Inclusive Careers Don't Happen By Accident

It's true.

Given how we are all socialised and wired it takes effort to cultivate an inclusive culture that can propagate an inclusive career that allows you to grow, develop and pivot with your identity and values intact.

Something that requires the marriage of individual contributors and leadership alike, a place where we prioritise safety and aren't afraid to challenge one another to take more inclusive action even if it flies in the face of financial incentives. The biggest corporate social responsibility we all have to the World and our future generations; people create it all. People who aren't carrying the weight of discrimination, people who aren't scarred by the papercuts of microaggressions and people who aren't afraid to tell folks that there are 2 Eids and that's the real reason they won't cancel their annual leave in the face of a looming deadline.

If you're still unsure what that looks like...let me illustrate from my own experience or lack of and for each I want you to imagine starting my daily full-self-battery on 100 and losing points with each slight:

Code-switching

Tonight I'm going to a Ghetts concert. I'm Black British London-Raised and proud of it, I enjoy Taylor Swift but don't feel pressured to tell people I'm deeply aware of Oasis' discography. Whether speaking with the CEO, my mum or my childhood bestie my voice, intonation and slang is the same.

Powering through my mental illness

Pretending I didn't wake up at 4 am with anxiety and as a result, am sleep-deprived and need to take a lunchtime nap to pull through the rest of the day. Anxiety and depression aren't mental health, they aren't a bubble bath that can wait till the weekend and having to pretend otherwise only makes it worse. So then...you take annual leave last minute when you should really take a sick day.

Roe v Wade, shootings, war...

Sometimes the World is just on fire. Waking up to atrocities no matter how near or far weighs heavy on your mind and heart. You never know what somebody is carrying and how these events can trigger us each in different ways. For some people it's just "sad" but for your colleague, it may be the truth of what they did over the weekend; getting relatives to safety, protesting, volunteering, and booking last-minute flights to be with loved ones.

The below aren't my personal experiences but borrowed empathetically (not sympathetically) from those I care about:

Hiding how your brain digests information

Dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD... the list goes on to include my neurodiverse folks. An overwhelming feeling of sadness came over me when a speaker at an event said at 50 she suspects she's dyslexic but is "too old" to get tested. Un-true. Working with Remi Ray's The Homecoming Project as a coach double-tapped how important it is to be able to disclose this to ourselves and our team so they know they can't just rattle off words without clear instruction or show 52 slides without line breaks, a size 9 font size and several paragraphs per slide for 60 minutes and expect you not to be exhausted at the end of the meeting.

Letting assumptions of gender and sexuality slide

Asking for pronouns isn't like asking about your favourite colour. It shouldn't be an optional conversation that lives in a far-off land. So when pronouns are added to the Zoom yet "they" are referred to as "she" and it's assumed you're spending the bank holiday with your girlfriend, not your partner. And by the time these things are said we're on to the next thing and you've been left wondering when you'll get the time and space to correct the assumptions without it being a big "thing".

Accepting new names

Aged 12 I sat in a class where my favourite teacher Mrs Mba-Rodmore told us the timetable is wrong as her name is not Mrs Rodmore, then proceeded to tell us she is Nigerian and teach us all how to say Mba. We got it and never forgot it. When you are given a new abbreviated name instead of asked what you'd like to be called you wonder... if I correct you will it even stick? Maybe I should send out a press release...

Taking off your ring and hiding baby shark

The research is already there on the parental bias, and in certain corners, you are assumed to be less effective if you have "dependents" be it a child, partner, or elderly parent. Family is positioned in opposition to career progress so at some point you believe it and hide them...even though they are the very thing that keeps you striving in your career.

All of these examples take energy from us and perpetuate shame.

Shame it isn't spoken about enough, and because it isn't spoken about it isn't identified in our personal experiences and cultures.

So then it's left to run free and f**k sh*t up. Just like our good friend imposter syndrome... hide it away and pretend it isn't there whilst it erodes your sense of self, and ability to function and find peace.

Shame is defined as "a regrettable or unfortunate situation or action." so I ask you:

• How can we shine when we are perceived as unfortunate?
• How can we excel when we have regrets about our privilege or lack thereof?
• How can we thrive when we are making our identity wrong?

If you want more ideas on how to cultivate an inclusive culture check out my open letter to ambitious companies here. If you want to explore a more inclusive career, build the confidence to advocate for yourself and be in a room where you can be you as you learn with and from others; join an upcoming event here.

Check out The Limitless Career Podcast for my upcoming episode with Lynn Erasmus where we discuss shame.