Latest / Authentic Living / How to Lead with Diversity with Kanchan Prinsloo

Transcript

How to Lead with Diversity with Kanchan Prinsloo · Authentic Living

• 0:01
  Welcome to authentic living with Roxanne, a place where we have as conversations about
• 0:08
  things that really matter in our lives.
• 0:11
  And now here's your host, Roxanne Derhodge.
• 0:36
  Hi, everyone.
• 0:37
  It's Roxanne Derhodge.
• 0:38
  How are you today?
• 0:40
  So glad that you could tune in again.
• 0:42
  And this week, I have a I'm gonna say another friend.
• 0:45
  I seem to be inviting all my friends.
• 0:48
  Which is not a bad thing to share some time with me at, on authentic living with Roxanne.
• 0:54
  So, concent prince Lou.
• 0:57
  You know, I'm gonna tell you a little story because I think this is interesting and the
• 1:01
  conscience is gonna giggle and she's the you know, the ultimate personality that just shares
• 1:06
  her wisdom in a quiet way.
• 1:07
  So we were talking earlier getting prepped in What I was doing is I was mispronouncing her
• 1:13
  name.
• 1:14
  Not intentionally, but, another colleague, Jessica Potts says, you know, Roxanne, you
• 1:20
  you're you're saying it wrong, and I hadn't thought about it.
• 1:23
  And I think I've been a little bit haphazard sometimes with names.
• 1:27
  So, conscience was very awesome in that she said to remember the word luncheon, which that
• 1:34
  rhymes with conscience.
• 1:35
  So, conscience tell tell us what's what wanna talk a little bit about names and kind of
• 1:40
  that's a different way to get into it.
• 1:42
  Right?
• 1:42
  Cause we're today, we're talking we're talking about woman of culture.
• 1:47
  I'm from Trinidad And Tobago.
• 1:49
  And I know, my that's my nationality, but my background is Middle Eastern and Indian, and
• 1:53
  you're Nationality obviously is Canadian, although mine is as well.
• 1:58
  But your your ethnicity is also self Asian.
• 2:01
  Is that the correct term?
• 2:02
  Absolutely.
• 2:03
  Absolutely.
• 2:04
  Okay.
• 2:05
  I didn't grow up calling a salvation, but, yeah, that that is the term.
• 2:08
  And so names, that that's That's big.
• 2:12
  Because for me, only in the last, I would say, probably 5 years, have I started to use the way
• 2:20
  my mother has pronounced my name, the way my family pronounces my name, which is.
• 2:25
  And I have done it with a sense of pride whereas before the Anglicized version of
• 2:33
  Cansham.
• 2:34
  I honestly, I respond to both.
• 2:36
  The difference is me.
• 2:38
  I now say my name is pronounced.
• 2:42
  Rhymes with luncheon in case you're wanting to know.
• 2:45
  And and that was that was a really big thing that, so my husband is not salvation.
• 2:51
  And he's pronounced my name, Country, and that's when I realized, you know what?
• 2:54
  It's not that it's hard.
• 2:56
  I have projected that on.
• 2:58
  So I need to be able to start claiming the actual pronunciation of my name.
• 3:02
  And so for the last, I would say a few years, years definitely years, that I've really
• 3:11
  started to own it.
• 3:12
  Own the name that my mother my grandparents, my lineage, has really, wanted it to be.
• 3:19
  So tell me,
• 3:20
  like, we're talking, you know, We get technical as we talk about semantics and pronunciation
• 3:26
  and lots of different things.
• 3:28
  And I think you know, and kind of thinking about this, like I'm thinking I have a very,
• 3:33
  you know, English name, so I've never had that issue.
• 3:36
  And now, you know, it's it's there's a sensitivity that you know, even myself as your
• 3:41
  friend, you know, I'm thinking, wow, I've I've been kind of doing this not so right for a long
• 3:46
  time.
• 3:47
  So there's an awareness and you shared with one of our friends that, woman of culture or, you
• 3:54
  know, diversity sometimes will I'm gonna use the word give everybody a whole pass to say,
• 3:59
  oh, that's alright.
• 4:01
  And to really kind of to be an ally, and we'll talk a little bit about allyship, I'm sure
• 4:12
  today.
• 4:14
  It's about When someone says that to to say to them, no.
• 4:18
  No.
• 4:18
  It's it's something that I really want to make an effort with.
• 4:22
  And that's been the I would say the shift that we're experiencing now with a lot more of our
• 4:27
  knowledge, in being culturally diverse.
• 4:31
  I agree.
• 4:32
  What one is the knowledge.
• 4:33
  The other is, because of our heightened awareness, and I would actually say That's
• 4:39
  actually only been 2 years since George Floyd's murder have people started to unpack their own
• 4:44
  journeys.
• 4:45
  So even though I may have started using it earlier than that, it it still be awareness in
• 4:51
  our society that, oh, I have to ask the question, or I want to ask the question.
• 4:57
  Is with a more generative approach to it.
• 5:00
  And and so it makes it safer for me to go, no.
• 5:04
  Actually, it's it's this.
• 5:06
  Because, you know, I think it's names are a simple example of.
• 5:11
  I mean, even when I think about women of culture, I mean, even changing that title from
• 5:17
  women of cult, color.
