can be made to reach an eventual goal. These individuals will take your tips to heart and share them with members of their organization, spreading knowledge and inciting change!

• Finally, we have our audience members interested in the overall impact of the presentation. These are individuals focused on innovating their office culture. To reach this group, we can close our presentation with insights into how our presentation can change the team, organizational, or even global environment. Highlight how the central themes of our presentation can be used to solve problems in the workplace and surrounding community. Through this process, we illustrate the ripple effect our speech can have on their lives. 

To summarize these tips, here are four main ways to reach these distinct groups in your presentations: 

1.     Start with a bang!

A high-level main message will call your big thinkers to attention, ensuring that they are captivated immediately.

2.     Showcase our knowledge 

Throughout our presentation, we can expand our viewer’s knowledge and explain important facts and figures. These bits of information will grasp detail-driven audience members and increase our credibility.  

3.     Share the process

To create a relatable and influential presentation, we must share actionable tips which can be used to create an impactful change. Process-oriented individuals will latch onto these descriptions and implement our advice in the future!

4.     Create an Impactful Closing 

By tying our presentations to their personal, professional, and cultural effects, we highlight the advantages of actively employing our techniques in the workplace. While this ending will enrapture all audience members, it specifically fuels the impact focused individuals by showing their potential for change. 

Each time I give a presentation, I keep these four groups in mind, working through my four steps to ensure that I meet the needs of each and every audience member. This advice helps to create more engaging and interesting presentations that accomplish the ultimate goal of informing and inspiring our viewers to make a change.

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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.

8 Tips for Managing Your Fear of Public Speaking

Imagine just as you’re about to begin your daily tasks, you hear the footsteps of your supervisor approaching you. They ask you to give an engaging presentation about a project you’ve been working on. Your face flushes and your heart begins to race as you picture yourself on a massive stage looking out into a sea of blank faces. But, what if you didn’t have to feel like this? What if you could meet the challenge of public speaking with excitement and confidence? Here are eight tips for understanding and overcoming your fear of public speaking.

1. It's all normal

The fear of public speaking affects nearly 75% of the world’s population, so it’s important to remember that this anxiety is completely normal (PSYCOM). It can be difficult to picture yourself in the same position as Barack Obama, Simon Sinek, or colleagues who seem like naturally gifted speakers; however, nearly everyone gets the jitters before delivering an important address. The first step to overcome this fear is acknowledging that our feelings are completely normal. After that, we can begin to overcome our anxieties with courageous action! In this case, practice is the key. Practice, practice, practice! Feel the fear and speak anyway. 

2. Prepare a question

If I feel particularly anxious about a presentation, I have learned to ask the audience an open-ended question at the beginning of my talk. This first step allows the audience to connect with me and activate their brains for my upcoming talking points. As they answer my question, I can take a moment to catch my breath before starting my talk. Through this method, we can overcome that initial surge of stage fright and begin to form an engaging interaction with our audience. 

3. Focus on the value

My first speaking coach shared a powerful statement with me: Your talk is not about you; it’s about the value you have to offer to your audience. This message is a constant reminder that that the purpose of a talk is the value we share with our audience. Reframing the presentation in terms of the audience’s benefit emphasizes that the presentation is not about our fears and the audience judging us. Instead, we remember that our mission is to use our voices to share impactful information and educate, inspire, or incite change in our audience. 

4. Create your own ritual

Having a routine does wonders for managing anxiety before a presentation. This may be going to bed early the night before, avoiding salty foods, or doing yoga the morning of your talk! Our ritual could be anything that makes us feel calm and confident. By focusing on these activities, we can trick our brains into thinking we are in control of the day! Implementing and following through with an uplifting ritual helps our bodies feel at ease and gives our minds the space to prosper.

5. Arrive early

The smallest changes can truly increase our comfort level at stressful events. One of my biggest tips is to arrive even earlier than you usually would! This allows ample time to explore the space, test out equipment, and begin to feel at ease. Showing up early illustrates our preparedness and also provides us with time to evaluate our space and even relax. 

6. Visualize yourself

Throughout the hours, days, or weeks before my events, I like to actively visualize myself giving my talk. To do this, I close my eyes, relax my body, and imagine the sound of my name being introduced. In the mental image, I see myself walking confidently on stage, sharing my knowledge with the audience, engaging with viewers, ending my talk, and walking back to my seat. Through this process, we ease the anxiety of the unknown! By the time we actually give the talk, it will feel like we’ve had ample preparation, calming our nerves. Each time we visualize our speech, we grow more and more comfortable with this scary process and eventually overcome our fears!

