Jennifer Brown Consulting’s Post

🌈 The Importance of Diversity, Inclusion and Personal Authenticity 🌟 Personal post I’m married to a woman. Thanks to the work of many, many people, it’s safe for me to say that now. But I remember the days when it wasn’t. I remember writing special letters so that we could visit each other in the hospital. I remember the years of referring to “my housemate” or “my partner.” People take our couplehood for granted, and I'm grateful. AND, I know it would be harder if I were trans, or non-binary. It would be harder if my difference was visible on the outside. To honor those whose differences are visible, I make an effort to practice Intentional Diversity. My podcast, Speakers Who Get Results launched in 2020. By June of that year, it was obvious that there would be no Pride parades, so I recruited LGBTQ+ experts as guests. What a pleasure! Intentional Diversity as a podcast host has enriched my life immensely, forcing me out of my comfort zone to meet interesting new people. As Pride Month unfolds, let’s remember the importance of fostering inclusivity and embracing authenticity in our workplaces and communities.   🌟 Reach out to colleagues with different backgrounds and ask them how they feel. 🌟 Speak up if you see bias.  🌟 Apologize if you say something that lands wrong.  Say, “I’m trying to do better. Help me learn.” 🌟 If you feel “othered” look for allies who can open doors for you. Pride month reminds us that love knows no boundaries and that every individual deserves to live free from prejudice. We can do better. #allies #lgbtq #pridemonth #authenticity #visibleandvalued

THIS WEEK ON Your Queer Career®: my weekly newsletter on LinkedIn focused on empowering LGBTQ+ (& Ally) professionals. Vol 8. This week’s question: Hello “Gay Leadership Dude®”… I’m exhausted. Like you, I live in Florida, and between the “Don’t Say Gay” fiasco and the “Stop WOKE Act ” shenanigans in our state alone, I’m feeling frustrated and lost; like we’re going backward. I try to promote equity both in our community as well as in my workplace (I’m one of the heads of our Employee Resource Group). What do you suggest I can do to keep up my spirits and continue the fight, and not get frustrated and give up? ~ Annoyed Advocate My 2¢ : This reflects my frustration and the negative emotions I've felt due to legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, which have been compounded by the pandemic, economic concerns, and global conflicts. Drawing from my expertise in change management and resilience, I have a lot of insight into the importance of adapting to change and overcoming adversity. There are three key resilience strategies: maintaining a positive outlook, nurturing a healthy self-concept, and effectively handling ambiguity. I encourage taking action, however small, to make a positive impact. I want to remind everyone that you're not alone in your struggles. Stay positive, recognize your worth, and focus on what you can control, while allowing time for rest. WHAT DO YOU THINK? To stay connected, you can subscribe through the link below. And help me break the 4,000 subscriber mark? PLEASE? :^D https://lnkd.in/eH38iTuf #lgbtqa #diversity #inclusion #thegayleadershipdude #leadership

THIS WEEK ON Your Queer Career®: my weekly newsletter on LinkedIn focused on empowering LGBTQ+ (& Ally) professionals. Vol 19. This week’s question: Greetings “Gay Leadership Dude®” … As we enter yet another election season, I wanted to see what you think about talking politics at work. I know it’s typically a taboo topic, but these days it seems it’s on everyone’s mind. What should I—or shouldn’t I—do about sharing my political leanings in the workplace? ~ Pink State My 2¢ : When navigating political discussions in professional settings, it can be challenging. Here are some tips for engaging in respectful and genuine conversations. Avoid assuming someone's political views based on their demographics. Instead, share your political stance through your personal values rather than party labels. Ask others about their candidate preferences to understand their viewpoint. Be aware of unconscious biases and avoid party stereotypes. If discussions become intense, it's okay to gracefully step back. Following these suggestions can help you maintain a respectful and open political dialogue, enhancing your authenticity and leadership as an LGBTQ+ professional. Remember to always exercise your right to vote. WHAT DO YOU THINK? To stay connected, you can subscribe through the link below. And help me break the 5,000 subscriber mark? PLEASE? :^D https://lnkd.in/eQZAehD3 #lgbtqa #diversity #inclusion #thegayleadershipdude #leadership