• 5:19
  Women of culture brings in all of what you and I have just talked about, which is when I think
• 5:26
  about who I am, it's, you know, all of who I am, that makes me unique.
• 5:32
  It is my co It is my heritage.
• 5:34
  It's my thoughts, my values, my traditions.
• 5:38
  It's the lens that I look at as I show up in the world.
• 5:41
  And it is unique and it has we need on the outside.
• 5:46
  I don't it's not part of the dominant culture that culture that I grew up with is not part of
• 5:51
  it.
• 5:51
  So so then I look at, okay, how am I, you know, which is let's bring that back again.
• 5:59
  It's my name and how I pronounce it, how I'm asking others to pronounce it.
• 6:04
  And quite frankly, some some it's easy to do.
• 6:07
  Others not so much.
• 6:08
  I, you know, your tongue may not roll with that.
• 6:11
  It may not, you know, so it's a little bit harder.
• 6:14
  And and and that's okay.
• 6:16
  I I feel safer to be able to bring it forward now, for sure.
• 6:22
  It's not interesting.
• 6:23
  Right?
• 6:24
  So it's the same thing with myself.
• 6:26
  Right?
• 6:26
  Like, you know, I had an English name because my mom's oldest sister like the name Roxanne,
• 6:32
  and my middle name is Jasmine.
• 6:34
  And I would get and so listen to this.
• 6:37
  Interesting.
• 6:38
  Right?
• 6:38
  People go, oh, I love that name, Jasmine.
• 6:40
  And I'm like, oh, I've hated that name all my life.
• 6:43
  And everybody's like, but it's so unique.
• 6:45
  It's so kind of, you know, with Aladdin.
• 6:48
  And I'm like, I still hate that name, you know, because it got popularized because of that
• 6:52
  Disney movie, and but it was never something a name that I just didn't like just because as a
• 6:57
  child, I just didn't like the name, but it's, again, something small, but I think what I hear
• 7:03
  you saying is that now that we have more knowledge.
• 7:06
  It's just being aware, to say to someone, and, you know, can you help me understand how you
• 7:12
  pronounce that.
• 7:14
  And it and we're talking different cultures, but it could be, like a German name, like, or
• 7:19
  something like that that we're not aware of how to how to enunciate it accordingly, and we're
• 7:24
  not gonna get it all right other than we, you know, the fact that you're trying, I think
• 7:28
  that's important.
• 7:29
  So thanks for spending that time just, you know, talking about, you know, this little
• 7:34
  thing, but I think sometimes little things mean a lot as we kind of talk about awareness.
• 7:40
  So tell us about you.
• 7:42
  Sorry.
• 7:42
  Go ahead, Conjan.
• 7:43
  You were gonna say something.
• 7:44
  Well, I was gonna say what what it leads into is the first thing that we need to do as women
• 7:50
  of culture to to live authentically, which is really start to get to know what is our
• 7:58
  heritage.
• 7:59
  Yeah.
• 7:59
  We we taking the time to look at, and I always turn back because I think of the lineage that
• 8:06
  is behind me and gotten where I am.
• 8:08
  So for me to start to ask the questions and get clear on what is my culture, that's on us.
• 8:16
  So to live authentically means we need to be seated in it.
• 8:20
  Now I'm not talking 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation Canadians where it's, you know, we we're all
• 8:25
  Canadian.
• 8:26
  And it's okay.
• 8:28
  And where's our ethnicity from and understanding that enough?
• 8:32
  Trust me.
• 8:32
  Your parents will love it.
• 8:33
  Your grandparents will love it.
• 8:35
  Whoever it is, they wanna be able to sort of draw out what what that is, for us.
• 8:41
  So it it just sort of as as I think about living authentically, that's one of the first
• 8:45
  steps we need to do.
• 8:46
  So what's your what's your what's your legacy story?
• 8:49
  And I I talk about a lot about leadership story and, you know, in in exploring my space for my
• 8:56
  book, what I really, at that time, you know, what happened for me is as we we were writing
• 9:01
  and Conchin and I are also in the same writing group.
• 9:06
  I was, one of my cousins sent me a 6 part YouTube series on indentured laborers from
• 9:13
  Trinidad and Tobago.
• 9:14
  So as I'm writing, it was kinda at the same time, and these eclips were done by the
• 9:19
  University of the West Indies.
• 9:20
  And, you know, and I looked at it and it impacted me because I recognized that my
• 9:26
  goodness.
• 9:27
  That's part of my culture.
• 9:28
  I didn't, you know, see it from that frame, but I, you know, I grew up around cane fields, but
• 9:33
  my thing as a child is I was you know, running around, playing hide and go seek.
• 9:38
  And and if for any turn of the audience listening, we would catch little fish that
• 9:41
  would call webin's.
• 9:43
  And, you know, we would, you know, that's what how we played.
• 9:46
  But when I started as an adult looking at that, I looked at the reality of the heritage and
• 9:52
  what it took And what that meant to me and the work ethic and the survivability that my
• 9:58
  ancestors, my great grandparents had to go through to come to the island and then be able
• 10:03
  to meld and, you know, create a life, you know, losing their culture.
• 10:08
  Some of them losing language.
• 10:11
  Some of them having to bring certain things to with them on that ship and that's for the
• 10:16
  people that's survived, Right?