7. Do a POWER pose

It may seem silly, but I personally have found doing POWER poses being very helpful. Standing straight and tall with arms akimbo, similar to Wonder Woman, may actually increase our levels of success! The TED talk by Amy Cuddy shares the power of body positioning and how being in an open body position can boost self-confidence. Instead of closing in, we need to expand outwards! By taking up more space we can subconsciously change our inner emotions for the better!  Before giving a talk, trying out some POWER poses my give us that extra edge to overcome our fears. 

8. Square Breathing

Simple breathing techniques can help decrease anxiety and depression and even boost our immune system (Harvard).  My favorite exercise is square breathing. This technique encourages level and controlled breathing sure decrease your stress levels. To start, breath in deeply for four seconds. Hold your breath for four seconds, and then breath out slowly for another four seconds. Hold your breath for another four seconds, and then repeat the process. By engaging in deep breathing, we take control of the anxiety levels in our body and almost force ourselves to calm down! This tip is the best way to calm the butterflies in your stomach before going on stage. 

With these eight tips, we can begin to gain control of our fear of public speaking. Sharing our ideas doesn’t have do be nerve-wracking, and I hope these techniques help increase your comfort levels and self-confidence. 

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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.

Terrified of Public Speaking? Here is What You can do about it

Many years ago, when I first started giving speeches, I was in my hotel room in Dubai on the morning of my first keynote address at a leadership conference. My eyes opened wide before my alarm clock sounded, my body was tense with anxiety and overcome with total terror.

I got out of bed in a panic and paced the room repeating, “I cannot give this presentation, I cannot give this presentation, …”

The thought of myself standing on stage in front of 200 people with blank stares quickly escalated my anxiety. So many “what ifs” swarmed my mind: “What if I lose my breath in front of everyone? What if I forget my points? What if the audience does not like it?”

I had traveled across the world from North Carolina to Dubai just for this conference. Changing my mind at the last minute was not an option. In the taxi on the way to the conference, I closed my eyes and prayed that the taxi would get in an accident so I had an excuse not to speak. Yes, I was that terrified and was desperate for any legitimate excuse to get me out of this speech.

The good news — my prayers were not answered and the taxi made it safely to the conference. However, I was visibly trembling in fear as I heard my name announced.

I took a deep breath and said to myself, “feel the fear and give the presentation anyway.” I walked on the stage still shaking, looked at the audience and trusted my mouth would say the words that I had prepared. After few minutes, I realized that even though it was still tough, the fear somehow started to fade once I connected with the audience. I started to feel a sense of joy-filled adrenaline.

Many years have passed since that terrifying morning, and I am now regularly speaking in front of new audiences all the time — even to audiences of thousands. The fear is still present, but over the years, I learned to transform that fear into power that motivates me.

I constantly meet people who avoid public speaking due to the same fear. Many of them do not realize that they are not alone and that this stage fright and fear of judgement is common. Many end up avoiding presenting at all, which yields horrible consequences for their career advancement.

If you are one of these people, here are some tips I learned over the years to help conquer stage fright:

1. Practice, practice, practice. Trust me, you will not be able to conquer the stage fright without actually speaking in public. Volunteer every time there is an opportunity for you to give a presentation. After you volunteer, make sure to practice in front of friends or co-workers. Practicing in a safe, judgement-free environment will help you prepare your body movements, eye contact, and using your visual presentation.

2. Don’t memorize your presentation. Memorization makes you more nervous and reciting by memory is boring for the audience. When you memorize a speech word-for-word the fear of forgetting becomes more overwhelming and makes you less comfortable giving your presentation. Instead, create an outline with one word for each main point that you want to cover, and get comfortable with the flow.

3. Focus on the value that you are delivering. Your presentation is not about what people think about you. Instead, it is about the positive value that you are bringing: new ideas, innovations, and products. Once the audience senses that you have value to offer, they will connect with you. This feeling of connection will put you at ease.

4. Create a ritual to do before each presentation. Some people need to calm down, sit in a quiet place, or do breathing exercises, while others need to feel energized and do physical activities that increase their energy. Find what works for you and create your own ritual.

