Diversity, Gender Equality + Inclusion – It’s Real for Us
All the “ism’s” arise from fear: Racism, sexism, homophobia-ism, etc.
Our #1 company priority is the equality and empowerment of all human beings. This isn’t just talk, and I want to tell you why. And before I get started telling you where my commitment to equality comes from, I want to tell you this: While I’m a big fan of conversations about inclusion and diversity, I’m a bigger fan of offering people real tools that boost advancement. Let’s level playing fields and shrink some gaps.
About our commitment to equality:
Me (Sioux here): I’m a proud child of a single mother who marched in the Detroit ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) rallies of the 70’s and 80’s. Yes, that’s my mother, Barbara, smiling in the photo. I sit in my office proudly looking at the very sash she wore in this Detroit march. Though my mother worked hard, school teachers didn’t make much money in the 70’s, and my siblings and I grew up rather poor. I remember hopping on the counter and searching for food in the cupboards at the end of my mother’s 2-week paycheck cycle.
The combination of coming from a lower income home and being raised by a single mother made us a bit outcast in the predominately white, middle-to-upper class community where the lawns were perfect (except ours) and regularly spayed by Chemlawn. Though our home was impeccably clean and we were a close, connected family, we were held at arms length by the neighbors; as a child, I sensed this. Divorce was quite uncommon in the 1970’s and we were different. Yet, despite being “one down”, my mother was a staunch advocate for equality and taught us to never utter racist epithets against blacks or share jokes about other ethnic groups so commonly heard in that generation (remember the Polish jokes so freely told? I’m 50% Polish). I feel so fortunate that I had great role models of diversity and inclusion in my life. I remain a true believer in the equality of all human beings, and an unabashed feminist.
About Dan, our company Co-Founder: When Dan was Senior Director of Training + Diversity at Kimpton Hotels + Restaurants, Kimpton was named a Fortune Best Place to Work, and training was one of only three determining factors that went into this outstanding award. Anyone who knows Kimpton knows about Kimpton’s commitment to inclusion of all people, as well as Kimpton’s commitment to the LGBT community, and Dan was a big part of this. Dan himself grew up with a disability – and lived with a profound experience of exclusion. Ask him about it.
Some of the tools we teach in our Executive Presence Workshops are shown by research to actually boost one’s chances of being selected in desirable high-stakes opportunities (see our Leadership Research page.
After decades of training and coaching top leaders, nothing in my experience comes even close to The Executive Presence Workshop in its ability to level playing fields and shrink gaps! Our leadership training reviews and case studies reflect that the tools we teach create powerful, credible, challenge-approach people who get the respect they deserve.
Diversity, inclusion and gender equality are REAL priorities for us, not just talk. Let’s level some playing fields and shrink some gaps. Let’s give people real tools that help them to be chosen for desirable opportunities. Give us a call if you’d like to talk about inclusion, or if you’re interested in holding an Executive Presence Workshop at your location as a diversity training, a general leadership training, or as a management training. Supports succession planning, too.
Zero Travel Fees | Worldwide | Money-Back Guarantee (no risk).
Our Vision: May all beings remember their full magnificence and benevolent power.
Power for Everyone. Cream of the Crop Leaders.
