Voices of CX: Create Company Culture You Can Be Proud Of with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - S8E7

On this episode, we talked to Leslie Short, and how she’s bringing the best of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to big corporations that struggle with or strive to improve their own programs. And she’s doing it with a mind for serious, long-term, evolving relationships between employers and their most valuable asset – their people.

🟠About Leslie Short Leslie Short is owner of The Cavu Group, author of Expand Beyond Your Current Culture, and a DEI strategist with four decades of experience. She created The Cavu Group in an effort to facilitate and create new solutions to old and new issues within Diversity & Inclusion. Leslie is uniquely skilled at seeking growth through open conversations, conflict coaching, trainings, and workshops, and she firmly believes that issues don’t resolve simply by putting programs in place but by continually evolving and creating a channel to listen to and understand the people who are our greatest assets.
Leslie has an accomplished background in many areas of business, entrepreneurship, marketing, and the arts. She began her career as a classical ballet dancer, which led to her living in Europe for over a decade. Leslie then created an entertainment business, which was rated the best business in Japan in 1994. She went on to become the President of Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations at FUBU and Corporate Operating Strategist at companies such as The Shark Group and blueprint + co. She also launched K.I.M. Media LLC (Keep it Moving) and founded Ascend Bereavement Management.
In addition to her business ventures, Leslie is a chaplain, activist, certified mental health aide, certified mediator, conflict coach, and a dignitary and keynote speaker at the United Nations and European Union events around the world.

🟠Connect with Leslie Short
Follow Leslie Short on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3DYpYLw
Follow Leslie Short on Twitter @TheCavuGroup: https://bit.ly/3BRjpKh
Buy Leslie’s book, Expand Beyond Your Current Culture: https://amzn.to/3aPCW1N

🎙Episode Highlight:
What happened now is that there was a rallying cry from employees. See, before it was the employer. Then it became a legal action with the employer and legal, right? So they had to do it and they had to do it by numbers. Now it was a rallying cry for the people that show up every day, not only black and brown people, but a large majority of their employees that, I don’t want to say everyone because everyone’s not on this yellow brick road for diversity, equity and inclusion. And that’s what we need to understand.

So we had to build, what does that look like today? Not what it was 20 years ago, not what it was 18 months ago, but there’s a clitch with that. And I don’t want to answer probably a question you have too soon, but I’m going to go into, if you don’t mind! That clitch is everyone went running out, hire black people, hire black people, hire brown people.

I need you to stop doing that. I need you to pause. Power, privilege and pause because you need to pause to understand, what is the importance of having this diversity, not only of color, of gender, of disabilities? And are you prepared as leadership to give equity to anyone that walks through your door and to build inclusion from within? Not belonging, because a book belongs in a bookstore. And only you as a human being can decide where you belong. That’s not a job’s responsibility. Their responsibility is to build a culture of equity and inclusion.

🟠Would you like to read the full interview? Access the transcript on our blog at blog.worthix.com/leslie-short-create-a-company-culture-you-can-be-proud-of-with-dei-s8e7/

🟠Check out the other seasons of Worthix's Voices of CX Podcast
🟧Voices of Cx Podcast 1: https://bit.ly/VoCXs1
🟧Voices of Cx Podcast 2: https://bit.ly/VoCXs2
🟧Voices of Cx Podcast 3: https://bit.ly/VoCXs3
🟧Voices of Cx Podcast 4: https://bit.ly/VoCXs4
🟧Voices of Cx Podcast 5: https://bit.ly/VoCXs5
🟧Voices of Cx Podcast 6: https://bit.ly/VoCXs6
🟧Voices of Cx Podcast 7: https://bit.ly/VoCXs7

🟠Connect with the Voices of CX
Follow Worthix on LinkedIn   / worthix  
And Follow Worthix on Twitter: @worthix

Follow Mary Drumond on LinkedIn   / marydrumond  
And Follow Mary Drumond on Twitter: @drumondmary

🟠About Voices of CX Podcast The Voices of CX Podcast is a podcast that covers all things business strategies, customer decision insight, empathetic leadership practices, and tips for sustainable profitability. With a little bit of geeking out on behavioral science, A.I. and other innovation sprinkled in here and there. The guests span multiple industries, but all of them have years of experience to bring to the table.

📩Got something to say about CX or want to be featured on the show? Let us know! Email the Producer ([email protected]).

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