Who's in your network?

Welcome to Lead With Inclusion! This weekly newsletter is a resource for EVERY professional. Whether you’re a manager ready to be a more inclusive leader, or an employee ready to be a DEI champion in your workplace, inclusive actions lead to inclusive outcomes. Leading with inclusion simply means starting with inclusive actions in everything you do. It means identifying the areas where bias is at work, and shifting mindsets to make change.?

If you’re not sure where to begin, start here.

Here’s a question: when was the last time you took a look at your LinkedIn network? I mean…really looked at it?

We can learn a lot from looking deeply at the people we’re surrounding ourselves with. As you scroll down your LinkedIn feed, whose voices do you find are most represented?

Every year in June, we recognize, acknowledge and celebrate Pride month. This is when we usually reflect on the ways that our workplaces are working for, or working against, folks who identify as LGBTQ+. Do queer employees feel welcome at work, feel a sense of belonging? Are their voices included and uplifted in key conversations?

But why do we wait until June to have these conversations? When we talk about LGBTQ+ inclusion at work, we often tend to focus on language. The conversations usually center around offering tools for using more inclusive language, such as respecting people’s pronouns, and why this is important. But for those who may be resistant to changing the words they use in their day-to-day lives, simply offering inclusive language tips will likely not be effective in making lasting change. To get to the root of the issue, it’s helpful to go back even further.

You’re probably thinking…Stacey, what are you getting at here? Inclusive language IS important. And yes, it IS! I would never argue otherwise. My point is that if we take a step back and look more deeply, we can discover the reasons why folks may be so resistant to change.

How can we learn what inclusive language looks like if we never hear it in our networks? How can we create new habits that break down barriers for queer folks if we're not listening to the queer voices that are leading the way?

Lead with Inclusion

Here’s one action you can take this week to help you lead with inclusion - and this applies to anyone, regardless of your level within your organization. Spend 2 minutes today looking at your LinkedIn network. Take a look at the last 5-10 people that you connected with. Who do you see there??

Are queer folks represented in your network? Trans or non-binary folks? If there are, let’s break it down even further. What about queer people of color? Queer folks with disabilities? Identify any gaps that may exist and think about what this means for your network as a whole. Are there gaps in identity, experience, or lived expertise? If so, how might you seek to change this in a way that’s authentic?

Be an Inclusive Leader

If you’re an organizational leader or a hiring manager, apply this to your role at work. Take a look at the last 5-10 potential candidates whose profiles you’ve viewed on LinkedIn, and ask yourself the questions above. Are you noticing anything new about your networks that hadn’t occurred to you before?

Retention is a metric that everyone is always worried about, but even more so now. When the economy is good, people leave when they don’t feel valued. When the economy isn’t so great, people stay, not because of your stellar leadership, but because they have nowhere else to go. Are your team members with you because they want to be there or because they feel they have no other choice?

In the below video on How to Source for Diversity, you’re introduced to ways to build a more diverse team from the beginning so you don’t find yourself needing to question the motives of your team or your ability to be an inclusive leader.

About Stacey Gordon:

Stacey Gordon is a Bias Disrupter and an unapologetic evangelist for inclusion. As the Founder of Rework Work, she anchors action using change management principles while facilitating mindset shifts. She is a global keynote speaker, Top Voice on LinkedIn and a popular LinkedIn Learning [IN]structor with nearly two million unique learners enjoying her courses.??

Want to work with Stacey live? Consider booking her for your next keynote, leadership development meeting or consulting engagement.