DeepSummary
Jennifer Brown, a consultant on diversity and inclusion, discusses her journey and the importance of creating workplaces where everyone can thrive. She describes the metaphor of the 'iceberg' where certain identities and aspects of people's lives are hidden below the 'waterline' due to fear of discrimination or biases at work. She calls for organizations to be more proactive in acknowledging these hidden parts and creating environments where people feel safe to bring their full authentic selves.
The conversation touches on intersectionality and how different visible and invisible identities impact people's experiences at work. Brown emphasizes the importance of mentorship, sponsorship, and advocacy across differences to foster more equitable workplaces. She also discusses the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women and the need for flexibility to accommodate different circumstances.
Brown encourages individuals, particularly those early in their careers, to be agents of change by using their voices, building relationships, and challenging the status quo. She stresses the need for intergenerational dialogue and co-creating solutions that integrate diverse perspectives. Throughout, she underscores the business imperative of fostering belonging for all employees to reach their full potential.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Create psychologically safe workplaces where employees feel comfortable bringing their full authentic selves without covering aspects of their identities.
- Acknowledge and address the 'unseen' challenges and dimensions of diversity that exist 'below the waterline' which impact employees' experiences and ability to thrive.
- Foster cultures of true belonging that go beyond superficial inclusivity to actively accommodating diverse identities and circumstances, especially for marginalized groups.
- Prioritize mentorship, sponsorship and advocacy across differences and hierarchies to support underrepresented talent and dismantle systemic barriers.
- Normalize vulnerability, continuous learning and collective problem-solving instead of demanding perfectionism, especially from leaders.
- Empower employees, particularly younger generations, to be change agents by amplifying their voices, authenticity and relationships.
- Challenge rigid workplace structures and integrate diverse perspectives when reimagining more flexible and customizable ways of working.
- Approach diversity, equity and inclusion holistically and intersectionally, acknowledging both visible and invisible dimensions of identity and privilege.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Evolution means to me that the workforce changes to accommodate and welcome more of us in a concrete way, not just in a, oh, you're welcome here. You can come, you know, if you want to. We need to be much more proactive in saying, you know, we see you and we hear you and we see all this stuff that we know exists under the waterline and we know that this is problematic and difficult and it interrupts your ability to reach your potential.“ by Jennifer Brown
- “But perfectionism is an addiction in our workplaces, and particularly the more senior we get, the more we're expected to have all the answers and do everything perfectly. And with de and I and how the workplace is evolving, really, you are not going to have the answers. Actually, the answers are going to come through the invitation to the dialogue, and that should be where we go.“ by Jennifer Brown
- “If you're young in career, by the way, my advice is a little different, which is soft skills, like I was describing earlier, building your influence, expanding your network, building relationships with people, lowering your waterline, and bringing your more authentic self to the workplace, and being real and authentic from where you sit early in your career, as an energetic voice for change, knowing that change is needed and that you can be the messenger for that.“ by Jennifer Brown
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Episode Information
The Will To Change: Uncovering True Stories of Diversity & Inclusion
Jennifer Brown
3/31/21
This episode was originally recorded for the Moody’s Women Empowerment Video Series where DK Bartley is leading a DE&I Evolution at Moody’s that has created a culture focused on Authentic DE&I and incorporate DE&I in all Aspects of the Moody’s Business globally. Tune in as Jennifer discusses the concept of the "iceberg" and what employees typically struggle to bury deep or cover up in the workplace.