Jane Lauterback, ACC

Sharing reflections inspired by Day 1 of the Othering & Belonging Institute Conference underway…. As I listen to people deep diving into the overlapping social issues, enriched by many stories, activist experience and academic research and enlivened by words, song and music - I’m struck yet again by the patterns that cut across all the escalating wicked problems manifesting on the ground in every direction. To shift from reductionist compartmentalized Industrial Age patterns of “modernity” to holistic interconnectedness calls upon us to recontextualize this stuff into our existentially messy everyday lives. The human system stuff matters. It flows through the arteries of everything. Othering takes so many forms... ...it shows up in micro moments... ...it grows insidiously...  ...a symptom of our disconnectedness with ourselves, with one another, with life and all living beings. Another key theme concerns ”labels” - our use of language. Sense making is especially difficult in our polarized society with vested interests, media influence and algorithms feeding the perspectives and biases that people already hold. Issues easily become conflated around triggering labels. So many assumptions are made. Language - necessary for communication - is a clumsy tool. So important to excavate beneath the surface words to build deeper understanding. Our human stories portray a more contextual nuanced picture. They uncover our interconnectedness.  In the midst of rich diversity, we can discover our common ground. It’s never okay to marginalize, diminish, power over or dehumanize. And yet these are the patterns that have become normalized in so many places across so many relationships and artificially created divides.  We created those divides.  Maybe when we recontextualize we'll see them for what they are.  Maybe those divides can dissolve when we find our way back to seeing the reality of our connectedness, our mutual vulnerabilities and the underlying fear that breeds othering. Overcoming othering and nurturing belonging are not relegated to some far off elusive utopian future. They are integrally interconnected to ALL our work and ALL aspects of life - now. Learning HOW to embody...become..."be the change" - is not peripheral or separate. Can we cultivate life-affirming patterns, “living into" just, equitable, diverse, inclusive ways of "being" that shape a reframed sense of belonging? Can we transcend dysfunctional polarization? When addressing complex issues, can we shift beyond binary either-or framing of "solutions"? When we embrace bottom-up local grassroots, global systemic policy AND transcontextual bridging across cultures, regions, sectors, disciplines, generations - all the divides - we realize there's so much we can choose to do AND not do, whoever and wherever we are… And-and... We need it all! Everything. Everywhere. All at once. Everyone. #messyhumanness #unimpossible #wisdomwithteeth

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Want to be featured on our podcast? I'm interviewing Alim A. Dhanji, the chief people officer at Equinox, next week. He’s had a remarkable 25-year journey crafting diverse, high-performance teams that deliver stellar results. Before his time at Equinox, he led as president of adidas Canada, guiding business strategy across multiple channels. Do you have questions you would like to ask during the show? For example: -How do you nurture a thriving workplace culture? -What are the most effective strategies for driving performance? -How do you get your people to care about work? Submit your questions here: https://lnkd.in/eVMrazhd This is a fantastic opportunity to make your voice heard and gain insights from a seasoned leader in the industry. Feel free to jot down your queries in the comments below. #cultureleaders #podcast #qna #culturekeynote

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So many #learninganddevelopment professionals facilitate games in the workplace for the sake of "just fun" teambuilding, but Alexandra Suchman's company Barometer XP uses science and psychology to develop games that are super fun while still having real-word, quantifiable benefits to a company's workforce. #hr friends, check out her webinar next week!

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It was a pleasure to host Jennifer Sproul, CEO of the Institute of Internal Communication on our recent Green Champions call. Her insights into what works best to reach employees had the chat and the Q&A functions buzzing! Here are a few of the highlights she shared from her recent research, based on polling of thousands of UK based employees: 🟢43% of employees polled aren't clear on company strategy, this is also relevant to sustainability strategy 🟢Email is still the most common, and preferred channel, for 6/10 respondents for internal communications. 🟢There is very little time to capture and keep employee attention - on average around 15 minutes a day is what employees spend on employer updates Combined with the increasing pressure on time and attention, the key is to be relevant and clear when it comes to sustainability. In particular ensuring that language used is clear for all, including those without sustainability knowledge or expertise. Because this makes it more accessible, inclusive and more likely to get traction. To join our Green Champions community, find out more here https://lnkd.in/eCgKSDTP #employeeengagement #internalcommunications #sustainability

