Adapting to Change w/Denise Hamilton

We say we want change but often don’t budget for its cost. In this episode, Kathryn and her guest, Denise Hamilton, founder of WatchHer and author of Indivisible, examine the complexities of adapting to change and uncover effective strategies for navigating these shifts seamlessly. 

“We often say that we want change, but we don't budget for the cost of change, right?”

Change means more than just making minor adjustments. There is a cost to real change. For example, change can mean calling out toxic practices or people, even if the people are powerful and the practices are just how things have always been done. 

“You can't be intentionally exclusive for hundreds of years and then be accidentally inclusive. You have to do the work.”

Part of Denise’s diversity and inclusion work is helping leaders understand that they need to push against the status quo actively. They can’t just coast and pretend to do the work to create inclusivity; rather, it’s about changing the company's underlying culture. But this is hard for many leaders because humans, in general, tend to resist change and see it as a threat. As Denise writes in her recent book, Indivisible, the goal should be beyond surface-level inclusivity and focused on making actual change.

“If you create a paradigm of change that only suggests sacrifice, it will be mighty hard to get up the hill. You have to show how making these changes benefits everyone.” 

Many corporations have abandoned commitments made after George Floyd's murder. However, some corporations are sticking to the promises they made in 202, and those that are sticking with their promises are doing very well financially. 

 

Guest

Denise Hamilton: DeniseHamilton.co

 

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