5 Things / More Than Words
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / More Than Words

I spent this week polishing my new keynote with my Heroic Public Speaking cohort. My new DEI keynote is called More Than Words and addresses the gap between DEI strategy and results. Reply if you want to hear more about it.

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5 Things / 360
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / 360

A new study from Boston College and the Society of Human Resources Management tells us that 65% of organizations believe DEI is important, yet 63% give little to no resources to DEI. This doesn’t surprise me. In my conversations with organizations, I find many who see DEI as an HR or L&D initiative. In other words, recruitment, and training. There are many DEI actions that can be taken that cost minimal external resources, such as policy changes and building inclusion nudges into process documentation.

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5 Things / The DEI PSA
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / The DEI PSA

When I’m prepping for a keynote, I love to spend time talking to the client about their DEI goals and current state. Between all these conversations, research for 5 Things, and research for my book, Inclusive 360, I think I figured out the winning formula for meaningful DEI progress: Purpose + Strategy + Accountability (PSA).

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5 Things / Justice Sotomayor
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Justice Sotomayor

This week my partner and I went to seeU.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talk in Chicago. She answered most of her questions while walking through the audience, shaking hands, and signing books. The Justice approaches her work with an amazing amount of grace and gentleness and sees her greatest work as being a trailblazer for others. She’s written three children’s books and dedicates an astounding amount of time to speak with young people.

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5 Things / Comparisonitis
5 Things Bernadette Smith 5 Things Bernadette Smith

5 Things / Comparisonitis

This week, I spent three days (and joyful evenings) with other thought leaders, each working to bring our new keynotes to life with the brilliant team at Heroic Public Speaking. I had a great week and did some fantastic work, but I started to feel a little down on myself once I left. I didn’t feel like writing this morning. Spending three days with other thought leaders can trigger comparisonitis (comparison syndrome). They have how many LinkedIn followers??!!

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