5. Prepare a question. The best advice I ever received was to prepare a question ahead of time to ask the audience in case you lose your breath at the beginning of the presentation. While the audience is thinking about the question and answering it, that gives you few moments to catch your breath.

6. Go to the conference room early. Before anyone arrives, stand there, feel the environment, and practice your presentation. This will allow you to feel more comfortable with your surroundings.

7. Engage the audience. Initiate a discussion, make them laugh, and encourage them to share their experiences. The more you engage the audience, the less fearful you will be since you can now gauge how they are responding to your presentation.

8. Be open to feedback. It is okay for your presentation or speaking skills to not be perfect as long as you learn from the experience and are open to input so you can continue to improve. A great way to get feedback is to join a local Toastmasters chapter. It is the best environment to practice and receive constructive feedback from individuals who practice weekly.

So, next time you get the chance, say yes to public speaking and prepare with these eight tips. Remember, you can feel the fear and give the presentation anyway! You can do this!

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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.

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5 Questions for Entrepreneurs in 2021

As leaders, business professionals, and entrepreneurs, we must continuously evolve and improve our strategies, skills, and organizations. As the new year dawns, this is the perfect time for us to evaluate our businesses and make impactful changes for 2021. This reflective process allows us to gain a different perspective on our professional goals, and we may already have the answers within ourselves! However, to dig up these nuggets of knowledge, we must start asking questions, researching, and delving deeper into our organizations. This blog holds five questions that will help give our businesses an edge as we transition into the new year. 

1. How are we differentiating our businesses? 

This question enables us to look externally at competitors but also internally at our business offerings. Do we create something unique for our market? W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne’s book Blue Ocean Strategy describes this problem in a powerful metaphor. Think about the clients like fish in the ocean, while the competitors are like sharks. Where there are many sharks the water will turn red with blood as the they compete and chow down on their chosen meals. However, if we can swim out to areas with less or no sharks, we have a better chance of being seen and thriving in the clear waters. This translates to business by emphasizing how important it is to be unique. If thousands of organizations are fulfilling the same market place, it is time to differentiate our business! By being creative and come up with new offerings, we can separate ourselves from the crowd and truly shine for our potential customers. 

2. How are we diversifying our revenue?

As the pandemic hit, we were all faced with new and overwhelming challenges. Government-mandated closures and quarantine impacted many businesses like restaurants, event hosting, and retail. As a keynote speaker, I saw so many of my speaking engagement put on hold. If my business only depended on this aspect, I would have been devastated. However, by diversifying my business to include multiple services, I was able to stay afloat amid uncertainty. To branch out, we must first think about our skillset and knowledge areas. How can we incorporate this information into different products or services? Don’t be afraid to venture into new areas to expand the organization’s area of influence. This is a great chance to invest our time in creating unique offshoots of our current companies. 

3. What are we doing to position ourselves as thought leaders? 

As a leader or entrepreneur, it may be tempting to hide behind our brand and let our business take the front seat. However, if we have the confidence to become our brand, clients will flock to our business because of our personal qualities and values. Being a thought leader means being present in your community, supporting local organizations, and engaging in public events. Clients see us giving speeches at business conferences, posting informational videos, and participating in panels! We can use this visibility to boost our sales and services. I realize this is not always easy for some. If you are afraid of public speaking, you are not alone. There are so many resources that help us find our voice, including some of my blogs and my new Professional Speaking Program. By becoming a thought leader, our clients will begin to seek us out as well as the products we are offering. They will be more willing to try new services and remain loyal to our brands because of their personal connection. Our position as thought leaders allows us to expand our influence, inspire our community, and maintain our customer base. 

4. What are we doing to understand our clients better? 

While we all have a general understanding of our central market, new research is published each and every day about different demographics and their wants and needs. We must figure out the central issue our clients face and how we can be the best solution for their problems. For example, a large part of the consumers are Millennials and Gen Z. These generations make up 51% of the world population! If we do not have a strategy to reach these clients, we miss out on a large portion of our potential customers. One way to relate to these age groups is to incorporate a central meaning or purpose to our brands. These younger generations want to see how we are making a difference in the world. We can achieve this by highlighting our positive actions in our community, donating proceeds to a cause, and focusing on Diversity & Inclusion.