• 10:19
  So it it it's funny how when you say about, you know, what is your heritage?
• 10:22
  What are your values?
• 10:24
  And how does that inform you today?
• 10:25
  So tell us a little bit about your your path, like, did you start off working with, women of
• 10:34
  diversity in your as an executive coach was where did you begin?
• 10:40
  I I began doing my first career for 26 years in a way that my parents wanted me to.
• 10:46
  I got into health care and I was in leadership positions for 26 years.
• 10:50
  And I always knew when I had you know, that the way that I could support leadership leadership
• 10:57
  is my passion, making sure that we have strong leadership and which takes me down the path of
• 11:03
  the underrepresented, the most underrepresented are women of culture, women of color, is what
• 11:09
  the statistics say.
• 11:10
  We've got 4%, senior, you know, in the C suite, 4% representation for women of color.
• 11:19
  Compared to 60% 60 plus percent, of white male.
• 11:24
  And it goes down white, sorry, men of color are about 9%.
• 11:30
  That's that's the statistics from last year.
• 11:33
  So when I when I turn around and I and I look at that, it's like there's underrepresentation.
• 11:38
  My focus as an executive coach and, with my company, is elevating women of color today,
• 11:45
  women of culture, today.
• 11:47
  And the biggest piece of that is because beyond underrepresentation, they are the best kept
• 11:54
  secret.
• 11:55
  They are they feel that.
• 11:57
  The organizations start to see that.
• 12:00
  So, yes, there is more attention to bringing people into organizations, big corporations,
• 12:05
  and, that are of you know, people of culture.
• 12:09
  They're they're bringing them in.
• 12:10
  The question is, how do we keep them in the organizations?
• 12:14
  And that's been where I spend a lot of time with executives, both the leaders of and, women
• 12:21
  of culture.
• 12:22
  To make sure that there is a deeper understanding of what is the reality.
• 12:27
  So especially when we think about, you know, living authentically, There is one aspect of
• 12:32
  that, which is all around for the women of culture.
• 12:36
  And I'm just gonna lead into it.
• 12:38
  Yes.
• 12:38
  We need to understand our heritage.
• 12:41
  We need to understand our own heritage.
• 12:43
  Why?
• 12:43
  Because we spend a lot of time trying to fit in, trying to cover.
• 12:47
  I did.
• 12:48
  Mhmm.
• 12:49
  For 26 years, I did.
• 12:50
  I was in a leadership position.
• 12:51
  Well, what does professional look like?
• 12:53
  What professional looks like?
• 12:54
  Whatever the systemic structures are in place in that organization.
• 12:58
  Mhmm.
• 12:59
  Now those systemic structures are set in place with the senior leaders, which predominantly
• 13:04
  happen to be white male.
• 13:08
  Those structures set in place get me back to the point of, yes, I'm gonna cover it.
• 13:13
  I'm gonna fit in and hopes to belong, not realizing that my push to fit in, which is to
• 13:21
  adapt who I am, how I am, how I show up, actually stops me from belonging.
• 13:28
  Now belonging is different from fitting, and you and I talked about this before Roxanne, but
• 13:33
  fitting in is I'm I'm hoping I can get in and and blend and and do everything else.
• 13:38
  Whereas belonging is that I am accepted for who I am.
• 13:43
  Mhmm.
• 13:44
  Well, I haven't even got to belonging because I am way too busy making sure I bring a sandwich
• 13:49
  and not any Indian food to lunch, make sure that I am suited and booted in a way that's so
• 13:55
  professional so nobody questions that who I am or what role I may have.
• 14:00
  I mean, there's different ways of of covering, in terms of getting into the workspace.
• 14:05
  So leading authentically as a woman of culture means that we have to 1st of all know what our
• 14:11
  heritage and culture is.
• 14:13
  So we can start to pause and realize, what do I do all the time to make sure that I am not
• 14:22
  bigger than I am trying to to blend in, not really I wanna stand out.
• 14:28
  I want the next promotion because I am ambitious, but how I'm not sure how to do that
• 14:33
  because I'm always a little bit on the outside.
• 14:36
  Absolutely.
• 14:37
  And, you know, it's, again, I'm gonna tell you a childhood story and any for anybody that's
• 14:41
  listening from Trinidad.
• 14:42
  So Trinidad is about 51% African American, say say 48% east Asian descent and maybe 1% other.
• 14:54
  Right?
• 14:55
  And I went to a high school and the Indian children would bring, you know, roti and, you
• 15:03
  know, talcares with basically a way.
• 15:06
  And I I don't know if this is the same term with what you use, but vegetables and stuff
• 15:10
  like that.
• 15:12
  I remember, you know, my mom didn't do that, but some of the moms that did it, which now in
• 15:17
  retrospect, I think, oh my goodness, the work that it took, they hit it.
• 15:22
  Yeah.
• 15:23
  And I and now I look back and I'm thinking, I was also complicit because my mother wasn't
• 15:28
  doing that in the morning, but the kids were that grow up in those homes where the parents
• 15:33
  the mother generally was doing that the first thing in the morning.
• 15:36
  That's a lot of laboring.
• 15:37
  And then now I look at it as a as a mom.
• 15:39
  I look at it as a labor of love.
• 15:41
  But even in that time in Trinidad, there was that hiding.
