Episode 4: Going Deep on Diversity & Inclusion with Tayo Rockson
One of most important yet hard-to-change elements of company culture is diversity and inclusion. Tayo Rockson has spent his career dedicated to bringing practical solutions to leaders to bring about more D&I workplaces.
Tayo Rockson is a writer, speaker, consultant, and media personality who runs UYD Management – a strategic leadership and consulting firm that helps organizations incorporate sustainable diversity and inclusion practices. As someone who has lived on 4 continents, he is an authority in communicating effectively across cultures. In addition to that, he’s been named a “Top 40 Millennial Influencer” by New Theory magazine. Tayo is the host of As Told by Nomads, a podcast ranked in the top 5 tier of the Top 25 Business Podcasts for Entrepreneurs on Entrepreneur.com. He’s the author of Use Your Difference To Make A Difference, and in 2020, he launched the national anti-racism campaign called #LetsTalkBias.
Some questions Tynan asks:
Where can leaders start when it comes to improving diversity and inclusion in their organizations?
How can companies start to take the values on the wall and actually put them into action?
What even is a diversity council?
What is out there that can help with diversity hiring? What are the best practices?
How do we go about truly including & listening to one another… avoiding the “check off the box” approach to diversity?
What should leaders be looking out for when hiring and therefore including people from other countries?
How do we open up for discussion a problem with D&I? How do we call people out in a nice way?
What are the biggest takeaways from [Tayo’s] new book for leaders?
In this episode, you will learn:
How to start by checking your biases as a leader and clarifying values for your company in order to make headway in building a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Building out a grading system for living out your values… what is good, great and bad!
How to set up a highly effective diversity council for your business
How important it is to run after people’s fear of being fired for speaking up.
Ways for people to bring their cultures into the workplace to allow others to further understand where their colleagues come from.
What are micro-aggressions and how do they arise in the workplace… and why they need to be challenged! Examples include assumptions about someone who’s from another country speaking with a clear english accent or having a dress-code that may be difficult for people with varying body types.
The key to finding allies in the workplace who can support you as you speak up or bring diversity matters to the surface.
Best way to connect cross culturally are 1) educate, 2) don’t perpetuate and 3) communicate.
A mini-education in cultural intelligence (CQ)!
