How To Set Yourself Up With Less Stress In 2022 According To The Experts

Posted January 14, 2022 by Teresa Whiteacre

Check out Dr. Davis’ featured insights on the LittleThings

Published Jan 12, 2022

Women are stressed to the max, but there’s a good reason. Stress is a feminist issue, according to Dr. Michele Kambolis, a mind-body health specialist, registered therapist, meditation teacher, and acclaimed author and speaker who has been practicing for more than 20 years. In her new book, When Women Rise: Everyday Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Body, and Soul, she discusses topics including how women have learned to navigate our lives in fear, postpartum depression and anxiety, gender inequality, and financial inequity and how they all tie into a women’s mental health.

We all want to set ourselves up for less stress as we navigate 2022, so LittleThings went straight to the experts for tips.

Dr. Kambolis tells LittleThings, “It’s difficult to attend to our inner world when our physical body needs attention. Imagine trying to give full presence and attention to your inner experience when your nervous system is taxed and you haven’t slept well in days, or you’re hungry because you’ve skipped your last meal, or your heart is racing from an argument you just had with your boss. If our physical and safety needs are not tended to, it’s difficult to be present enough to give our fullest attention to the work of inner knowing and self-actualization.

“Every woman’s process of discovery will be different. What you choose to integrate into your life will be unique to you. You may find yourself going through the doorways of breath work, or perhaps meditation or the alchemy of sleep will speak most intimately to you. The message I want you to know — the one I wish I had been told myself — is that anxiety is not the enemy. It is our invitation to profound and meaningful growth.”

She suggests cutting back on stimulants because they can exacerbate anxiety, doing breathing exercises first thing in the morning, offloading as much as you can and resting, limiting technology (she notes it takes your brain 20 minutes to return to a peaceful baseline after just one email), supporting your body with movement, immersing yourself in nature, and practicing mantras.

Dr. Shirley Davis, author of the book Living Beyond “What If?” Release the Limits and Realize Your Dreams, says if you want to start 2022 off with less stress, begin with learning the art and the value of saying no.

Dr. Davis tells LittleThings, “Sometimes we obligate ourselves to take on tasks that we should not be taking on in the first place. Rather than using passive-aggressive behavior, feeling frustrated, and living with regret, we can use assertive behavior by simply saying ‘no’ and staying true to our priorities and staying in our lane.”

Jennie Marie Battistin, Hollywood therapist and bestselling author, encourages her clients to adopt one mindfulness habit to help them increase balance and gratitude and enhance their ability to handle stress.

“As I make my coffee, I name three things I am grateful for at this moment,” she tells LittleThings. “This habit is like adding coins to the happiness bank, which can help offset life stress.”

Battistin warns of making resolutions, saying, “Sometimes we can create more stress by piling on the New Year’s resolution with an all-or-nothing approach. Break them down into smaller, manageable goals.”

Meg O’Neill, a life coach who offers intuitive coaching and energy healing, shares with LittleThings that you can create some kind of daily practice. “It can be very simple,” she says.

“For example, five minutes of breathing or meditation, gratitude journaling, or simply a walk in nature. Disconnect from the noise and spend some time reconnecting to your body, mind, and spirit.”

Stephanie Rosenfield, a parent and life coach who helps moms embrace their individuality and build healthy relationships with their kids and partners, notes, “What we think about increases the stress that we feel.” She tells LittleThings, “Most of us are in thought all day long. Usual go-to’s to numb out stressful feelings are binging Netflix, scrolling social media, or constant eating. These things don’t work long term.” Instead, she suggests, “Ways to get ‘above the thoughts’ and decrease the stressful feelings are to listen to music, move your body, or laugh. The goal is to get into your body and out of your thoughts.”

You can also unfollow, delete, unfriend, and block toxic and unhealthy people from your life, who can oftentimes cause stress without you even realizing it, according to Dr. Davis. “Make sure you’re only surrounded with quality, supportive, and mutually beneficial relationships,” she advises.

Kristin Micalizzi, a Reiki master teacher and coach who helps women grow and scale their business while using intuition and authenticity, shares with LittleThings, “Prioritize activities that light you up. Spend some time turning inward and getting curious about what excites you and carve out time for more of that in 2022.”

To offset financial stress, live within your means and spend less than you have coming in, according to Shari Greco Reiches, wealth manager, behavioral finance expert, and author of Maximize Your Return on Life: Invest Your Time and Money in What You Value Most.

“Do this and everything else will fall into place,” Reiches tells LittleThings. “Live beyond your means and you will face stress and anxiety. Your flexibility to make life and career decisions will be limited. Your relationships will be negatively impacted. If you find that you are living beyond your means, you have the power to change. It starts with using your core values — the priorities that you value most in your life — as a guide to budgeting and spending.”

Suzanne Sibilla, a licensed marriage and family therapist and business-life strategist with over 20-plus years of experience, recommends a “10-minute talk out.”

She tells LittleThings, “Find a supportive and encouraging friend to talk out your concerns and challenges. Schedule a Zoom, FaceTime, or phone call. Tell your friend that you’ll talk out your concerns for 10 minutes. Have your friend listen to you without giving advice or passing judgment, and do the same for your friend.”

Unni Turrettini — author, speaker, facilitator, and loneliness expert — advises prioritizing positive relationships and giving back. “Being able to help makes us feel seen, heard, and valued,” she tells LittleThings. “Contribution takes focus away from our problems and makes us feel like we matter.”

Spencer Snakard, professional certified coach (PCC), wants you to get honest and ask yourself what you actually get out of being stressed. “While you may be painfully aware of the costs — or punishments — of being stressed, most of us are completely unaware that we are also experiencing payoffs — or rewards — for it,” Snakard tells LittleThings. “Being honest with yourself about what you’re getting out of being stressed can give you the freedom to let it go.”

Mother and daughter working out together doing exercise at home

Dr. Bethany Cook, author of For What It’s Worth, says to shift your perspective. “Does the house really need to be spotless? Must you go to your in-laws every weekend per their request? Can you shift your internal voice to speak kinder to yourself when you mess up?”

Dr. Erik Korem, an expert in sleep and stress resilience, recommends treating your anxiety with exercise.

D’TaRelle F. Tullis says that when you’re in the moment, “Have a redirect phrase that gets you back on track, like, ‘I am choosing peace rather than this.’ Or you can just say the word ‘peace,’ while breathing deeply.”

James Bake, COO of BestSelf, notes, “We often worry about the next part of our lives without realizing that we are right in the middle of what we used to look forward to. It’s easy to get lost in ticking boxes and running on the goal-achieving hamster wheel, without making space to acknowledge and celebrate where we are and what we’ve accomplished. One of my favorite things to do is to write out my wins for the day. Especially on days when I’m feeling empty or frustrated. Whether they are big or small, taking that moment to be appreciative of the things that are in my life now helps me connect with the present and I don’t feel as lost worrying about the future.”

Remember, stress may be a feminist issue, but you have girl power to get through it in meaningful and healthy ways that fit your lifestyle.

Why You Procrastinate and, More Importantly, How to Stop

Posted January 4, 2022 by Teresa Whiteacre

It’s time to put an end to putting things off.

By Nicole Pajer, DEC 30, 2021, Click to read the Shondaland.com article here

That work project that you’ve had an entire month to complete is due tomorrow. You planned to spend the whole day focusing on it — but Facebook is just so much more appealing today. You promised yourself you’d work out this morning but, wait, aren’t there new episodes of your favorite show out? And yeah, yeah, you’ll take the trash out … eventually.

For many of us, procrastination is a way of life. And while all of us do it, some of us partake more than others. According to Joseph Ferrari, PhD, a procrastination researcher and professor of psychology in DePaul University’s College of Science and Health, 20 percent of men and women are chronic procrastinators. But why do we keep doing this?

The first step to overcoming your procrastination is to understand the reasons why you may be doing it. And no, it’s not a time management problem — at least according to Timothy A. Pychyl, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Carleton University and the author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle. “The reason why we procrastinate is we face a task that generates negative emotions in us, like resentment, frustration, or anxiety,” he says. “We’ve learned in life that we can get rid of those negative emotions, which we all want to do, by getting rid of the task.” In the short term, that works, Pychyl says. But long term, it fails because the task doesn’t typically go away. And then we’re working under time pressure.

So, procrastinating is what Pychyl refers to as “an emotion-focused coping response” and notes that we use avoidance to cope with negative emotions associated with the task.

Dr. Shirley Davis, the author of Living Beyond “What If?”: Release the Limits and Realize Your Dreams, shares these additional examples of why we procrastinate:

The task seems bigger than we believe we can handle.
The task is not something we like doing, or we may get distracted doing other things we prefer doing.
We focus on the present or the immediate gratification, and don’t consider the long-term benefits if we take action now — e.g., we put off going back to school because it will take time, money, and a lot of effort over a few years, so we choose to stay on a job that pays right now.
Needing to have everything perfect before we try something new.
Fear sets in and paralyzes us from taking action (fear of failing, rejection, losing control, going broke, etc.)

Now that you know why you do it, how can you stop? Experts have a few suggestions.

Deal with your emotions

Since procrastination is rooted in emotion, the first step is to calm yourself down. Pychyl explains that when confronted with a task we are stalling on, the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with fight or flight, gets hijacked. An emotional response takes over, making us overwhelmed or frustrated or angry. “This really inhibits our whole ability to be planful and organized,” Pychyl explains. Thus, when you feel this way, he recommends stopping to take a few deep breaths. “Procrastination is an avoidance coping strategy, so if I can downregulate my emotional response, then I’m less likely to procrastinate,” he explains.

Put the focus on action

When you face a task and your whole body is screaming “run away,” Pychyl wants you to ask yourself: “What’s the next action I would take on this task if I was going to do it?” If you were putting off making a call, for instance, the first step would be to find your phone. “This is just a tiny, little action; it’s not thinking about the whole call,” says Pychyl. The idea is if you keep this action tiny, then you’ll ultimately realize, “‘Well, I can do that.’ … And that puts our focus on action and takes our focus off of our emotions,” Pychyl says. This primes the pump to get us started, and Pychyl says that, per his research, “Getting started is everything.”

So, if you walk into the kitchen and it’s a huge mess, don’t say, “I’m going to do the dishes.” That, says Pychyl, is too overwhelming. “Instead say, ‘I’m going to pick up that one plate and wash it.’” Once you get going, you’ll be more apt to continue.

closeup image of a man holding and using smart phone with coffee cup on wooden table in cafe

BOONCHAI WEDMAKAWAND/GETTY IMAGES

When you face a task and your whole body is screaming “run away,” ask yourself, “What’s the next action I would take on this task if I was going to do it?”

Have a nonjudgmental awareness of your emotions

Let’s say that you’re procrastinating on a report. Stop and consider the emotions you’re feeling. If you identify that you are feeling really anxious about doing this report, ask yourself, why is that? “Well, because it’s so darn important,” says Pychyl. In this situation, he says it’s important to acknowledge: “I’m having anxiety because this is really important to me.” But once you recognize that the fact that this report is really important, use it as a motivator to get started instead of looking at it as something to avoid.

Set an “impact implementation intention”

Instead of saying, “I’m going to exercise this morning,” Pychyl says to tie it into a specific task. So try: “When I finish my coffee, I’m going to go for a walk.” “The when/then statement is very powerful because we’re creatures of habit,” he explains. “And if we can put the cue for action in the environment, then we just don’t rely internally on our habits anymore.” Pychyl, for instance, learned to floss his teeth by using the following implementation intention: “I told myself, ‘When I pick up my toothbrush, then I will put the floss on the counter.’ So, that when/then statement puts the cue for the action into the environment,” he explains. “Whenever he puts his toothbrush down, he picks up the floss.”

Have friends hold you accountable

Davis says to enlist a few trusted friends and tell them your goal, task, or dream –– and when you plan to accomplish it. “Allow them to check in on your progress and celebrate your milestones along the way,” she says. When you feel the tendency to procrastinate, she suggests calling one of these accountability partners and talking about it. This has certainly worked for Zachary Hoffman, who runs Digital PR. “Each morning, my accountability partner and I check in and tell each other what we’ll be working on that day and what our goals are,” he explains. “We check in twice during the day and again at the end of the day.”

