Celebrating Black History Month--All Year Long.

I partnered with UKG on a recent article that I hope you find helpful as you think about the advancement of Black women in the workplace. It's called Creating a Level Playing Field for Women of Color in the Workplace and one piece of this article that I hope you will lean into is the Manager's Pledge:

• I will acknowledge that I have biases that I need to understand and reconcile.
• I will commit to engaging in courageous conversations. They might sometimes be difficult, but I know they are necessary to create an inclusive workplace.
• I will challenge myself to hold other colleagues accountable when I have heard or observed racialized tones, behaviors, and actions.
• I will learn to humanize the experiences of all my colleagues and seek to understand and listen to their perspectives and lived experiences, particularly when they differ from my own.
• I will share my experiences and educational journey to help other managers create restorative justice practices.
• Even if I make a mistake, I commit to the daily practice of being a better manager who is committed to equity for all.

In addition to the Manager’s Pledge,?I would encourage managers and colleagues to think about how they can continue to lean into their courage, so that implementing equitable practices and procedures, and initiating critical conversations are no longer viewed as courageous, but as normalized expectations instead.

Who Wants To Join a Book Club?

I sat down w/?Arlan Hamilton to talk about my latest book Right Within -it was an experience I'll never forget. Our conversation is part of Arlan's new book club, Keys to Success: Perseverance, and is now on?BookClub. I included a teaser of our conversation, but you can register for a 7-day free trail to watch the entire conversation by clicking HERE.

Before I GO...

And, if you know anything about me, I am a?lover of grits and rap lyrics.?And I can't end this month's newsletter without dropping a gem. The lyric I am vibing on this month is a song called?Encore?by Jay-Z. There's a line in the song, "What the hell are you waiting for?" In order to make the workplace better than we found it, we can't just talk about it, we have to be willing to demonstrate equity. Let's stop the talking and ACTIVATE. You got this!

And don't forget you can catch me every Monday at Noon ET for my?Linkedin Live show Secure The Seat.