• 15:44
  And now I think it would be such, you know, an honor to say, wow, my kids coming to school
• 15:50
  with a hot lunch My mom made it first thing in the morning, but it's funny.
• 15:54
  The nuances, even up the time, even on an island where there is ultimate diversity, there
• 16:00
  is still that that wanting to fit in.
• 16:04
  And now it's kinda like, wow, that's that's amazing that that, you know, the frame that we
• 16:09
  have shifted and that awareness that we're talking about even more.
• 16:13
  So, in in corporate culture today.
• 16:18
  What women, of culture have to do to accept that space, but also to go into it and say, I
• 16:25
  am who I am.
• 16:26
  I wanna lead, but I wanna lead, in a space that is right for me.
• 16:32
  It reminds me of a of a executive a client of mine that I had.
• 16:37
  She she her story was phenomenal in terms of her journey from Africa to her small village.
• 16:46
  She's, you know, KPMG, even there, comes to Canada, husband small child gets scooped up by
• 16:57
  one of the banks here as one of the interns.
• 16:59
  She did her masters.
• 17:00
  She's got no support at this point.
• 17:02
  Comes in and she said she spent literally the 1st 3 years making sure her hair was flat
• 17:08
  ironed.
• 17:08
  She would, you know, just a lot of effort beyond the suits buying clothes.
• 17:13
  She said, I couldn't even really afford just before I go into a meeting knowing that I had
• 17:18
  just do that one extra hair because it was starting to curl up and she goes the amount of
• 17:22
  effort that I take and I realized that you know what?
• 17:25
  I'm exhausted.
• 17:27
  And and I'm already doubling up on the work that I'm doing.
• 17:29
  So I look like I've got the competence to do.
• 17:32
  I am exhausted.
• 17:34
  And I don't know where to go from here.
• 17:36
  I don't know the handbook was the comment she made to get to the next level because And it's
• 17:42
  like, right.
• 17:42
  We're spending so much of our energy in spaces thinking that we are trying to we're doing the
• 17:48
  right things to fit in.
• 17:50
  Where in essence, what we need to be doing is really getting clear.
• 17:56
  What is our value?
• 17:58
  Assessing what our value is and and then making sure that you not only know it, but you start
• 18:05
  to articulate it.
• 18:06
  That's that is just so critical because we've lost perspective of getting clear on what our
• 18:12
  value is, and we're so focused outwardly on how we think things need to be.
• 18:18
  You know, it's interesting because I I was in corporate for about 15 years as well and I so
• 18:24
  understand, you know, that or you're telling because you, you know, like you said, fitting
• 18:28
  in, you wanna produce, you don't wanna stick out on all those things.
• 18:32
  Now there is a shift to say, and we recognize that the bottom line is impacted by diversity
• 18:37
  of thought value decision making, and you get a compilation of diverse age stage, culture,
• 18:47
  perspective, small, big, you know, and then it's like the perfect soup that that is now
• 18:52
  being recognized in the workplace.
• 18:54
  I would say that when I was in corporate, you know, back in, say, 1995, or so there wasn't
• 19:00
  that if there was knowledge, it wasn't openly discussed.
• 19:04
  But today with a lot of companies, they recognize that they're looking not just
• 19:09
  diversity, say for instance, in culture, but, neurodiversity is a big thing.
• 19:14
  You know, where we're recognizing, you know, if someone's on the spectrum, you know, they are
• 19:18
  gonna bring such breath whereas I had never heard that dialogue previously.
• 19:23
  Right?
• 19:23
  It was like, if you were on the spectrum, it was like, oh, boy, you know, how are you gonna
• 19:27
  get a job and and do something and, you know, especially in a in a leadership position?
• 19:31
  And now we're looking at people's differences as strengths I'm sure you can tell tell me
• 19:38
  where we are in the workplace now in reference to diversity with understanding, the openness
• 19:44
  at I've I've at least I think I'm seeing out there with companies.
• 19:49
  100% you're seeing it out there and companies know it.
• 19:53
  Companies, there is research that shows companies produce bottom line dollars and
• 19:59
  cents, 35% better.
• 20:02
  My happy diversity at the table, diversity of thought, diversity of experience.
• 20:06
  So you have different perspectives.
• 20:09
  5% conscious?
• 20:11
  30.
• 20:11
  This is on a table.
• 20:13
  You're leaving it on the table if you don't even look at this.
• 20:17
  So it is it is substantial and there is awareness to it.
• 20:21
  There's heightened awareness to it.
• 20:24
  And and it is because guess what?
• 20:27
  We we need creativity.
• 20:29
  We need, a a company and organization that looks like our client base.
• 20:34
  That's another piece of it.
• 20:36
  Also, when you have more people that look like you, can interact with you, your enjoyment
• 20:43
  level, your creativity increases.
• 20:45
  There's a variety of reasons why that 35% is there.
• 20:49
  And you're a 100% right.
• 20:51
  It is absolutely coming to the table for a reason.
• 20:55
  And with globalization and the fact here in Canada, you know, I know our level of people
• 21:01
  having children have dropped.
• 21:03
  And, you know, so you're getting a lot of more diversity.
• 21:06
  When I came to Canada, you know, hon, I'm gonna date myself.
• 21:10
  Back in 1983, I went to Mississauga.
• 21:14
  There was not that much diversity.
