Inclusion Revolution

1Your Inclusion Ambitions

There's a famous story about President John F. Kennedy visiting the NASA space center in 1962. Kennedy noticed a man carrying a broom, and when the president introduced himself, he asked the man what his job was. The employee, a janitor, responded, “Well, Mr. President, I'm helping to put a man on the moon.” Achieving that sense of shared purpose is a foundation for true and lasting inclusion and belonging in the workplace.

Right now, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is our moon landing, and to make this mission successful we need everyone, from interns to executives, to contribute to creating a culture of belonging. Imagine that you have the ability to make work easier for all kinds of people in your organization, to allow them to use their skills and thoughtfulness for innovation and problem solving. Imagine that you can create a sense of psychological safety where everyone feels confident and comfortable to take risks, make mistakes, contribute opinions, and be candid about what they are up against. Managers have this power. You have this power. It starts with making a visible commitment to inclusion and belonging across your teams because work cultures are not all created equal.

Some people experience the workplace as it should be: challenging—it is “work” after all—and rewarding, if you're lucky. For others, that same workplace can consist of daily acts of microaggressions, gender violence, systemic racism, and discrimination, and the nagging ...