Why should your organization invest in Diversity and Inclusion focused coaching?
What Difference Will Coaching Make in Relation to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Challenges Facing Your Organization?
Are there disconnects between your vision and goals regarding D&I and what’s actually occurring in your organization? Have you invested time, energy, and resources into D&I initiatives and are waiting to see results? If so, D&I coaching can help close the gap between vision and results, supporting the sustainable success of your initiatives.
There are five core values to what makes D&I coaching so valuable. Read further and learn how D&I coaching can serve you and your organization.
1. Safe – Judgment-Free Space – To Explore and Discover
D&I coaching provides a safe, judgment-free space for individuals to explore their own biases and identify actions to overcome them. Take a look at this Ted Talk by Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments as she discusses the difference between being color blind and color brave. One of the biggest challenges around diversity is that we are all afraid to talk about it. Ignoring differences leads to low productivity and morale, as valuable employees seek employment elsewhere or avoid joining in the first place.
Ms. Hobson emphasizes the importance of pro-actively seeking interactions with people different from ourselves to gain understanding and awareness. A D&I coach provides the space for voicing concerns and addressing them rather than leaving them unresolved. D&I coaching transforms passive bystanders into proactive advocates who embrace diversity and engage, encourage, and support peers and colleagues to do the same.
2. Take D&I Training from Learning to Action
A D&I coach provides support, feedback, and accountability to move from the learning stage to implementation. The Milton Bennett developmental model of intercultural sensitivity suggests several stages on the cultural competency continuum. By partnering with a D&I coach, you can work through various stages, building competence along the way.
As Christian Hoeferle, a business and cross-cultural coach, shares, “A coach will work you through drills and exercises to flex your behavioral muscle and make you more comfortable with behaviors that may not come naturally right away. Cultural knowledge can be learned. Cultural competence needs practice.”
3. Paradigm/Mindset Shift
If D&I is seen as a ‘have to’ or an ‘add-on,’ it will be treated as separate from everyday work. D&I coaching can shift this mindset, making D&I an imperative for the organization’s bottom line.
Adult learners have unique needs, such as repetition to establish new habits. As Henry David Thoreau states, “To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” D&I coaching provides structure to support true shifts in thought patterns.
Providing examples of D&I’s importance helps adult learners see the value in change, such as changes to hiring processes to include and retain more diverse employees or expanding customer bases. D&I coaches can support mindset shifts through thoughtful planning and individual practice.
4. Follow Through at All Levels
D&I coaching benefits senior leaders, managers, and individual contributors. Senior leaders, for example, benefit from a coach who can reveal blind spots that employees may fear sharing. A D&I coach can help leaders rethink hiring practices and manager accountability.
Managers also benefit by overcoming biases and moving forward. Effective organizations provide resources for employees from underrepresented groups, such as professionals of color, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities. We’ve previously shared the Center for Hispanic Leadership and their Leadership Impact Training for Hispanic Professionals. D&I coaching can transform individuals from feeling undervalued to being included leaders, increasing productivity and reducing turnover.
5. Become Comfortable with the Discomfort
D&I issues are not typically associated with comfort, which often leads to them being ignored. However, they require willingness to explore, be uncomfortable, and make mistakes. A D&I coach can support individuals in acknowledging concerns, addressing discomfort, and encouraging action despite it.
D&I coaches serve as sounding boards, separating fact from interpretation and providing options. Discomfort around D&I won’t disappear, but one’s ability to manage it improves through the support of a D&I coach.
This concludes our exploration into the values of D&I coaching. I am a firm believer in its power and impact as a product and current contributor to the field. Let’s work together to become Color Brave, culturally competent, and increase the creativity, productivity, and positive outlook of our diverse workforce. Let’s start creating new mental paths together! And last but certainly not least, let’s have some fun—learning new things, engaging with people, and exploring our world of differences.
We invite you to take a moment to learn about Ibis Consulting Group Coaching Services.