5. What are we doing to motivate our employees? 

In today’s socially distanced world, we must work harder to keep our team connected. With a lack of face-to-face communication, employees may feel disconnected from their supervisors, worrying about the state of the company and recent economic instability. We must make an intentional effort to value and support our team and initiate conversation with them. Communication and connection are essential to establish an open, inclusive, and productive workplace culture. In the coming year, we need to continue to embrace our team members and celebrate their achievements whenever possible. The stresses of the pandemic are as prevalent as ever, so remaining supportive and understanding is a necessity in 2021.

Give these five questions some thought. Maybe talk about them with your coworkers or write through your answers in a personal journal. Through these moments of introspection, we can come to a greater understanding of ourselves, our businesses, and our central mission for 2021.

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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.

How to Define a Vision and Bring It to Life

What would you do if you could achieve your biggest dreams? The truth is that we all have the power to live the life we want, but to do that, we need to define our vision, believe in it, and have the courage to pursue it.

 A vision is an image we have of the future, and a goal is a specific target that moves us toward that dream. Both are important, but we tend to get caught in the details, so taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture helps us to understand what our vision for the future looks like. Now is the perfect time to reassess what we want, who we want to be, and what new aspirations we may have for our lives. 

Here are three key steps on how to define a vision and bring it to life.

Visualizing the Life We Want

Visualization is a powerful exercise that allows us to imagine ourselves in a certain time and place. In fact, studies show that visualization can lead to positive outcomes as effectively as actual practice. We can also think bigger and use this technique to build a vision for our life.

Many of us are going through change, and this presents an opportunity to think about what we want our life to look like. But what if we don’t know exactly what we want? We can use methods like “100 Questions” and the “I Want” list to clear our minds and focus on what matters most.

The 100 Questions Method

In the book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, Michael J. Gelb suggests we write down 100 questions about anything that comes to mind. The more we write, the more we are able to dig deeper and reflect on what is important to us. Our questions – especially those that are repeated or rephrased – will reveal interesting themes, and picking out the 10 most powerful ones will lead to a better understanding of our aspirations and fears.

The “I Want” List:

in The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, Jack Canfield recommends writing three lists: 30 things you want to do, 30 things you want to have, and 30 things you want to be before you die. This exercise provides more clarity about our vision as we focus on specific actions, items, and accomplishments we’d like to achieve.

Whether we are asking questions, making lists, or journaling, let’s give ourselves permission to dream without limitation!

Dig Deeper and Ask “Why”

After picturing our ideal life, it is important to think deeper and ask WHY. Why do these things matter to us? Reflecting on our motives ensures we are concentrating on our own hopes and desires, instead of others’ expectations. It can be easy to dwell on comparisons, but seeking what others have will only cloud our vision and lead us off path. We deserve to pursue our own dreams and accomplish great things. Asking “why” helps us to better understand our unique ambitions and to cast away fear, guilt, and worries about what others might think.

See It, Believe It, Act on It

Once we define our vision, we then need to believe we can achieve it and act on it. Seeing helps us to believe, and we can bring our dreams to life by drawing in a journal or creating a vision board. A vision board is a collage of magazine clippings, pictures, or quotes that depicts our hopes and desires, whether that’s a community of friends and family, a nice brick house with a yard, or a trip to New York City. Capturing our biggest aspirations in a journal or on a vision board helps us to see what our life could look like, and it allows us to truly believe in it. Then, our actions are the only thing between us and our ideal life. If we really want to achieve our dreams, we have to be open to change, and act with intention. 

Defining a vision takes time, reflection, and self-belief. When we think deeply about what we want, it is important to trust our intuition. We know ourselves best, and our vision is unique to our needs and ambitions. Let’s cast aside limiting thoughts and instead embrace our dreams, knowing that we deserve to succeed. Most of all, let’s be creative and enjoy the process. We should all dream about the life we want without holding back!

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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.

Personal Actions to Increase Diversity and Inclusion

As the world is changing, businesses are evolving to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their core statements and missions. As individuals, we can also take actionable steps towards increasing inclusion within our daily lives. If companies are dragging their feet in committing to positive reform, do not be afraid to harness your power to create change. This blog will share impactful tips for creating a safe space for our minority coworkers, friends, and family.

