Lead at Any Level®

Essential Skills for Inclusive Leaders

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How do you measure “inclusive culture”?

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It’s back-to-school time in Indiana, which means new teachers, new classes, and new classmates. Every year, I worry whether my kids will have friends in their classes, whether their teachers will recognize their unique talents, and whether the administrators support a truly inclusive learning environment.

Is being an employee really any different? As our organizations grow larger and more diverse, culture can become difficult to measure and manage. Clearly, our employees worry about whether their teams will be accepting of them, whether their managers will recognize their unique talents, and whether executives support a truly inclusive culture in the workplace. After all, culture plays a critical role in the recruitment, retention, and engagement of our workforce. But how do we measure inclusive culture?

Measuring Inclusive Culture

The Spectra Diversity Inclusion Assessment (SDIA) is the only statistically validated self-assessment that provides data at both an individual and organizational (or team) level. It is particularly useful as an organization-wide or team-based benchmarking tool.

Lead at Any Level® is proud to announce its status as a Spectra Diversity Change Partner. This relationship allows us to administer the survey, provide tailored reports, and facilitate follow-up discussions with your organization’s leaders.

With the SDIA, Executives and HR Professionals can:

  • Understand the fundamental components of inclusive culture
  • Benchmark organizational inclusion across a variety of demographic dimensions
  • Identify contributing factors in employee turnover and customer satisfaction metrics
  • Provide direction for organizational education and training efforts
  • Offer individual reports for employees to assess their own biases and cross-cultural competencies (optional)

If you’re interested in measuring your organization’s inclusive culture, contact us today!

Is Your Company Leaving Talent on the Table?

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Half of your LGBTQ employees are still in the closet at work. (Source: Human Rights Campaign)

Why should you care?

Employees need to bring their full selves to work if they are to contribute at the highest levels.

Perhaps you’ve already created Resource Groups or a Diversity Council to provide a sense of community and safety for underrepresented employees. Even so, most companies’ LGBTQ professionals are still holding back, struggling to present themselves authentically, and leaving trust (and talent) on the table.

What can you do about it?

Bring in experts to work with your Pride ERG and other emerging LGBTQ leaders!

In a new collaboration, John Tedstrom (Tedstrom Associates), Erin Passons (Passons Consulting), and Amy C. Waninger (Lead at Any Level®) have combined their decades of leadership experience and thought leadership to help your LGBTQ employees be “Out & Outstanding” at work!

Out & Outstanding is a unique leadership development program designed to enhance the abilities of your corporation’s LGBTQ professionals to contribute and lead.

Together, we’ll uncover hidden leadership strengths of your LGBTQ work force, build a trusting and supportive professional cohort, and empower your leaders to tackle new, more complex and demanding assignments that have greater impact on your bottom line.

Read more about our new Out and Outstanding program here or contact us for more information!

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John Tedstrom, Founder & CEO of Tedstrom Associates, has held senior leadership positions in government, academia and business, integrating issues of national security, economics, and social justice. He served in the White House where he advised President Clinton on Russia and Ukraine, founded and led major international organizations fighting AIDS and other global maladies, and directed research and taught economics and national security policy at RAND and Columbia University.  Most recently he founded NextGen Leaders, to support the career advancement of younger LGBTQ professionals.

Dr. Tedstrom serves on the Boards of the Victory Fund, Equality California, and the Global Business Coalition for Education. He is active in Democratic politics and served on the Foreign Policy Committee, LGBT Policy Committee and National Finance Committee for the Obama for President campaign in 2008. He has lived in Munich, Moscow, and Kyiv and earned a Ph.D. in international economics and Russian studies from the University of Birmingham, England. He is the author of dozens of articles; his book, Socialism Perestroika and the Dilemmas of Soviet Economic Reform, was published in 1990. He is certified to teach Primordial Sound Meditation.

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Amy C. Waninger, CEO of Lead at Any Level®, works with organizations that want to build diverse leadership bench strength for a sustainable competitive advantage. She is the author of several books, including Network Beyond Bias: Making Diversity a Competitive Advantage for Your Career.

Amy is a Professional Member of National Speakers Association and a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner. Her other credentials include two degrees from Indiana University and a World’s Best Mom coffee mug.

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Erin Passons is the president and founder of Passons Consulting.  She has spent her career helping business leaders, managers, and employees improve their performance and effectiveness, and is an expert in coaching and facilitating workshops using StrengthsFinder.