PODCAST! I had a great time recently being a guest on the "Workshops Work Podcast” with Dr. Myriam Hadnes. We took a look through the iridescent, rainbow lens of leadership to ask the question: what does it mean to be a truly inclusive leader? Diving into DEI goes beyond mere token gestures; it's about embodying inclusion, a trait the LGBTQ+ community exemplifies flawlessly. Embracing authenticity, empathy, communication, connection, and shaping workplace culture are key. Understanding the importance of pronouns, bringing one's whole self to work, and addressing unconscious bias reveal the deep value of diversity. Through personal experiences and the "superpowers" of the LGBTQ+ community, it's clear that true leadership and connection come from authenticity, learning from mistakes, and daily growth. Let's commit to genuine inclusivity, celebrating our unique contributions and transforming our environments together. https://lnkd.in/e-_GtGAM lgbtqa #diversity #inclusion #thegayleadershipdude #leadership

If you ask any LGBTQ+ person, they have a horror story (or many) of bad leadership that forced them to hide who they were or actively discriminated against them for being LGBTQ+. Many of us also have stories of leaders who exemplify what it means to be not just an ally, but an advocate. Here are 5 ways to be that advocate from someone that has seen the good and the bad in the military and corporate world: 1. Take your ego out of the equation: When you do this, you focus on the impact you create rather than becoming defensive or worried about saying the wrong thing. You will say the wrong thing, but you will learn from it. 2. Use inclusive language: Make space for people to share their pronouns, but don't make it a requirement as not every person may be ready to share. When you speak inclusively, you can build trust. 3. Don't make assumptions: Is your default to assume people are heterosexual? Or that people do or want to have kids? What other default assumptions do you have? We all have them. We must question our assumptions to deconstruct them. 4. Challenge others, especially leadership on problematic behaviors: At work there is a power dynamic between leaders and individual contributors. Don't make it the responsibility of an individual contributor to call in a director. 5. Ask your LGBTQ+ employee (and really all your employees), "How can I help?": This is an invitation for employees to talk candidly. They may not be candid at first, but if you build trust and create a psychologically safe team, this question will yield insights that you can act on. Choose to be a leader who is an advocate. #Leadership #LGBTQ #Advocate

PODCAST! I had a great time recently being a guest on the "Workshops Work Podcast” with Dr. Myriam Hadnes. We took a look through the iridescent, rainbow lens of leadership to ask the question: what does it mean to be a truly inclusive leader? Diving into DEI goes beyond mere token gestures; it's about embodying inclusion, a trait the LGBTQ+ community exemplifies flawlessly. Embracing authenticity, empathy, communication, connection, and shaping workplace culture are key. Understanding the importance of pronouns, bringing one's whole self to work, and addressing unconscious bias reveal the deep value of diversity. Through personal experiences and the "superpowers" of the LGBTQ+ community, it's clear that true leadership and connection come from authenticity, learning from mistakes, and daily growth. Let's commit to genuine inclusivity, celebrating our unique contributions and transforming our environments together. https://lnkd.in/etE9GEZd lgbtqa #diversity #inclusion #thegayleadershipdude #leadership

THIS WEEK ON Your Queer Career®: my weekly newsletter on LinkedIn focused on empowering LGBTQ+ (& Ally) professionals. Vol 8. This week’s question: Hello “Gay Leadership Dude®”… I’m exhausted. Like you, I live in Florida, and between the “Don’t Say Gay” fiasco and the “Stop WOKE Act ” shenanigans in our state alone, I’m feeling frustrated and lost; like we’re going backward. I try to promote equity both in our community as well as in my workplace (I’m one of the heads of our Employee Resource Group). What do you suggest I can do to keep up my spirits and continue the fight, and not get frustrated and give up? ~ Annoyed Advocate My 2¢ : This reflects my frustration and the negative emotions I've felt due to legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, which have been compounded by the pandemic, economic concerns, and global conflicts. Drawing from my expertise in change management and resilience, I have a lot of insight into the importance of adapting to change and overcoming adversity. There are three key resilience strategies: maintaining a positive outlook, nurturing a healthy self-concept, and effectively handling ambiguity. I encourage taking action, however small, to make a positive impact. I want to remind everyone that you're not alone in your struggles. Stay positive, recognize your worth, and focus on what you can control, while allowing time for rest. WHAT DO YOU THINK? To stay connected, you can subscribe through the link below. And help me break the 4,000 subscriber mark? PLEASE? :^D https://lnkd.in/eQZAehD3 #lgbtqa #diversity #inclusion #thegayleadershipdude #leadership