Question our Biases

To incite powerful change, we must first look inwards and consider our own biases. Whether conscious or unconscious, everyone holds their own preferences from past interactions, stereotypes, and media. We must take the time to intentionally evaluate our internal prejudices and consider how these thoughts influence our daily interactions. By questioning how we engage with the people around us, we can increase our self-awareness. By becoming more observant of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, we begin to manage our inner biases and challenge our negative assumptions. 

Observe our Language

This step is all about creating a safe and inclusive space for minorities who may be negatively affected by our unintentional word choice. Think about this question: Would you like to be on a blacklist? No, of course not! Blacklists come with the connotation of exclusion, isolation, and negativity. What about being on a ‘whitelist’? This term describes groups of people who are deemed to be acceptable and trustworthy. This not so subtle color iconography can hurt minority groups around us by perpetuating racist stereotypes. 

Another example is the “master bedroom.” While this term may be familiar, many forget that it has ties to slavery. As of 2020, many real estate companies have actually removed the usage of “master bedroom” from their online listings to create a more comfortable buying experience for clients. We must be careful and conscious about our word choice and language. While some may see this as an inconvenience, I see it as an opportunity to protect and support minority groups. These small changes are overwhelmingly worth it to make those around us feel comfortable. Remember, words have power!

Replace Fear with Curiosity

A recent research study showed participants pictures of unfamiliar faces and tracked their neural responses. When individuals were shown faces from people of color, the fear center of the brain lit up! However, if participants were given a new face with a short story about the person, the fear response decreased incredibly. By increasing our curiosity and exposure to unique people, we can replace this alarm with comfort and acceptance. By learning about minority groups and their history in America, we begin to understand the hardships they have faced and the systematic oppression that stands in their way. This knowledge empowers us to break through biases and stereotypes and forge an inclusive environment. 

Get Connected

COVID-19 has driven a wedge in so many of our personal and business relationships. With the constant usage of face coverings, shift to the virtual sphere, and community lockdowns, we are now limited in our social interaction choices. By connecting with old friends and establishing new relationships with diverse individuals, we can extend our social circles and learn more about minority communities. Getting to know people from different backgrounds helps us better understand their stories, hardships, and uniqueness. Mr. Rodgers once said, “Frankly, there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story.” The more we connect with people, the more we relate to them and foster love and respect in our community. 

Be a Courageous Ally

In the last year, we have seen the importance of standing up for groups facing injustice and working alongside minority groups to make a change. A good ally listens to the stories of the oppressed, learns from their experiences, and takes positive action. We should be intentional and committed in our support of minority groups. This step includes observing our environments and speaking up when others may not be able to. Just because people are silent and accepting of something, it does not mean it is right. We can bring the light needed to illuminate wrongdoings and encourage positive change. 

With these actions, we can all move closer to a truly inclusive community. Revolutionary change starts from within, and we take the first steps today by increasing our curiosity, questioning our biases, and committing to allyship. These steps will allow an inclusive personality to bloom within ourselves, and this positivity will ripple into our families, workplaces, and surrounding communities. 

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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.

How Different Organizations View Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

More and more organizations have rethought their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies. However, some are still struggling to implement positive change or even acknowledge the benefits of diversity. When I evaluate a business, I categorize their view of DEI into one of the five below. As you and your team embark on your journey towards inclusion, I encourage you to evaluate your current position and think about the initiatives needed to move forward.

Reactive

These businesses take an aggressive stance against DEI measures. Many of these organizations may be led by misinformed leaders who strongly oppose DEI. The main issues with these organizations is FEAR and misinformation.  They resist change and do not want acknowledge value of DEI.

Nice to Have

At a “nice-to-have” organization, DEI is mentioned but not truly implemented. The leadership team focuses on the limitations of money and time, preventing progress towards inclusion. For these companies, it will never be the “right time” to begin a DEI initiative. While they are not outright hostile, leaders continuously push diversity and inclusion to the wayside. In an effort to move to the next level, employees can petition for increased DEI training and look for fiscally responsible ways to incorporate diverse values.

Realizing the Value of DEI

With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the increased visibility of racial injustice, many organizations are recognizing the importance of DEI. In these companies, executives understand that DEI is valuable. These organizations may focus on the public relations aspect of DEI, superficially committing to training and external statements to help their brand, but they are not supported with a clear strategy and detailed initiatives.

