“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”
– Thomas Jefferson
OUR SERVICES
#1 - DEI Success for Organizations & Communities
The services we provide are focused on helping organizations and
communities lead the change required to counter racism
in their particular setting.
Our Mission is to work collaboratively with you to fully achieve the desired outcomes of your DEI initiative – avoiding the common experience of throwing a great deal of resources at the challenge only to achieve mediocrity. Without an effective collaborative blend of DEI expertise and change leadership expertise, mediocrity is the natural and unavoidable outcome.
We bring the change leadership expertise along with a deep understanding of DEI and a great appreciation for those internal and external DEI experts with whom we will collaborate.
Our Phase I & Phase II Services
Our services focus on the change leadership foundation on which DEI initiatives rely. This is true for organizations or communities. Creating the foundation for successful DEI has two distinct phases. There is a great deal of overlap of leadership roles and strategies across the phases – but there is also a significant leadership pivot required for success in Phase II.
Services in both phases share some basic principles.
Effective Services Must be Focused on Leadership Leverage. Development must happen on multiple levels:
- Individual development and performance – awareness, knowledge, skills – psychological, intellectual, and social
- Group/team development and performance – supporting teams, building new teams, working cross-boundary, etc.
- Organization/Community design – matching desired outcomes and strategies with the required organization architecture (from structure and roles to processes and systems)
Effective Services Require Customization. Our services are based on a wide range of models, processes, and tools, but they are always adapted and customized for DEI initiatives in a particular setting, There is no “cookie-cutter” or prescriptive approach to successful DEI initiatives. It always requires careful customization and consistent attention to evolving leadership as the journey progresses.
The Desired Outcomes are Achieved Through Collaboration. The design and implementation of services is always done collaboratively with executives and with internal and external experts. We bring a great deal of high impact expertise, but are also very respectful of the expertise and capabilities of others and believe that finding the synergy among us is the key to sustainable success. This is particularly true in the case of DEI expertise.
AND – Success Requires Integration and Sustainability – not Just “Implementation.” DEI initiatives must be embedded in the life of the organization. They must be integrated into the architecture and culture of the organization, or they will not be sustainable. DEI initiatives are tough and complex, so this requires a good deal of leadership discipline and perseverance – over time.
Services Focused on Phase I
Theme: “Get the Resign and Launch Effectively”
Goals: Identify the ROI, get the right design, the right web of leaders, and the right initial implementation
Phase I requires answering two critical questions correctly and avoiding one dangerous pitfall. The deceptively important “Why?” question must be answered well and the core question of “How?” addresses the leadership required to design and implement the DEI initiative.
We can effectively support you in answering both questions well, with the second question being more complex.
The dangerous pitfall to be avoided is the common mistake of C-Suites delegating too much responsibility too quickly – taking their essential leadership off the field of play. That is almost a guarantee of mediocrity and can be avoided. There are specific strategies for C-Suites to use and they can be used with confidence and great effect.
For communities the question is often developing a group that has the leadership influence similar to a C-Suite that can play the central role – providing direction and resources as well as “modeling the way.”
Services Focused on Phase II
Theme: Pivot, Persevere, and “Drive it Home.”
Goals: Embed progress, go after the tougher goals, integrate DEI, and make it sustainable
Leading Phase II of a DEI Initiative is often overlooked, and the initiative flattens out. A disciplined Phase II follows up on embedding and integrating the progress of Phase I, but also requires a “leadership pivot.” That pivot increases the focus on how well DEI is integrated with operations and increases the roles of leaders further out in the leadership web (still actively and visibly supported by the C-=Suite). It also generates new energy, focus and commitment.
Phase II focuses efforts on the highest leverage parts of the organization and initiative – for example focusing on (a) efforts that have momentum that can easily be continued; (b) areas that offer the greatest opportunities; (c) areas that have strong leadership that can be leveraged; (d) areas that are bottlenecks that need to be opened up; and (e) areas that offer quick wins to generate energy and confidence when in the middle of the journey.
Our role is to ensure that the pivot happens effectively, and that leadership roles and strategies are revised to match the Phase II challenge – as elegantly as possible.
Working with Us in Either Phase
We can work with you right from the beginning or we can engage at any point in the change journey to accelerate and protect progress. We can provide end-to-end services – from initiative design in Phase I to full implementation in Phase II or very targeted services.
We can create an approach that is highly structured or one that is very flexible – to match your style and the challenges you face. No two change scenarios are the same – but there is a common underlying foundation.