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At The Social C-Suite we love CHROs and Chief People Officers who are doing an amazing job on social media. That’s why we regularly feature a #SocialCHRO of the Month, and in May it’s Paul Whitney, CHRO of Sysdig! Very active on LinkedIn, Paul shares a real variety of content for his community. As Sysdig is a leading enterprise cloud security provider, it’s perhaps not surprising that much of Paul’s output is about the company’s technology. What is surprising (and refreshing) to us is the fact that, as CHRO, he talks about the technology at all. But it makes sense if you think about it. As head of HR, part of Paul’s role is attracting the right talent – including engineers. What better way to do that than to talk about the company’s innovative research and technology? If the Head of HR is tech-savvy, you can bet that the rest of the leadership is too. A great draw. And it’s not just social media where Paul is active. He’s also a regular contributor to articles and often appears as a podcast guest. Here’s a quote from a recent article in Forbes that we particularly like: “For new hires, building confidence is pretty critical and I believe is strongly correlated to future success. Creating multiple opportunities or the new hire to learn how things are done, setting early assignments with a high probability of success along with an after-action review for each one and finding ways for the new hire to build their network are all approaches I found to be impactful.” This is why Paul truly is a social leader: he uses social media and other online channels to share his expertise, and by extension Sysdig’s, to potential hires. Well done Paul for being our Social CHRO for May! #SocialCSuite #HumanResources #CHRO #PeopleManagement #CloudSecurity

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Less than 1 week to go for our next webinar in the ongoing #womeninleadership series. Join our amazing WiL community for an informal conversation with Helen Boothman CEO of Evergreen Group. This webinar will provide practical insights and strategies for women aiming for executive positions. Helen will be sharing her experiences, addressing challenges specific to women in leadership, discussing essential skills, and offering guidance no matter where you currently are on your leadership journey. Define talent 💚 Define coaching 💙 #womeninleadership #csuite #csuiteinsights #community #defineyourfuture #defineyourpath

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🚀 Exciting News! Our latest webinar recording, "DEI UNLEASHED: Crafting a Cutting-Edge Strategy," is now available! 🌟 Dive into the world of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with expert insights and strategies to empower your organization. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻: • How to apply DEI Strategy • Understanding Cultural Humility • Storytelling and Narrative Change • DEI + Data/Knowledge Management • Breakdown of Equity Frameworks • DEI and Corporate Branding • DEI+ C-Suite Leadership • DEI + Human Resources Watch now for a transformative journey, and feel free to share this with your network! #DEI #Strategy #Inclusion #WebinarRecording

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"Where there is collective leadership, there is the power to make changes". In this blog my team at The Rockefeller Foundation shares three key insights from our recent work on thought leadership development. 1. Collective approaches to leadership development are most powerful when designed to elicit purposeful interaction. 2. Thought leadership is grounded in expertise and field-authority, but can flourish through a leader's authenticity and originality. 3. Learned leadership traits can be shaped through inter-organizational learning approaches, multi-dimensional feedback, and relationship-building. Many thanks to my colleague Shannon Hill for her leadership in this work.  https://lnkd.in/ebJWim8W

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There is only one day left to reserve your spot in my upcoming free webinar! Will you be joining this space of advocacy and positive change? Let me know in the comments! #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #DEI #Leadership

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Since the global awakening in 2020, there has been a noticeable surge in the anti-DEI agenda. It has created significant challenges for companies striving to uphold these principles within their organizations. But it’s not a spontaneous grassroots movement - in fact, the opposition in recent years has been implemented an orchestrated “disinformation” strategy designed to undermine DEI efforts. It's crucial for leaders today to recognize this anti-DEI narrative for what it is: A calculated effort to stall progress! At InclusionINC, we’ve witnessed how well-executed DEI initiatives continue to drive substantial business results despite the noise. Our robust research through our Global Inclusion Index has shown that creating a culture of inclusion can double engagement, spark 20% more innovation and increase productivity by 10%. These metrics are not just numbers; they translate into real business advantages like higher retention rates, attracting the best talent and market expansion. Yet, the battle is far from over. Leaders must understand the origins of the anti-DEI rhetoric to effectively counter it and continue advancing their DEI initiatives. Knowledge is power, and understanding the roots of this disinformation empowers you to articulate a compelling, fact-based case for DEI's importance to business success. For those grappling with these challenges, my upcoming book provides deep insights into combating these narratives and getting back to why DEI works. Pre-order your copy today, or reach out to me directly to learn how InclusionINC can help you continue to move the needle forward. Let's stay committed to inclusion, because it unequivocally strengthens our businesses. stop-anti-dei.com