Erin is also the founder of StrengthsNetwork San Diego, an association for StrengthsFinder professionals and followers in the Southern California region.  Erin earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California-Santa Barbara and received her MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Making Introductions: Tips for Value-Add Networking

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Perhaps you’ve already built a deep CHAMP Network through participation in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), attending conferences, and building your personal brand on social media. You’ve started to build genuine relationships with a diverse collection of talented people. Now the real fun begins: making introductions. Everyday people make connections, but Superhero Networkers use introductions to create real magic in the world.  This article, adapted from my book Network Beyond Bias, shows you how.

Making Introductions: A How-to Guide

I prefer to make introductions via LinkedIn whenever possible. This allows both parties to research each other before making any further commitment. It also allows either party to opt out without having their personal contact information exposed. Here are some real-life examples of connections I’ve made in my own network. Identifying information has been removed to protect the individuals’ privacy.

Job Opportunity

You’ll learn about the dark side of airplane conversations elsewhere in my blog. But in a more productive scenario, I made the acquaintance of a seatmate who happened to be hiring in a high-demand field. A former colleague was launching a job search for just such an opportunity. I asked my seatmate for permission to make the connection and immediately did so.

D_____ - I just met V_____ on a plane. He works for <company> as a management consultant 
for their growing <function> practice. You should connect with him to learn about what he’s building over there!
V_____ – D_____ has executive level expertise in <function>, particularly in the XYZ industry. 
He is looking for new opportunities in the consulting space.
Happy connecting, gentlemen!

Media Exposure

Immediately after meeting with podcast host J_____ (whom I first met on Twitter), I set out to connect her with as many women as possible (and a few men) who might want to be interviewed on her show. In total, I connected her with more than a dozen entrepreneurs, authors, and community activists who could help her achieve her the goals of her podcast. On the flip side of that equation, up to a dozen people in my network are now getting a platform to spread their message and build their personal brands.

J____ - K_______ is an entrepreneur who helps women build wealth and 
negotiate for their value. She spoke at a recent conference I attended, and she was remarkable.
K_______ - J_____ is a career coach and hosts her own podcast, 
which features women whose work lifts up other women. 
I'll be interviewed for her show in June, and I'm connecting her to 
amazing women I know who meet her show's criteria.

Potential Business Partnership

In another case, I had met two women at different conferences (on opposite coasts!) who were in similar lines of work. Both entrepreneurs with focused specialty areas, I suspected they might have occasion to rely on each other’s expertise. I asked each of them for permission to make the connection before creating a Group Message on LinkedIn.

Ladies! Since you are both in the research consulting field, 
I thought you might benefit from connecting. 
If memory serves correctly, A_____ works in qualitative research, 
and M______ in quantitative. I don't know much about research consulting, 
but it sounds like a potential collaboration opportunity. Happy networking!

Request for Information

J____ announced on Twitter that she was moving out-of-state and needed some help with the transition. Her tweet appeared in my feed because someone I follow retweeted her request. I asked J____ to send me a LinkedIn invitation so I could connect her to G___, the leader of a California association for HR professionals. I had met G___ when speaking at a conference just a few weeks prior.

G____, J____ is an HR professional moving to California. She has questions about state-specific regulations. 
I am hoping you can be a resource for her. Happy connecting!

The Common Threads for These Connections

The most important aspect of making introductions is to be intentional about matchmaking. I wouldn’t have connected research consultant M____ to management consultant V____. And I wouldn’t have sent HR professional J____ to just anyone on the west coast; I connected her to someone who runs an association specific to her needs.

When making introductions, be clear about what each person needs and can offer the other. Explicitly state the reason for the match and be transparent about the extent of your existing relationships. Use genuine praise when warranted, and never vouch for someone beyond your personal experience with them. Saying a total stranger is “the best marketing consultant in the business” dilutes your credibility. For example, I stated that my knowledge of management consultant V____’s background was limited to what he told me on the plane. On the other hand, referring to long-time colleague D______ as “an executive-level expert,” conveys the level of trust I have in making that recommendation.

Another critical factor in making introductions is to ask for nothing in return. No finders’ fees, no mentions on social media, no requests that they “return the favor” or “owe me one.” Any genuine effort to help others builds trust, creates value, and elevates your standing among your colleagues. To that end, I hope my friends will forgive me for using these examples. I believe that real examples carry more credibility. If this article inspires you, please let me know how you’re making introductions within your own network!

