Chapter Sixteen - Three Ways To Improve Your Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Efforts - Lisa Koenecke, M.S. CDP

"We Wish We Had Known - Everyday Tips from Consultants to Grow Your Business"

#Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
#Workplace Culture

"Three Ways To Improve Your Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Efforts"

Lisa Koenecke, M.S. CDP

Inclusion Ally
Certified Diversity Equity Inclusion Speaker
InclusionAlly.com/ Lisa@LisaKoenecke.com

Whether you own your own business or help other people with their business, you have probably heard the term DEI. Diversity, equity and inclusion have been with us for a long time. We are now using these terms to improve our environments. Let’s explore three ways to improve your DEI efforts.

1.     SHOW

•       How do you show someone that you are an ally?   What a great question.  As a consultant, you might show your allyship by offering to meet at a conducive time for your client depending upon where they live in the world or what their daily schedule might allow.  SHOW through flexibility.   
•       Other ways to SHOW your inclusion is by learning a different language (even just a greeting) and understanding important dates on a calendar so you can plan around celebrations. You can also SHOW your pronouns next to your name for video conferencing or in your email signature.  These are excellent ways to SHOW you’re making an effort in the world of DEI.

2.     SHIFT

•       What does SHIFT have to do with diversity, equity and inclusion?  Thanks for asking!   When we SHIFT, we make a change.  For the purpose of DEI, let’s consider SHIFTING our mindsets and behaviors, shall we?   Brilliant!  In business, we work with lots of different personalities, deadlines and communities.  Those who are able to SHIFT their mindsets from exclusion to inclusion might benefit greatly.  We all have unconscious biases.   
•       Please consider SHIFTING your everyday language, your marketing efforts and access to your company to become more inclusive.   
  
•       What if you were to SHIFT some of your resources to create an employee resource group?  How about SHIFTING your supplier from a large distributor to a local business?  These examples will SHIFT how the community views you, and perhaps increase your ROI.

3.     SHAPE

•       Let’s consider our mission/vision statements, our policies and our procedures as our third way to improve your DEI efforts.  Certainly, there are many ways to SHAPE your business, and please remember there is a difference between equity and equality.  Equality is where everyone has a pair of shoes, equity is where those shoes fit!   
•       As you SHAPE your policies, have you enumerated out all of the populations you want to serve? We usually think about race, gender and age, so, please SHAPE your policies by including abilities, veteran status and gender identity.

LISA KOENECKE

As an experienced and energetic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) professional speaker and facilitator, Lisa specializes in counteracting unconscious bias and LGBTQ+ inclusion in business. Her impact is amplified through strengthening each person’s allyship. With a demonstrated history of working in secondary education and a passion toward community and social services, she is an expert in counseling, crisis intervention, educational leadership and program development.

After receiving her diversity and inclusion certification from Cornell University, Lisa launched her Inclusion Ally business. Being an expert in LGBTQ+ issues has allowed her to present in all 50 states and keynote numerous school counseling conferences.

She is the author of the best seller, “Be an Inclusion Ally: The ABC’s of LGBTQ+.” It became an International Book Award finalist.

Lisa’s speaking style can best be described as dynamic, energetic and interactive. After 12 years of being a middle school counselor, she is now an adjunct instructor at Lakeland University training the next generation of school counselors.