Lori Costew is the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of People Strategy at Ford Motor Company. In her role, she oversees corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion and all of the efforts within the company to cultivate a sense of belonging and to advance the company’s mission and business objectives, and ensures that Ford strategy supports all of the corporate goals and the transformation efforts within the organization. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of DEI for such a large enterprise and some of the strategies Lori has used, particularly in the area of leadership and listening. To connect with Lori and learn more, you can find her on LinkedIn.

Topics In This Episode

• The relationship between diversity and innovation
• Communication strategies within the Ford organization
• Different styles of listening sessions
• Changes made based on employee engagement surveys and polling
• A strategy for creating empathy among leadership
• The motivation for change
• Creating psychological safe places for employees
• How to continue the work, outside of the listening sessions

Connect

LinkedIn: Lori Costew

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• Workplace Mental Health: How To Support Every Group
• Evolve or Regress: A Mindset Shift

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Leyla Okhai is the founder and director of Diverse Minds UK LTD, which aims to create a positively productive workplace for all through training, coaching and consultancy, by focusing on wellbeing and mental health. Leyla is also the host of the Diverse Minds podcast, a weekly show about race equality, mental health, and inclusion for a modern world. In our conversation, we discuss the eurocentric approach to mental health, particularly in the workplace. And we also talk about some of the shifts she is seeing and that she recommends to employers in order to recognize the needs of a diverse workforce.

Topics in this episode

• What inspired Leyla do begin doing this work
• Mental health recovery is more than just time off of work
• How to make mental health a priority in the work place
• Different approaches for mental health nourishment
• Recognizing the different needs of various races and nationalities
• Ensuring cultural awareness around mental support for employees and organization members
• Thinking about the impact of the pandemic on different groups

Connect

• Twitter: @diversemindsuk
• Facebook page: Diverse Minds
• LinkedIn: Leyla Okhai
• Podcast

Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

• Evolve or Regress: A Mindset Shift
• The Race For Talent: A Cultural Shift In The Workplace

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Paula Phillips is a school board member for Milwaukee Public Schools and currently with the YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. Her mission is to actively build a society in which all of us are seen, heard, and cared for. Throughout her career, she has served in many different leadership roles across different industries, from academia to large corporations and the nonprofit space. With the experiences she has had across different sectors, she has built expertise in sharing and teaching the skills of diversity, equity, and inclusion in each of her roles. In my conversation with her, we talk about her work, the importance of creating space for learning and growth, and how to build programs with accountability and consistency.

Topics in this episode

• Trends in DEI across different sectors
• DEI and it’s effects on the bottom line
• The shift from “Is DEI important?” into “How do we implement DEI practices into our organization?”
• Techniques for implementing new programs to ensure their success
• The value of recognition and celebration along the journey
• Helping people explore what shaped their ideas around diversity, equity, and inclusion
• The constant evolution and change within the DEI space
• Giving people the confidence to have difficult conversations

Connect

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpaulaphillips/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPDBP
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpdbp/

Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

• The Race For Talent: A Cultural Shift In The Workplace
• C-Suite Executives’ Responsibility In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion

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Ify Walker is the Founder and CEO of Offor, a national talent brokerage, working to place board members and CEOs, create high-performing teams, and break up the myth of meritocracy. She is also an advocate for a 30-hour workweek. We discuss how organizations can begin to make the shift to a 30-hour workweek, why they should, and how it benefit Black women in particular. We also dive into the topic of how companies can begin the work of DEI, the importance of data, and the willingness it takes to confront the status quo.

Topics in this episode

• Shifts in the workplace as a result of the pandemic
• The origins of the modern workday model
• Looking at changes companies should be making based on our knowledge-economy
• Leveraging technology for optimal productivity
• Responding to the idea, “The talent just doesn’t exist”
• How to evaluate the culture of an organization
• The places within organizations where there are often issues

Connect

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifywalker/
• Website:https://www.offor.co/

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• C-Suite Executives’ Responsibility In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion
• Valuing Diversity Among Veterans

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Donald Thompson is a serial entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, and executive coach, using his skills and expertise to serve as a thought leader on goal achievement and company culture, and I am very excited to have him on the show today. We have an insightful conversation about the relationship between C-Suite executives and the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within an organization. He shares with us some of the tools he finds helpful in starting conversations around DEI, and the importance of expanding our networks, both personally and professionally.

Topics in this episode

• The ground-zero of company culture within an organization
• Examining personal journeys of discovery around DEI work within the corporate setting
• Driving forces of momentum and change outside of company policies
• Giving leaders the space to be vulnerable, and the ability to practice without punishment
• Changes in empathy when you surround yourself with a range of different types of diversity
• Tips for actively expanding your personal network

 Connect

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldthompsonjr/

Thediversitymovement.com – free resources and information

Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

• Valuing Diversity Among Veterans
• How To Diversify Your Corporate Board

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I am so excited to be here with Jessica Hope, a diversity and inclusion strategist for USAA, where she develops holistic, data-driven strategies that advocate for people, marginalized populations, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a whole host of other amazing things. She shares with us how her background in the military and as a social worker, as well as through the art of storytelling, she is able to connect with others and do the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through our conversation she talks about the role of politicians in this work, and challenges us to check with ourselves, are we just checking boxes off? Or are we actually making a difference. I so enjoyed this conversation and I know you will too.

