“I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out a good professional goal for my engineering manager. Do you have any...
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Latest News from Empowering Partners
How Cultural Self-Awareness Leads to Self-Confidence
Based on each of the five stages of Cultural Intelligence, I’m doing a series of blogs about how to promote mental...
Reality Isn’t Harsh
“I’m just being realistic,” said the VP of marketing and sales. “Not really,” I said. He looked confused. “What I mean...
How to Deal with an Ignorant Remark in Five Steps
“I struggle with people who make ignorant remarks,” Larry explained. Larry has his own internationally renowned HR...
Unions or Unity: A CEO’s Dilemma
CEO: “The workers withdrew the petition!” AMY: “What does that mean for the company?” CEO: “There’s not going to be an...
A Hire Power: How to Really Get to Know a Candidate
“Almost everything about interviews, as they are now, reinforces a hiring manager’s bias and conceals the real...
Leadership Enlightened: How to Upend the Status Quo
He thought he was doing everything right. The General Manager, James and his organization were… Hiring people of color...
Lesson Learned the Hard Way
“I thought we were doing everything right,” James told me. “Now I’m afraid I won’t be able to get another job because...
Talking Turkey
The phrase “talking turkey” usually refers to speaking frankly, discussing hard facts, or getting down to business....
How to Hire People on the Spectrum
A CEO asked me, “What do my employees and I need to know to hire and retain people who are on the spectrum?” He has a...
A Case of Sexual Harassment
The Women in Safety & Health (WISH) organization held a panel discussion on “Avoiding, Combatting & Overcoming...
How Middle Managers Can Make a Difference
“When I was first hired as Production Manager, I got a pretty negative impression of one of my Leads,” said José, even...
How to Connect with Your Kid About Tricky Topics
“I don’t know if I did it right,“ Louisa told me. She said she’d overheard her son calling it the “Chinese virus” to a...
Five Ways Whites Can Effectively Respond in Cross-cultural Conversation
When someone is in crisis or the whole world is exploding in pandemics and protests what do you do? Studies show most...
There’s a Better Question
Why is Covid-19 hitting some communities harder than others? Who exactly has been hit the hardest? These are the...
What’s In a Name
The other day, my friend James stopped in at the gas station he frequents. He overheard another customer say, “I can’t...
What’s the Point of Impact?
“Should I have taken down my Confederate flag?” Bob asked. It was the question Bob, a mid-level retail manager, asked...
What’s in Your Blindspot?
Russ: “Can I tell you what happened?” I nodded so he pulled me aside and said, “I’m only telling you because I know...
Hear Me Now?
After facilitating an introductory workshop on cultural intelligence, one of the CEO’s had a question for me. She told...
Epic Remedies for a Cultural Fail
“So, does this mean you don’t report people who are breaking the rules?” a CEO asked. The question was prompted by an...
WoManifesto: The Backstory
"Should I make myself Director of Design on the robotics team? Am I qualified?" asked my youngest daughter who is in...
WoManifesto in the Workplace
Meryl Streep, in her 2010 commencement address to the graduating class of Barnard College, explained that in high...
The Value Proposition
The best leadership in an organization recognizes that conflict and other behaviors that put a temporary drag on...
There’s Nothing Common About Vocabulary
“It’s taken me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life I know what it feels like to have a...