Get Out of Your Lane! Centering Inclusive Leadership in Everything You Do

In this week’s episode, Bernadette Smith joins us. She is the founder and CEO of Equality Institute and the award-winning author of four books, including the bestseller Inclusive 360: Proven Solutions for an Equitable Organization.Bernadette has been named one of Chicago’s Notable LGBTQ Executives by Crain’s Chicago Business and hosts the weekly podcast 5 Things in 15 Minutes: Bringing Good Vibes to DEI. Bernadette likes to begin working with companies by setting up a series of quick wins. She begins by looking at the business as a whole, and looking at all processes around HR, choosing suppliers, creating marketing campaigns, and developing products. That way steps can be added to check for diversity, equity, and inclusion in each process. She argues that it takes no additional time to be inclusive. “Right now here in the U.S., many states are making it very hard to exist as a transgender human. I would just encourage folks to reach out to people in the community, especially trans folks. Let them know that you have their back and you’re there to support them and love them.” Bernadette shares. Tune in to listen, and let us know what insights you gained from this episode. Please support the Trans Justice Funding Project here.Resources: Listen to Bernadette's podcast here. Bernadette's book Inclusive 360 can be found here.LinkedinWebsiteLaTonya Wilkins' book Leading Below the Surface