64 - Best Of: Diversity and Inclusion in Your Business w/ Brittany Cole

Apart of Elyse’s “Best Of” Series, the following episode is a reposting of Episode 54 - Diversity and Inclusion in Your Business w/ Brittany Cole. --- Welcome back to the Instant Impact podcast with your host, Elyse Archer. Today’s guest is Brittany Cole, a speaker, coach, and consultant that is passionate about equipping leaders to cultivate an inclusive culture where diverse talent believe they belong. In addition to her corporate achievements, Brittany founded Career Thrivers, which is a leadership development firm that partners with organizations to engage, develop and retain diverse talent through targeted leadership development. She’s here to talk with Elyse about diversity and inclusion in marketing, how we can be more intentional about being more inclusive, how to have those tough conversations if we’re not sure where to start, and she shares some tactical tips and strategies you can apply to your work today. Brittany first breaks down three cornerstones of this important conversation. Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity are often used interchangeably when in fact, they’re very different things: Diversity: This is ‘difference.’ This can mean many different things. Primary Diversity--things you can’t change (age, ethnicity, race, etc.) and Secondary Diversity (things like education). Inclusion: The intentional act of including that difference. Equity: Outcomes that aren’t determined by difference. Being diverse and being inclusive are two separate entities. It’s important to be intentional and ask how you are including difference. Brittany touches on how it starts with a culture of inclusion. Adding diversity for the sake of adding it won’t retain valuable perspectives--perspectives you would’ve otherwise left on the table. They discuss the idea of customer Avatars and how we can avoid unintentionally passing over other populations. Brittany talks about the key practice of testing, expanding, and reevaluating your avatar. Sometimes this can turn into an entirely new avatar! As you test the waters, listen to the feedback and don’t hesitate to pivot. Brittany offers insight into some of the biggest mistakes she sees in terms of messaging. The number one mistake, she says, is business owners wanting to START with visuals and copy. It’s crucial that you have a strong understanding of how you’re serving people, who you’re serving, how you measure that, and really what your brand is. Social media is a way to scale a message, not build it. Your strategy should inform the creative assets, not the other way around. As Elyse puts it, it’s like building a house without a blueprint! Finally, Brittany shares three tactical steps we can take today to implement intentional inclusion and how to have those tough conversations.

1. Be aware. Take inventory! What does it take for you to achieve awareness of an opportunity to improve.
2. Find people you feel don’t look like your average client. Have those conversations with a different audience!
3. Make a commitment to take action. Implement what you’ve learned and live it!

And to have those conversations, these are the steps she recommends:

1. Address the problem and be open to talking about the opportunity you have within your organization.
2. Lead your vulnerability. Have that emotional connection with those you’re trying to reach.

LINKS Connect with Brittany at CareerThivers.com Request a free Brand Strategy Call: http://thebrandbuildersgroup.com/callelyse