July 22, 2020

After the Message Comes the Hard Work, with Sara Taylor

Episode 55:

Sara Taylor earned a master’s degree in Diversity and Organizational Development from the University of Minnesota. She served as a leadership and diversity specialist at the University of Minnesota for five years and as director of diversity and inclusion for Ramsey County, Minnesota for three years.

Sara is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting and has worked with companies as large as Coca-Cola, General Mills, 3M Company, AARP, and numerous others. She has a new book, “Filter Shift: How Effective People See the World,” that explores how our unconscious is actually making choices and decisions for us, all without our knowing — and how to change that.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How companies and organizations of all kinds spoke out with clear, decisive messaging after the murder of George Floyd, and why following those messages with action is vital
  • Why the first step to taking action is to decide your approach of whether you want to take a transactional strategy or a transformational strategy
  • Why you should only promise what you truly plan to deliver, and why you should conduct an equity audit to identify gaps that exist within your organization
  • Why you need to shift from an equality-based approach to an equity-based approach, and why the two are fundamentally different
  • Why an effective equity strategy must go beyond the obvious, and how a cadre of culturally competent equity coaches throughout the organization can be powerful
  • How a Safe Space program can be invaluable for employees who have experienced identity-based trauma
  • How springboard positions can help prepare and elevate employees from marginalized communities into higher positions within the organization
  • Why an organization must focus on developing leaders first and then holding them accountable for creating an equitable workplace
  • Why focusing on leading indicators rather than lagging indicators can help you steer your organization toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace
  • Why it is important to only put people who are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in charge of your organization’s efforts

Additional resources: