Approaching DEI with Curiosity, Empathy, and Accountability [Bonus Episode with Kevin Jones]

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is under attack today and the topic came up in my conversation with Kevin Jones. Rather than discuss the current backlash and the temporary pendulum swing of systemic oppression pushing back, Kevin and I got into the role of curiosity, empathy, and accountability in how we think of and approach the work.
This bonus episode of the "What Do You Know To Be True?" is an excerpt of the "Intentional Curiosity with Kevin Jones" episode.
Kevin and I share a sense of purpose in helping others achieve their potential. We recognize that when systems are not designed for equity, we are not able to live into our potential when others are systemically blocked from achieving theirs. In order for us to be better coaches and consultants for others, we need to engage in dismantling those barriers.
To be clear, as my friend Mark Meadows shared with me once, “all perspectives are valid and partial,” meaning that Kevin and I want to acknowledge that our views are partial, that they come from a position of privilege we did not earn, and that they are reflective of where we are at in our journeys of unlearning and relearning at this moment.
In this episode, Kevin and I try to answer the following questions:
- How can I approach DEI with curiosity?
- What is the role of a leader with DEI?
- What is the role of empathy in DEI?
- How can you act with accountability in DEI work?
Resources:
- Book: “Opening the Corporate Closet Transforming Biases to Gay Advancement in Corporate America” by Kevin Jones: https://bookshop.org/p/books/opening-the-corporate-closet-transforming-biases-to-gay-advancement-in-corporate-america-kevin-w-jones/20037562?ean=9798888964422
- Book "The Sum of Us" by Heather McGee https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sum-of-us-what-racism-costs-everyone-and-how-we-can-prosper-together-heather-mcghee/14618549?ean=9780525509585
- Book "Inclusion on Purpose" by Ruchika Tulshyan https://bookshop.org/p/books/inclusion-on-purpose-an-intersectional-approach-to-creating-a-culture-of-belonging-at-work-ruchika-tulshyan/17170649?ean=9780262046558
- Book: "Say The Right Thing" by Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow https://bookshop.org/p/books/say-the-right-thing-how-to-talk-about-identity-diversity-and-justice-david-glasgow/18751579?ean=9781982181383
- Book: “The Oz Principle” by Roger Connors, Craig Hickman, and Tom Smith https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-oz-principle-getting-results-through-individual-and-organizational-accountability-roger-connors/10796528?ean=9781591843481
- Song: "Invisible" by U2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajVoeX4eqIQ
We welcome your voice in this conversation and encourage you to engage with us in this discussion. Please share your thoughts in the comments section of the YouTube episode (https://youtu.be/YbRgJ5g0dl0) and we’ll see you there.
None of us alive today created the systems of inequity we live and work in today. But we have do a choice, and that’s to willfully ignore them, to actively work to change them, or to continue to try to benefit from them. This is the choice in front of us.
If you like the conversation, please share this episode with one other person. Thank you!
Music in this episode created by Ian Kastner.
"What Do You Know To Be True?" is a series of conversations where I speak with interesting people about their special talent or superhero power and the meaningful impact it has on others. For more info: https://whatdoyouknowtobetrue.com/
"What Do You Know To Be True?" is hosted by Roger Kastner, is a production of Three Blue Pens, and is recorded on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Suquamish people. To discover the ancestral lands of the indigenous people whose land you may be on, go to: https://native-land.ca/