Kelly McDonald

Corporate America is not very diverse; we’re a long way off from having equal representation of people of color in many organizations, especially in key executive and leadership positions. Many leaders want to create change, but don’t know how.  How do you know where your blind spots are that can create obstacles for diverse talent?   

And how do you address the issues and comments that come up when employees feel nervous, resentful or uncomfortable as you make headway on diversity, equity and inclusion in your organization?

Your intentions may be sincere and heartfelt, but intentions aren’t enough.  If you don’t know how you come across to others and you don’t know how to build bridges, people can be offended, jobs can be lost, and lawsuits can be filed. 

This session (and the book) does not approach this from the standpoint of social activism, political ideology or an HR perspective. This is the roadmap for how businesspeople can successfully create a fair and equitable workplace, one that recognizes diverse talent and fosters productive and constructive conversations across different perspectives that make business better – for everyone.

Not a bunch of theory, this session provides specific, actionable, no-cost tactics that you can implement immediately.  When it comes to talking about race at work, attendees will move from “uncomfortable and unsure” to “confident and empowered”, using proven tools that get real results.  And that’s language everyone values.

This session will illuminate:

• The well-intended things people say that are hurtful or offensive to others
• The excuses people use to avoid doing anything about diversity
• Why your diversity & inclusion efforts haven’t done the job

You’ll learn:

• ​How to talk about race in helpful and positive ways:  do’s & don’ts
• Answers to tough employee questions or racist remarks
• Where to start when you don’t know where to start – an 8-step  framework that will show you, step-by-step, how to become a more diverse and inclusive company, department or team.
• How to effectively recruit, interview and support diverse candidates
• How to build business relationships with people who are different from you
• For leaders, how to set the example, reduce tokenism, and deal with naysayers and derailers. 
• How to avoid “Launch & Abandon” with your diversity efforts.

Diversity in the workforce is a hot topic.  Many employers are under pressure to make sure their workforce and employee base is diverse, inclusive and representative of the customers they serve. The most progressive organizations value diversity because they realize that a diverse workforce has positive impact on the bottom line. Such a workforce doesn’t just lead to better decisions and solutions and innovation – it has been proven to grow business and profits. And a diverse workforce doesn’t just mean employees of different racial and ethnic backgrounds; it can also mean diversity of thought.

There are numerous ways we can be “diverse”: A new mom is in a very different place than one who is an empty nester. Someone with a master’s degree is very different than someone who went to a vocational/technical college. Someone who is foreign-born is different than someone who is U.S. born. “People not like you” takes away the baggage that is often associated with the word diversity and frames the subject in a more relatable way. We are ALL dealing with people “not like us”. Sometimes that can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be.

Learner Outcomes:

• You’ll learn why diversity at work is important, but why it seems so hard to work with people not like you. And why that makes you NORMAL, not a bad person.
• You’ll learn why it often comes with stress, complex emotions and even fear for some people.
• Specific tactics will be shared for how employees can succeed in today’s diverse workplace without losing their minds or becoming frustrated by approaches to work that may differ from theirs.
• For those in leadership positions, or those who aspire to manage and lead others, three key steps to make a diverse team work more cohesively, more productively and enjoyably.
• The four key words that will transform how you interact with your colleagues and associates in tough situations to get the best outcome.
• How to troubleshoot the complex issues and address the “derailers” and naysayers that lurk within every organization and threaten its success.

• It’s Time to Talk about Race at Work: Every Leaders Guide to Making Progress on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• How to Work With & Lead People Not Like You
• How to Market & Sell to People Not Like You
• Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not Like You
• Transformative Women’s Leadership – How to Move the Business Forward with the Teams You Lead
• Six Consumer Trends You Need to Leverage Right Now
• Finding Future Hires in a Gig Economy: How to Recruit, Train & Retain Young Talent Now
• The New Demographics & How They Affect Your Business, Today & Tomorrow
• Marketing & Selling to Women: How to Win the Hearts and Reach the Wallets of Today’s Modern Woman
• Come Together: How to Work with Someone Much Older or Younger than You
• Disaster Recovery & Crisis Management Using Social Media
• Social Media & Marketing: How to use It to Grow Business in a Low-Cost/No-Cost Manner
• Tips & Tricks for Taking Social Media to the Next Level
• Marketing 101: the Essentials of Advertising & Marketing and How to Implement Them
• How to Connect with Others, Regardless of Age, Wage or Lifestage
• How to Be a Culturally-Ready, Culturally-Friendly Employer: Insights Into Your Diverse Workforce
• Relating, Not Translating: How to Market to U.S. Hispanics