Let us be each other’s cheer leaders. Diversity in organisations is much more than hiring the required number of ‘women/ differently abled/ LGBTQ candidates. Standing up for each other, having one’s back when the going gets tough and being each other’s true critique and confidante is what makes relationships enduring and enriching. Imagine a workplace where we all pledge towards creating a truly inclusive culture and create a psychologically safe environment to flourish. That’s where we lay the foundations of a vibrantly diverse and dynamic ecosystem. #diversityandinclusion #organisationculture #growthmindset #empowerment #womeninleadership #emotionalintelligence #dei speaking hat Shhelley B Bhattacharjee Satish K. Sadasivan

ARTICLE THROWBACK! On RVA Mag, I wrote, “Facing Inclusivity Pushback In The Workplace: Should You Fight Or Fly?” Should You Even TRY to Change the Org Culture? Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. As an LGBTQ+ Leader, you have the skill and the passion to help facilitate change. But should you? That’s a wonderful and really thought-provoking question. And my first reaction: focus on that during your mindfulness exercises (covered in the following chapter). Seriously; if your organizational culture is really uninclusive to our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, that’s a lot of work in addition to your day job. Ask yourself: do you want to fight or fly from the challenge? https://lnkd.in/efS9R4ae . #lgbtqa #diversity #inclusion #thegayleadershipdude #leadership

Shannon O'Rourke (she/her), G-Versity early stage researcher, also produced a few other podcast episodes 🎧🎙 on her research field for our #Blog. You can find them listed below 👇 #1: Showing Up as Your “Full Self”? A Conversation on #Queer #Authenticity In this podcast, Hanna Szabó (she/her) and Shannon O'Rourke (she/her) discuss how authenticity features in their #PhD research. While Hanna and Shannon are researching different social worlds of #LGBTQ people, both of their work engages with questions around what it means to show up as your “full self” in a number of different contexts. Drawing upon findings from their qualitative projects, as well as their own perspectives, Hanna and Shannon speak about the meaning of #authenticity and #expectations of LGBTQ people - #online, in the workplace, and in #leadership. https://lnkd.in/dSRxyGwM #2: Showing Up as Your “Full Self”? A Conversation on #Queer #Authenticity (Part 2) In Part 2 of the podcast with Hanna Szabó and Shannon O'Rourke (she/her) on their PhD research, they discuss potential differences between being a #researcher and #activist and the question of whether they define themselves as activists. They also speak about the role of their own #personalquestions and considerations around doing this work and how questioning your own place in the research can be a form of engagement. https://lnkd.in/d3MCsZ_h #3: Finding Ways into The LGBT+ Sector In this podcast episode, Shannon O'Rourke (she/her) speaks to Helen Bowie (they/she) about what drew them to work in the #LGBT+ #sector, and particularly the LGBT+ Consortium, national (UK) specialist infrastructure group that supports LGBT+ groups and organizations. Shannon and Helen discuss the experience of being a bisexual person working in LGBT+ activism and research, as well as the lack of #bisexual #visibility and its impacts. Helen shares thoughts on managing #burnout, the challenge of maintaining boundaries when you feel personally connected to the work that you do, and the importance of #solidarity and support in the LGBT+ sector. https://lnkd.in/dDPYxxA2 #4: When The Personal Becomes Professional In this podcast episode, Shannon O'Rourke (she/her) speaks with Paul Roberts, the CEO of the LGBT+ Consortium. Paul, who has been working in the #LGBT+ #sector for twenty years, shares his journey into the sector. He speaks about how a sense of #solidarity keeps him working in the LGBT sector, the importance of taking care of yourself and others, and remembering to take deep breaths and stay focused on the positive impacts on your work. https://lnkd.in/d7MpQxGB