Recently, I attended the University of Utah’s Martin Luther King Jr. President’s Reception. Their theme was “Becoming the Beloved Community” to honor Dr. King’s commitment to love and building trust. Emma Houston, special assistant to the VP of equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI) introduced the theme. You could feel the depth of her conviction for this vision. Since then, I’ve been pondering what it means to become a beloved community.
A week after attending the President’s Reception, my company, InclusionPro, celebrated its five-year anniversary with an intimate celebration. As I looked around the table at my colleagues and felt the joy of relishing time together, my heart swelled with appreciation. My entire goal that evening was to have every person at the table feel cherished. To me, this feeling goes beyond inclusion and belonging. It speaks deeply of human worth. Cherishing someone is never forced.
As I sat and reflected on five years at InclusionPro, I immediately began thinking about how I can continue prioritizing people as my company grows even more. Throughout my journey, there have been five lessons that have stuck with me on my journey as an entrepreneur, and I am so excited to build on those in the coming years.
Regardless of if you’re celebrating a five-year anniversary like InclusionPro, or if you’re new to a startup, here are some things that you should in mind for continued team growth and team prioritization.
Cherish your clients
When I started working on inclusion in the workplace 22 years ago, it felt like climbing Mount Everest without oxygen. Very few leaders in any industry were interested in changing company cultures. In fact, most leaders thought “diversity” (as it was called back then) was done solely to benefit the few women and employees from underrepresented ethnicities who they managed to hire.
I empathize with the efforts of long-time DEI champions inside companies who built momentum toward embracing these new ideas and better practices around DEI. Thanks to concerted social efforts across the nation, we’ve seen a widespread transformation with leaders who are engaged in expanding their skills to include diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am honored to partner with executives and to witness their delight (and sometimes surprise) when they see that true cultural shifts are possible.
Witnessing this marvelous transformative mind-shift truly makes it a joy to work with my clients, and everyone should keep their clients in mind when determining success.
Cherish your team
The team at InclusionPro is built very differently from other organizations I’ve worked with. Our team is made up of independent consultants who all have their own professional pursuits, but fully embrace InclusionPro’s purpose and principles. Beyond their exceptional talents and subject matter expertise, I appreciate how they give me honest feedback in a respectful way. I know they are always working to make our outcomes better—and that’s something every business owner should strive to have. My team makes me feel like I am truly part of a “beloved community.”
Cherish your community
The work of DEI has come a long way since I started in this space 22 years ago, and I stand on the shoulders of those who make my work possible. Over the past few years, I’ve been able to expand my network widely and continue my personal and professional learning. DEI is a lifelong learning journey and our Utah community is rich with deep talent and perspectives that impact citizens throughout our state. I meet very few DEI practitioners who think they’ve nailed everything there is to know about DEI. The DEI community and profession is experiencing a new phase of growth and evolution. It’s thrilling to be part of this deeper level of impact that DEI practitioners now have in the community and the workplace.
Cherish your family
Many experiences over the past five years have helped me to prioritize family and my personal health. I had mentally and emotionally steeled myself to lose my business when the pandemic started. Then when everyone was in desperate need of DEI consulting, virtual technology allowed InclusionPro to become even more productive, all while working from home! I’m so grateful I get to work from home. I love that I see my family so much more. I recognize that the time I have with my kids at home won’t last. I’m also mindful that many parents don’t get to work from home. I hope hybrid work becomes the way of modern work wherever possible, and I hope that every company is able to find a good mix of both like InclusionPro has.
Cherish the journey
Historically, DEI has created a lot of discomfort for leaders, but that discomfort is not always a bad thing. DEI isn’t easy by any means, for any organization. Many leaders envision DEI like climbing Mount Everest, and they remember all the stumbles their organization has experienced in the past. While I can empathize with that, DEI is really about caring enough to explore what people around us are experiencing that might not be obvious. This is how we build trust and respect to ensure that everyone in the organization has enough oxygen to climb their personal Mount Everest. In lifting others up, leaders expand their ability to recognize everyone’s true potential. Gratefully, leaders no longer need to climb the mountain alone. Whole leadership teams and organizations can take this journey together.
Building InclusionPro with wonderful clients, team, community, and family is one of my most cherished experiences. I’m honored to contribute in a small way to making Dr. King’s vision of building “the beloved community” a reality right here in Utah.
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