Tackle the big tasks first

This is a technique that shopping professional Daniel Adams implements. “Instead of easing into the day with smaller tasks, I find that if I complete a big task at the start, I feel motivated to do a great day’s work,” he says. He finds that if he starts with smaller tasks, on the other hand, he usually ends up putting off the big, important tasks until there’s not enough time in the day to even start them.

close up of businesswoman writing on whiteboard at workplace

LUIS ALVAREZ / GETTY IMAGES

Instead of easing into the day with smaller tasks, complete a big task at the start in order to feel motivated to do a great day’s work.

When all else fails, work with a professional

Meg Cooper, a wedding photographer in San Francisco, has been struggling with procrastination for years but recently saw a therapist who helped her create a system for getting things done. So far, it’s worked better than anything else she’s tried thus far: “I created a point system to map out what earns me points and also a number of free or low-cost rewards that I categorized into different tiers (each worth a different amount of points). Every day, I tick off the number of points I earn as I work, and at the end of the day, tally them up. Eventually, when I have enough to redeem something, I choose an activity and add that to my available rewards list — for redemption whenever I want,” she explains.

Focus on the big picture

Instead of a daily to-do list, which she never gets through, online marketing expert Maria Juvakka creates a monthly to-do list. “Most people make daily and weekly to-do lists, which keeps everything on a microscale,” she shares. “When you have the macro in front of you, such as writing two blog posts per month and uploading four YouTube videos, you’re less likely to procrastinate on the regular.” Having her long-term goals laid out, she’s found, helps her stay focused since she’s clearer on her “why.”

Be easy on yourself

Pychyl says research shows that people who self-forgive after procrastinating actually procrastinate less. “If you’re taking on these new strategies because you’d like to procrastinate less, it’s not always going to go really well,” he explains. “But if you don’t practice some self-compassion and some self-forgiveness, you’re just setting yourself up for future failure.” And know that it may take time to get these skills to work for you. Pychyl says if you ask him if he procrastinates, he’ll say no. “But it’s not because I magically developed any special virtues. It’s just that I use these skills compulsively,” he proclaims.

Nicole Pajer is a freelance writer whose work has been published in The New York Times, AARP, Woman’s Day, Parade, Men’s Journal, Wired, Emmy Magazine, and others. Keep up with her adventures on Twitter at @nicolepajer.

How Workers Should Prepare For the Job Market in 2022

Posted December 6, 2021 by Teresa Whiteacre

GoBankingRates’ Article entitled

“How Workers Should Prepare for the Job Market in 2022,” featuring expert insight by Dr. Shirley Davis

Access the Original Article Here

One of the most dramatic storylines to come out of 2021 was the unprecedented state of the labor market. America learned terms like “the Great Resignation” and “the Big Quit.” Businesses that were eager to reopen after pandemic shutdowns couldn’t hire enough staff to meet the demand, no matter how much they offered to pay. Corporations across the country doled out big signing bonuses and imaginative benefits to average applicants.

Will 2022 remain an applicant’s market? What new trends will emerge — and what should today’s job hunters do to prepare for tomorrow?

GOBankingRates asked the experts.

Labor Shortages Will Continue To Steer the Job Market

Nikki Attkisson, CEO of the Powdersville Post, the flagship publication of the South Carolina Media Group, believes “it will still be a job-seeker’s market in 2022.”

There’s plenty of data to back up that assertion. Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business recently predicted that labor shortages will continue to be a running theme throughout the new year.

“That means more opportunities for first-time job seekers to land decent positions if they play their cards right,” Attkisson said.

That Could Lead to Higher Salaries in Lower-Tier Fields

The labor shortages that defined 2021 have been forcing salaries up in higher-paying fields all year long. In 2022, that trend will likely filter down the food chain.

“Job seekers can expect higher salary offers in many industries, not just in tech, science, or medicine,” said Paul French, founder and managing director of executive e-commerce recruiting site Intrinsic Search. “Labor shortages resulting from an amalgamation of factors such as retiring workers, an aging workforce, and limits on immigration will continue to push employers to raise salaries to attract top talent. It is important to know your worth to leverage this prediction.”

Businesses Will Focus on Employee Experience and DE&I

Higher salaries are only part of the response to the economy-wide labor shortage that appears poised to continue into 2022. Another big part will be a focus on employee experience.

“Companies are now making it a priority to ensure that their employees are happy, they have a sense of belonging, they feel a sense of fulfillment, and that they have the resources, tools, and the support that they need,” said Dr. Shirley Davis, president and CEO of HR strategy firm SDS Global Enterprises. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion is going to continue to be a primary focus in 2022 for job seekers. 80% of workers have also said that they want to work for a company that is diverse and that values equity and inclusion. Companies will need to make sure DE&I is embedded in everything that they do, including their values, policies, practices, performance expectations, leadership development, and cultural competence.”

Freelancers and Inexperienced Workers Will Find Opportunities Beyond the Entry Level

The high rate of turnover caused by the Great Resignation is forcing many companies either to pay a premium for more experienced employees or to hire cheaper newbies and train them on the job.

“I expect many of them will opt for the second option,” Attkisson said. “Alternatively, they might increase their reliance on freelancers to offset some of the workload. Both first-time job-seekers and freelancers share a common advantage over more experienced full-timers. If they could just keep their compensation expectations marginally lower than those of full-timers, they will easily have the edge in the market.”

The Hiring Process Will Speed Up

It’s very likely that 2022 will see an expedited hiring process as employers move faster to secure talent in a tight labor market.

“Speed of hire is now a competitive edge,” said Lisa Hennessey, chief people officer for Happy Money. “For job seekers, this will mean that you may have multiple companies running you through their recruiting process quickly to beat the competition to offer.”

Hennessey suggests that you manage the expectations of hiring teams and be transparent with your timeline.

“If you receive multiple job offers, it’s okay to let the companies know that you have other offers to consider and will need time to evaluate which opportunity is best for you,” she said. “Be careful not to take too much time as it could be considered a lack of interest in the company or role or the perception that you may be pitting offers against each other. Companies want to know they are engaging with someone who is honest and transparent, just as much as you want that from them.”

Skills That Match the Realities of the Times Will Be in High Demand

It’s no secret that the pandemic changed the way America went to work. In 2022, many changes that were supposed to be temporary fixes will start to become permanent.

“With the emergence of the Omicron strain and following travel bans, it seems like the coronavirus and the isolated world as we know it today is here to stay,” said David Farkas, founder and CEO of The Upper Ranks.

Hennessey agrees.

“While many companies initially planned to be back in the office this fall, we’re seeing an increasing number of employers announce that their return to the office is postponed indefinitely — largely in light of the COVID variants. I anticipate this trend toward remote, hybrid, and fully distributed work will only continue to climb in 2022.”

The workers who have the skills needed to implement those transitions will be in high demand.

“So, the applicant’s proximity to the company location is no longer relevant, but their skills are of utmost importance,” Farkas said.

Because of the shift to remote work, e-commerce and online marketing, Farkas believes the following skills will be among the most highly sought after in 2022:

Data analysis
Social media marketing
Website development
Campaign management

Tips for Job Hunting in 2022 — and Beyond

Brian Snedvig, CEO and founder of resume and cover letter service provider Jofibo, provides the following tips:

Start creating a shortlist based on interview timelines: “It can take more than three months to complete the interview process and some people simply don’t have that time. It makes sense to start creating a list of companies you are confident, or perhaps even sure because of research and networking you have already done, have a short interview process.”
Your name is your brand — make sure it appears the same everywhere: “Assume that employers are doing Google searches on your name and reputation. If you haven’t already, you should make an effort to ensure that employers in 2022 can locate your name in the same way, both online and offline. Consider utilizing the middle initial or full middle name if you have a common name. Consider using it at conferences you attend or present at, papers or articles you create or collaborate on, or in one-on-one or group chats.”

Avishai Weiss, career and recruiting expert at PeopleSmart, offers this:

Take the time to apply with intent: “Don’t just mass mail your resume to every open role on the market, but instead, select the positions you’re actually interested in and communicate the why in your cover letter.”

About the Author

Dr. Davis talks to WREG Memphis, News Channel 8, about the “Great Resignation”

Posted November 1, 2021 by Valentina Perou-Jean

It’s being called the Great Resignation. This year alone, Americans have been leaving their current workplace by the millions. There are many theories as to what’s driving workers away but no doubt a toxic workplace won’t help but how can you deal with toxicity on the job if you don’t want to quit. Doctor Shirley Davis joins WREG Memphis, News Channel 8 with some pointers.

Click here to watch.

How to Realize the Benefits of Inclusive Leadership

Posted October 8, 2021 by Teresa Whiteacre

Dr. Davis’s recently published article on Fast Company can be viewed here:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90683353/how-to-realize-the-benefits-of-inclusive-leadership

[Source photos: Rebecca Diack/Pexels; fauxels/Pexels]

Implicit bias training has seen a significant uptick in the past year following the national and international calls for greater justice, equity, and inclusion. I know this firsthand because my firm has been flooded with hundreds of requests from clients wanting their entire leadership teams and general staff to go through it. The core message of implicit bias training is that all humans have it as a built-in safety and survival mechanism. Our brains are hardwired to be biased but when left unchecked, it can have a negative impact on everyday interactions and decisions, especially in the workplace.

But simply being aware that we all have biases does not let us off the hook. That matters more than ever because the workforce and the marketplace have become more global, multicultural, multigenerational, and hyper-connected. On top of that, they all bring differing needs, expectations, and ways of thinking, working, and doing business. The ability to lead more effectively across differences is a key lever for attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent, driving innovation and creativity, as well as expanding into new markets, and serving new customers and clients.

In addition to implicit bias training, in the last 18 months alone, my consulting firm has conducted nearly 100 listening sessions, and more than 50 inclusion and employee engagement surveys and focus groups, and the results have been consistent across industries, sectors, and company sizes.

Workers expect their employers to:

value diversity, equity, and inclusion
want their leaders to be authentic, walk the talk and live the company values
have the opportunity to grow their knowledge and acquire new skills
work flexibly and have more autonomy in how they work
be paid fairly and competitively
work in a ‘safe-to-speak” culture where their ideas and opinions can be shared without fear of retaliation
be recognized and appreciated

And they report that if they don’t get it, they are willing to walk away.

Today that threat has become real. The U.S. job market is slowly recovering by adding thousands of new jobs, while at the same experiencing the Great Resignation, where workers are quitting their jobs in record numbers. In June alone, 3.9 million people said “I quit” which was slightly down from the nearly 4 million who quit in April. In a recent Monster.com survey, 95% of 650 U.S. workers said they were thinking of quitting their jobs. The main reasons for quitting are very aligned with what our firm heard from workers in listening sessions and focus groups—they are experiencing increased burnout, work-related stress, a lack of development and growth opportunities, low wages and poor benefits, lack of flexible work, and toxic workplace cultures.

Wait, there’s more. The 2021 Work Trend Index report conducted by Microsoft a few months ago studied more than 30,000 people in 31 countries. It revealed some startling findings that should be a warning to all leaders. Five that stood out to me because of the consulting work we’re doing with clients around the world include:

more than 40% of the global workforce is contemplating leaving their current employer this year
flexible work is here to stay
leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up call
authenticity will spur productivity and well-being
high productivity is masking an exhausted workforce

Wow, talk about having some work to do to re-engage, re-energize, and retain existing talent. This is a clear and compelling business case and a loud cry for more inclusive leadership.

Successful organizations recognize that in order to attract top talent, increase employee engagement and job satisfaction, drive innovation and creativity, and enhance the customer service experience, they must cultivate an inclusive workplace culture. And that begins and ends with inclusive leadership. It cannot be a nice to do, it must be intentional and a continuous development process.

While culture is everyone’s responsibility, leaders set the tone. I call them “thermostats” in the company because they set the temperature and create the atmosphere that workers experience. In my 30 years in human resources, I’ve seen more often that people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad leaders and toxic workplaces. Many of the reasons listed above of why workers quit or plan to can be avoided/recovered by having inclusive leaders.

I get it. Being an inclusive leader is not as easy as it sounds. Inclusive leadership is much more than having a title, giving a hug, and being nice. It requires a paradigm shift, an openness to different ways of doing things, leaning into some discomfort, and demonstrating the courage to embrace the unfamiliar. Many leaders have neither the basic foundational knowledge about inclusive leadership nor an idea of what workers expect in their leaders today (they are out of touch, as the Microsoft study revealed).

