Take the Next Step

Dear Friends,? ?

Recently, our?newsletter?hit 10,000 subscribers. That’s 10,000?Waymakers—passionate people committed to leaving their workplaces better than they found them. We’re excited about the number of?Waymakers?our?newsletter?touches and inspires, but we know we can do more. The decision to be a Waymaker can be made?in a matter of seconds. But?being?a Waymaker takes time, intention, and vulnerability. And the question new?Waymakers?ask us most is: “Now that I’ve decided to be a Waymaker, what do I do next? What is my first step?” ?

At The?Waymakers?Change?Group, we help map your journey to a healthier workplace culture?for all people—one step at a time. Every company?is different. Every leader is different. And every path to workplace health is unique to that?organization, its people, its market, and its customers. However, as we’ve discovered working with thousands of leaders and their parent companies, the way to workplace wellness can be?grouped into three parts.

1. Embrace Realism

What employees say about their experiences at your organization is true. It is real. And it can be problematic. Talking about how racism, sexism, ageism, and other forms of institutionalized disenfranchisement show up in our companies is hard. But we don’t get anywhere if we let discomfort keep us from confronting hard truths.? After deciding to become a Waymaker, identifying and believing the truth about what is broken in your organization and the existing norms that perpetuate that brokenness are the first steps to becoming the company you claim to be, the leader you aspire to be, and to building and nurturing the culture you need. That’s why we created an employee experience diagnostic tool that provides deep, intersectional, and instructive insights about your employees’ experiences. Extreme clarity is a precursor to meaningful?change.

2. Take Responsibility

Change?requires not only awareness and belief, but also ownership—knowing that you are the?change?you seek and that without energy and accountability, all things remain stagnant.? Based on your unique data from our employee experience diagnostic tools, we create your custom path forward identifying the most critical talent risks in your organization and the high-impact areas on which you should focus first. We also create your custom?Change?Leadership Tool Kit—a guide based on your data that outlines specific leader choices and behaviors needed to transform employee experiences at your organization for the better. Taking responsibility means you have to get off the fence and do the specific work of creating a better, more inclusive workplace for all people. We show you the way and help you build in systems of accountability that work for your organization.

Build Relationship

I’m sure you’ve heard us say this before, but connectedness is one of the most powerful equity tools at our disposal. It inspires curiosity. Dispels stereotypes. Broadens perspectives. Creates value. Nurtures respect. Connectedness is the foundation of relationship. And relationship opens doors of opportunity. Relationship is the number one?requirement for sustaining positive?change?at your organization.? Our Connect and Collaborate Suite shows you the way to better, deeper, more genuine connections across boundaries. The tools and experiences within this suite enable greater insight, access, and opportunity for those who need it. We show you the way to increasing psychological safety and unlocking innovation through tools like Building Bridges, Sponsoring for?Change, and Collaborating for?Change. The result is better navigation of challenging discussions and situations, increased accountability, and effective collaboration across and through differences to meet and exceed goals as well as drive meaningful?change.?

Over the next few weeks, we will leverage our?newsletter?platform to share client experiences and results specific to their Waymaking efforts. Our goal is to equip the 10,000 +?Waymakers?receiving this?newsletter?with the tools needed to take the next step, and the next step, and the next.?Reach out. Let us show you the way to increased engagement and belonging, more psychological safety and innovation, to loyal customers, more revenue, and to healthier workplace cultures for all people. ? ?

Together in Waymaking,

Tara Jaye Frank

& The Waymakers Change Group

Tara Jaye Frank is author of The Waymakers: Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence and founder of The Waymakers Change Group, a human-centered management consulting firm that supports mid-sized and large companies who seek to transform their employee experience and build capacity to lead all people well.? Our proprietary approach, grounded in behavioral research and decades of inclusive leadership expertise, challenges and equips leaders to unleash the potential of all people, thereby promoting healthy workplace cultures and fueling sustainable businesses. Visit www.twchg.com to learn more.