• 21:16
  Okay.
• 21:17
  Now I live in Niagara.
• 21:18
  I go to I go to Mississauga now, and I'm like, this is not the same city that I came into.
• 21:24
  Right?
• 21:24
  It's completely different where most people are, of color.
• 21:29
  Right?
• 21:30
  Yeah.
• 21:30
  And I'm like, wow.
• 21:31
  This is such a flip even from where I live because I live in a very homogeneous little
• 21:34
  town.
• 21:35
  So I think the shift has happened, and now the numbers and the metrics accordingly from what
• 21:40
  you're saying, 35% is showing, but in leadership positions, let's get back to
• 21:45
  leadership.
• 21:47
  Men, we are saying 9% women, 4%.
• 21:50
  That's substantively low to 60% within companies.
• 21:54
  So where are we at in reference to one thing to know the 35%.
• 22:02
  What are you seeing in companies?
• 22:04
  Is it that, there is tracks to increase that 4% number with women of of culture?
• 22:12
  There there definitely is.
• 22:14
  There is awareness to it.
• 22:15
  So one is awareness.
• 22:17
  The other is attention too.
• 22:19
  So we as women of culture, people of culture, men or women, We don't need mentors.
• 22:26
  We need sponsors.
• 22:27
  Okay.
• 22:28
  So what's happening is that the lens on how do we get more diversity higher up into higher
• 22:35
  positions.
• 22:35
  There's a spotlight on it a lot more now.
• 22:38
  And I hear that that that's through conversations with executives that, you know,
• 22:44
  so there there is a lot of understanding in terms of there is a benefit having this.
• 22:49
  So the spotlight, meaning there is a more attention to sponsorship, and there can be
• 22:54
  leaps and heaps more of it.
• 22:58
  Because it's a sponsorship that's gonna get you pull you through the organization.
• 23:02
  And and Let's let's explain sponsorship because I, you know, I know what it is and I'm I know
• 23:07
  obviously you live in that world.
• 23:09
  Explain to the average person what sponsorship means to be able to kind of kind of, you know,
• 23:17
  get up the ranks to get to the different levels of of the of the company.
• 23:21
  So let me let me tell you the difference between mentorship and sponsorship.
• 23:24
  Your mentorship is someone that is in your business knows a little bit more and help to
• 23:29
  guide you.
• 23:30
  Mentoring you into what they know and how they are able to, help you increase your abilities
• 23:38
  Sponsorship is someone that is in a senior position that is there and invested in your
• 23:45
  growth in the organization.
• 23:46
  So what does that mean?
• 23:48
  That if you have something going on and you need to, you know, you this person will pick up
• 23:54
  that call within 5 minutes.
• 23:57
  To go, yes.
• 23:58
  I'm here to support you.
• 23:59
  What's going on?
• 24:00
  What what's the questions you have?
• 24:01
  And, yes, here's here's something you need to be, aware of.
• 24:04
  But more importantly, They are sharing your name in the rooms that have closed doors.
• 24:11
  Those are the important things that when your when your name needs to be brought up, when it
• 24:16
  when we're looking at, at, you know, who do we wanna be leveling up?
• 24:21
  Who do we wanna be promoting?
• 24:22
  Your needs to come to the table.
• 24:24
  Your sponsor brings that to the table.
• 24:27
  Let's talk about how do you get a sponsor?
• 24:30
  Like, you know, you're a young female You you've got the, you know, you've got the
• 24:35
  degrees that are necessary for the position to climb the ranks within the company.
• 24:40
  What are some of the things, first of all, that you need to consider within the company and how
• 24:45
  is it?
• 24:46
  What qualities are you looking for in a sponsor and how do you approach That's three questions
• 24:50
  in one's conscience.
• 24:51
  So break them up and see if you can answer a bit if, you know, if not most of it.
• 24:57
  So one of the the the the key things about getting a sponsor is that you are totally
• 25:05
  focused on building relationship.
• 25:07
  So you can't go up to a senior leader and go, will you sponsor me?
• 25:10
  They need to know who you are.
• 25:12
  They're using their social capital on you.
• 25:15
  So we need to be sure that we are having those conversations with these potential sponsors,
• 25:24
  and it may start out as a mentorship conversation.
• 25:28
  It may start out as a as as frequent, connection point that you are want.
• 25:34
  And to do those frequent connection, how do you get a sponsor?
• 25:36
  You build relationship.
• 25:38
  You've come to the table.
• 25:39
  You come to the coffee with not only a question of them, but a sharing of you.
• 25:45
  Period.
• 25:46
  You come research when you come prepared.
• 25:48
  You go in every conversation is valuable to them.
• 25:52
  They're they're invested as well.
• 25:54
  I mean, senior leaders and organizations One of their key roles is to develop talent.
• 26:00
  So they are interested in being at that table.
• 26:02
  It's not a, you know, a lot of times we can weaponize graph attitude.
• 26:07
  Oh my god.
• 26:07
  I'm so thankful to be here.
• 26:08
  This is so good.
• 26:09
  Thank you.
• 26:10
  And it's like, no.
• 26:11
  No.
• 26:11
  We need to show up with what do we know?
• 26:13
  What's happening in our world?
• 26:14
  What's happening in these last 3 months for you?
• 26:17
  Or whenever the frequency of meeting is from our last meeting.