For organizations we can work with key individuals, groups and teams, the organization as a whole or the organization in its environment. For communities we can also work with key individuals, groups and teams, as well as the community as a whole.
There is a wide array of processes, tools and models that can be used, and they would be carefully selected and deployed.
Who We Work with in Organizations and Communities
Organizations. For organizations an effective engagement will almost always require effective working relationships with many or all of the following:
- C-Suite
- Executive Sponsors
- Boards of Directors (for alignment)
- DEI Execs and/or DEI Boards
- Other organizations providing DEI services
- Change Teams
- Internal groups/resources, such as HR, organization development, etc.
Communities. Communities have different structures and natures, and the variety precludes being very specific here. However, it will always be a matter of working with the governance structure, the individuals and groups that lead implementation, various resource groups, and the variety of community stakeholders that need to be engaged in customized ways.
Fortunately, the leadership roles, strategies, and processes are similar for organizations and communities. They need to adapted and customized differently.
Community Organizations. Community organizations – from police and social services organizations to healthcare and business development – often require a hybrid approach due to the number of stakeholders with interests and influence as well as legal and cultural influences.
“The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it.”
Abraham Lincoln
Our Approach is Based on 5 Core Principles
Although every consultation is customized, there are five principles that always provide direction.
- We focus on leadership leverage and customize every assignment. We have lots of models, and tools, and processes to deploy, but they always need to be customized. The leverage points on individual, group/team and systemic levels all need to be identified. Succeeding at DEI initiatives is not a matter of throwing money and activity at the challenge. It’s a matter of taking advantage of the leverage points, which differ in Phase I vs. Phase II.
- We collaborate with internal and external DEI specialists. DEI initiatives are always a combination of DEI expertise and organization design and change expertise. We value and collaborate with internal and external DEI experts because DEI initiatives are a different challenge than other organization change challenges.
- We ensure the DEI initiative is matched with the business mission to define the desired ROI. The moral case and business case need to be complementary to be worth committing to and sustainable. DEI initiatives are tough challenges and need that foundation.
- We focus on matching the leadership approach with the different requirements of Phase I and Phase II of DEI initiatives. The challenges of designing and implementing a DEI initiative in Phase I are very different than the challenge to “drive it home” in phase II. We ensure that leadership pivots effectively as seamlessly as possible to embed progress, pursue the tougher goals, fully integrate DEI with operations and make it sustainable.
- We build on strength. DEI initiatives often focus on what’s missing, weaknesses, gaps, etc. Those are certainly important to acknowledge and deal with, but the critical power is found in a clear vision of what’s desired (all the benefits) and building on the strengths that are brought by individuals, groups/teams, and the organization as a whole. The gaps close and the organization is stronger.
How to Begin - It's Simple
Just get in touch and have an initial conversation with us about:
- The DEI initiative you are leading or anticipating
- Where you are in the process
- Your experience so far, and how we might support you
Email Us ([email protected])
- Your name
- Role/Title
- Organization
- Best way and times to contact you
- Anything you want to add to help prep for the call
“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has
genius and power, and magic in it.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
#2 – Success for Groups Countering Racism
We can provide support for groups and/or group leaders in several ways. All groups are different, so there is no “canned” or “one-size-fits-all” approach. We simply have an introductory conversation to see if there is a good fit and what support might be most useful.
There are three basic ways we can provide support. All services are directed toward helping groups and group members to take successful focused actions.
“Dream big, start small, but most of all, start.”
Simone Sinek
1. Conversations with group leaders to design how the group can use the site and pursue its mission – for example:
- Find discussion topics on the site that match the group’s mission or interests
- Identify ways to manage the journey of being an anti-racist (the journey never really ends.
- Identify specific actions to take to counter racism that individuals can take and/or that the group can take
- Find ways to get past the natural barriers to action
- Support each other in using the action templates
- Find ways to add value to an advocacy process
- Become increasingly effective allies
- Find more resources for information or connections
2. Conversations with the group as a whole about specific topics or projects – similar topics as above, but addressed by the group
3. Conversations with group leaders or the group as a whole regarding group development and performance – for example:
- Starting a group
- Developing and maintaining a group
- Renewing a group
- Managing group projects
- Conducting effective meetings
- Decision-making and conflict resolution
- Etc.
How to Begin - It's Simple
Email Us ([email protected])
- Your name and role in the group
- Your group and its purpose/mission
- Any initial thoughts about support that might be helpful
- Your contact information and best ways and times to contact you
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.