“Reconstructing Inclusion: Making DEI Accessible, Actionable, and Sustainable”
Amri Johnson
Organizations of all types are making unprecedented investments in unconscious bias training, diversity recruitment, and anti-racism education. Words like belonging and equity are on the list of aspirational outcomes for these efforts, but the pathways to those goals are unclear because their implementation has been reactionary, supplemental, and in too many instances cosmetic rather than systemic.
In Reconstructing Inclusion, Amri Johnson, CEO of Inclusion Wins, explores why that reactionary stance persists and provides a framework for designing a systematic approach that empowers all stakeholders in these efforts—everyone—to thrive.
In deconstructing and rebuilding inclusion’s most fundamental concepts, Johnson illustrates an “Inclusion System” that outlines the conditions critical to inclusion becoming normative—accessible, actionable, sustainable, and positively contributing to the organizational mission.
“Reconstructing Inclusion” offers a guide to better understanding the historical context of inclusion, a rethinking of the efforts organizations are undertaking now, and an actionable, robust approach to carrying this work into the future.
“High-Impact Mentoring: A Practical Guide to Creating Value in Other People’s Lives”
Dr. Sherry Hartnett & Burt Thornton
Why is there such a huge and ironic need in today’s business and organizational world? On one hand, we have a multitude of rising high achievers who would benefit greatly from the experience and wisdom of a skilled mentor. On the other hand, we have thousands of savvy, experienced business and organizational leaders who would, could, and should fill that bill…but they aren’t getting together. Why is that? How can we fix it? And how can we hang onto our top talent?
Former Waffle House President and COO Bert Thornton and Founding Director of the University of West Florida’s Executive Mentor Program Dr. Sherry Hartnett have combined to answer those questions and more in the first ever practical guide written for remarkably effective one-on-one mentoring and scaling that effort up to build your own organization’s outstanding mentoring program for rising stars.
Mentoring is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a “must-have.” At a time when people crave strong work relationships and a sense of connection—and employees expect to be developed—a good mentoring program is your secret weapon for attracting and retaining high performers. “High-Impact Mentoring: A Practical Guide to Creating Value in Other People’s Lives” is a blueprint for hardwiring the program into your culture so every mentee gets a consistent experience, every time. Finally, a chapter on virtual mentoring ensures that people reap the benefits of Bert and Sherry’s wisdom, whether they work from home, at the office, or both.
“Message Received: 7 Steps to Break Down Communication Barriers at Work”
Mary Donohue
According to social scientist and award-winning CEO Dr. Mary Donohue, we communicate ineffectively at work a staggering 80% of the time. From the tone of an email to the almost-but-not-quite eye contact of a video conference app, today’s tech has increased the speed and scope of our communications―as well as the opportunities to misunderstand each other completely. This lack of effective communication is a leading cause of workplace stress.
In this widely anticipated and deeply researched book, Dr. Donohue, a victim of workplace stress herself, lays out a seven-step solution to give you the tools you need to make communication a cure for workplace stress, not a cause―even (especially) when you’re working with a generationally diverse team. Discover what’s at the root of the problem―from misunderstood emails and misinterpreted texts to misconstrued social media posts and missed social cues on Zoom―and learn how to respond to different communication preferences now.
Through helpful charts, case studies, evidence-backed research, and more, you’ll walk away with the tools you need to ensure everyone on your team―yourself included―is heard and understood, so there’s less time clarifying and more time for everyone to be their best, most productive selves.
“No Excuses: Nine Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power”
Gloria Feldt
Feminist icon Gloria Feldt pulls no punches in this new book, which argues that the most confounding problem facing women today isn’t that doors of opportunity aren’t open, but that not enough women are walking through them. From the boardroom to the bedroom, public office to personal relationships, she asserts that nobody is keeping women from parity-except themselves.
Feldt puts women’s power into an historical context, showing the ways in which women have made huge leaps forward in the past, only to pull back right when they were at the threshold.
Feldt argues that there’s no excuse-whether it’s the way women are socialized, or pressure to conform, or work/life balance issues-for women today not to own their power. Women are still facing unequal pay, being passed over for promotions, entering public office at a much lesser rate than men, and oftentimes still struggling with traditional power dynamics in their interpersonal relationships. Feldt’s solution to all these places where women face inequality is the same: we need to shift the way we think to achieve true parity with our male counterparts.
“No Excuses: Nine Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power” is divided into nine chapters that organized around how women can change the way they think, and therefore the way they act. These include: Know Your History and You Can Create the Future of Your Choice; Define the Terms-First; Embrace Controversy; Employ Every Medium; and other helpful ideas for using the tools and resources women already have to create the changes they want to see. “No Excuses” is a timely and invaluable book to help women equalize gender power in politics, work, and love.