Employees are demanding, at the very least, that our workplaces be more inclusive, welcoming, and respectful, that they create a sense of belonging, and are free from harassment. For some companies with legacy cultures and others that have existed for more than a century, this is an extremely hard change management process. But it’s necessary.

Therefore, every leader should upskill and develop new competencies that will do those three things: re-engage, re-energize, and retain their workers. They must be intentional about valuing diversity and inclusion. Intentionality can include listening attentively to understand others’ perspectives and points of view and creating safe and brave spaces for staff to feel comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of retaliation. Instead of using the same person(s) to carry out tasks and special projects, they need to intentionally spread opportunities around. And it means not only inviting more diversity to the table but soliciting diverse perspectives and ideas. When they observe or hear something that is inappropriate, insensitive, or insulting, they speak up and call it out. These daily acts of intentionality can go a long way to foster trust and belonging.

Additionally, leaders must increase their level of cultural competence, which can begin with a self-assessment and a clear understanding of their own culture. They can also interact with people who are different from themselves (could be on a project, securing a mentor, joining diverse networks, etc.), and they can attend events and training programs that expose them to a variety of cultural learning experiences.

Just as important is that employers must hold their leaders accountable for being more inclusive. They can do so by embedding inclusive leadership behaviors into their company values and performance goals, by frequently asking staff about how they are experiencing the culture through their leaders, and by tracking employee complaints, turnover, and levels of engagement and productivity.

My hope this that every leader will heed the warnings of these current and impending demographic shifts and worker trends. That they will become more adept and intentional about developing and demonstrating the competencies and traits that workers need and expect in the workplace.

When they do, they will realize the benefits that follow: workplace cultures that are considered “employers of choice” by top talent, that are high-performing, innovative, and bring out the best in their workers. That contributes to business success and long-term sustainability.

Shirley Davis, PhD, is president of SDS Global Enterprises, Inc., a strategic development solutions firm that helps organizations transform their cultures, empower their workers, and increase their productivity. She is also the author of Living Beyond What If? Release the Limits and Realize Your Dreams.

Handling Back-to-Work Stress as an Employer

Posted October 4, 2021 by Valentina Perou-Jean

Dr. Davis’s newest interview on FOX 24 News Now

Watch “Handling Back-to-Work Stress as an Employer”

Want Better Sales Performance, Increase DEI Commitment

Posted September 9, 2021 by Teresa Whiteacre

The workforce and the marketplace continue to experience dramatic demographic shifts that include more women, BIPOCs, and younger workers (e.g., Millennials and Gen Z) to name a few. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 78% of sales people are white. Women make up 50% of the U. S. workforce but only 39% of the sales workforce, and only 19% of leadership positions in sales. This lack of representation across gender, race, ethnicity, and other demographics can send a strong message that certain people are not welcomed in the sales profession.

As President of SDS Global Enterprises, a global workforce and culture transformation consulting firm, we’re experiencing a significant increase in outreach from companies needing help in attracting more diverse talent and building a more inclusive, equitable, and welcoming workplace culture where ALL talent can thrive. Many of them are in Sales and Marketing (especially in pharmaceutical, financial services, sports, real estate, and technology) and they admit that they have a “diversity problem” [or lack of diversity]. Their sales forces are dominated by white men, and they know that they are not reflective of the changing demographics, their customers, or the communities in which they do business.

The question you may be asking is “why is this important to them now?”

I asked the same question because it’s always been an important business issue. I’ve been in the Human Resources and DEI field for over 20 years and as a Chief D & I Officer I’ve been pushing the business benefits of DEI in every company I worked. However, it was not always met with support, or the belief that DEI has an impact on the bottom line. But today, it couldn’t be more be a more clear and compelling case. Sure, the international protests and calls for greater equity, inclusion and justice following the murder of George Floyd increased the focus on DEI. So did the significant disparities and/or lack of access to health care, education, socio-economic and job opportunities that were revealed during the global pandemic equally contribute to the recognition that we have a DEI problem. But before these incidences, the business case was still compelling.

Just look at the buying power of people of color and millennials, which is well over $4 trillion annually. According to Catalyst, a global consulting firm for women in the workplace, women controlled an estimated $31.8 trillion (USD) in consumer spending in 2019. For sales and marketing firms to overlook this reality would be a “going out of business strategy.” If this isn’t compelling enough look at the studies that reveal the impact of DEI.

Studies from the Harvard Business Review, Boston Consulting Group, and McKinsey and Company show diversity has a strong correlation with organizational performance.

McKinsey’s most recent report, “Diversity Wins: How inclusion matters,” revealed that organizations with diversity of gender are 25% more likely to be more profitable than their peers. It also shows that organizations with diversity of ethnicity are 36% more likely to be more profitable than their peers. The World Economic Forum’s report “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 4.0” suggests that companies with diverse employees have “up to 20% higher rate of innovation and 19% higher innovation revenues.”

Similarly, the Boston Consulting Group revealed in its 2018 study on How Diverse Leadership Teams Boost Innovation that increasing the diversity of leadership teams leads to more and better innovation and improved financial performance. In both developing and developed economies, companies with above-average diversity on their leadership teams report a greater payoff from innovation and higher EBIT margins.

Moreover, sales and marketing organizations want to attract top talent; they want to innovate and solve complex problems; they want to increase market share through a positive customer experience; and they want to drive sustainable performance. These are compelling enough reasons to embrace DEI as a business strategy, so no more asking “Why is it important?” or “What’s the business case?”

The real questions now are “What can we do about it?” “How can we realize the value of DEI in our sales and marketing teams?”

Here are a few tips and strategies you can implement:

Adopt hiring practices and strategies to attract underrepresented sales professionals. Yes, they are out there. Cast your net wide and target organizations, colleges/universities, and events that cater to a high percentage of diverse members, students, and attendees.
Don’t assume that you have to lower your standards or hire less qualified salespeople just because you are seeking more diversity. This tends to be the proverbial response when recruiting diverse talent and it is rooted in privilege and bias. Assume that talent comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, gender, and ethnicities.
Review your job descriptions for sales and marketing positions to ensure that they contain inclusive language such as salesperson vs salesman. Avoid descriptions that tend to appeal to men versus women such as “aggressive” “competitive,” or “expert,” and when describing the tasks of the ideal candidate, use “S/he” or “you,” versus “He should possess…”
Provide additional training such as Behavioral Interviewing, Emotional Intelligence, Unconscious Bias, and Cultural Competence to all sales staff, especially those who will be conducting the interviews and making the hiring decision. This will help to minimize the tendency to hire others like themselves, to avoid asking illegal and inappropriate interview questions, to be aware of how biases can play out in the workplace and in providing service to customers and clients, and how to foster a culture of inclusion, belonging, and respect.
Embed DEI into your values and hold leaders accountable for living them out every day.
Provide mentoring, coaching, and other forms of development for all new hires and ensure that their onboarding and orientation process gives them a level playing field and sets them up for success.
Encourage diversity of thought and ensure that all opinions and perspectives are valued.

It’s clear that sales and marketing organizations can no longer ignore the fact that the demographic shifts will continue to disrupt the workplace, the work, and the workers. They must commit to DEI as a business strategy that will enable them to drive client and customer satisfaction, increase product and service innovation, solve complex problems, and create the kind of workplace culture that attracts, engages, and retains top sales professionals.

Dr. Davis’s newest article on SalesTech Star: https://salestechstar.com/guest-authors/want-better-sales-performance-increase-dei-commitment/

August 27, 2021

See It to Be It Podcast with Melinda Garvey

Posted September 2, 2021 by Valentina Perou-Jean

Check out Dr. Davis’s recent discussion on “Living Beyond Your What Ifs and Post-COVID Mass Resignations” on the See It to Be It Podcast with Melinda Garvey

ABC 25 Local Lifestyles – Interview on “Living Beyond ‘What If?”

Posted August 20, 2021 by Valentina Perou-Jean

Click here to watch Dr. Davis’s Interview on “Living Beyond ‘What If?” on ABC 25 Local Lifestyles

How to Navigate the “Great Resignation”

Posted August 9, 2021 by Valentina Perou-Jean

Dr. Shirley Davis, author of “Living Beyond “What If?” and President and CEO of SDS Global Enterprises share tips on how to plan your employment exit strategy. Interview on WUSA9

CUNA News Podcast

Posted March 8, 2021 by Valentina Perou-Jean

The nature of leadership is changing as cultural and demographic forces transform the workplace. To maximize the potential of their teams, leaders must create more inclusive environments that encourage the expression of different cultures, contexts, and perspectives.

In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, global workforce expert Dr. Shirley Davis explores how leaders can foster inclusive work environments and create productive and rewarding team dynamics that reward top performers.

Click here to listen

There is Still Work to Be Done

Posted February 3, 2021 by lassetta

It’s an honor to be published in the Tampa Bay Business Journal Jan. 15, 2021. Check out the article here:

Companies that promised to review policies in 2020 in the wake of social unrest now face showing results in 2021.

If 2020 will be remembered for anything other than the coronavirus, it will be for protests that spread to cities and towns across the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Months of marches were held in both Tampa and St. Petersburg. While the initial purpose of these marches was to spur government reform regarding policing, calls for equality and racial justice soon spilled over into other facets of life, including entertainment, education and business.

Businesses ranging from the largest public companies in Tampa Bay to mom-and-pop stores put out messages of support and pledged to do better. Seven months after the protests began in late May, the organized marches have mostly died down. Progress has been made in some areas, but both sides — advisers and the companies themselves — know there is still plenty of work to be done in 2021 and the months ahead.

“There are companies that are forward-thinking companies, and some companies … [that] are doing better but recognize they have a long way to go,” said Shirley Davis of SDS Global Enterprises, a Tampa Bay-based corporation that works with businesses to create more inclusive cultures. “There is still work to be done.”

The momentum of the summer is waning a bit, said Cal Jackson, the director of Diversity and Inclusion global programs for Tech Data Corp.

“There are still groups that are underrepresented in our organizations and what I feared is starting to happen: It can’t be a news cycle and there are unfortunately, police events that bring things back into the radar.”

The slow march of progress

Even before 2020, businesses were looking to diversify their ranks — both in leadership and among the workforce — and Tampa Bay was no exception. This has especially been the case when it comes to gender diversity. As of January 2021, 19 of the region’s 20 largest public companies had at least one woman on their board of directors, according to data provided by the companies to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. A majority of the 20 largest public companies had at least one ethnic minority on its board of directors, a group that primarily was comprised of Asian-Americans and African-Americans. But the majority of board members in Tampa Bay are white men, as is most of the leadership at those companies.

That might be one possible explanation as to why many Tampa Bay companies tiptoed around this summer’s events and the issues they raised. Only three of the region’s largest public companies — Raymond James, Bloomin’ Brands and Welbilt — released statements concerning the racial unrest over the summer. Only nine of the companies have a diversity policy on their websites. And only a handful of companies have announced actual action taken to improve diversity within their company, such as creating a pledge to the Black community or hiring an executive to oversee diversity and inclusion.

“We did an internal promotion… and created a new position: VP of diversity and inclusion, in order to formalize that process,” said Joanne Freiberger of Masonite International, adding that Carlini Rivers took over the position in November. Rivers had been with Masonite since 2016.

But most companies have shied away from such actions, and most frustrating to SDS’ Davis are executives who are still unwilling to acknowledge that there are racial issues within the business world, let alone address them.

“What’s disappointing is we have too many leaders … who turn this work into a political statement. ‘If we say Black lives matter, then we’re saying all lives don’t matter,’” she said. “We still have people who are resistant to it, who resist it in a way that sabotages and derails the spirit behind it. And regardless of the political, inclusion is a good business strategy.”

Moving forward

But perhaps that paints a bleaker picture than reality. Talking honestly about race can be a prickly issue that many companies would prefer not to discuss publicly. But Davis said interest in her company’s services has been robust.

“I’ve been in this work for 20-something years, I worked in HR for Fortune 500 companies, and in that time frame I have not had that much demand and as many requests as we did in June and July,” she said. “It was amazing and at the same time, it was well overdue.”

She said it started with helping companies craft statements during the summer protests, but continued on to holding listening sessions. Davis said she was impressed by the number of organizations that really did want to change how they operated, by conducting diversity audits and committing to making long-term changes.