Dedicated 

The “dedicated” stage is a positive place for organizations to be! The leadership team have a documented strategy and are intentional in implementing the DEI initiatives. The executives, managers, and employees are bought into the concept of DEI. These organizations are continually learning and progressing in their DEI initiatives and they encourage dialogue related to DEI topics.

Essential

At the “essential” level, DEI is weaved into the fabric of the culture. It plays a critical role in all internal and external communications, hiring and promotion practices, training, personal development opportunities, and supplier business partner selection. Organizations in this phase challenge the norm, establish best practices, and keep DEI at the forefront of their daily operations. While it is great to aspire to be this level, I believe many teams are on their way! 

How do you rank your organization on this scale? Are there any barriers preventing DEI progress in your teams? What can we do to overcome these limitations and create a more inclusive work culture?

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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.

The Power of Inclusion

Creating a culture of inclusion is integral to increasing employee engagement, teamwork, and innovation; however, the true advantages of diversity shine through in our team members. By establishing a healthy and safe environment, we can welcome diverse individuals and encourage them to unlock their potential. Whenever I think about this topic, I think about my friend Mike and his journey to acceptance. 

I moved to Louisiana eight years ago and met the most amazing people, including Mike. Mike was a driven businessman who took multiple leadership positions in our community, volunteering his time to better our city. Even with this community visibility, he kept a deeply buried secret. Mike was gay. He could never truly express himself in the worries that his community, church, and family would not accept them. In the process of hiding his own identity, Mike began to develop an alcohol addiction. Frequently, Mike would hide his inner pain by binge drinking, suppressing his true self with alcohol. These harmful practices carried over to his business as team members were slowly exposed to his alcoholism. Mike began to lose dedicated employees and even long-time clients. His company was slowly sinking into a pool of debt. 

One day I was having a conversation with Mike, and he began to share a completely different family story regarding his nephew Jeff. Jeff was a young, 13-year-old boy who chose to wear a heavy winter jacket all year long. Even in the hot and humid Louisiana summer! Jeff soon shared with Mike that his peers at school had been bullying him about his weight gain, causing significant mental trauma. To protect himself from their painful comments, Jeff had taken to covering his whole body in thick clothes, preventing anyone from seeing what he truly looked like. Telling this story, Mike had tears in his eyes. The thought of his nephew having to hide himself to be accepted resonated with Mike and his own struggles with coming out. 

The prejudices that Mike and Jeff faced took a serious toll on both their mental and physical health. Recent research has found that pervasive adversity and social biases increase activation of the amygdala, our brain’s fear center. According to a 2018 Biological Psychiatry article, consistent discrimination reinforces connections between the amygdala and surrounding structures. These neurological stressors then multiply into negative mental and physical symptoms, like depression, substance abuse disorders, and even cardiac arrest. A 2019 study of black South Africans raised during Apartheid found that their brain chemistry was forever changed by their exposure to implicit, explicit, and institutional racism. The same negative junctions between the amygdala and areas of socialization were more evident and strongly cemented in place. These biochemical changes result in poor employee health, decreased productivity, and heightened levels of stress. Discrimination creates lasting changes to its victims, and we must work our hardest to decrease its prevalence. 

When prejudice and unconscious bias infiltrate the workplace, we lose our team members’ spark of uniqueness that fosters creativity, innovation, and productivity. In the face of constant adversity, team members may hide under their own “heavy jackets” to be accepted. On-going discrimination prevents our employees from being at their best, forcing them to cover up their true selves. A culture of disrespect and inequality breeds a tense and fearful workplace. When our team members cover themselves with heavy painful jackets, we miss out on their diverse opinions and enriching stories. 

We must work our hardest to create a safe and inclusive environment for Mike, Jeff and for everyone. A place where no matter how you look or who you love, you will be wholeheartedly welcomed and accepted. Beyond the benefits to the bottom line, we can improve overall organizational culture and create a lasting personal change for each and every team member. We have far too often been taught to mask our identity, but by creating a culture of inclusion, we encourage employees to take off their heavy painful winter jackets and show their true selves in the workplace.

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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.

My Shocking Unconscious Bias

I was invited recently to be the commencement speaker at USD. I was ecstatic to come back to the university where my leadership journey began, but little did I realize that this experience would teach me an invaluable lesson about my own unconsicious biases.

