Renew Your Commitment to Allyship and Inclusivity at Work with Free Courses

In 2022, people are continuing to learn more about themselves, how they want to be seen and known by their peers and colleagues, and how their identity impacts their experience at work. 

We expect this trend to continue. Gen Z is on track to be the most diverse generation of Americans ever, according to Pew Research Center. How can you be a supportive colleague to all folks no matter their gender, race, age, religion—or anything else?

Allyship is a journey of understanding, curiosity, humility, and dedication to contributing to positive change. It doesn't have an endpoint. Whether you have started your journey as an ally, or you're well on your way, we are offering the learning path, Create an Inclusive Work Culture, for free until September 16, 2022, to help you reach your next allyship goal. 

Learn how to:

• Practice allyship in real-world situations
• Provide meaningful support to marginalized colleagues
• Engage in active anti-racism
• Impact positive culture and identify negative behaviors

Not sure where to start? In this post, we'll share more about what to expect from each of the six unlocked courses in the learning path as well as links to live events where you can connect with experts and professionals on the allyship journey. Dive into some of the unlocked courses and join us for one of the upcoming live discussions! 

Free courses to help you gain the key concepts of allyship

1. Inclusive Mindset for Committed Allies with Dereca Blackmon 

Dereca Blackmon—CEO of Inclusion Design Group—helps you understand the diversity and inclusion concepts underlying an inclusive mindset and conduct a self-inventory to identify the motivations driving your allyship actions. Next, she explains how to practice humble allyship that puts marginalized voices first. Learn how to continue your journey by dedicating yourself to education and practicing allyship in real-world situations. 

2. How to Support Colleagues from Underrepresented Groups with Maxie McCoy

Author and ally, Maxie McCoy, explores how four ways of being generous to your connections yields generosity back, as well as how a scarcity mindset can keep you from supporting others. Maxie then discusses recognizing your own privilege and using it in support of marginalized colleagues. She teaches you that by focusing on what you can uniquely offer, you're able to provide meaningful support, versus overpromising and underdelivering. She lists the three Rs of meaningful support: ritualized, repeatable, and regular interactions. Maxie concludes with a small but impactful challenge that should inspire you to offer support based on where you are now and what you have to give in the moment.

3. Develop Interpersonal Skills for Inclusive Workplaces with Sarah SoonLing Blackburn

Strong interpersonal skills are a workplace imperative, regardless of your role or level. In this course, professional development manager Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn shows you how to develop interpersonal skills such as self-awareness, dealing with disagreement, and deep listening, while engaging with colleagues one-on-one and in group settings. She goes over how you can strengthen relationships through routines and rituals, as well as how to identify and prioritize interpersonal relationships.

4. Cultivating Cultural Competence and Inclusion with Mary-Frances Winters

In this course, instructor Mary-Frances Winters explains why cultural competence is key to the success of any diversity-related initiative, as well as how to assess and grow your own cultural competence. She shares scenarios and techniques that can help you grasp how your worldview impacts your behavior, as well as how to more effectively engage and adapt across cultural differences.

5. Driving Change and Anti-Racism with Kwame Christian

Director of the American Negotiation Institute Kwame Christian explains how to have the difficult conversations you need to create a more equitable future at your organization. Learn how to identify exactly what needs to change—and ways to get leadership to commit—and define your vision for success. Once you have your plan, you can use the tools and techniques Kwame introduces for negotiating change, driving accountability, maintaining focus, and overcoming emotion. In closing, he identifies resources for practicing self-care when performing the hard work of anti-racism. These tactics will help you advocate for equality and combat the forces of racism that exist at a structural level in many organizations.

6. Creating a Positive and Healthy Work Environment with Catherine Mattice 

 In this course, HR consultant Catherine Mattice Zundel explains how companies that invest in a positive workplace can see an amazing return on their investment. If you have a negative workplace, you can turn it around by creating a vision for change—and a positive culture committee to help you deliver a new culture to your workforce. Catherine provides insight into conducting surveys and updating your performance management system, and offers tools such as a sample strategic plan and an exercise for creating core values.

For more free courses to support your allyship and inclusivity journey, check out the following learning paths unlocked until September 8, 2022: 

• Manage Diverse and Inclusive Teams
• Recruit Diverse Talent and Promote Equitable Hiring 
• Create an Inclusive Work Culture 

Live events to help you practice and promote allyship 

Wednesday, August 17th at 9am PT: Equity week: Creating an inclusive culture at work that works for everyone, everywhere with Jodi-Ann Burey, Dereca Blackmon, and Maxie McCoy

Everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging and that they’re valued at work. Organizations that foster that sense of belonging retain talent. Organizations that don’t risk a revolving door of talent, which is costly in time, money, and credibility. Tune in to learn the importance of DEI being integral to creating an inclusive work culture, the type of company culture that is winning talent, and how to be an inclusive organization your people won’t leave.

Friday, August 19th at 11:30 am PT: Equity week: Be an inclusive manager empowering diverse teams with Kwame Christian, Vanessa Womack, and Mary-Fances Winters

Manager relationships can make or break whether employees stay or go. Learn why it's more important than ever to be a manager who demonstrates empathy and inspires loyalty from their team. Join Kwame and Vanessa to discover how to be a manager who people won’t leave, lead your team through uncertainty with resilience, inspire your diverse team to grow and collaborate.