• 26:21
  So getting a sponsor means having relationships, building relationships, no one
• 26:26
  cares for your career like you do.
• 26:28
  So Absolutely.
• 26:30
  And but, you know, I I listen to you and I think about culturally, right, like, How does
• 26:37
  this I have to develop the skills somehow because I don't wanna come across as I'm
• 26:41
  bravado and I, you know, I'm, you know, looking at climbing.
• 26:46
  Some culture says, you know, you actually do that in a different way.
• 26:49
  So I could see how, you know, having some coaching like with with someone like yourself
• 26:54
  would be important because, you know, how is it that I know I'm not overdoing it?
• 27:00
  How is it that I know what to educate myself on and how do I approach the sponsor, which is
• 27:07
  could be intimidating as well.
• 27:10
  You know, and if you do get a no, how is it that you kind of synthesize that in a way that
• 27:16
  says, oh, well, that one didn't work, but can I learn from it and those types of things?
• 27:21
  So I'm gonna start backwards with what you just said.
• 27:23
  You get a no.
• 27:24
  Don't take it personal.
• 27:26
  Who knows whether or not that's huge, huge.
• 27:29
  You are not broken.
• 27:30
  Don't take it personal.
• 27:32
  Two big things that we we have to be aware of.
• 27:35
  I agree with you.
• 27:37
  A lot of the the time that I spend as an executive coach is helping create an
• 27:44
  environment to have those conversations around, you actually don't need permission for x.
• 27:51
  You don't need that your cultural upbringing.
• 27:53
  How does that marry up to the one that we're in when it comes down to a work environment?
• 27:59
  And and what I it's being attentive to it.
• 28:02
  It's still as a woman of culture or as a person of culture We still need to know what our value
• 28:08
  is.
• 28:08
  I mean, one of one of our biggest, superpowers as people of culture is resiliency And guess
• 28:16
  what?
• 28:17
  Through the pandemic, we have needed resiliency up the ying ying.
• 28:22
  That's probably not the most
• 28:23
  professional.
• 28:25
  But
• 28:27
  we are this is a massive impact to an organization.
• 28:31
  They need leaders that under and resiliency.
• 28:34
  And what does that mean?
• 28:35
  So so there so there's the piece around how do we come into that, leaning into what our
• 28:43
  strengths are as a person of culture and also where has our culture?
• 28:47
  Where does it sort of clash, go counter to, what the organizational culture is.
• 28:55
  So
• 28:56
  Yeah.
• 28:57
  That's that's such a That's such a powerful parallel when I think of it.
• 29:02
  You know, and I go back again and I think of, again, my my background.
• 29:06
  My dad told me a story.
• 29:07
  I gotta tell you the story crunch and it was the, you know, there's something about being in
• 29:11
  your eighties and my dad's gonna be 86.
• 29:13
  Right?
• 29:14
  So I said, so I said daddy, like, you know, I knew I met him.
• 29:19
  Of course, when I came, I knew anything about work, he was already an executive.
• 29:23
  So I didn't see the early beginnings.
• 29:25
  And he said to me, there was a point his family was so poor, Conchin.
• 29:29
  That he rode a bicycle to work.
• 29:32
  And I'm like, what?
• 29:35
  I said, dad, how come?
• 29:37
  He said, I didn't want that legacy to be passed on to you and your your siblings because I had
• 29:44
  to go through that, but I ensured that the future generations wouldn't have to do
• 29:48
  something like that.
• 29:49
  And I said, Daddy, that is so important.
• 29:51
  That would have been so important.
• 29:53
  I'm saying it now as an adult.
• 29:55
  But as a teenager to have understood that because there was a an entitlement that came
• 30:00
  from the privilege that I was born into but I didn't see the backstory.
• 30:04
  So that powerfulness, like that resilience like you're talking about.
• 30:08
  Now I get some of why you know, my background and who who I am that I would not have gotten
• 30:15
  before.
• 30:16
  Exactly.
• 30:17
  Exact perseverance.
• 30:19
  Your father just shows a degree of perseverance to claim your mind to know where he wants to
• 30:25
  be, what's he doing, and he'll do it.
• 30:26
  Like, it's It's a really it's just a really powerful, piece when we start reflecting back
• 30:34
  on what is lineage?
• 30:35
  What what is What are the lessons we've been taught and and
• 30:38
  what is the
• 30:39
  value that we have when we when we step into our workspaces?
• 30:43
  And that diversity, again, going back to that diversity of experience of thought of age, you
• 30:50
  know, all that stuff.
• 30:51
  And I just think of it that and then going back to that that 35%, it makes a lot of sense.
• 30:57
  Now, what I'm wondering is how well are we doing in the workplace with, with what what
• 31:05
  you're with the coaching that you're doing now.
• 31:07
  Like we're talking about the 4% specifically with women.
• 31:12
  And I know women massively left the workplace
• 31:16
  Yes.
• 31:16
  Over the pandemic.
• 31:17
  So what what did that kind of mirror woman of culture and executive positions, but did they
• 31:24
  equally leave, corporate at that level as well?
• 31:31
  So people of culture, were hit hardest the research McKinsey's research from COVID, really
• 31:41
  spoke to that, yes, when there was a massive accidents when it came down to the impact of
• 31:47
  pandemic and where we are as women leaders and getting our numbers up to have equal, you know,
• 31:53
  a little bit of, representation, a little bit more representation, that that the numbers the
• 31:59
  exodus is almost setting us back 50 years of representation within 15 years.