A week before the event, I received an email with instructions and information pertaining to commencement. The email said that I would be speaking after Provost Jennings. When I read Provost Jennings’s name, I immediately imagined a stout, mid-50’s white man with a salt and pepper halo of hair and glasses, despite having no idea what this person actually looked like.

I arrived at the stage an hour before everyone else and took everything in. The large pavilion with rows of empty chairs before me would soon be filled with graduate students eager to receive their diplomas. I was brimming with excitement.

The dean arrived with two other people a few steps behind him. He smiled and said, “Hi Dima, I would like to introduce you to Provost Jennings.” I saw a man behind the dean whose physical description matched what I had in mind. Portly, glasses, with a receding hairline. I walked toward him and held out my hand, but he had a quizzical look on his face. I heard the dean’s voice behind me say, “Oh no, this is Provost Jennings!” I turned around to see the dean pointing to a woman in her early-50s. My heart dropped to my stomach, and the expression on her face was clear: “Here we go again.” She was very polite and didn’t say anything, but she had probably experienced this so many times — that is, someone mistaking a man for having her title – that it no longer surprised her. I felt my cheeks burn with shame and thought to myself, “Even me?”

My life’s work is dedicated to empowering woman globally, but even I was subject to my own unconscious biases. I assumed, with very little information at hand, that the Provost would look a particular way, and in the process of my assumption, I repeated a negative pattern of thinking.

It is so crucial that we open our minds, become aware of our own biases, and realize how they are impacting our perceptions of others. Most importantly we must continue to be intentional on a daily bases to eliminate these biases.

I am thankful for Provost Jennings because by meeting her, I gained a valuable lesson that I will remember for the rest of my life

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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.

Executives' Buy-In to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

There are numerous benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the workplace. Just to list a few, DEI has been correlated with increased engagement, employee retention, innovation, and positively influencing the bottom line. With all of this great benefits, why is there still resistance to DEI at the executive level?

Many executives still view diversity and inclusion as just a “nice-to-have” instead of realizing that it is essential for business. This limited buy-in decreases overall interest and intentionality in DEI efforts. Like anything else, DEI training and initiatives require an investment of time and budget in order to create a progress in this area.

Unconscious bias and prejudices may create mental blockades, preventing some executives from supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives. An example of this is a question I get asked after nearly every one of my diversity and inclusion presentations. A skeptical executive will say, “Are you telling us that we have to promote minority individuals that are not qualified just because they are minorities?” This question is laced with unconscious biases against minority candidates. Even though they may not realize it, some leaders are assuming that minority candidates are not qualified! They may think that simply because a minority candidate may not have the same background, education, or experience as a white candidate, they are “not qualified.” These very differences are essential to create a diverse workplace with unique thinking and creative solutions. By addressing these issues, we can slowly work towards achieving executive buy-in to diversity and inclusion initiatives. 

Furthermore, some executives may not even realize there is an issue with the lack of diversity and inclusion in their organization. In consulting engagements, I observed many avoid broaching discrimination conflicts, minimize the significance of exclusion, and suppress attempts at progress. These actions may come from a place of mere misunderstandings about the gravity of certain situations. Additionally, some executives may have concerns about potential clients viewing DEI initiatives negatively, citing taboos about Black Lives Matter or Pride movements. 

Our answers to these fears and worries need to consistent and educational. When facing a challenging executives, I always start by highlighting the rewards of DEI. Share statistics and industry research touting the benefits diversity brings to the bottom line. Showcase how inclusion improves employees’ connection with the company, increasing employee engagement, retention, and efficiency in the workplace. Mention the positive visibility organizations committed to DEI receive and how these initiatives can expand clientele. 

In conjunction with the advantages that DEI brings, stress how diversity initiatives can help organizations avoid future challenges. A lack of diverse employees may lead to a lack of diverse clients, as buyers often trust and relate to individuals similar to them. Furthermore, unique candidates and young workers often seek a diverse work environment. Without the proper initiatives, organizations may be missing out on top talents and rising stars. Lastly, compare your organization to competitors in terms of DEI strategies. This juxtaposition will help executives understand the importance of investing in diversity to gain an edge in the industry.

By illuminating the countless benefits that DEI brings alongside the advantages a diverse work culture holds over its competition, we have a greater chance of gaining the executive buy-in that is needed. The positive influence of DEI outweighs the concerns and it is our job to share this with the leaders. 

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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.