Nexus to Dive into Impact of Diversity and Inclusion as Leadership Imperatives
Cranston, R.I. – Monday, February 4, 2019—Diversity and inclusion are among today’s leadership imperatives. At the same time that business leaders are looking to create safer, more inclusive workplaces that celebrate diversity of thought and opinion, professionals are examining how to bring their whole selves to work. Bringing our whole selves to work and leading in a way that leverages the diverse perspectives of our colleagues has never been more important to creativity and competitive advantage.
On Tuesday, March 12, the Women in Leadership Nexus will dive deep into these concepts in its next chapter event, “Diversity and Inclusion 2.0.” The workshop will be led by Caroline Mailloux, an organization transformation leader focusing on diversity as a driver of innovation, and Jen Hetzel Silbert, a Community Facilitator and Change Agent. Mailloux brings over 10 years of experience in system design, culture design, strategy, and employee engagement across start-ups, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies across the globe. Silbert brings over 20 years in strength-based facilitation, workforce development, strategy and leadership training in cities, schools, Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and indigenous villages around the world.
“Whatever hallmark of success you seek—as a team, an organization or a community—diversity and inclusion is essential to getting there,” says Silbert. “It’s about seeing and activating the value inherent in all human capital, embracing other people’s differences and our own. And this requires bringing our full selves to work, owning our unique perspectives and experiences, while giving agency to others to own theirs. All truly great leaders are inclusive leaders.”
“Leveraging the diverse perspectives of a team or network throughout the lifecycle of innovation is key to competitive advantage in a rapidly changing business world,” adds Mailloux. “It’s pure probability—the more perspectives we bring to the table, the more ideas we surface, the more combination of ideas we create, and the greater chance we have of innovating faster and best serving our clients and communities. As leaders, catalyzing inclusion starts with us, not just activating the diverse perspectives of our teams and networks, but sharing more unique elements of ourselves in a business setting.”
Attendees will participate in large and small group activity, inquiry and reflection to broaden participant awareness of self and others on diversity and inclusion (D&I). Specifically, attendees will:
Gain new perspectives about diversity in ways that broaden awareness of self and other, transcending more traditional workplace D&I platforms (e.g. bias and employee resource groups)
Tap into their own story, strengths and perspectives such that individuals more deliberately showcase themselves in new ways at work
Learn tools to be a more inclusive leader
The event will take place from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the MetLife Auto & Home® headquarters in Warwick, Rhode Island. MetLife Auto & Home is the exclusive sponsor for this event.
“We are excited to host the Women in Leadership Nexus and support the organization’s focus on the leadership and enablement of professional women,” said Darla Finchum, senior vice president & head of MetLife Auto & Home. “This event is an opportunity to bring together our organizations and attendees to highlight important issues impacting today’s workforce. At MetLife Auto & Home, we are committed to the professional development of all our associates and to continuously fostering an inclusive and diverse culture.”
To request more information about joining the Women in Leadership Nexus as a member, click here.