It starts at the top, Jackson said, quoting a story Tech Data CEO Rich Hume told him.

“He said, ‘I saw just how our board of directors changed in regard to its dynamics and how they were innovative and their discussions as we put more women and more diversity on the board.’”

It is important for companies bringing in formalized D&I practitioners and programs to continue progress in 2021, but the work isn’t just about racial equity, he said. It’s also about building environments of inclusion because that can boost the bottom line, not just promote good corporate citizenry.

And, in a strange way, the pandemic has helped to achieve those goals, he continued.

“It has pushed us to the realization that we can work and telework and we can have roles everywhere, and that gives us a humongous net that we can throw out now for phenomenal talent and not just based upon the location of where we need people,” he said. “We can throw it out in so many different places and that increases the diversity of the slate of candidates.”

Price of Business show with Kevin Price

Posted November 23, 2020 by Valentina Perou-Jean

On a recent Price of Business show, Host Kevin Price visited with author Shirley Davis on the state of Affirmative Action today and what businesses need to do to make such policies part of a growth strategy.

Price of Business Show · Dr. Shirley Davis- The State of Affirmative Action Today

How HR Professionals Can Foster More Inclusive and Innovative Cultures

Posted October 6, 2020 by Teresa Whiteacre

It’s an honor to be published in IPMA-HR’s November 2020 HR News Publication! Check out the article here:

The workforce has become more global, diverse, multicultural, multigenerational, virtual and hyperconnected. As a result, work gets done differently. Also, there is no question that numerous demographic shifts that have occurred over the past decade have disrupted many of our long-standing human resources policies and strategies.

The ability of HR leaders to lead their organizations amid these disruptive forces and across differences while fostering more inclusive and innovative work environments in a wide variety of contexts, cultures and complexities will be a key lever for attracting, engaging and retaining top talent.

Census data and global workforce studies continue to affirm the following realities:

Women make up 51 percent of the global workforce and 60 percent of all degree earners (from associate’s degrees up to doctorates).
There are currently five generations in the U.S. workforce. Among the two largest generational cohorts, baby boomers still account for roughly one-third (31 percent) of workers; however, nearly 70 million of the 79 million baby boomers are expected to retire over the next 5-10 years.
Aging employees are expected to continue working into and through retirement. Between now and 2050, the portion of people in the workforce who are over the age of 65 is expected to grow by 75 percent.
The other largest generational cohort, the millennials, now makes up 50 percent of the workforce. By 2025, millennials’ share of the workforce jumps to 75 percent.
By 2017, the oldest members of Generation Z (those born 1996-2010) had entered the workforce.
With 7.5 billion people on Earth, 1 in 7 has a disability.
In the United States, the minority of today (people of color) will become the majority of tomorrow, making up 54 percent of the workforce by 2030.

Of course, there are many other considerations, such as how to be more accommodating and appealing to the LGBTQ+ community, people with various religious beliefs and faiths, our veterans and active duty workers, and many more.

We have to consider the diverse needs, expectations, thinking styles, work preferences, communication styles and development needs of a new generation of talent. That includes making changes such as revamping our policies to allow for greater flexibility in work arrangements; upgrading our benefit programs from offering only traditional 401(k) and retirement plans to instituting additional perks such as unlimited vacation time, paying off student loans, offering public transportation passes, gamification, health and wellness programs, onsite daycare, dependent care and long-term care benefits; and much more. It also means expanding our recruiting and selection processes to ensure less-biased decisions are made and our nets are cast wider to attract a more diverse slate of candidates. Additionally, it means offering individual career ladders and unique development opportunities.

As HR leaders, we need to know how to navigate this complex and rapidly changing landscape. That means having the right skills and competencies to build more equitable, inclusive and high-performing workplace cultures.

Why is this important? Because these kinds of work environments produce higher performance, increase employee engagement, fuel innovation and creativity, increase retention and positively impact the customer service experience. Ultimately, they positively contribute to an organization’s bottom line and result in sustained success. In fact, research cited by Bain & Company revealed that companies that create a winning culture are 3.7 times more likely to be top performers.

I’ve had the opportunity to speak to more than 5,000 HR professionals and business leaders around the world over the past year, and these are the kinds of issues that are keeping them up at night. I am often asked, “What is HR’s role in fostering more inclusive and innovative cultures? And what strategies can we implement?”

Here are the top 10 tips that I’ve implemented as a former chief diversity officer and HR executive, as well as what I’ve seen bring sustained success in fostering inclusive and innovative workplace cultures.

Inclusive cultures afford all talent the opportunity to obtain a seat at the table and to feel a sense of connection and belonging. Make sure that your overperformers are not undervalued—or they will leave. Find the “hidden figures” in your organization who aren’t always the most visible or vocal but who are adding value.

Embed diversity and inclusion into your company’s strategic and operating plans, not just the HR strategy. D&I should not be a stand-alone effort or done in a vacuum. Rather, it should be integrated into your organizational DNA.

HR must upgrade and digitize. If not, HR will lose the ability to compete and add value because, according to Cisco Systems, nearly 37 billion things are connected right now. Digital transformation—cloud-based HRIS, recruitment solutions, internal communication platforms, workforce engagement—is key for HR’s transformation.

Without inclusion, you will not attract top talent. Physical and psychological safety issues will arise, and mental, emotional and physical wellness will suffer, which will lead to complaints, lawsuits, low engagement, high turnover and absenteeism. All of these result in $7 trillion in lost productivity every year, according to Gallup.

Think of diversity like an iceberg. Most often, we make 90 percent of our decisions based on the 10 percent of an issue we see. Look at the iceberg accompanying this article. And, yes, we all act according to our biases and make snap decisions within the first 5 seconds. There is so much that makes people unique and diverse that we miss out on because of our blind spots.

Learn to take greater risks and get out of your comfort zone. Being risk-averse, rigid and complacent are antithetical to innovating.

It’s HR’s strategic role and responsibility to build bench strength and leadership capability inside the organization. HR must also ensure that leaders develop the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that will be needed in the future. This can be done via workforce planning, succession planning and generating predictive analytics.

Stop using stock photos to show visible diversity in your company. Do not try to represent something you are not. People will see right through you. If your company lacks diversity, go get it. You can find top talent by casting your net wider than your usual sourcing channels.

If we are doing our jobs effectively, we don’t hire disengaged employees. Poor culture or bad leaders make employees disengaged. Stop selling candidates on experiences, perks and benefits that do not actually exist. Otherwise, employees suffer from buyer’s remorse and become disengaged, disenfranchised and disconnected.

Recruit for traits that can’t be trained. These include honesty, integrity, passion, trust, motivation and attitude. You can train for skills, but not for heart and soul.

If HR professionals are serious about fostering cultures of inclusion and belonging, it really comes down to three focus areas: great leadership, top talent and inclusive and innovative policies.

DEI Experts List First Steps Toward a More Inclusive Workplace

Posted August 27, 2020 by Teresa Whiteacre

For direct access to this article, visit:

https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/dei-experts-list-first-steps-toward-a-more-inclusive-workplace_o

DEI Experts List First Steps Toward a More Inclusive Workplace

Achieving a diverse, equitable, and inclusive firm will take time. The process, say three DEI consultants, begins with examining your culture.

By SHARON STEED, LILY ZHENG, SHIRLEY DAVIS

Read what workforce management consultants Sharon Steed, Lily Zheng, and Shirley Davis advise as initial steps for firms striving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

Learn Through Listening

Sharon Steed, founder, Communilogue, Pittsburgh

Many organizations, leaders, and managers are understandably feeling overwhelmed at the moment. We all finally see how painful life can be for certain segments of the population. Several of my clients have expressed their hesitation, even fear, in confronting these topics: What if they say the wrong thing? What if they hurt someone? What if it isn’t enough?

The issues we are facing, however, don’t have to be intimidating nonstarters: They are opportunities to foster connection and drive inclusion, and architects are exceptionally equipped to tackle this challenging time in our history within the ranks of their firms. Architects not only understand their clients’ physical needs and wants, but also what is possible for a site, and what needs to happen in order to get it there.

Use this same approach to create an inclusive and equitable culture at your firm. The first step is learning through listening: Leaders need to initiate one-on-one conversations with employees about their experiences in their firm. Make sure each individual understands that their opinions matter and will in no way affect their employment. Ask them: Do they feel included? Heard? Like they belong? Listen to their stories without judgment, and try to internalize their struggle.

Make the most of what you learn by implementing changes to your hiring processes to increase diversity; using inclusive language to ensure everyone in the office can join every conversation; and elevating existing voices in your ranks who may feel like they have, or have actually, been silenced.

These conversations can be challenging and daunting. Bringing in outside help at the beginning of this process is OK. Consultants can facilitate these tough discussions as well as create a safe space for these conversations to flourish and guide your firm in long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion planning.

The rawness of the world right now requires those open lines of communication. When you begin to listen as an action, you will confront the brutal truth that your worldview has been very narrow to date. That’s OK: You are learning through listening.

Question Everything

Lily Zheng, diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, Lily Zheng Consulting, San Francisco

Corporate culture is the implied and unspoken values, beliefs, and behaviors that represent a company’s identity and inform how employees should interact with each other and clients. Culture is embedded within office policies, processes, and expectations. Where does DEI come into this? Most firm cultures are designed, intentionally or unintentionally, to be most comfortable for their leaders, who are overwhelmingly cisgender, heterosexual, college-educated white men.

Fostering a culture of inclusion that welcomes women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, working-class people, and other underrepresented minorities requires reimagination from the ground up. Here are the steps your firm must take, and the introspective questions you must ask all employees:

1. (Re)determine your company values, identity, and ethos.
“Who” is your company? Who belongs inside it? One powerful way to begin this exercise is to ask: “Who are we not?” Aim high. Should your company be a place for underrepresented minorities to work? Buy from? Why and how should it earn that reputation?

2. Unpack the assumptions at the core of your company and industry.
In design, for example, what stylistic approaches are accepted to be best? What is considered “normal” or “standard” within mainstream architecture education? What are the unspoken expectations for architects interacting with each other and their clients?

3. Identify how these assumptions embed themselves in common practices.
Do white men primarily interface with clients, even if they’re less experienced than other team members? Does your firm interact with certain clients more than others or pursue certain types of work? What holidays does your firm recognize? What amount of unpaid labor is expected from employees?

4. Explicitly rework assumptions and common practices to align with your ideal company identity.
What do design processes, expectations, and policies that support people of all races, genders, incomes, and social identities look like? How can you normalize these new aspects of culture?

Sustain Your Culture Transformation

Shirley Davis, president and CEO, SDS Global Enterprises, Tampa Bay, Fla.

Culture transformation has become a focus for firms that recognize it can make or break their brand reputation among customers and top talent. Culture can be elusive and invisible, yet it affects the productivity, engagement, creativity, and retention of employees, many of whom are demanding that our workplaces create a sense of belonging, be free from harassment, and—at the very least—be more inclusive and equitable. It can also affect bottom-line profits.

But changing culture is not easy, nor is it a quick fix, which explains why most efforts either fail or stall. What is the secret to transforming culture in your firm in a way that results in sustained success?

From my experience, I can attest that the clients who have succeeded at culture transformation all understood two things: First, you must implement a comprehensive and robust strategy rather than taking a short-term approach; second, you must make it every leader’s responsibility. Here are five steps to get started:

Start with a culture audit to identify the current state of issues, challenges, and strengths, as well as opportunities and deficiencies both inside and outside of your firm.
Integrate and align inclusive behaviors into your values, policies, and strategic plan to reflect the changing demographics in your talent pool, customer segments, and communities.
Replace archaic belief systems that breed power structures through homogeneity, conformity, and hierarchy.
Provide education and development for leaders and staff on how to work more inclusively and effectively across differences.
Institute accountability systems that reward inclusive behaviors and reinforce your firm’s values.

Use these steps to begin the journey to transforming your firm’s culture. The process is not a sprint, but a marathon, and yet it must be approached with a real sense of urgency in order to achieve sustained success.

This article appeared in the August 2020 issue of ARCHITECT under the headline “What Are First Steps Toward a More Inclusive Workplace?”

Resources Available to Address Racial Inequalities

Posted June 4, 2020 by Teresa Whiteacre

Given these unprecedented times of racial injustices that have precipitated the protests, outrage, and civil unrest in our country, we are aware of the emotional and psychological toll that these incidents can take on workers, businesses and communities.