Topics in this episode

• The importance of empathy to bring new people to the table
• Everyone has a diversity autobiography
• Techniques for creating a dialogue with someone around their experiences
• Economic disparities, and the work she is doing in this space
• Covid’s effect on low economic families
• A major opportunity companies can re-think the role of veterans within their organization

Connect

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hope-people-leader/

Recent Conversations We’ve Enjoyed

• How To Diversify Your Corporate Board
• ‘Demanding More’ From Systems, Leaders, and Ourselves

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I am so excited to share with you my conversation with Lesley Slaton Brown, the Chief Diversity Officer at HP Inc. Lesley was also named one of the most powerful women in corporate diversity by Black Enterprise, and a top influential woman in corporate America by Savoy Magazine. In our conversation, we talk at length about the strides HP has taken in prioritizing diversity, particularly at the board level. She also shares some of the strategies they are applying to ensure that the diversity of the board is applied throughout other levels of the organization as well.

Topics in this episode

• Building an infrastructure of diversity
• The role reverse mentorship plays at HP
• Front-lines of employee engagement, culture, and community
• Building relationships that amplify the culture
• Recognizing and building systems around transparency
• Having a multiplying effect to the work that you are creating

Connect

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-slaton-brown-345988/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailySlate

Other recent conversations we really enjoyed:

• ‘Demanding More’ From Systems, Leaders, and Ourselves
• Onboarding as an Intentional Practice of Inclusivity

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Today we have an amazing guest, Sheree Atcheson – one of the UK’s most influential women in tech and an international multi-award winner for her services in diversity and inclusion in the industry. Sheree is currently the Global Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Peakon, an advisory board member for Women Who Code, contributor of Forbes, and author of Demanding More. In our conversation, we learn more about the reason she wrote Demanding More and the work to be done within the DEI space, how she launched Women Who Code in the UK and across Europe, and the work she does within her role at Peakon. 

This was a fascinating conversation, and I cannot wait for the release of Demanding More, coming April 2021. For pre-order information, be sure to check the resources section below.

Topics in this episode

• Looking at inclusion from an analytical perspective
• Beginning the work of inclusion with education and understanding
• Taking a look at how you can do more for DEI within the systems you have access to
• Recognizing the impact of covid among minority groups
• Leveraging the success of work and organizations that already exist
• The importance of recognizing where you are best suited within an organization
• Looking beyond metrics that only capture diversity data – the importance and process of collecting data around inclusion as well

Resources

• Forbes pieces written by Sheree: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shereeatcheson/
• Articles relevant to our conversations:
• Women are not a monolith and we must stop treating them like one
• There is no race card to play because race is intertwined into everything

Book links

• Kogan Page – use DEMANDINGMORE for 20% off: https://www.koganpage.com/product/demanding-more-9781398600447#showKeyFeatures
• Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Demanding-More-Diversity-Inclusion-Doesnt/dp/139860044X
• Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55876483-demanding-more

Connect

• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Other recent conversations we really enjoyed:

• Onboarding as an Intentional Practice of Inclusivity
• Let’s Link Arms to Bridge the Gap and Transform Ourselves

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I am so delighted to share with you the recent conversation I had with Michelle Bess, the Vice President of Talent and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OppLoans. In her role, she focuses on creating systems and processes to ensure an equitable company where individuals from all backgrounds are seen, validated, and where they’re able to succeed. In this episode, we talk about the work that OppLoans is doing, what it looks like doing DEI within a company with a very small team, and some often overlooked areas of inclusion within organizations.

Topics in this episode

• Prioritizing mission-based work within your career
• Economic inclusion and the ripple effect it has on families and their communities
• Techniques Michelle has found to be successful in her DEI work
• The importance of creating allies and ambassadors of DEI work within your organization, and the process of getting them plugged into doing the work
• The wide scope of what inclusion means
• Thinking about off-boarding and re-onboarding parents around times of leave – another area of inclusion to consider for companies
• Having to be more intentional when employees are distributed and aren’t in a central location

Connect

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram

Other recent conversations we really enjoyed:

• Let’s Link Arms to Bridge the Gap and Transform Ourselves
• Creating Equity and Social Justice Must Be Intentional, Methodical, and Continuous

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Today I am talking with a woman who has done so many amazing things in our community and in her career. Lydia Smith is the director of diversity and inclusion at Kohl’s. She leads the development and execution of the company’s diversity and inclusion strategies. Outside of her role there, she is also the co-owner of Social X, a young professional diversity and inclusion consulting group, which provides professional development and connections in order to attract and retain talent in the city of Milwaukee. In our conversation, we discuss the importance of business resource groups and listening sessions between associates and executives in order to achieve true understanding, and how that plays out within the organization.

TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE

• Helping professionals navigate networking and development
• Being committed not only to DEI, but also ensuring that it is applied both internally and externally
• Ensuring economic empowerment as part of a larger DEI strategy
• Examining how companies can partner with external organizations
• Leveraging diversity groups within the organization
• Elevating business resource groups into business practices
• The power of not creating a solution in the moment

CONNECT

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Social X

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