In last month's newsletter, we talked about what we need to do to begin to identify our culture so that we can support others. Hopefully, you took the time to journal your thoughts.
This month we would like to expand on culture to begin diving into how we support diversity and inclusive practices.
Diversity and inclusion are two different words but hard to separate. The typical ways individuals seek to increase diversity awareness is through diversity training. Diversity training typically focuses on sharing history, definitions, and general information about cultural differences but does little to support the individual application and inclusive practices. Why is it so hard to apply? One possibility is that individuals may have to deal with incongruencies between how they see themselves and their behaviors or beliefs. Individuals may have to deal with incongruencies between how they see themselves and their behaviors or beliefs. This can be a heavy lift that can cause questioning, uncertainty, and self-doubt, which can hinder behavioral change.
So how can coaching help? Coaches support leaders in gaining insights into their values, fostering mutual respect with others, focusing on individual and collective strengths, and overcoming bias. Personal change can transcend to the collective group and ultimately lead to sustainable organizational change.
Here are a few questions that can be used to engage in conversations about diversity and connection:
What is your thinking about people who are different?
What do you think they think?
How does your thinking impact workplace relationships?
What are the benefits of having different people work together?
How can you maximize the variety of skills and perspectives?
We would like you to take time to consider your thoughts on these questions, journal them and let us know what insights you gain during your intentional focus on diversity and inclusion.
Submitted by,
Rasheeda Coston, Director of Coaching
Pennsylvania Key
Barb Willier, Coaching Coordinator
Pennsylvania Key
