What is going on everybody? This is Michele Heyward. And guess what? Let’s see. Let’s hope this works. Okay, got it tested. And let’s hope this comes out, but I’m Michele Heyward. am I calling sim civil engineer, founder of the tech company positive hire What is up Noel’s garden? So I went live and I did not have my microphone plugged in. So, now I’m like, it’s my sound working, it’s not working. Okay, and maybe I turned it down. Thank you so much for inviting your followers. So, so we are going to be talking about tonight. Being in a workplace that is, hey, being in a workplace whether it is an inclusive workplace versus an accepting workplace? What does that look like and how they’re different? And how do you cope in both of those? Hey, Chris. So, what I want to start with is let’s talk about what an inclusive workplaces because most of us have not worked in one. And we’re like, Michelle, what is that? What do you mean? What are you talking about? So an inclusive workplace, your differences, don’t stand out. The Way You Look, you talk your background, whatever it is, it doesn’t stand out and make you seem as though you’re an outlier. Actually, in a inclusive workplace, your differences are valued. The way you talk, the way you dress, the way you see the world all value. So it’s a different view. It’s a different viewpoint on how they, they respect. They respect your differences, whether it’s your fro, or back in the day when I had straight hair just I don’t know four or five years ago. It’s about you being a woman, a person of color, being a different religion to now they all see that as valuable to the organization. So when you’re in a closed, inclusive workplace, I like to describe it this way. And inclusive workplace is like a salad. And what I mean by a salad is there are different ingredients in a salad. And you know what they are, but to gether, they make a salad right? a cucumber is just a cucumber. romaine is just lettuce, spinach is just spinach. cru tones are just old Dale or toasted bread, right? Tomato is just a tomato. But when you bring those Things all together, you’re making a salad. And each one of those ingredients brings something different. Get delicious to that salad. And you appreciate every bite of that salad and everything that is different about those ingredients and it makes it work really well together. So an inclusive workplace. They’re not sitting there like oh, you a cucumber. Row you see him? Yeah, man I see. See him? They don’t it doesn’t do that. Okay, that’s row may romaine lettuce. Yeah, I get it. But anyway, it doesn’t they don’t focus on your differences like that. They look at your differences as invaluable to the organization. And another big thing about an inclusive workplace you’re less likely to feel isolated. Yes, does that feel like wonderful like hey, so what what what happens was you’re like, no No, no. Or when you will embrace oh my gosh, how did they do that with their hands? You know, you’re getting that. But in accepting workplace so you’re doing something different with your hair. Or when you come into an accepting workplaces, a new employee or new to that location new in a role, you will get what I call 21,000 questions. Well, so what kind of training have you done? Well, who have you worked for? Do you know how difficult it is here? We don’t do that here. You can’t you get told what you can do. Right? Well, are you sure they hire you to do that?
What do you mean that’s your office? You’re that shirt company or how do you get a staff you Question by multiple people about your abilities about your credentials about your experience. Like they interviewing you for the job that you already got hired for. Y’all. Let me tell you something, just what I’ve started doing. I said, so do you give out raises? What’s your bro? You probably report to me next week. I get your invoice. I can approve your timesheet. So right now, let me just say your time is gonna be real short. When you’re an accepting workplace, a lot of times you will get questioned over and over no matter how many years you’re there. Somebody’s always gonna be questioning you. Well, how did I literally had somebody asked, Well, how are you making more than me? And I’m nice to say What did you ask for a raise? Well, how much work experience so you have the person has zero work expense. Before they came working for this particular employer, I had four years. It was like, Oh, I was like Naboo. I’m not the one. So it’s really, when you’re an accepting workplace, you feel isolated. because number one, you can’t be mediocre. You have to be top of the game to be accepted by the mediocre people. That’s the sad part. Like the exceptional people may feel everybody may feel as though you’re a threat. But to do exceptionally well, you are with the mediocre people. But being accepted, you will see more of the diversity come and go in that organization. And what will happen is you will stay longer a lot of times to other people of color, especially women of color. If you’re accepted. It doesn’t mean You always get raises, it doesn’t mean you’ll always get the promotions you want. But you will generally see better opportunity than others who look like you whether they come in came in before you or after you in that employer. So then you have to sit there and decide how long do you want to stay in this accepted place. Because a lot of times, your Your time will run out. And it may be five years and maybe 10 years, it literally for somebody It was 20 years before their time ran out. And what happens when you’re accepted, your name gets mentioned, Oh, we got that one colored person. So your name gets mentioned in behind closed doors as the one you want to keep because you’ve been accepted. And you may get to see some of the other side of how businesses run. It’s not by credentials, it is simply by who you are connected to who is advocating for you That is an inclusive workplace, but that they have accepted you on on some level. And that exception truly, your work can beat a woman. Guess what? They still may not accept you. being accepted is is not there is no one way there is no one formula. But if it’s somebody in that organization that goes, you know, it’s it’s like high school, like if a popular kid says or a jock says Oh, that nerd over there is acceptable. They’re cool. That one nerd is on the inside. That one person from the band is cool. until somebody on the at that level, who does the accepting says that you’re accepted. You’re not accepted. No, it doesn’t equals Equity, it surely doesn’t. So, but but inclusion sometimes will mean you can come to work more at yourself, then being accepted. So what I mean by that when you’re an accepting workplace, you are more times than not conforming, or not even conforming, maybe more in line with that culture. In an inclusive workplace, the culture is created by the people because they value your differences. When it’s accepting that culture has now been created in a different way. Where in
