Toxic workplaces can show strong financial performance, but this often comes at the expense of employee wellbeing and trust. While leaders may express empathy, actions can create psychological safety gaps. Sustainable excellence requires fostering environments where employees feel safe to communicate, innovate, and contribute without fear, impacting long-term organizational health.
The grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center offered more than a celebration of history. Through their remarks, Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama reminded us what it can look like to build a country rooted in dignity, shared responsibility, inclusion, truth, and care. At a time when many communities, organizations, and institutions are navigating…
Right now, many discussions focus on workplace culture, employee engagement, trust, retention, burnout, leadership development, and psychological safety. However, one of the most important questions organizations should ask is this: Are our managers equipped to carry the culture we want? Because whether organizations realize it or not, managers are already carrying the culture every day.…
Why Workplace Values Are Not Enough Many organizations say they want a respectful workplace. They say they value trust, accountability, collaboration, inclusion, communication, and care. The challenge is not always that people disagree with those values. More often, the challenge is that people interpret those values differently. Respect does not look the same to everyone.…
Higher education is in the middle of a shift, and not a small one. What we are seeing now goes beyond policies, court decisions, or changes in campus programs. It’s about access, visibility, support, and the learning environment that colleges create. While many start the discussion with affirmative action, the real concern is about access.…
The organizations still moving forward are showing us something important. When inclusion is part of how a company works, it can withstand pressure better. This is more effective than when inclusion just exists in a statement, committee, or moment. Over the past year, we’ve watched organizations make different choices. They responded to the political, legal,…
There’s a reason this moment feels so familiar. The language may shift. The headlines may change. The corporate statements may get softer, more cautious, or disappear altogether. But the pattern is not new. We have seen this before. Progress is followed by backlash. Bold promises are followed by retreat. People doing equity-focused work are often…
Pastor Jamal Bryant has announced the end of the Target boycott. He says that three of the four original asks have been met. Early public reaction shows that officially ending a boycott does not mean consumer trust is restored. Some shoppers may return. Many may not. And that gap matters. That is the part too…
Not too long ago, a prominent voice in the psychological safety space made a bold statement: “Psychological safety is what DEI should have been.” While this framing may resonate with some, for me, it felt incomplete. It ignored a fundamental truth—identity cannot be divorced from psychological safety. As someone who operates at the intersection of…
The recent election has intensified anxieties and uncertainty for many, particularly within marginalized communities. As we look toward the future, a sober reality settles in: the rights and protections fought for over decades may be in jeopardy. We anticipate that the hard-won gains of DEI initiatives will face unprecedented challenges, and the workplace—one of the…