As CEO of SDS Global Enterprises, Inc. and throughout my 20+ years as an expert in the DEI space, I understand how important it is to take immediate action in times like these. In lieu of the recent events that have highlighted the inequities in our society, SDS Global continues to provide resources to respond and strategies needed to build more inclusive workplaces. These are some of the resources that we are providing to our clients to help navigate through these difficult and sensitive topics:

Provide COACHING ON MESSAGING to your organization regarding the civil unrest and injustices that are happening in our nation.
Facilitation of LISTENING TOURS with staff to create a safe space to allow for open dialogue and to identify opportunities and solutions for moving forward.
KEYNOTES/WEBINARS via virtual platform on “Creating more Inclusive and Equitable Workplace Cultures” and “Tips for Tackling Taboo Topics” (such as Race/Racism, gender inequality, religion, etc).
CONSULTING with SR. EXECUTIVES on strategies for addressing institutional and systemic racial inequities and other discriminatory practices.
INDIVIDUAL COACHING to help leaders effectively lead and work across differences.
Provide AUDITS and ASSESSMENTS on organizational culture to identify inequities.

As leaders, it is our responsibility to instill and ensure an inclusive and high performing culture. Reassuring staff that they are valued, reaffirming that diversity and inclusion are core to your values and culture, creating safe spaces for sharing feelings, and offering solutions and resources on how to navigate emotionally-charged situations are all ways to help achieve this.

We are a full-service provider with virtual delivery options that are available on multiple platforms. We stand ready to partner with you to provide expert consulting, facilitation, training, education, coaching, and strategy development. We look forward to hearing from you on how we can partner with your organization.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shirley Davis

CEO of SDS Global Enterprises, Inc.

I want to LIVE. I want to BREATHE.

Posted June 3, 2020 by Teresa Whiteacre

I’m not okay either. Words cannot express the heaviness that I’ve been feeling these past few days. Each time I see the images, the videos and hear the families speak, a wound is opened all over again that seems to never heal before another incident happens, and it triggers sooooo many emotions (anger, frustration, helplessness, fatigue, rage, hurt, powerlessness, fear, sadness, and more anger). Our nation is dealing with three pandemics at the same time (Covid-19, economic distress, and racism) all of which have been destructive, devastating, and disruptive while leaving us without a cure and with more questions than answers.

I have three brothers of whom I am very close to and that I adore to the core. They are amazing and very present dads, they are “Essential” full time workers (one a former DC police officer), they are public servants, they are very family oriented, and they adore their sister and our family. Each time I see the George Floyd video, I see them. AND I WANT THEM TO LIVE AND TO BREATHE–To live a long life full of promise, opportunity, and safety so that they can see their 9 sons grow up.

I see my 77 year old dad whom I absolutely adore. I see my 10 nephews who have so much talent and potential and have no real clue what kind of labels will befall them simply because of their skin color. I see my black male professional colleagues whom I love and have worked with for over 15 years in this DEI work. AND I WANT THEM TO LIVE AND TO BREATHE. I see myself, my daughter, my mom, my nieces, and my sister-in-laws when I hear the Breonna Taylor story and other female victims before her. AND WE WANT TO LIVE AND TO BREATHE.

I have been a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for nearly 20 years for major Fortune 50 corporations and for the world’s largest #HR association (#SHRM) and now for my own global consulting firm, and yet I feel that so much work, time, blood, sweat and tears have been sown, but little progress has been made to make our world a more inclusive, respectful, welcoming, and an equitable place for ALL people to thrive.

This past weekend, nearly 50 of my Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officers convened to make sense of all of this senselessness, to grieve together, to brainstorm together, to lick each other’s wounds, and to offer each other support. And admittedly we too are struggling to breathe. AND WE WANT TO LIVE! We are heart broken. We are sad. And what’s even worse, is that no matter how successful we are, what titles we hold, who we report to (some report to CEOs of Fortune 100 corporations), what education we’ve earned, what certifications we have, or how much work we’ve done to make the world more inclusive, we are still seen and judged by the color of our skin. AND several are victims and recipients of the very structural racism that we are trying to combat in our organizations. But we are committed to keep fighting and to stay on the battlefield because we believe that our nation and our children’s futures depend on it.

These past few days I have been slammed with clients reaching out seeking our guidance on how to strike the right tone, how to create and communicate the right message, how to have a facilitated open, raw, and real dialogue with their staffs about racism, the need to conduct training on prejudice, unconscious bias, and equity, and how to start identifying and addressing the structural and systemic pervasive racial inequities that have plagued every aspect of a black citizen’s life (housing, economics, education, health care, employment, criminal justice, and transportation). They are now ready. They are now asking. And they believe that the timing is right to respond with substantive actions. And so I am answering the call even though I am not okay. I’m conducting virtual keynotes even though I’m broken. I’m smiling even though I’m sad. And even though I too am struggling to breathe, I will continue to do my part with every breath.

I ask that all of you find some way to respond constructively, empathically, and respectfully. I urge all of my non-black colleagues not to assume that we are okay. We are not, and you shouldn’t be either. Because of my faith I still believe that things will get better and that there are more great people in our world than there are hateful people. I choose to love, forgive, see the best in people, and to hold on to my inner peace and joy (which no one can take away).

I employ my non-black and brown colleagues to be an ally and an advocate and to use your privilege and your power to stand and fight with us to advance this cause of wiping out this evil cancer and virus called racism. We are in this together and when one community hurts, it affects our entire nation (One nation under God). Now more than ever before we need each other’s support, we need your voice, we need action because WE WANT TO LIVE. WE WANT TO BREATHE.

#IWantToLive #IWanttoBreathe #racismisarealvirus #racism #protests #racismtherealvisus #ICantBreathe #Diversity #Inclusion #Bias #Covid19 #coronavirus #allyship

Mastering Your Reinvention During this Pandemic

Posted April 28, 2020 by Valentina Perou-Jean

Are you the master of your own reinvention? Click below to listen as Dr. Davis shares some powerful strategies and tips on how to recover and reinvent yourself to achieve greater success.

CBS Atlanta Small Business Network – Unconscious Bias Interview

Posted October 8, 2019 by Valentina Perou-Jean

Check out this interview with Dr. Davis on Unconscious Bias on Atlanta’s Small Business Network

Want More Board Diversity??

Posted September 3, 2019 by Teresa Whiteacre

Thank you, BoardSource and Hardy Smith for featuring me in your recent post on board diversity. Read below or check out the original post here: https://blog.boardsource.org/blog/make-board-diversity-work

Make Board Diversity Work

Posted by Hardy Smith on Aug 27, 2019 2:19:35 PM

Despite ongoing encouragement for nonprofit boards to embrace diversity, BoardSource’s Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices survey shows that movement toward more diverse boards is just not happening on a broad scale.

According to BoardSource’s findings, a majority of board chairs and nonprofit chief executives are dissatisfied with their current levels of board diversity.

However, the survey reveals another alarming fact: a high percentage of those expressing dissatisfaction about a lack of board diversity do not consider action to alter the situation a high priority or even a priority at all.

Furthermore, of the more than 360 organizations that report having no people of color on their boards, it is disturbing that only 10 percent indicate that “demographics is a high priority in board recruitment.” This is in spite of the fact that 62 percent of those organizations with no people of color on their boards admit, “expanding the board’s racial and ethnic diversity is important for increasing the organization’s ability to advance its mission.”

Certainly the sector is sending a mixed message.

But actions speak louder than words. And because of that, the message is actually very clear —diversity is not a priority.

These organizations are shooting themselves in the foot. This message projects well beyond the present board to prospective board members, members, volunteers, staff, donors, and to the community of individuals being served. The more people see that these organizations ignore the need for diversity, the more that they will drive away individuals they would like — and need — to attract.

Furthermore, diversity is beyond having a different face or two on your board.

When board members who represent diverse communities see no active progress toward diversity, they first become frustrated by the lack of full-in organizational commitment. Then they become discouraged, and finally they become disengaged from their board service.

To prevent your organization from going down this path, you need to do three things:

Accept responsibility

BoardSource says it best: “As the decision-making body at the highest level of organizational leadership, boards play a critical role in creating an organization that prioritizes, supports, and invests in diversity, inclusion, and equity.”

The board sets the tone for the entire organization and whatever it makes a priority will trickle down to the rest of the organization. However diverse (or not) your board is at this moment is the direct result of how your board has operated up to this point. Own it.

Take action

To assist organizations in moving beyond stated intentions with deliberate action, I reached out to speaker colleague Shirley Davis, Ph.D., who is a recognized global workforce expert and specializes in diversity and inclusion.

She advises, “Optics matter. When an individual doesn’t see anyone else that looks like them, it communicates that their values and needs aren’t important.” She adds, “However, any conversation around achieving organizational diversity should not be narrowly focused on just gender and race. True diversity isn’t about quotas.”

Davis shares these actions for successfully implementing a goal for achieving board diversity.

Recognize there can be unconscious biases that prevent action from being taken.
Identify a champion to lead the initiative.
Develop a positioning statement that covers what the organization believes and defines what is to be accomplished.
Establish goals with measurable outcomes.
Evaluate progress being made.
Provide training and facilitated discussion that gives your goal a top of mind presence.

It is also important to avoid making mistakes that will block successful implementation. Davis identifies these four as especially significant:

Not seeing that achieving diversity goals is everyone’s responsibility
Not recognizing that there can be diversity but not inclusion
Not fostering assimilation so there is a sense of belonging
Assuming achieving diversity is a quick thing. It’s a marathon — not a sprint.

To create a true culture of diversity, Davis advocates going beyond focus only on the board by “operationalizing” your efforts. Every decision your organization makes should be looked at through a diversity lens. This includes leadership positions, committee involvement, program scheduling, employee hiring, vendor selection, member and volunteer recruitment, and donor acquisition.

Further demonstrate your commitment to diversity by ensuring that the public view of your organization, such as through your website and social media activity, includes leadership statements that reflect on various aspects of diversity.

As nonprofits take action on their commitment to board diversity and inclusion, following Davis’s advice will help remove a source of frustration among board members who do represent under represented communities. In addition, they will position themselves as much more attractive to individuals representing different races, cultures, genders, and generational groups.

Commit to desired change

Achieving board representation that is reflective of the community an organization serves is the right thing. But it is also the smart thing — the organization benefits from the diversification of different backgrounds, experiences, opinions, and skill-sets, which are all vitally important qualities for a board that wants to reach higher levels of success.

Making board diversity a priority and taking action to achieve it is a responsibility that is squarely on the shoulders of the board. Remember, actions speak louder than words, and those nonprofits talking diversity and not taking intentional action are missing board leadership. The bottom line is that taking the right action is the way to ensure that your organization advances its mission tomorrow and into the future.

Does your organization have a goal for increasing diversity and for creating intentional inclusion? What actions are you taking to achieve your goal?