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Excellent addition to Nate Hagens’ Great Simplification series and quest. Dr Iain McGilchrist’s work implores us to engage our “whole brains”…our whole beings…in ways that can transcend pervasive dysfunctional Industrial Age over-emphasis on linear, reductionist "left brain" patterns. This exchange near the end is a tiny fractal-like slice of the breadth and depth of their discussion… Nate asks, “Is love a product of both the left and right hemispheres?” Iain replies, “It's much bigger than either hemisphere. It comes from somewhere very deep below the hemispheres, I believe. And it takes the whole body. It takes the whole of the embodied being, their heart, their gut, literally. Their brain, their soul, their spirit, their intelligence, their everything.” Yup. It’s time to befriend our "right brain" sensibilities. We've also got plenty of “left brain" evidence...not to mention AI nipping at our heels… This is about BALANCE and how we can CHOOSE to engage, develop and value our whole humanness capacity. And-and. I won’t “extract” or reduce this rich dialogue down to nuggets… Do watch the video to gain the full context of their dialogue - the meanings and possibilities - deepening our understanding. McGilchrist’s work is about widening our learning portals, navigating more “wisely,” engaging our full cognitive and emotional intelligences, sense-making, creativity, intuitive sensibilities and soul-nourishing spirituality. As we reflect on what is “the matter with things”…and there is much “talk about” all that is wrong…there are life-affirming “regenerative” patterns pointing the way, that can help us in the context of our daily lives, work and place. All of this aligns whole-heartedly with work that is taking many forms in many places and spaces around the world. In the midst of turbulence and widespread “wrong-ness” there’s a growing convergence. New pathways are being forged and formed, informed by nonlinear strategy and systems-thinking while honouring knowledge, “ways of knowing” and wisdom traditions that have withstood the test of time. The Unstitution commons is among many collaborators, working over many years to bring/restore this kind of “wholeness” into our world, co-discover more ways to step up initiatives and support value exchange/flows and funds that enable more of us to engage meaningfully in overlapping and differentiated ways. A dance of emergence AND strategy…embracing the “I/we don’t know-ness” of inherently complex challenges as we collaborate/learn in "transcontextual" ways to make grounded progress on the possibles and the #unimpossible. Facing the biggest challenges of our time, our best “hope” is to advance this kind of diverse “work,” reaching our collective humanness spirit and joy as an act of resilience. Video https://lnkd.in/gtcc7baf Building on McGilchrist’s work - implications and choices… https://lnkd.in/g-iTNvRh #messyhumanness #wisdomwithteeth

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The article once again along with a video that touches on the points. My thanks to Dina at Aletra!

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Uncertainty and opportunity go hand in hand. Ability to deal with ambiguity is a critical skill in business and in life. #ambiguity #innovation #leadership

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Thrilled to share insights on a recent podcast with Carolyn Swora, about the often-overlooked strengths of midlife in shaping exceptional leaders. In my book, 'Soaring Beyond Midlife,' I revisit Jim Collins’ Level 5 Leadership—humility combined with iron will. Notably, Collins was in his 30s when he described this combination of traits as rare. Drawing from my own experience of midlife and my work coaching senior leaders, I've observed that midlife's unique challenges often nurture these qualities, making them more prevalent than once thought. Join us as we uncover how the trials of midlife are not just hurdles but catalysts for profound leadership transformation. Discover how you can harness this transformative power in your journey. Explore further in ‘Soaring Beyond Midlife: The Surprisingly Natural Emergence of Leadership Superpowers in Life’s Second Half’—link in comments. #MidlifeLeadership #SoaringBeyondMidlife #LeadershipDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #TransformativeLeadership

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