being different is not acceptable. being different, you have to fit in on some level And that’s why your time Julie runs out because you are not acceptable on every level or as many levels as they have throughout the organization. So, what what this accepting looks look like? Let me let me just clarify, accepting, being accepted in a workplace does not mean you have your sellout. It does not mean you have done anything wrong. So, let me let me just clarify that. What it does mean you can have more opportunity, and the ability to do different things in that organization than others who look like you and you may even have power to bring about change
So what do I mean by that? So you may be able to hire more diverse candidates. But remember, you’re not an inclusive workplace. So this is what I want to tell you, most of us will find accepting workplaces and not inclusive workplaces. So these are three tips I have for you when it comes to walking into an employer that is not inclusive, and to look to see what it takes to be accepted. Because I’ve seen people who’ve been accepted in the workplace and they bounce. They’ve been in 1718 years. And you know what? They realize? Some that Oprah said, time’s up, and they’re out of there. Exactly. They literally know, his time’s up and then they leave. And this can be for various reasons. So one If you’re an accepting workplace, and you have made it except that side, know who your advocate is or why you made it over there, because if it is a particular person, if that person leaves the organization, you may find you’re no longer on the accepted side to what I call when let me not call it that you’re on the side we’re in you can become a casualty. You’ve gotten a little bit of comfort, you may still be seen as a threat, but you may have been more of a an asset to the person who got you to the excepted side. So you must always know who that person or persons are, because once they’re gone, you’re probably not gonna be far behind. Number two. Number two, know what you know. Yeah, like what the hell that mean? When we are in organizations, especially the longer we’re there, we become a hub of information we become a lot of times an expert at something, you need to know what you’re an expert. Because when you know what you’re an expert up, you can then position yourself for number three, to go work someplace else as an expert. So, know how you got to accept inside, know what the hell you know, and know how to position yourself in that industry. So what I mean by positioning yourself and this is what a lot of people don’t do. You need to be showing in your industry in a small niche, not just a hole in a small niche that you’re really good at something. Are you really good at? I’m conquering concrete. Like you can write up the bass comment. creat mix design, right? For for some really great peer foundations and different things right? Is that your thing as a structure engineer? Are you really good at going and setting up new facilities that are manufacturing products and nobody else has set up a new facility before and you know how to set up all the equipment. You know how to make sure people go through. The employees are okay, they’re safe, and they aren’t hurting themselves from doing the same movement over. Are you really good at pulling projects back on, on time on schedule and within budget? Know what you’re really good at because when you do and a lot of times you don’t realize what you know. But others do and this is how you can find a witch how you can find out what you’re really good at what the hell they always asking you to do and they may not be giving you credit for Well, okay, you weren’t late and pull that together. Hey, such and such said on the last project you did this. Hey, they said when you were down in Louisiana you did that. They said when you were out in LA, you did this. People when people are talking about you, and they come to you telling you to they’re talking about you, and what they are saying about you note that because that is what they’re seeing as your strength as to what you bring to the organization, and probably why you got accepted. Mm hmm. Now, they may not have given you a raise on what you’re really good at, and they may not have given you a promotion because you’re really good at stuff.
That’s a whole other discussion but There Katie usually asking you to do the same thing over and over again. This is how you know what you’re an expert in, if you haven’t figured it out yet. So position yourself when you’re writing up, blogs, white papers, you’re going up discussing projects, to our work that you’re doing an industry with your employer or clients, so that people are seeing you differently. Because the more you hide behind the computer screen, the less likely people want to know what you worked on. So one great place to go. That makes it really easy is LinkedIn to do a blog post there just once a month, do about 750 words, maybe start now 500 men working to 1000 words where you’re discussing an issue and you can give three steps in the first blog. Then the next block the next month, you go into more detail on step one After that you go into detail on step two to month after that you go in detail on step three. But when people search for your name, they can read exactly what you’re good at. So no longer are you waiting for a headhunter to find you that hiring manager for your next opportunity is actually messing you because they see the value you bring. That doesn’t mean you won’t be getting 21,000 questions at the new employer, but it does help you find your next role and going and finding that inclusive workplace. Well, let’s just say I’m working on it. I’m working on making sure women of color STEM professionals find those inclusive workplaces. That’s why I created my tech company, because I want more of us there. I want few of us in accepting workplaces, more of us in inclusive workplace. Because at the end of the day, I don’t want you to fear. Wear your hair in a fro. So you wore a wig to your interview, I don’t want you to fear them knowing that you’re a mother of three and have a partner of the same gender. I don’t want you to fear them knowing that you may not have the money that you want in your current role, because you don’t ask them for a hell a lot more in this upcoming role they’re offering you Okay. That is everything I have today, everybody. Thank you so much for joining me. I will be back again next week for another mentor Monday. I don’t know which. Tweet me if you have an idea of what you want to learn about what you want me to talk about. I love taking requests. And until then, everybody have a great week.