Facilitating a Collaborative Culture

00:06 Facilitating that collaborative team and sustaining it.

00:09 We also have to think about an inclusive environment and what that should look like. And this won't be exhaustive.

00:15 But these are some of the key points that people need to consider when you're thinking about an inclusive environment.

00:20 So when we think of inclusive spaces, we mean physical, emotional, and virtual spaces.

00:27 We want to think about physical safety.

00:29 So, when you think about it from a trauma informed lens, if someone is fearful or has been through a traumatic event, we might want to think about seating arrangements.

00:40 And maybe someone's not comfortable sitting by a door Or maybe they're more comfortable sitting by a door.

00:45 Maybe someone feels more comfortable sitting at the end of the table versus in the middle, where people feel like they can get out of a space easily.

00:53 Thinking about people who may be claustrophobic and not want to sit at a table with too many people.

00:58 So, if those things come up, we don't want to judge people for that.

01:03 We want to try to accommodate it.

01:04 And again, all of this takes a lot of effort and time.

01:08 And you have to be committed to it if you're really committed to DEIB.

01:11 Then psychological safety is another one of those considerations when we think about an inclusive environment.

01:18 And some of the examples I just gave go along with psychological safety.

01:22 Because again, thinking about all the things that make a person who they are, the person who you show up seeing, thinking about it in terms of layers.

01:31 I oftentimes use nesting dolls, because what we see on the outside is just the whole person and oftentimes we take for granted that that's who the person is, and we don't consider all the things.

01:43 When you think about those nesting dolls and they start with something really tiny, and they grow to a full adult.

01:49 Well as we grow different things contribute to who we become as a person.

01:54 So we need to consider all those things when we think about an inclusive environment.

01:58 And then involvement. Making sure that everybody has a voice to the degree that we can in terms of what the space could or should look like.

02:07 And this takes a lot of preparation on the front end.

02:10 So we don't and being willing to be flexible in the moment if we have to, but preparing on the beginning saves a lot of time, energy, and also hurt feelings and feelings of not being included on the end.

02:26 And then respect, that's always going to be a key.

02:29 Respecting people, respecting preferences, and again, accommodating to the degree that it's feasible.

02:35 Authenticity is another one of those in terms of an inclusive environment.

02:40 People know when something's performative, and it's window dressing, and people are just following the trend versus true commitment to DEIB and inclusivity especially.

02:50 And then diversity and thinking about diversity broadly.

02:53 It's so much more than just extrinsic characteristics and features.

02:58 And one of the biggest things that ties all this together, and it will fall apart without accountability.

03:05 Every single person in an organization and on a team has to be accountable, including the leader.

03:11 and people have to be equally accountable to the process for it to be successful.

03:16 Inclusive team environments don't just happen.

03:20 So there has to be some effort and intention, it has to be directed, and it has to be consistent for it to be sustained.

03:27 And these inclusive environments maximize a team's potential.

03:31 Because again, it all the things that we've already talked about in terms of it demonstrating authenticity, and respect, and all the things that make people feel safe in an environment.

03:43 So we have to put forth that time and effort on a consistent basis.

03:47 Choices have to be intentional, to create these environments.

03:51 So everyone's voices are heard, and people feel valued.

03:54 And you're going to hear some of these concepts reiterated because that's how important they are.

03:59 I always like to liken this to that golden rule of treating people the way we want to be treated.

04:05 And I say that because I don't know any person who doesn't want to feel valued.

04:09 I don't know any person who doesn't want to feel respected.

04:12 So if we think about it, and operate from that framework, in that frame of mind, we can't go wrong, make sure we use affirming language.

04:20 Improvement does begin with also celebrating people and affirming people and affirming people in multiple different ways.

04:28 And sometimes it means being uncomfortable.

04:31 Again, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable in terms of meeting people where they are and addressing their needs in terms of how they feel included and able to show up authentically in a space, rather.

04:45 So superficial training is not enough.

04:48 We can't have this about box checking.

04:50 I say it all the time, everybody has to have an equal investment in DEIB an inclusive environments and being a part of a collaborative team.

05:00 So those trainings might have to happen periodically.

05:04 And as individuals, we don't want to just do the trainings were assigned to do.

05:09 We need to think about what we need to do to continue to support inclusive environments and as leaders support people.

05:16 So, if there is a training that may not be on the list for the organization, but someone feels like they need that to be a better member of the team to support the organization.

05:25 As leaders, we need to be willing to support whatever those additional trainings in order to maintain that part of the team.