• 32:05
  Organizations because of the, you know, the the the burnout, the, you know, the the numbers are
• 32:13
  horrific and the numbers are even more horrific for black leaders, black women leaders.
• 32:21
  And it's because of and, again, yes, this is a, McKinsey studies done in the US.
• 32:27
  The the the the impact, the hardships, the, the impact to family when we all talked about, you
• 32:33
  know, and and the disparity of of of health care, the many, many factors that layered onto
• 32:40
  the burnout and the and the underrepresentation.
• 32:43
  So we are setting ourselves backward when it comes down to, from the pandemic what am I
• 32:51
  seeing?
• 32:52
  The other thing that I am seeing that I have not seen is women executives asking for a woman
• 33:02
  of color executive coach.
• 33:04
  I've never seen it so blatantly asked for where a company.
• 33:09
  And and when I speak to them, I said, how are you?
• 33:11
  Like, how did you come to this point?
• 33:13
  Like, how did you go?
• 33:14
  No.
• 33:15
  No.
• 33:15
  I am going to ask my company for a woman that looks like me that is in this space and speaks
• 33:20
  like this.
• 33:22
  And and they're just, yeah, Like, I'm exhausted.
• 33:26
  I'm tired.
• 33:28
  Yeah.
• 33:28
  Yeah.
• 33:29
  It's it's an interesting.
• 33:31
  That's been a shift that I have never seen before.
• 33:34
  That I've had in this past 2 years.
• 33:37
  So I have 1 I know you and I can probably offer extended periods, but I want one last nuance.
• 33:44
  I wanna talk about if I am, you know, leading, and I'm not a senior leader that's of color.
• 33:56
  How we've talked a lot about, you know, a live ship and sponsorship, those types things.
• 34:02
  What if I am, a woman of culture and I am leading a team with diversity.
• 34:12
  Is there some things that we maybe need to kinda look at there or some things that you can
• 34:17
  share with us about that?
• 34:19
  So the the piece that I see because those are the executives that I that I end up working
• 34:23
  with.
• 34:23
  So women of culture, that are leading large teams And what I'm aware of is and it's not
• 34:32
  just women of culture.
• 34:33
  Women in general hold the attention to diversity more than anyone else as from a
• 34:41
  leadership perspective.
• 34:42
  So they are the ones that are champion diversity, off the side of their desk, I might
• 34:48
  add.
• 34:48
  So it's it's it's a really interesting thing.
• 34:51
  But being a woman of culture, one of the things that I have seen is that their awareness to
• 34:57
  their journey, how they end up working with their teams.
• 35:03
  So when I'm coaching, when we're we're we're doing our coaching, you know, we we unpack a
• 35:07
  lot of this.
• 35:08
  And it's like, yes.
• 35:09
  I'm very sensitive to I had a an executive that, left the organization and they were gonna
• 35:15
  be coming back in.
• 35:17
  And some senior leadership said, well, they only left the organization.
• 35:19
  Do we really want them back in?
• 35:21
  She's like, no.
• 35:22
  They came back with a tremendous, like, so she came with a completely different perspective.
• 35:28
  Of what needed to happen that this was the white person coming with the diversity of
• 35:33
  experience now that we wanna have them come back in again.
• 35:37
  And and so it's like, right.
• 35:39
  There's there's that so that the the benefit that I have seen with a lot of the women of
• 35:44
  culture leaders is that they have got the the space and grace to really reflect on what's
• 35:50
  needed.
• 35:51
  I like that space and grace because obviously women are known to be more aligned or have the
• 35:58
  affinity to to a transformational elements to leadership, and then you you're layering on the
• 36:03
  elements like we talked about resilience and, path and culture and values, beliefs,
• 36:09
  assumptions, all those things.
• 36:10
  And then you you know, that's quite the culmination of things that you're you're kind
• 36:14
  of putting altogether.
• 36:16
  Yeah.
• 36:16
  Accun, for, women listening, any last tips that you have for them.
• 36:24
  Let's say they're saying, I'm not sure.
• 36:27
  I've never I've never approached people.
• 36:30
  What kind of things might they want?
• 36:31
  What a couple of little tips for you that you to give people that are listening that might
• 36:36
  want, to kind of, deal with that with diversity in their environment, but they're feeling like,
• 36:44
  you know, it's not women aren't taken seriously?
• 36:50
  Just so I'm clear.
• 36:51
  So this is coming from a woman's, the leaders perspective or from the women of culture
• 36:56
  leaders perspective.
• 36:57
  Women of culture's leaders perspective.
• 37:00
  So if they're feeling they're not being taken seriously.
• 37:05
  There may be a reason for it.
• 37:06
  So unpack what's true and what's not true.
• 37:09
  So
• 37:10
  Okay.
• 37:10
  Look at the objective frame and and make sure that you're you know, looking at what the what
• 37:14
  is real and what is subjective and maybe what what might be blocking you.
• 37:18
  Okay.
• 37:19
  That's a good point.
• 37:19
  So and So there there's that.
• 37:23
  Also, part of finding out what's real.
• 37:25
  Find out, like, what is happening for?
