“Should I have taken down my Confederate flag?” Bob asked. It was the question Bob, a mid-level retail manager, asked...
What’s the Point of Impact?
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Latest News from Empowering Partners
What’s in Your Blindspot?
Russ: “Can I tell you what happened?” I nodded so he pulled me aside and said, “I’m only telling you because I know...
Hear Me Now?
After facilitating an introductory workshop on cultural intelligence, one of the CEO’s had a question for me. She told...
Epic Remedies for a Cultural Fail
“So, does this mean you don’t report people who are breaking the rules?” a CEO asked. The question was prompted by an...
WoManifesto: The Backstory
"Should I make myself Director of Design on the robotics team? Am I qualified?" asked my youngest daughter who is in...
WoManifesto in the Workplace
Meryl Streep, in her 2010 commencement address to the graduating class of Barnard College, explained that in high...
The Value Proposition
The best leadership in an organization recognizes that conflict and other behaviors that put a temporary drag on...
There’s Nothing Common About Vocabulary
“It’s taken me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life I know what it feels like to have a...
Shift Happens
“I love my company, but I’m afraid to go back to work. I’ll see her in the hall and won’t know how to act. If I’m this...
How to Maximize Group Participation
“I want to facilitate a discussion where everyone feels included and we all learn from one another. But instead of...
Five Steps for Solving “Wicked” Problems
The lady initially repulsed me. Her clothes and hair unkempt, eyes bugged out and head was misshapen. For just a...
What’s a Guy to Do?
One manager lamented, “I can’t even compliment a woman on how she looks anymore.” What he hadn’t realized is that...
Disagree, Don’t Suck It Up
“I just want to be able to talk with my sister again.” said the Chief Marketing Officer. I had asked why he’d signed...
Civil, Right?
“There are no such things as micro-aggressions.” Charles Bryson said in his talk. It was a curious statement from the...
How to Diversify Your Talent Pool Pipeline
“There’s nothing I can do about those people if they don’t want to show up for work,” a Chief Executive Officer...
Degree Inflation Doesn’t Always Pay
In less than a year, Gail went from cashier to coder and she didn’t need a bachelor’s degree to do it. Here’s how: My...
White Work: Why Being Nice Isn’t Enough
In Darrell’s 25-year experience in corporate America as an African American, he’s found when a company’s leadership...
Why Even Talk About Race?
“Why do we have to talk about race?” Halina asked our book club group. No one in the group volunteered to answer and...
Five Ways to Hire and Retain Hispanic Talent
Gabriela and I met for coffee together one morning before work. Gabriela Ramírez-Arellano is the Business Counselor...
Four Ways to Be an Ally
A new study from McKinsey and Co (2017) found that companies with most ethnic and cultural diversity on their...
What I Learned in 2017
Prior to my work developing cultural self-awareness and intercultural competence, I didn't realize how disconnected...
Outsmarting Unconscious Bias
“Have you ever seen this test before?” my friend Julie asked in an email. She’d just completed the Harvard Implicit...
Leadership Upended
Working together can oftentimes be more effective than taking the lead. And since I was new to the situation, I just...
Don’t Ditch the Relationship
"I don't know, maybe it's OK to end a relationship in order to stand up for what you believe in," stated my friend...