The birth of my daughter in November has given me time to reflect and become really clear on the way I can create opportunities for organizations to do better in 2023. I'm sharing my wish for every organization this year. If you're interested in working with me to help with any of these bullet points, I'd love to partner with you when I return from maternity leave in April. 

• Create time and space for every employee to reflect weekly

• Invest in 1:1 or group coaching

• Mandate no internal meetings on a certain day and time period each week and encourage people to use this time for reflection and strategy. This must start at the top. It would be incredible to see each member of the c-suite create a weekly reflection post for the entire company to see. Not only will this encourage the behavior, but will also create transparency and trust.

• Send a weekly inspirational quote, video or article to encourage reflection. Ensure content is diverse in all ways.

• Measure your people by more than the metrics.  Include objective ways of measuring empathy, compassion, connection, courage, integrity, justice and humanity

• Send monthly anonymous pulse check surveys to gather feedback

• Invite a third party (like my organization) to speak with and interview your team members in 1:1 and small group settings to get honest and unbiased feedback regarding areas of opportunity.

• Measure how often people are collaborating with others and send out a survey after each collaboration to measure effectiveness

• Ask leaders to measure accountability in ways other than just attainment and activity towards a metrics driven goal

• Create transparency by sending meeting notes to all employees after leadership strategy sessions

• Measure involvement in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging programming

• Compensate every employee who contributes to employee resource groups

• It's time ERG program managers were full time paid employees

• At the very least build a bonus structure for employees taking on this responsibility on top of their full time role

• Create a defined and generous budget for each ERG

• Invest in developing your leaders

• Provide 1:1 coaching

• Provide mentorship opportunity

• Partner with an organization like InfiniDEI to provide on-going and reinforced development around building cultures filled with empathy, courage, equity, belonging, integrity and accountability. Help leaders develop skills to have difficult conversations, motivate their people and foster collaboration. 

• Provide a minimum of 4 months paid family leave for all parents after welcoming a new child (birth, surrogate or adoption) 

  • This sets a foundation of equity within the household, which in turn creates more equity every where

  • Allows both parents to bond with their new child during an extremely formative part of their life

  • Creates more loyal and connected workforce when they return to work

  • Partner with an organization like InfiniDEI to help you create a paid family leave policy that benefits everyone, including group or 1:1 coaching for managers and individuals going out on or returning from leave.