Transparency, Authenticity, and Vulnerability: Storytelling for Leaders

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Transparency, authenticity, and vulnerability are tools anyone can use to create stronger relationships. For leaders who seek to be more inclusive, authentic storytelling can accelerate trust and shape culture within your organization. Transparency derives from an attitude of servant leadership. Authenticity demands a great deal of self-awareness. And vulnerability requires incredible courage and self-confidence. If we want to connect with and inspire others, we must be brave and humble. These are the hallmarks of true leadership.

(Author’s note: This article is adapted from my book, Network Beyond Bias.)

Regardless of your tenure or title, you can lead others by example. If you’re searching for the kinds of stories that build leaders, here are some prompts to help you get started. And please, tell me how you’re using storytelling to empower yourself and others!

Your Values

  • Share a story from your childhood, teenage years, or early adulthood that was a defining moment for you. What brought you to the crossroads? What core values drove your decision? And what did you learn about yourself? When was the last time you told yourself or someone else this story and why?

Your Journey

  • If you are in a position of power, such as a corporate leader, think back to when you just starting your climb up the organizational ladder. Was there a time when you struggled to be heard or taken seriously? How did that feel? What steps did you take to cope with your environment or to change your approach? If you were in that situation today, how might you handle it differently?

Your Struggles

  • Talk about times you struggled – financially, academically, professionally, or personally. Who helped you? What mistakes did you make? What did you learn? Do you now view this struggle as a source of pride?
  • Was there ever a time you didn’t fit in? How did that feel?
  • In what aspects of your job or life do you struggle? When do you ask for help? Are there times when you refuse to seek help because you don’t want to appear weak, incompetent, or vulnerable?

Your Mistakes

  • Think about a time when you missed a chance to live up to your values. What was the situation? Why do you feel you it was the wrong decision? What options did you have, and what drove your choice? What lesson did you learn?
  • Talk about a time when your beliefs about something or someone were inaccurate or incomplete. How did you become aware of your error? What work did you have to do – internally or externally – to bridge the gap? How might the situation have unfolded if you hadn’t changed your mind? Did you ultimately learn more about yourself?

Why Storytelling Matters

We all need role models. And when those role models have flaws or limitations we can relate to, we become even more invested in their success. The people who look up to you want to be able to see themselves in you. They want to feel connected to you and your story. When you engage in authentic storytelling, you provide that vital connection.

My Book, My Business, and My Mission

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I recently connected with Executive Coach Andre Boykin of Capital Idea. The first question he asked me was, “What are you creating in the world?” I loved the way he phrased the question. And I hope he doesn’t mind that I will be using it in the future. Later that day, I had an equally energizing conversation with Poised for Excellence author and Founder & CEO of WordSmith Rapport, Karima Mariama-Arthur. By speaking with these experts, I found myself becoming clearer about my mission and how I can best articulate it.

My (First) Book

My book, Network Beyond Bias, will help working professionals assess and improve the diversity of their networks. I based the book on four guiding principles:

  • People don’t recognize their default behaviors, nor are they aware of who is missing from their professional networks.
  • Many people are interested in the diversity & inclusion initiatives underway in their companies and industries, but don’t understand the role they can play.
  • The more connected we all are, the more opportunity we will create for ourselves and for each other.
  • Leaders can be anywhere, and should be everywhere, at all levels of an organization.

My Business

I started Lead at Any Level® to promote leadership, diversity & inclusion, and career management skills for busy professionals. My current offerings include public speaking engagements, training sessions, and one-on-one mentoring. Assets to-date include a blog, a growing and engaged social media audience, and several original presentations that can be adapted to a variety of audiences.

As my business grows, I plan to expand into consultancy. My mission, ultimately, will be to help companies find and develop their “hidden” leaders, transform their workforce demographics, and accelerate organic growth through well-connected, emotionally intelligent employees.

In the meantime, I am also looking for strategic partnerships that will allow me to build lasting relationships while fulfilling my mission.

My Background

My background includes 20 years in Information Technology, with over a decade in progressive management roles. I am a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner, hold two bachelor’s degrees from Indiana University, and serve on two national diversity committees. I am a member of National Speakers Association and have advanced communication and leadership awards from Toastmasters International. My presentations include original insights and content you won’t find anywhere else. Recent audiences range in number from a few dozen to several hundred, and have included insurance professionals, association executives, university faculty, military veterans, and college students.

My Invitation to You

Are you on a mission? Do our interests and goals overlap? Let’s Get Acquainted!