Businesses hold extraordinary influence over the future of our society. They shape how we spend our time, how resources are distributed, what behaviors are rewarded, and increasingly, what kinds of futures become possible. Whether we like it or not, organizations now hold a level of cultural influence once concentrated in governments, religious institutions, and local…
I was sitting at the counter of an open-air kitchen in Bali when he said it. He was a Tahitian gentleman, a friend of a friend, someone I barely knew, someone who grew up a world away from me. Though we had just met, somehow we put it together that we had both lost our…
For 25 years, I have been teaching communication. Some people call me a communication expert. I still feel slightly uncomfortable with that phrase. If expert means someone who has devoted decades to testing, refining, failing at, and rebuilding approaches to communication across cultures and industries, then perhaps it applies. If it means someone who does…
People often wonder why a white woman has committed her life to DEI. It’s time for me to tell my story. As many of you know, I help leaders who are committed to creating inclusive cultures build teams that trust each other, collaborate effectively, and unleash their collective intelligence. My commitment to this work began…
Representation matters. It always has. Looking at who is present in an organization, and especially who moves into leadership, tells us something important about access, opportunity, and patterns of advancement. Representation data can reveal where systems are working equitably and where they are not. It helps us notice trends that would otherwise remain invisible. But…
Businesses are strained. I speak with leaders who describe the stress of budget cuts, mass layoffs, shifting priorities, and more. Under strain, leaders often focus on fixing processes. They convene stakeholders to adjust strategy or make quick decisions to stabilize the business. But one of the most important leadership priorities often gets overlooked: repairing and…
Diversity, equity, and inclusion work is often misunderstood—sometimes willfully, sometimes because we haven’t done enough to clarify the why behind it. One of the most common misconceptions I hear is this: “DEI means hiring someone just because they’re [fill in the blank].” “We don’t want to lower the bar.” “That sounds like a quota.” Let’s…
The headlines are loud. The rules keep changing. And leaders are left asking: How do we protect our people? How do we keep our culture strong? How do we adapt—without getting pulled into a polarizing debate? It starts by focusing less on slogans and more on outcomes. Not just what people are talking about—but what…
In today’s evolving work environment, creating an inclusive culture isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a strategic advantage. According to Harvard Business Review, high-belonging workplace cultures are associated with a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% reduction in turnover risk, and a 75% decrease in sick days. For a company with 10,000 employees,…
As published on Devex.com, July 7, 2014 Cross-cultural collaboration. Why is it so hard? As international development practitioners, we are typically working toward the same well-intentioned goal. If our interests are aligned, then why isn’t it easier? Well, many reasons: funding, deadlines, limited or misdirected resources, language differences … the list goes on. But…
Too often, we leave trust up to chance. We think it will just happen naturally over time. And sometimes that is true. But often this is not the case, especially when working with people who seem very different from ourselves. Here is what I see working with corporate clients: people are assigned to work together…
You are facing a deadline for a big presentation. Time is flying. The content is just not coming together. Your mind races. You sit at your desk and bury your head in your hands. An attentive colleague walks up and says, “You look stressed! You should take a walk or get a massage.” You think,…
[Published March 9, 2020] Yesterday, I stood and stared at two grocery bags in my basement. Four boxes of spaghetti. Two bottles of children’s Tylenol. One large bottle of antibacterial soap. Then I looked back to my phone and re-read the text from my neighbor. The doctors diagnosed her with Stage 4 lung cancer,…
If there is one element that is crucial for positive growth, whether we are talking about personal development, spiritual breakthroughs or business mergers, it is reflection on what has worked and what needs to be refined. The a new year is a perfect time to look back before looking ahead. Here are three questions to…
I have been giving discomfort a lot of thought lately. But that is kind of an issue. Discomfort is not something we need to think about, it is something we need to feel and grow to tolerate if we are going to evolve as a culture. It is kind of like needing to tolerate mosquito…
As published on Devex.com, Feb 9, 2013 As it turns out, fruit dryers were unpopular in a coastal village in Nicaragua where a group of engineers were working. Had they known that “yes” in Nicaragua could sometimes mean “we don’t want to offend you,” they could have provided a different service. In another instance,…