• 37:28
  Like, what is your brand?
• 37:30
  Ask 3 leaders.
• 37:31
  What are the first three words that come up for you when you think of me and get clarity on
• 37:36
  that?
• 37:36
  And as well, while they're doing that extra size you turn around and and and jot down.
• 37:41
  What are the three words I hope to be represented as?
• 37:44
  Is there a big disparity against that?
• 37:46
  Okay.
• 37:47
  Keep you keep learning.
• 37:49
  Keep learning.
• 37:50
  Keep learning.
• 37:51
  Self awareness is is absolutely key.
• 37:55
  Take time.
• 37:55
  I I a lot of women of culture.
• 37:57
  We don't invest invest a lot in ourselves.
• 38:00
  We just I've I'll speak for myself.
• 38:02
  I never did.
• 38:03
  Mhmm.
• 38:03
  We, I I have 2 coaches.
• 38:05
  I have 2 coaches that I have, and I have a large community that I work with because
• 38:11
  development and and continuing to grow is is going to make the difference in how I show up.
• 38:19
  So I would say those are the two things that that are within your control today as to how
• 38:24
  you want to, start to start to make the connections for yourself as you move forward in
• 38:31
  a strategic plan for your career.
• 38:34
  I love it looking at the disparity, right, because it's so hard for us to see yourself
• 38:38
  objectively.
• 38:39
  We may not recognize some of those blockages, right, those blind spots.
• 38:43
  You know, what are the 3 qualities that you think you have?
• 38:46
  What is is it that, like you said, 3 leaders are seeing?
• 38:48
  And then kinda, is there a big disparity in what steps if there are some disparities to to
• 38:54
  enhance those based on the level that I'm trying to achieve within the organization.
• 39:00
  Now I am I've learned so much today.
• 39:04
  My, you know, in in my space, just talking to you with the kind of work that you do.
• 39:11
  For others that are out there and they're thinking, you know, I'd like to have a chat or
• 39:16
  I'd like to, you know, explore some of the things that you've talked about, whether it's a
• 39:19
  live ship or sponsorship or having a woman of a culture executive coach.
• 39:25
  Why don't you tell people where they can reach you so that they can reach out and connect?
• 39:31
  LinkedIn is great.
• 39:32
  Reach out on LinkedIn.
• 39:34
  Contrin Princelu.
• 39:36
  The spelling is down there.
• 39:38
  But reach out on LinkedIn.
• 39:40
  Also, if you wanna reach out on my, website, which my company is CAPREIT Consulting.
• 39:46
  Starts with a k.
• 39:48
  But it's Catherine Lincoln's the easiest, I believe.
• 39:51
  Well, thank you so much.
• 39:53
  So what am I walking away with?
• 39:55
  You know, I talk about authenticity and, you know, in reflecting and you know, listening to
• 40:02
  to content and what she does.
• 40:03
  It makes me realize how much of what I do is based on my value and even tell you that little
• 40:10
  story about my dad.
• 40:11
  And for people out there, you know, whether you're you're just someone that's, you know, a
• 40:18
  woman of a culture leader or just someone that's trying to understand What is the frame
• 40:23
  that I'm coming forward with?
• 40:24
  How authentic am I being?
• 40:27
  Reflect on that and, you know, ask the questions to to conscious point.
• 40:32
  What do I think I how am I viewed and how am I really looking at myself and try to, kind of,
• 40:38
  you know, figure out the disparity between those and think, you know, what what skills do
• 40:42
  I have?
• 40:43
  What skills do I need to accentuate?
• 40:45
  And what skills do I not have?
• 40:46
  And maybe areas that I may be a bit more sensitive in that I need to work through.
• 40:51
  So, what I'd like to, invite you to do is to, as you can see at the bottom my picture, there
• 40:57
  is roxanderhodge.comforward/quiz.
• 41:00
  What you can do is if you just wanna know how authentic am I being at work?
• 41:05
  Or at home, there's also the option.
• 41:07
  Just a quick quiz.
• 41:08
  You you go on and, doesn't take too long.
• 41:11
  We pop we pop some information and we send a report to you.
• 41:15
  So you can, if you have the time, it's not that long, go on and and try that.
• 41:20
  Again, Conchin, thanks so much.
• 41:22
  This has been a great, topic, something that I know we will continually, continue to explore.
• 41:29
  Continues also, given me the privilege of attending a Forbes executive women's council
• 41:35
  where we discuss this, at length.
• 41:38
  And I I could tell you that for sure that is something that in corporate environments, we
• 41:44
  are continually continually exploring, and I'm sure, a lot will get enhanced as as things go.
• 41:52
  So again, thanks again, everyone.
• 41:54
  Thanks so much.
• 41:55
  And, looking forward to Any additional questions, please reach out to caution.
• 42:00
  All the information about her will be in the show notes.
• 42:03
  Again, take care, and we'll talk to you soon.
• 42:05
  Bye bye, everyone.
• 42:06
  Thanks for tuning in to authentic living with Roxanne, creating the space for positive,
• 42:12
  healthy change.
• 42:13
  Roxanne is a keynote speaker, psychotherapist, and coach to work with Roxanne, visit
• 42:19
  rocksandurhaj.com/blueprint.
• 42:23
  We'll see next time on authentic living with Roxanne.