Start with Courage

Are you a leader who wants to foster a truly inclusive environmen One where every team member can fully ‘show up’ and do their best work? I encourage you to explore the Feel the Fear Courageous Conversations programme. https://lnkd.in/euPVtrEA This programme will help your leadership and teams to be equipped have conversations about race in the workplace. Why is this important? Because you can't change what you are too afraid to talk about! Let's transform workplace dynamics, one conversation at a time. For more information visit: https://lnkd.in/eQpm-mbk and let's talk! ------------ Here is what previous participants have said: "It felt like a psychologically safe space where I could be my authentic self. A key takeaway for me was recognising the pain and trauma caused by flippant remarks and ignorance." - Leslie "As a cis-het white man, I left the session with plenty to reflect on. Mainly thinking about how I can be an ally to my co-workers, as well as finding strength in my current role to help guide our company towards a more anti-racist approach." - Jonathan "My key takeaway was it's ok to make mistakes and learn from them. Don't be a bystander in this. We need to use our privilege. I actually want to." TikTok Credit: @inmyopinionpod ------  #CourageousConversations #DiversityInclusion #StartWithCourage

LinkedIn family and friends, I have a question, I'd love your honest feedback. Feel free to share any feedback in the comments or please DM me. There is no judgement, it's just to help me provide the best level of support.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦? ➡️ Or when you're in the break room and hear a comment, maybe it’s subtle, perhaps unintentional but unmistakably prejudiced. ➡️ Or when a community is in grieving from police brutality or a genocide is taking place? Do you know what to do? What to say? As a leader, you want to speak up, to address it, but likelihood is the words don't come. So instead you just cringe, feeling the discomfort, the unspoken tension You know its not good enough, but you can’t find the words. Truth is, you're not alone. In fact, the silence is common and reflects a pervasive issue that continues to haunt places of work in more ways than one: 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐥: - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭: Knowing you wanted to say something. You know you should've said something - but didn't. The regret becoming a heavy burden and feelings of shame. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: Watching your team or colleagues navigate these moments, feeling unequipped to support them effectively, yet knowing they need it, just as much as you do. You want to be an ally, an advocate but you don;t know how to translate your intentions into supportive actions. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞: Knowing your employees from minoritised and racialised communities are frequently enduring microaggressions at the hands if ignorance. Longing for a supportive environment but you are uncertain how to provide that. It's more than just discomfort; it's about the unaddressed pain caused, the missed opportunities for solidarity, the unseen impact on team morale and mental health. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 - 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲: For all colleagues to have the tools and vocabulary to address moments of discrimination and bias. The knowledge of how to turn tension points and ignorance, into opportunities for growth and understanding. - 𝐀 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝: To create an environment where everyone feels genuinely safe, valued, and heard. At minimum, where code switching was a choice, not a survival technique and microagressions are met with informed intervention, unwavering support, and transformative understanding. 🔹 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: The EmpowerAction Programme is a collaborative effort, combining anti-racism consultancy, psychotherapeutic insights, and HR strategies. It isn’t just another DEI initiative. It's a catalyst for real change, real tools and real empowerment. This programme holistically equips leaders and teams with the knowledge and confidence needed to transition from silent allyshp to active advocates. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨, 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰. #EmpowerAction #ActiveBystander #WorkplaceWellbeing #InclusiveLeadership #Couragewithjj #Antiracism

How are you, as a leader, navigating these painful times and fostering a sense of empathy and support within your teams? As I read the news each day, my heart aches with the scale of human suffering. It’s overwhelming and the ripples are felt across nations, communities, and within our workplaces. It's crucial, now more than ever, that we don't turn a blind eye to what's going on. This 4-day ceasefire is just a ‘pause’, not an end. And to be quite frank, even if it was an end, how do we come back from this? Humanity is losing. Don’t allow the ‘not in my backyard’ mentality to fool you into thinking you can distance yourself from this. The news we are watching, the headlines we are reading, the posts we are scrolling through; represent real people, real pain, and real loss of life. And as leaders, we have a role, a responsibility that extends beyond the confines of our offices. How we respond, how we support our teams, and how we address these issues speak volumes about our leadership. In times like these, silence is not just silence. It's a message in itself - one of indifference, of turning away. But I believe we can do better. We can be the leaders who not only acknowledge these crises but also bring empathy and support to those affected, be it globally or within our teams. I remember being in employment and experiencing communal trauma while every non-black person in the office, particularly the ‘leaders’, presented a cold deathly ‘silence’ that was heart-breaking. Are you leading with silence or leading with support? How are you ensuring your leadership brings comfort and understanding in times of crisis? #LeadershipMatters #GlobalEmpathy #HumanitarianCrisis #EmpatheticLeadership #CommunalTrauma #Antiracism #Antigenocide