The CandEs Shop Talk Podcast show

Posted August 22, 2019 by Valentina Perou-Jean

Dr. Davis is interviewed by Kevin Grossman, President of Talent Board on The CandEs Shop Talk Podcast show regarding her appearance at the upcoming California HR Conference and her session “Workforce Trends that will Redefine the Workplace, Workers, and Work”:

</p> </div> <footer class="postmetadata"> Posted in <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/media/podcasts/" rel="category tag">Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/2019/08/22/the-candes-shop-talk-podcast-show/#respond">No Comments »</a> </footer> </article> <article class="post-3959 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-blog category-business category-career category-employee category-leadership category-media-coverage category-speaking category-success-strategies category-talent category-women category-workforce tag-culture tag-diversity tag-employee-engagement tag-human-resources tag-inclusion tag-transformation tag-workplace-culture" id="post-3959"> <h2><a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/2019/05/29/inclusion-starts-with-i-a-personal-passion-for-inclusion-in-the-workplace/">Inclusion Starts with “I” – A Personal Passion for Inclusion in the Workplace</a></h2> <span class="sep">Posted </span><a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/2019/05/29/inclusion-starts-with-i-a-personal-passion-for-inclusion-in-the-workplace/" title="8:57 am" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date" datetime="2019-05-29T08:57:55-05:00" pubdate>May 29, 2019</time></a> by <span class="byline author vcard">Teresa Whiteacre</span> <div class="entry"> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Thank you, MRA for the opportunity to speak at your Diversity & Inclusion Conference this year and for the wonderful article!</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"></div> <div class="node__content"> <h4>Article Written by: <a href="https://www.mranet.org/employees/kathryn-klopfer" rel="bookmark"><span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Kathryn Klopfer, </span></a>Marketing Communications and PR Specialist, MRA</h4> <p>Link to the article: <a href="https://www.mranet.org/article/inclusion-starts-i">https://www.mranet.org/article/inclusion-starts-i</a></p> <h2><strong><span>Inclusion Starts with “I”<br /> A Personal Passion for Inclusion in the Workplace</span></strong></h2> <p><span><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-3941 alignleft" src="http://drshirleydavis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/Dr.-Shirley-Davis-Headshot-2018-253x300.jpg" alt="" width="253" height="300" srcset="https://drshirleydavis.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr.-Shirley-Davis-Headshot-2018-253x300.jpg 253w, https://drshirleydavis.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr.-Shirley-Davis-Headshot-2018-768x909.jpg 768w, https://drshirleydavis.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr.-Shirley-Davis-Headshot-2018-865x1024.jpg 865w, https://drshirleydavis.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr.-Shirley-Davis-Headshot-2018-158x187.jpg 158w, https://drshirleydavis.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr.-Shirley-Davis-Headshot-2018-1170x1385.jpg 1170w" sizes="(max-width: 253px) 100vw, 253px" />Small in stature, but big on impact, Dr. Shirley Davis, <a>President and CEO of SDS Global Enterprises, Inc.,</a> joined MRA for the 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Conference and shared a powerful message to inspire attendees to become inclusive leaders. With 30 years of experience as a global thought leader on diversity and inclusion, Dr. Davis spoke to the crowd of more than 300 HR and business leaders on what it takes to be a successful inclusive leader. Davis advocates that inclusive leaders help create inclusive work environments that produce high-performing workforces. </span></p> <p><span>For Dr. Davis, her work is very personal. Not only was she hearing stories of people who didn’t feel they were being treated fairly or getting what they deserved, she was seeing it, as well as feeling it firsthand. Becoming a mother was the real catalyst. Dr. Davis wanted to create a better world for her daughter. It became a mission, her passion and purpose. Dr. Davis felt she needed to help change people’s perceptions as she did not want her daughter to experience the same treatment. She wanted to leave a legacy and have her daughter see her mom making a difference in the world. Over the years, she has seen change happen and that is rewarding.</span></p> <p><span>Dr. Davis’ commitment to this effort is evident in her accomplishments as a corporate executive with Fortune 100 companies, a global workforce management expert, a certified leadership coach, and a master of reinvention. She works with leaders at all levels and has worked in more than 30 countries on five continents and delivers more than 80 speeches a year.</span></p> <p><span>In addition, Dr. Davis has authored two best-selling books, “Reinvent Yourself: Strategies for Achieving Success in Every Area of Your Life,” and “The Seat: How to Get Invited to the Table When You’re Over-Performing and Undervalued.” In her most recent book, “The Seat,” Davis shares strategies of not only things organizations should do, but also things employees need to do individually. In her book, she is looking to empower employees to be prepared and be ready to sit at the table.</span></p> <p><span>“Just getting invited to the table is not enough though,” said Davis. “Once at the table, we need to have a voice, speak up and provide value. We need to ‘represent!’ It’s not just about getting a seat, but, adding value when we get there.”</span></p> <p><span>Davis mentioned that there are so many out there overperforming and being undervalued. She works with organizations to help them see the need for change, and to help those who are underrepresented be seen. </span></p> <p><span>Getting noticed is certainly an area Dr. Davis has overcome. She shares her personal experience of being discriminated against and being made to feel less than those around her simply because she was a woman, a single mom, and a person of color. Proving herself is something she also has overcome in the corporate world. In fact, she even got her PhD to prove her value. As Dr. Davis puts it, “I’ve got to do my part, and in turn, organizations need to do their part and provide the opportunities,” said Davis.</span></p> <p><span>Her goal is to level the playing field, overcome the biases, and bring inclusion into the workplace. “Better workplaces, better communities … all contribute to a better society and being more inclusive,” Davis said. “With all the gifts and talents people bring to the table today, we should not be talking about this in 2019 still. But we are!”</span></p> <p><span>And Davis will continue to talk about this topic, make presentations, share her expertise, coach leaders to be more inclusive, offer training sessions and courses online, write books and more to overcome the biases and help develop many more inclusive leaders.</span></p> <p><span>“The world is going to continue to change, and if we want to make a real difference, we need to change mindsets, change attitudes, and our own behaviors. Inclusion starts with ‘I’,” added Davis.</span></p> <p><span>For more information or to order one of Dr. Davis books, go to: <a href="https://new.drshirleydavis.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://new.drshirleydavis.com/</a></span></p> </div> </div> <footer class="postmetadata"> Tags: <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/tag/culture/" rel="tag">culture</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/tag/diversity/" rel="tag">Diversity</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/tag/employee-engagement/" rel="tag">employee engagement</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/tag/human-resources/" rel="tag">human resources</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/tag/inclusion/" rel="tag">Inclusion</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/tag/transformation/" rel="tag">transformation</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/tag/workplace-culture/" rel="tag">workplace culture</a><br /> Posted in <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/blog/" rel="category tag">Blog</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/business/" rel="category tag">Business</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/career/" rel="category tag">Career</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/employee/" rel="category tag">Employee</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/leadership/" rel="category tag">Leadership</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/media-coverage/" rel="category tag">Media Coverage</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/speaking/" rel="category tag">Speaking</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/success-strategies/" rel="category tag">Success Strategies</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/talent/" rel="category tag">Talent</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/women/" rel="category tag">Women</a>, <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/category/workforce/" rel="category tag">Workforce</a> | <a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/2019/05/29/inclusion-starts-with-i-a-personal-passion-for-inclusion-in-the-workplace/#respond">No Comments »</a> </footer> </article> <article class="post-4836 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-podcasts" id="post-4836"> <h2><a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/2019/03/19/brave-girls-with-tracy-imm/">Brave Girls with Tracy Imm</a></h2> <span class="sep">Posted </span><a href="https://drshirleydavis.com/blog/2019/03/19/brave-girls-with-tracy-imm/" title="6:33 am" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date" datetime="2019-03-19T06:33:24-05:00" pubdate>March 19, 2019</time></a> by <span class="byline author vcard">Valentina Perou-Jean</span> <div class="entry"> <p>On this episode of Brave Girls, Tracy Imm speaks with her guide and mentor, Dr. Shirley Davis, also known as The Success Doctor. In this episode Dr. Davis talks about her faith as a foundation and how that has contributed to her positive mindset as she pursues her purpose on earth in this time. She shares her “why” and how she is helping others to step up into their purpose through her story of overcoming obstacles. We also touch on fear and why you need to have faith over fear.</p> <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/7022304/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/f5e8e8/" height="90" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen>

Board Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by Support KC

Posted February 19, 2019 by Teresa Whiteacre

Thank you for your review of my recent presentation at Nonprofit Connect in Kansas City, MO, Support KC! Read the review by their President and CEO, Debra Box, M.A. below.

“It may not be too much to claim that the future of our world will depend on how we deal with identity and difference.”

Miroslav Volf, Bosnian Theologian

The face of America is rapidly changing, and the rate of change will only increase. According to the Pew Research Center, 54% of the American population will be non-white by 2065. Our notions of minority and majority will be challenged, and even reversed, in the years to come. As stewards of public trust, the nonprofit sector should be guideposts for diversity and inclusion in a society experiencing deep cultural shifts. There will be tremendous opportunity to be leaders in this conversation, but nonprofit organizations must first assess the state of the sector in order to know where to begin.

Though the face of America is shifting, nonprofit board of director demographics continue to remain unchanged. BoardSource’s Leading with Intent report found that boards are no more diverse than they were two years ago despite reporting high-levels of dissatisfaction with current board demographics. Moreover, current recruiting priorities indicate this is trend unlikely to change. Support KC’s vision for a high-performing, sustainable nonprofit community cannot be achieved without the inclusion of decision-makers that represent the diverse communities that nonprofits serve, which is why diversity, equity, and inclusion will continue to be a priority for us.

Does your nonprofit health plan include embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion on the board level? Last month Nonprofit Connect hosted Inclusion 2019, a conference featuring Dr. Shirley Davis that provided nonprofit leaders with practical resources on inclusion and strategies for addressing implicit bias. During her presentation, Dr. Davis unpacked the 6 C’s of Inclusive Leadership: commitment, cognizance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence, collaboration, and courage. If diversity, equity and inclusion is a new for your board and leadership, courage may be the first place to begin. To start a conversation with your board, Dr. Davis has created this free resource for executive leadership, focusing on organizational culture transformation.

Stay on the lookout for more updates on board diversity and inclusion and how you can propel this crucial work. If civic leaders, nonprofit partners, and the corporate sector begin to organize around board diversity and inclusion, we can create board leadership opportunities that are aligned with the goals of the next generation.

Sincerely,

Debra Box, M.A.
President and CEO
Support Kansas City, Inc.

4 Key Roles BRG Leaders Should Play to Contribute to Sustained Culture Change

Posted February 12, 2019 by Teresa Whiteacre

If you’re like most Business Resource Groups (often referred to as Affinity or Employee Resource Groups) you’ve likely performed some of the basic steps within the Diversity Initiative in your organization. You’ve probably focused on recruiting more women and people of color. You’ve put a Diversity Statement on your company’s website. You’ve hosted Awareness Programs each month related to Diversity such as Women’s History, Pride, Disability, Black History, Veterans, Hispanic Heritage, and several others. And you’ve participated in peer coaching, mentoring, and other learning events.

Now it’s time to take your BRG efforts to the next level by assisting in driving Inclusion in your organization. So what does that look like?
Consider that if these six realities existed in your culture, how much more engagement, productivity, and retention the organization would experience.

Imagine a world/workplace where all of the attributes that make you unique are welcomed and embraced.
Imagine a workplace where you can bring your full and best self to work every day and share ideas and perspectives openly and honestly, without fear of retribution.
Imagine a workplace where no one has to cover (or downplay or disassociate from a part of your diversity or uniqueness) just to be accepted/fit in with the Dominant Group. Currently, research tells us that 75% of workers report that they do some form of covering at work.
Imagine a workplace where no person is made to suffer from the Imposter Syndrome or where no ISMS, Phobias, Microaggressions, nor biases are tolerated.
Imagine a workplace culture where your identity contributes to your own growth and the success of the team.
Imagine a world where the vast majority of people wake up every day inspired to go to work, feel safe while they are there, and return home at the end of the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

This is the important contribution and impact that Business Resource Groups can have on an organization’s culture. Every leader can help to cultivate a culture of inclusion, belonging, and high performance.

Consider these 4 Key Roles that every BRG leader should play to contribute to sustained culture change and to fully demonstrate the “B” in BRGs.

No company is perfect, but BRG leaders (and the members) must represent the best of the company as Brand Ambassadors. Top talent today makes decisions based on the reputation and the brand of the company and its success. They do their due diligence, meaning they research the company and ask pointed questions to ascertain what kind of company culture and benefits exitsts. And they want to work for a company that aligns with their values. Most importantly, they want to see that its leaders walk the talk. That includes BRG leaders as well.

ERG leaders must personify the values of the company in all that they do and say. They should be brand ambassadors for the teams and divisions that they lead and support; for their clients; for the Boards that they serve on in the community and events that they attend. Ultimately, they should be brand ambassadors in the grocery stores, in the hotel lobbies, in the parks, on the golf course, in the malls, and everywhere they go and every person that they touch.

Secondly, BRG leaders should be Community Bridge Builders.

It is a basic human need to have a sense of belonging, to be connected to something or someone, and to feel a part of something significant and bigger than you. Equally, it is a basic human need to feel safe.

BRG leaders can be Community Bridge Builders by creating a sense of community, learning, and inviting diversity of thought and perspectives both in and outside of the workplace.

BRG leaders can help to facilitate opportunities for dialogue, courageous conversations, understanding and acceptance. Yes, in particular, the sensitive, polarizing, and the most misunderstood aspects of our identities, our histories, and our experiences (such as religion, sexual orientation, politics, culture, race, and disabilities).

Finally, BRG leaders can help to provide the tools and resources needed to minimize culture clashes, culture wars, and cultural insensitivities that people experience, in and outside of the organization.

