The Waymakers Change Group

No one wants to show up for a leader who does not respect them. At work and in the world, respect means consideration for who you are, what you know, what you have done, and what you can do. Who you are: As a whole and worthy human being What you know: Insight and expertise What you have done: Experience and contribution What you can do: Ideas and potential This is the path to inclusion and belonging. Not just being nice. Not just welcoming people into your space, but respecting them for all the ways they are valuable and can add value. Of course, respect is a two-way street, but leaders must lead. #wearethewaymakers #betheway #leadership #respect #inclusiveleadership #contribution #workplaceequity #choicesandbehaviors #mondaymusings Reach out for help inspiring and equipping leaders to lead all people well at www.twchg.com.

For three years, we’ve conducted employee experience diagnostics that signal an erosion of psychological safety for LGBTQ+ employees across gender and race, but heightened for those who identify as women. These scores were driven by experiences like: - Being scrutinized - Having ideas dismissed - Feeling responsible for carrying burdens of ingroup - Being criticized for behaviors others are celebrated for We also found deterioration in respect scores. As companies step back from their visible and bold support of LGBTQ+ rights and pride, this level of safety will continue to decline, and the need for respect will grow more acute. This matters to companies because respect is tied to impact (full, quality contribution), and safety is tied to innovation (more creativity). The erosion of these two need states, especially in combination, is dangerous for the employee and the employer. For the employee, they lead to detachment—physical or mental. For the employer, they create a contribution gap that no company can afford. Mind your people. These are difficult days. 🙏🏽 If you want to learn more about the tool we call “the MRI of employee experience,” we’ll drop the link in the comments. #employeeexperience #workplace #inclusion #respect #protection #contribution #sunday #lgbtq

Listen in as Tara Jaye Frank spills some secret sauce on how we help clients heal the "dis-ease" in their workplaces. Spoiler: it's not "best practices." Explored in this chat: - A leader's job - Why you can't heal a "dis-ease" you haven't defined - How the "best practice" approach could be costing you - And more! Start at 11:45 if you want to get right to it. #wearethewaymakers #betheway #leadership #leadallpeoplewell #unlockcontribution #creativity #innovation #businesshacks #reachandteach #thewaymakerschangegroup

By now, we all understand the importance of sponsorship, or Waymaking, as we call it. We define "waymaking" as opening doors, removing barriers, and ushering others through what can be a gauntlet of unspoken company norms and expectations. Check out https://lnkd.in/ggc5QnYr under "Sponsoring for Growth" to read more about how we helped one of America's largest health systems harness the power of sponsorship to increase advancement opportunity for Black women. Nothing we at The Waymakers Change Group do is off the shelf. Much like a specialist, our recommended treatment plan is based on the unique "dis-ease" in your workplace. #betheway #wearethewaymakers #sponsorship #advocacy #leadership #inclusion #representation #change #progress #workplacewellness

What do you do when you know there’s an issue in your workplace, but you don’t know exactly what it is or how to solve for it? Our client knew something was keeping diverse talent out of decision-making roles. We helped them uncover and remove barriers. The result—greater workplace wellness and better outcomes for teams. Learn more in our upcoming newsletter. Subscribe link in comments! www.twchg.com #wearethewaymakers #betheway #results #workplacewellness #culture #sponsorship #leadership

The “contribution gap,” fueled by what LinkedIn News recently reported as a lack of enthusiasm, is costing 1.9T in productivity loss, according to Gallup. We define the contribution gap as the distance between what talent is capable of delivering and what they’re equipped, enabled, and encouraged to deliver. We’ve been helping clients close this gap by teaching their leaders to see, respect, value, and protect ALL people at work. SEE: Acknowledge and invite to contribute RESPECT: Recognize and leverage contribution VALUE: Refine and reward contribution, and provide opportunities to grow PROTECT: Create and preserve environments where it is safe to contribute fully, freely, and fairly It’s important that those who aim to meaningfully address the gap realize that the solution isn't simply to "engage" people. Engagement is fleeting. I can be engaged on Monday morning, be disrespected at lunch, and disengage by 1pm. When this happens, I'm less focused, less productive, less creative, and less committed. I stop going the extra mile, which means you miss out on my discretionary effort. In short, my contribution is heavily impacted by my daily and cumulative experiences, which influence the quality of my relationship with you and affect how I work. You can't transform a relationship on a sentiment level. Building trust, for instance, isn't about getting someone to feel more trusting. It's about doing more things that build trust and fewer things that destroy it. People want more visibility, more respect, more opportunity/appreciation, and more psychological safety at work. And you should want that FOR them, because it also benefits you. This is not complicated, but it's not necessarily easy if your leaders don't know what to do and how to do it. So teach them. Your move. www.twchg.com #leadership #inclusiveleadership #futureofleadership #employeeexperience #contributiongap #culture #thewaymakerschangegroup #betheway #wearethewaymakers

We've finally moved beyond our recruiting obsession and are talking about how best to retain and grow the talented people we have. In this hybrid environment, institutional knowledge is even more valuable because, though necessary, it's not easy to onboard, train, and integrate talent remotely. Bottom line: The need for new talent is great, but the need to keep the top talent we have is greater. How do you solve for both? Create a healthier workplace culture-one people want to be a part of and don’t want to leave. While discussing what makes our workplace experience diagnostic tool unique, one leader said, "I get it. Most surveys are like X-rays. Yours is an MRI." Exactly. We'll help you pinpoint the dis-ease in your organization and chart an inspired course to organizational wellness. Together, we can create and nurture the culture you need and that your people want and deserve. Connect with us at twchg.com to learn more. #wearethewaymakers #betheway #leadership #workplaceculture #healthyworkplaces #organizationalwellness

Waymakers lean in every day, but especially when it matters most for employees—when they’re trying something new, chasing after their dreams, when the stakes are high, and in times of change. The Bridge to Aspiration tool can help you more effectively partner with your people.  Click here to download: https://lnkd.in/gA4j-u2C #wearethwaymakers #betheway #leadership #equityandinclusion

A trend we're seeing? Increased culture expectations of leaders with lower participation (and higher suspicion) from employees. While chronic neglect from employers make this "wait-and-see" posture understandable, a lopsided approach doesn't work in practice. Let us explain. The connection between an employer and employee is, quite simply, a relationship. Like any healthy relationship, both parties must show up every day, openly express their needs, offer their very best, and hold themselves and each other accountable to agreed-upon commitments. When one person stops engaging, or worse, is cynical about the actions of the other, nothing improves. The "trying" becomes an empty cycle of effort, which builds resentment and before you know it, a bend becomes a break. Relationships can only be sustained when they're mutual. It will take all of us doing what we can with what we have to create and sustain change. Check out our simple articulation of what employees need from leaders, along with the reciprocal roles we play in shared progress. And find out more about the many ways we help company leaders improve relationships with employees at www.twchg.com. #equityandinclusion #workplaceculture #reciprocity #mutuality #collaboration #partnership #talentneeds

Having a hard time reconciling our potential for doing good with our penchant for doing the exact opposite? It would help us to remember that when things fall apart, we have to be the way. A new wave of hope and healing could very well begin with the ripple made from your own outstretched hand. No one ever changed the world by waiting for someone else to go first. #betheway #wearethewaymakers #change #leadership #healing #prayersfortheheartbroken #prayersforthepeople #prayersforallofus #humanity