A meeting is called. The main executives and HR are invited in. The aim is to solve the diversity problem. The agenda item is scheduled for 20 minutes.
At this meeting it has been put front of the agenda, as it had been scheduled in previous meetings but was put at the end so was never addressed as time ran out each time. With a new deadline approaching, the board need to nail it down now.
We’ve all been there, right? You walk into an hour long meeting, dreading what is to come. Whilst this is meant to be a ‘team’ meeting, 90% of the session is dominated by the chair, with very little input from anyone else.
Sadly, this is a fairly common occurrence in the world of work, which is unfortunate due to its soul sapping and morale-destroying nature.
So how can we avoid making our meetings a one-person-band and instead one that is inclusive to the whole team? Here are some of my top tips.
Let’s face it. Diversity and Inclusion are complex. Cookie-cutter solutions rarely work to ‘fix’ the issues, whether it be representation of diverse groups at senior levels or creating a more inclusive environment.
Whilst there are schemes you may have heard of that might help such as introducing a talent track, reverse mentoring or a sponsorship programme, these are not the silver bullet to create the utopian organisations that our lofty Diversity and Inclusion Strategies envision.
But rather than introducing more schemes or doing another call out for diversity volunteers, find ways for you to solve the problem. In other words, it’s an opportunity for you to get creative
November is often a time of lower energy, but particularly so this year. Usually, it is the last month of ‘serious work’ before the interruptions of December and Christmas. This is also tied in with the change of season and clocks changing which suddenly makes our evenings feel very long.
But November is also a time for reflection. We are approaching the New Year and whatever the future may bring in 2021; we also have more time to spend time alone to think for ourselves.
For me, I have been looking at the changes I have made since Summer. I have started blogging, videos, coaching and now writing a book. I also started a new job with it’s own set of particular challenges.
November has been a pretty interesting month so far. We’ve had lockdowns, elections and new budgets. And we’re only a week in!
The month of November is also an interesting time for challenges – we have numerous charity and abstinence goals that have been going around social media, including my own personal favourite of Movember (which for me started about four months ago!).
I’ve had the idea of writing an e-book on my mind since the beginning of the year, so what better time than now when we’re all locked down?
My first experience of large-scale Black History Month celebrations was in BEIS, where I saw the power of bringing inspirational black leaders together along with allies together to better understand the history that brings us to our modern day
In my previous team, we spent every morning listing three things we were grateful for. We would go around in a circle (which turned virtual as the Pandemic hit) listing one thing each, patiently waiting until someone had something to say.
Whether it was having a nice coffee break, relaxing in the evening to a nice meal, catching up with a long-lost friend, spending time with the kids or simply the sun coming out in the morning, we started verbalising these positive moments far more than we ever would have done otherwise.
I really believe in the importance of helping others and supporting individuals on their own journey. This led me first into working in Government, then into Diversity and Inclusion work, and most recently into coaching.
One of my initial blockers was whether I would come across cheesy, or insincere.
The answer for me was bringing a higher level of authenticity into what I say. I post things that I think will be genuinely helpful for people, and that I actually believe. After all, how can I give advice to anyone if I don’t believe it myself?
Think of someone you know well and have seen a lot of over a long period of time. Take a few moments to think about what their relative qualities are. What skills do they have, and what are their personal qualities that are their greatest strengths?
But what if we’re not talking about someone else – what if we are talking about you? Do you know what your own strengths are?
Black History Month takes place annually during the month of October in the UK. The month is an opportunity for us to understand more about our collective history from the perspective of black people.
It is also an opportunity to commemorate the struggles as well as the achievements of black people across the UK, past and present.