Thirdly, BRG leaders must be Culture Evolutionaries.

Culture is not something you always see; but it is something that you experience.
There are artifacts that represent the company culture such as the wall of Founders or Past Presidents that hang in the lobby, dress code, how the receptionist greets you, the physical décor of the building, food, the mission and vision statements on the wall, to name a few. However, the aspects of culture that cannot be seen but experienced are the areas that cause the greatest amount of misunderstandings, disengagement, low performance, and/or turnover. They can include unwritten rules, perceptions, norms, company politics, traditions, and beliefs. Therefore, BRG leaders can play a significant role in ensuring that the culture continues to evolve rather than remain static; to progress from archaic belief systems that breed homogeneity and conformity– to cultures that foster trust, empowerment, respect, and belonging.

Learn from companies such as Nike, Uber, CBS, Mattel, the NFL, Starbucks, General Motors, Facebook, United Airlines, Wells Fargo and many others who have had to address and evolve their culture in the public’s eye and repair the reputational damage caused by bad behavior of its leadership. Forward thinking and inclusive leaders recognize that culture transformation must be a strategic focus and a business strategy. To not transform the workplace culture in this Era of Disruption, and in this global, diverse, multicultural, and ever-changing society is a going-out of business strategy.

Fourthly, BRG leaders must be Legacy Leaders.

This work is too important and has the potential to live on for generations. The workplace that organizations become known for by 2030 or by 2050 depends on the seeds that leaders sow today and the accomplishments that are achieved in the future. Some leaders will retire from their current company; some will move on to new opportunities; and others will move up in their current organization. But wherever life takes you in the next 5, 10, or 20 years, I encourage you to be a Legacy Leader.

My Charge to You…

I opened this article asking you to imagine a world/workplace where all of the attributes that make you unique are welcomed and embraced, or one where you can bring your full and best self to work every day and share ideas and perspectives openly and honestly, without fear of retribution, etc. When you operate as a Legacy Leader we will no longer have to imagine these kinds of workplaces because the work that you do will help to make them a living reality. Ultimately, the goal of a Legacy Leader is to leave the organization better than you found it.

Dr. Shirley Davis Speaks at Nonprofit Connect’s Inclusion 2019

Posted February 4, 2019 by Teresa Whiteacre

Rhia Dixon’s review of Dr. Davis’ keynote at Nonprofit Connect’s Inclusion 2019 Conference. Thank you for the support, Rhia!

I spent my morning in an amazing diversity & inclusion workshop hosted by Nonprofit Connect at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center in Kansas City, Missouri. We broke down the difference between diversity and inclusion, why you need both, and how to achieve both in an organization.

Our speaker for Inclusion 2019: Redefining Organizational Culture, Dr. Shirley Davis, is a sassy, dynamic woman with a booming voice that belies her petite frame. Dr. Davis came with all the diversity-related truths today! It was remarkably refreshing to hear someone speaking with such candor about how organizations can start to build inclusion into their culture. Dr. Davis has been in the HR industry for 30 years and has helped redefine organizational cultures for entities of various sizes in a wide range of industries.

She certainly has a way with people and immediately builds a safe, open space for the audience that really encourages communication and authenticity. The very first thing she did was shake up our comfortable tables by insisting we get a little more diverse so that we could have several perspectives during our conversations — tables with no men had men added, homogeneous looking tables had to get more “color”, tables lacking age-variety were supplied with representatives from different generations. I appreciated this because it was interesting to see how people clump together with those who make them the most comfortable. It was also nice to see that people were willing to get up and move to other tables to promote a better mix of voices.

Some organizations feel they are at the top of the diversity game because they have (insert demographic flavor of the day) on their workforce. However, without inclusion, we’re just checking boxes that will have to be unchecked when we lose that diverse talent. Yes, it is very possible (and with a high degree of frequency) to have diversity without inclusion. The goal of this workshop was to help us shift our thinking so that we can become more inclusive and encourage that inclusivity from the top down. While some of this is the same information we’ve heard before…there was still a lot to learn!

As our workforce shifts from being majority baby-boomers to majority millennials, the generational desires are shifting as well. We are living in a side-hustle economy! Everybody’s got a gig. Everyone has options to do something they love and make money while doing it. We’re looking at a workforce (and volunteer-force) that wants time to spend with those they hold most dear, time to experience life, and time to not be working! Millennials aren’t against company-loyalty, they want to be loyal to companies who are loyal in return. One-sided relationships never last long, and there are too many options available to stay where you aren’t happy.

We’re also living in a time where people want to be their FULL selves at work…they want to feel safe enough to be who they are authentically, and not being able to do so is a deal-breaker. An inclusive organization will ENCOURAGE this authenticity by embracing each person’s individuality in every aspect. As a result, these people will spread the word and attract more diverse people to join the inclusive organization. (This is definitely true for me — if you’ve met me and we’ve talked for longer than 3 minutes, you know how much I love my company!)

This particular point was evident in the initial distribution of people in the room. There were a few tables where everyone looked alike (all women, all men, all minority, all non-minority, all younger people, all older people). Part of this was because these people knew each other, and part of it was because people gravitate toward what they know.

We are missing out on our invisible similarities with others based upon the unconscious biases of our perceived visible differences. Instead of noting all the ways we are different and dismissing people sans engagement, we should be striving to connect with the ways we are alike and the things we may have in common. The key to this is communication! We have to be willing to engage with others, step out of our comfy circles and strike up conversations that will help us learn more about each other. If we make these efforts to really get to know people, we just might find we’re kindred spirits!

Hooray, we have women and people of color becoming C-Level Executives! We’re being diverse and inclusive… While these are major moves, most of us still have work to do when it comes to cultivating diverse talent in a way that generates retention. People will return to where they feel they are welcomed and successful.

Successful employees/members have mentors to coach them along the way. They receive unsolicited constructive feedback. They receive recognition and rewards for their productive efforts. They have opportunities to learn and develop professionally. Their opinions are valued and encouraged. This should happen for EVERY person, not just someone’s favorite. This is how we build inclusion into the culture of the organization, and this is how we embrace diversity.

There is a lot more to diversity and inclusion than these few points. I highly suggest following Dr. Shirley Davis on Twitter and finding her when she comes to your city!

For over forty years, Nonprofit Connect has linked the nonprofit community in Kansas City to education, resources and networking so that organizations can more effectively achieve their missions. Follow @npconnect on Twitter to get the lastest updates on upcoming events!

Read the latest SHRM Interview with Dr. Shirley!

Posted October 17, 2018 by Teresa Whiteacre

Dr. Shirley will be speaking at the upcoming Diversity and Inclusion Conference next week. Read her interview below…

By Osasumwen Arigbe on October 17, 2018

I have come to the end of my interviews with some of the amazing presenters for the SHRM Diversity and Inclusion Conference (#SHRMDiv). To provide some context, I got the opportunity to interview some #SHRMDiv speakers in the course of deciding on which sessions to attend. As a first-time attendee, I really wanted to gain an insight into the conference and learn more about the speakers. The first post can be found hereand the second, here.

The final edition of my three-part series of “Speaker Spotlight Interviews” was with Dr. Shirley Davis. She is an accomplished corporate executive, global workforce management expert, a certified leadership coach, and a master of reinvention. She works with leaders at all levels and has worked in more than 30 countries on five continents and delivers more than 80 speeches a year. She brings a high-energy, high-content and high-value message to audiences all around the world. With over 20 years of business experience in a variety of senior and executive leadership roles with Fortune 100 companies, Dr. Davis’ expertise lies in providing solutions and strategies for achieving leadership excellence and in building high performance and inclusive workplace cultures where all talent can thrive.

Most recently, she worked at the world’s largest HR membership association, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion and Workplace Strategies. She is the author of, “Reinvent Yourself: Strategies for Achieving Success in Every Area of Your Life” and “The Seat: How to Get Invited to the Table When You are Over-Performing and Undervalued”. This year, she was honored to become an author for LinkedIn Learning and launched her new online course entitled, “Inclusive Leadership”.

Dr. Davis has such a positive energy and passion that made our communication come through naturally. When I told Dr. Davis that I was impressed by her robust career, she told me: “I have not shared my story like this in a long time. People just see me as this global thought leader who is speaking all over the place, but my drive actually comes personal experiences. These experiences have trained me to go out helping minorities and underrepresented professionals within organizations because I know what it is like to be there and learned to navigate the corporate ladder.”

Please tell me a little about yourself, your career, and how you got here.

I have been in human resources for almost all of my career. While in college, I had a part-time job as a bank teller. I remained in the banking industry after I moved to Oklahoma for my master’s program in human resources management. I had done so well as a customer service representative that my bank asked me to develop and administer a training program for the new customer service representatives. This was how I caught the HR bug! I enjoyed the training and development aspect of HR because I could see immediate results with people’s growth. So, when a position opened up, I became the training director at that bank. Eventually, times started to change, and the bank wanted to focus on diversity. As the only woman of color at the time, they reached out to me under the assumption that I would have all the answers on diversity. Honestly, I did not know much about diversity, but I took on the role because I knew what it meant to be a person of color and knew that I could offer something meaningful. I started studying some of the best diversity experts in the field and rolled out a new diversity training program for the bank. After this role, I held some notable positions—I was hired as a Chief Diversity Officer at one of the largest electric companies in the DC area. The company had just settled a multimillion dollar class action lawsuit and they hired me to clean up the mess, build a strategy, and position them to be more diverse and inclusive. Also, I worked with SHRM for 8 years and had the opportunity to position SHRM as a global resource for all people in HR who were looking for latest trends and best practices around D&I. After a successful time at SHRM, I decided to take all of my experience to run my own global workforce consulting firm. This is where I’m at today.

At the conference, you will be speaking about the “16 People & Resources Every D&I Practitioner Needs to Succeed”. Without sharing too much, can you tell me about the importance of D&I as a business strategy?

D&I is an important business strategy because the world is changing, evolving, and being disrupted. During my session, I plan to talk about how the common demographic trends, the current climate we live and work in, and the national dialogues are impacting our culture, diversity, and people’s sense of security and civility. In order to be effective and successful as D&I practitioners, we must recognize that there are certain people and resources we need. I think everyone will agree that one of the key resources needed in this complex climate is your CEO/Executive Leadership’s support and commitment. Implementing D&I strategies involves some bold and difficult conversations. As D&I practitioners, we must be ready to face those conversations head-on using the support of our executive teams in order to arrive at successful outcomes. There are also other internal and external resources that we need to support our D&I strategy, not just a diversity training, an employee resource group (ERG), or a diversity council. I’m really talking about having alliances and broad relationships up, down, across, and outside the organization. I want attendees to understand that this work is not limited to HR; we need every organizational department for this work. Lastly, D&I needs to be positioned as a culture transformation, not just a training or an item on the compliance checklist, because it strongly influences organizational cultures.

How did you come up with the number “sixteen” for your topic?

The number comes from my experience as a four-time Chief Diversity Officer for major corporations and organizations. It also comes from leveraging my expansive network. In recent times, I have asked my network about the key resources they need today that were not leveraged in the past. I combined all my experience and findings to arrive at this number.

How can organizations make the move towards creating inclusive workplace cultures?

It starts with recognizing that the times are changing. We need to ask ourselves, “How are we going to build an organizational culture that people want to work in and brings out the best performance and ideas from our workers? How are we going to build a culture that customers want to conduct business with?” In my opinion, creating an inclusive workplace culture is about developing a culture that is welcoming, flexible, agile, and resilient—where people feel like they can bring their best selves to work. When we talk about the culture of inclusion, we are talking about people feeling like they have a sense of connectedness, belonging, and significance. In developing the culture of inclusion, leaders must have the training and competencies to lead across differences, learn about various cultures, and understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Leaders have to be transformational, situational, inquisitive, and emotionally intelligent. Creating an inclusive workplace is about culture transformation and removing those barriers or archaic facets of your culture that are still very homogeneous. Leaders have to make those paradigm shifts to make the culture more welcoming.

What should D&I practitioners expect to learn at your session and the conference in general?

