It’s back to basics this week! On this blog, we often talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), but what are the key tenets of DEI work? Which guiding principles should organizations follow to make meaningful changes in this arena?

As workplaces...

It is baked into our DNA to be afraid of difference. Our reptilian brain says, “run!” or “fight!” when we encounter someone who doesn’t fit into our expected mold. But here’s the thing…we’re better than that.

We don’t have to listen to our animal...

Though neurodiversity has recently cropped up more often in books and TV shows, it remains stigmatized and neurodiverse individuals are often marginalized. This is especially true in the workplace, where those whose brains are wired differently are often...

It’s Black History Month—a well-intentioned time of year that can, unfortunately, be used as a “free pass” to gloss over Black people and our history for the other 11 months of the year (see my blog post on Using Black History to Propel the Future for...

I’ve been an activist and a vocal proponent of Black rights for as long as I can remember. As a high school student, I was livid when my school glossed over Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—a relatively new national holiday at the time. We celebrated Columbus...

Diversity and inclusion are not the same. A company can make a heroic effort to hire people of different races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities…and then completely fail to integrate and include them. In fact, this happens all the time. A company can...

The plain truth is that most workplaces in the United States have not been set up to be diverse and inclusive. For decades, the default image of a business person has been a certain archetype (white, male, married to a woman, neurotypical…the list goes...

Many workplaces are so focused on diversity goals, they completely forget about inclusion. Yes, it’s an important first step to hire diverse talent. But that isn’t enough. To make the most of your diverse team and create a welcoming environment, it’s...

Our brains have evolved over thousands of years to take mental shortcuts. We are capable of processing about 11 million pieces of information per second, but only 40 pieces of information is processed consciously (while the vast majority happens...

In this episode, Justin Ponder sits with guest Gwen Murphy, the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SCERTIFY. Gwen is a global technology executive providing technology strategy, architecture, and digital transformation leadership at IBM, EY, KPMG,...