5 Things / I Lied
Not long ago, I was feeling incredibly run down, not exactly sick, but not energetic enough to do my best. I didn’t want to admit my own fatigue and I pushed back a client deliverable with a family excuse. I lied.
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Not long ago, I was feeling incredibly run down, not exactly sick, but not energetic enough to do my best. I didn’t want to admit my own fatigue and I pushed back a client deliverable with a family excuse. I lied.
I’m not sure why I didn’t just tell the client that I wasn’t feeling well. Was I afraid of seeming weak? I didn’t put much thought into it at the time, but in hindsight, I’m sure I’ve been socially conditioned to associate fatigue = weakness.
The whole story is harmless in that I didn’t miss the client’s deadline, just my promised delivery date – except that a ton of other people do the exact same thing. They tell half-truths and white lies to avoid looking weak, different, or incapable – especially at work. The cumulative effect of this is huge and means that many teams lack psychological safety, which has been shown to drive innovation in diverse teams.
Wouldn’t it be nice if making excuses wasn’t necessary and we could just be a little more honest? Managers have a huge role to play here…and it starts with kind curiosity.
This Week’s Good Vibes:
Singapore Enshrines Flexible Work in Law
In Singapore, employees gained the legal right to request flexible work arrangements, including four-day workweeks and remote work days, starting December 1. By mandating a formal process for flexible work requests, Singapore aims to foster trust and reciprocity in the workplace and acknowledges the importance of flexibility for all workers, particularly caregivers, women, and seniors.
NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Sets Records
The NCAA women's basketball final set records, beating the viewership for the men’s final, becoming the most-watched basketball game since 2019, and the most-watched spring sporting event in five years. The women's success continues to show the growing audience and recognition for women's sports. I share these stories because there’s still such a need for continued investment and promotion to elevate their visibility and impact.
Allstate Managers Get Connections Budget
Allstate has hit its stride with a hybrid work model, in part by allocating leaders a portion of a $10 million “connections budget.” Managers have the autonomy to allocate funds for various activities that bring their teams together, such as in-person meetings, team-building events, or virtual contests. The flexibility of the budget allows for tailored experiences that cater to the unique dynamics and preferences of each team, ultimately contributing to an 84% engagement rate across the company.
Wisconsin Includes Asian American History
Wisconsin's new law adds Asian American and Hmong history to K-12 school curriculums. Governor Tony Evers sees it as a way to acknowledge the state's diverse roots, including the third-largest Hmong population in the country. This is especially important in light of recent anti-Asian sentiments. Wisconsin currently requires instruction of Black, Native American, and Latino American history and this addition is long overdue. It finally gives students a chance to see themselves in their lessons.
Ashley for State Rep!
Ashley Brundage, a fellow DEI speaker and author who once joined me for a DEI Double Feature, aims to become Florida's first transgender elected official in South Tampa. She’s running for State Representative. Ashley is an amazing woman whose platform focuses on key issues like insurance costs and small business support. She’s also very clever: in 2022, she received the "Spirit of the Community Award" from the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, with a letter signed from anti-LGBTQ Governor Ron DeSantis. She’s using that letter as part of her campaign to bridge political divides.
This Week’s Call to Action:
Read this article in HBR by Lily Zheng: What Needs to Change About DEI — and What Doesn’t.
5 Things in 15 Minutes / disability pride month with Patti Flynn
This week on 5 Things in 15 Minutes, Bernadette was joined by Patti Flynn, who is Equality Institute’s Senior Consultant. The pair start off with a shoutout to Disability Pride Month, highlighted by Kellogg’s recent efforts to accommodate blind and visually impaired consumers.
On the note of things people sometimes take for granted, it is a good time to be Illinoisan! Illinois has mandated that Asian American history must be covered in schools. This is less than a decade, Patti mentions, after another requirement to include LGBTQIA+ history in the education system as well.
And representing progress in LGBTQIA+ acceptance, Lizzo (she/her/hers) modeled true allyship by making what Bernadette called an “off the cuff” correction of paparazzi who misgendered fellow celebrity Demi Lovato (they/them/theirs). Patti clarifies that authentically representing people who are not in front of you is one of the best moves you can make as an ally.
Meanwhile, putting their money where their mouth is, Best Buy has committed to spending $1.2 billion with diverse suppliers in less than four years. That’s not a number to sneeze at in such a short amount of time! The company stated it will include its marketing plan, where representation of different groups of consumers is expected to be focused on.
Another company opening their wallets to lessen the racial wealth gap is Nordstrom. They signed a 10 year commitment to The 15% Pledge, where black founders specifically are given 15% of shelf space. Nordstrom is the first retailer to make such a serious and long term commitment, leading the way for what will hopefully be a path towards minimizing the racial wealth gap experienced by these communities.
Something a little different: after going over the 5 Things, Bernadette also talks about dealing with unsolicited feedback. Watch on to find out more about the experience.
5 Things / disability pride
I don't personally know a lot about disability inclusion. But it's Disability Pride month, and I'm committing to learning more. I particularly enjoy learning about products that are designed to be more inclusive of people with disabilities -- I like solutions.
This week I learned that, beginning in January, Kellogg's cereal boxes will feature a technology that allows for blind and visually impaired people to have the small print on the boxes read aloud to them via a smartphone app. Kellogg's becomes the first company in the world to use this technology on packaging (it's been traditionally used in transit systems). This matters because these products will now be inclusive of millions of consumers (2 million in the UK alone, where the technology was successfully beta-tested).
When I read stories like that, I realize just yet another way I have privilege, and get fired up to use it, to pay it forward. I never, ever have to think about how I'm going to read the side of a cereal box.
Here are some other good vibes I found this week:
Illinois (where I live) is the first state in the country to require teaching of Asian-American history in public schools. This matters because too often, Asian struggles have been ignored and Asian contributions have been overlooked. This is a great precedent. No one likes to feel invisible.
I love Lizzo and love her even more now that she showed allyship in action. Lizzo corrected a paparazzi who misgendered Demi Lovato. Lizzo simply said, "Their team. Demi goes by they." Showing up as an ally doesn't have to mean this giant declaration - it can be a simple, quick statement. This matters because so many people want to be allies but don't know exactly how to do it. Lizzo shows a way.
Best Buy committed to spending $1.2 billion with diverse suppliers (including marketing) by 2025. This matters because supplier diversity initiatives are a powerful way to create more equity. Additionally, by making the commitment public, they can expect to be held accountable for progress.
Nordstrom signed a 10 year commitment with the 15 Percent Pledge to dedicate 15% of its shelf space to Black founders. It's the first retailer to do so. The 15 Percent Pledge has generated $15 billion in revenue for Black founders in the past year. This matters because these initiatives are a form of racial justice and can reduce the racial wealth gap.
Image by Audi Nissen