They should expect to learn trends, best practices, and new strategies for D&I. Attendees should also expect to learn about themselves and evaluate themselves within their roles. I want them to understand the skills and competencies that are going to be required of them as D&I practitioners and how they need to prepare themselves for the work that is ahead. I want them to come with an open mind and willingness to make some commitment toward what they would do differently. In bold terms, they should be able to ask themselves, “Is this something I am cut out for? Am I ready for this work? Is this something I am really passionate about?” This is necessary because we are faced with serious diversity issues that will not be over in a year or two. We cannot continue to avoid these tabloid topics for fear of being labelled as the “diversity police”. Finally, I hope attendees leave the conference with a greater understanding of the realities that we face, the complexity of this work, and the challenge that it brings.

What do you look forward to experiencing at this conference?

I look forward to learning from other speakers and attendees. I also want to meet some of the newbies in the field— get a chance to know them, network, and provide guidance. On the personal side, I want to go back and see some of my SHRM alum. I worked with SHRM for 8 years and I’m still very connected with a lot of them. Also, I know that SHRM wants to be positioned as a global thought leader on diversity and inclusion. I really want to hear what their plans are for preparing our practitioners for these global realities.

On a lighter note, what do you enjoy doing during your free time?

One of the things I have learned to do is incorporate some relaxation time into my travel schedules. If I’m going to a tropical location, I use some time to breathe in and take in the sights of beauty. I also love spending time with my close-knit family, watching movies and binge-watching my favorite shows. In addition, I do a lot of work in my church because this helps to replenish me.

Dr. Davis will present 16 Key People and Resources Every D&I Practioner Needs to Succeed on October 23 from 10:30am – 12:00pm in Rooms 204-207. You can connect with her through LinkedIn, Twitter @DrShirleyDavis, and through her website.

TAGS:

#SHRMDIV

DIVERSITY

INCLUSION

Osasu is an HR professional based in Washington DC. In her current role, she brings a strategic lens to support the organization with HR and organization development matters. She leads several HR initiatives and launches transformational projects that promote organizational effectiveness. She brings a unique perspective to her role because of her diverse background/experience and passion for the HR field.

Osasu holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Georgetown University. As a student, Osasu served as the Secretary for the Georgetown SHRM Student Chapter. She has also been an active member of SHRM and the local chapter in Northern Virginia (NOVA SHRM) since October 2016.

She enjoys being in a constant state of learning. She also enjoys writing; therefore, she wholly embraces this opportunity to share her ideas and experiences with others.

You can connect with her on LinkedIn or on Twitter @OsasuArigbe.

https://blog.shrm.org/blog/shrmdiv-speaker-spotlight-q-a-with-shirley-davis-phd-csp

DEAR CEO: Culture Transformation is the Solution, not Training

Posted October 10, 2018 by Teresa Whiteacre

Dear CEO:

Culture Transformation is the Solution, not Training

As a 30 year HR and workforce management expert, a former Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for several major organizations, and a certified leadership coach, I speak from experience when I say that training is not the cure to responding to poor decisions made by management, or to public outrage when revelations of bad behavior go viral and threatens your company brand.

In my consulting firm we often receive calls to conduct a number of training programs ranging from leadership development, diversity, inclusion, unconscious bias, anti-harassment, team effectiveness, trust-building, and other similar topics. The majority of the time, these requests are in direct response to some unfortunate incident such as a lawsuit (or threat of one), increased employee complaints, high disengagement, turnover, or in response to a company’s crisis featured in the national news that has generated protest and public outcry.

Companies Rush to Training

We recently saw a rush to training when Starbucks was forced to address racial bias issues that occurred in one of its stores by a front line supervisor. It closed 8,000 stores to hold mandatory training for its entire workforce. Other companies followed suit and started calling us to conduct Implicit Bias training. We also saw Uber faced with crisis after crisis over the last year. To address the company’s large-scale and fundamental culture problems, Uber piloted a corporate education program like that of a university model. In the first few months of its launch, more than 6,000 out of Uber’s 15,000 employees signed up to take the classes in leadership and strategy.

And then another crisis happened last year, got national coverage and has forced companies around the world to conduct training and to address aspects of its culture. That was the #MeToo, #TimesUp, and now #WhyIDidntReport movements. Over the past year, our firm has been inundated with requests for anti-harassment training as a result of revelations and accusations leveled against media moguls, entertainers and celebrities, government officials, CEOs of major corporations, and now a Supreme Court nominee.

I do applaud companies that are at least willing to take such bold moves as closing all of its stores to educate staff through mandatory training. I also give credit to companies who are at least willing to do something to address the issue such as terminating the employment of the violators, airing new commercials as a PR campaign to reinvent its brand, and hosting listening tours. However, I do wonder what happened after the training was concluded, employees went back to work, and the public applauded the company’s show of commitment to training and education. My response to clients in these types of situations is that a few hours of training, a 60 second commercial, or a one hour focus group won’t result in behavior, attitude, or mindset shifts. The reality is that training is not the fix. Culture transformation is the solution.

Training should not be the first step, nor should it be the only step. If the necessary systems are not in place to drive sustainable change, this huge investment of training time, money, and resources will be deemed a futile exercise. It’s what happens beyond these activities and in the culture of the company on a daily basis that will make the difference.

What is Workplace Culture?

The topic of corporate culture has been active in some organizations for decades, but it is now a global issue as more institutions are addressing organizational health. Culture consists of the norms, values, behaviors and attitudes that the company rewards or holds in high esteem. In an article published last year in Harvard Business Review entitled, “Changing Company Culture Requires a Movement, Not a Mandate” culture was described as being like the wind. “It is invisible, yet its effect can be seen and felt. When it is blowing in your direction, it makes for smooth sailing. When it is blowing against you, everything is more difficult.” Company culture can make or break your brand and reputation among customers and top talent; it can impact employee productivity, engagement, creativity, and retention; and it can affect bottom line profits and company success.

Employees are demanding at the very least, that our workplaces be more inclusive, welcoming, respectful, create a sense of belonging, and be free from harassment. For some companies with legacy cultures and those who have existed over a century, this is an extremely hard change management process. But it’s necessary in this era of demographic shifts where the global workforce and marketplace is much more diverse, multicultural, multi-generational, and working more virtually and flexibly. So how does this happen? How do you really move the needle beyond training activities?

Where I have seen the greatest success in working with my clients to move the needle is when they are willing to implement a more comprehensive and robust strategy rather than a quick fix. So here are my proven steps to successfully transforming culture.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://drshirleydavis.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/12-strategies-table-cropped.pdf” title=”12 strategies table cropped”]

The steps presented above are not ranked in any particular order, but when we are working with our clients, we always recommend that they start at the Assess phase. This is the most critical step in the process because it uncovers and reveals the current state of the company and establishes how much ground work needs to be done. In this first step we conduct a S.W.O.T. analysis, Stakeholder interviews with internal and external personnel, culture audit, leadership assessments both individually as well as with the senior management team as a group, administer employee surveys, and conduct focus groups with staff. Determining which order to implement

all of the other steps will depend on the company’s resources, appetite for change, the pace that they can or are willing to take, and the amount of work ahead. Of course the last step in the process should be the Sustain phase because it is important to ensure that all of the work that has been implemented has some stickiness. Ongoing process improvement, evaluation, course-correction, and innovation should become a way of life in order to sustain the work.

I know it sounds like a lot to do but culture transformation takes time, effort, energy and commitment. The process is not a sprint, it’s a marathon and must be approached with a real sense of urgency in order to create the future state.

Culture is Everyone’s Responsibility

Culture is everyone’s responsibility, but I have seen the greatest success in culture transformation when leaders at the highest level in the organization take the lead and walk the talk. Every leader and employee in the organization should be held accountable for living the values of the organization.

Don’t be the company that has regrets for not making necessary culture changes because it would take too long and cost too much. I imagine that Starbucks, Uber, Nike, United Airlines, Wells Fargo, the NFL, Facebook, the Federal Government, and many others whose workplace cultures have come under scrutiny in recent months, all wish that they were not having to deal with culture transformation in the public’s eye and under such adverse circumstances. It’s bad for their brands, and bad for their business and unfortunately, I’m sure that there are more to come.

My advice and coaching to all CEOs, Presidents, Chief HR Officers, and Board of Directors is to heed this call for culture transformation and not just use training as a Band-Aid and quick fix in hopes that it will go away with the changing news cycle. Use the steps listed above and make the commitment to see this as a strategic imperative and an act of innovation and reinvention that will result in long term business success.

Exit Strategies: Forget Plan B and Conquer Your Plan A

Posted August 8, 2018 by Teresa Whiteacre

I left my full-time position as a senior executive in a major organization three years ago to launch what has become a successful global speaking, training and consulting enterprise. But success didn’t come overnight, nor was it easy. Three years before I quit my job, I was only imagining what it would be like when I could finally be my own boss and live my dream full time. While I loved the work that I was doing for another company, I felt like my deepest passions and greatest potential was still untapped because it did not fit into my job description. This job was my Plan B, but I was longing to be living my Plan A. I had to plan to quit, plan to build my business, and plan to succeed.

I followed five steps to develop and implement my exit strategy, which enabled me to leave my day job and pursue my passion full time. It set me up for the success I enjoy today.

STEP 1 Reaffirm my “what.”

I needed to ensure that my expertise and the services I offered would be marketable and sustainable. I needed to be sure the “what” was something that would drive me work harder every day, and it was something that would be meaningful and fulfilling.

STEP 2 Create a three-year business plan.

This step required doing my homework on starting and operating a business, and begin acting and thinking like a business owner. I had been employed full time for over 30 years, and I had to reprogram my mind and reinvent myself. It’s one thing to be a great speaker; it’s another thing to manage day-to-day business operations.

STEP 3 Get moral support.

The third step was to get my family on board, and expand my network and list of potential clients and resources. I got more involved with NSA by joining the local chapter, secured a business coach/mentor, and surrounded myself with other entrepreneurs who had successfully made the transition and could give me insight into the realities and pitfalls they experienced.

STEP 4 Get my finances in order.

I paid off big bills, decreased spending, ensured that my credit score was high, and saved a year’s worth of salary to ensure that I could still pay my bills in the event that business got off to a slow start.

STEP 5 Build a business infrastructure.

A solid infrastructure enabled me to be ready to do business on day one. I registered the business name; had my website built; completed my first book; had business cards, brochures, course catalog, and social media sites developed; and I hired an accountant and tax advisor. But nothing was published or went live until after I quit.

Too many speakers step out on faith to pursue their passion full time, but have no plan of action. As a result, their dreams are short lived. Just a few years ago, I was only imagining that one day I’d be a successful entrepreneur. Today, I am living on the other side of imagination and experiencing tremendous success because I worked on my exit strategy and planned to succeed.

Shirley Davis, PhD, Certified Speaking Professional, is an international speaker, business executive, and global workforce and talent management expert who provides strategies on how organizations can transform their cultures and how individuals can reinvent themselves for success. She is also the author of several books. Learn more at www.drshirleydavis.com.

FREE WEBINAR – Strategies for How to Get a Seat at the Table and Sustain Your Place

Posted July 30, 2018 by Teresa Whiteacre

Listen along while Dr. Shirley teams up with The Forum on Workplace Inclusion. In this important webinar she discusses today’s changing workplace environment and explores what you can do to keep yourself relevant for today and in the future!

It’s time to put an end to putting things off.

Deal with your emotions

Put the focus on action

Have a nonjudgmental awareness of your emotions

Have friends hold you accountable

Tackle the big tasks first

When all else fails, work with a professional

Focus on the big picture

Be easy on yourself

Labor Shortages Will Continue To Steer the Job Market

That Could Lead to Higher Salaries in Lower-Tier Fields

Businesses Will Focus on Employee Experience and DE&I

Freelancers and Inexperienced Workers Will Find Opportunities Beyond the Entry Level

The Hiring Process Will Speed Up

Skills That Match the Realities of the Times Will Be in High Demand

Tips for Job Hunting in 2022 — and Beyond

About the Author

Dr. Davis’s newest interview on FOX 24 News Now

Learn Through Listening

Question Everything

Sustain Your Culture Transformation

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Make Board Diversity Work

Consider these 4 Key Roles that every BRG leader should play to contribute to sustained culture change and to fully demonstrate the “B” in BRGs.

My Charge to You…

Dr. Shirley will be speaking at the upcoming Diversity and Inclusion Conference next week. Read her interview below…

#SHRMDiv Speaker Spotlight: Q & A with Shirley Davis, Ph.D., CSP