In this episode, we’re thrilled to have Phillip Collins as our guest. Phillip is the founder of Good Black Art and a passionate advocate for making art accessible and impactful, especially within the black and African American communities.

Phillip shares his unique journey from a corporate marketing career to spearheading “Good Black Art,” a platform dedicated to promoting young Black artists globally. He offers deep insights into the intersection of art, community, and social impact.

Pursuing Passion and Purpose

Phillip’s transition from a corporate role aiming for the CMO position to focusing on his passion for art is a story of resilience and commitment. After being laid off, he chose to grow “Good Black Art,” emphasizing the importance of listening to one’s inner voice and sticking to personal goals.

Art as a Catalyst for Community Engagement

Phillip discusses his mission to engage 10% of the black community with art, whether through purchasing, museum visits, or educational content. He illustrates how art can build community and foster social impact, even using his own family as an example of how art ignites engagement and bonding.

Empowering Artists with Flexibility

Good Black Art’s approach to artist support is grounded in the question, “What do you need?” This philosophy ensures that the platform remains flexible and responsive to the diverse needs of artists, helping them tell their stories and expand the definition of art.

Educating Through Art

The episode underscores the importance of education in understanding the backgrounds, motivations, and socio-cultural contexts of artists’ work. Phillip highlights the role of art in communication, healing, and activism, sharing his experiences to illustrate these points.

Whether you’re someone who sees the value of DEI, an art enthusiast, or someone craving inspiration, this episode, like art, inspires introspection. Listen in on Phillip’s approach to aligning passion with purpose.

Listen to the full episode here, and read below for some key takeaways.

Caregiving Equality is Women’s Equality

“Girls, especially girls of color, are tasked with taking care of the family,” says Reshma. “And because we don’t have a structure of care in our society, it’s why we keep having this cycle of poverty happen for young girls.”

When daycares were forced to close due to the pandemic, Reshma noticed how it affected her female students and coworkers, with many having to miss work or school to care for their families. She described how the pandemic altered her perspective on caregiving and how it has a direct impact on women’s equality.

“If I had walked into a speech and someone would raise their hand and say,  ‘How do you balance being a mom and being a CEO?’ I would literally wave my hand and be like, ‘Don’t worry about it, just keep working hard,’” says Reshma. “Like, I hadn’t really bought into this girl boss narrative that you just have to work really hard, lean in, color code your calendar, and there’s just an express train to the corner office. And the pandemic was just really eye opener that we have no chance at equality because women are doing two thirds of the caregiving work.”

“If I had walked into a speech and someone would raise their hand and say,  ‘How do you balance being a mom and being a CEO?’ I would literally wave my hand and be like, ‘Don’t worry about it, just keep working hard”.

Listening is the Key to Understanding

Reshma recalls a conversation she had with her son, Sean, about equality and how the conversation inspired a new understanding on what it means to share your perspective. “At first, I thought it was like, you’re feeling left out. It’s because I’m talking about girls and not you, and you feel like I’m putting my attention and energy in something other than you,” says Reshma. “But the more we’ve talked about it, the more I’m like, actually, no, he’s coming from a very logical, observant space where he’s like, I genuinely don’t understand this.”

“We immediately assume sometimes that people are coming from a place of racism. If Sean was a 45 year old white man, our knee jerk reaction would be like, you’re sexist. But obviously an eight year old is not. He’s forcing me to actually have these really deep and important conversations and looking at it from perspectives and recognizing that everyone has their own reality in the way that they experience and they see the world. And it is about how I need to shift and show him my point of view and I need to listen to his point of view.”

Reshma encourages us to look beyond our own perspectives and find common ground. If we want to understand, we need to be willing to listen and accept others’ perspectives.

Structural Failures are Not Women’s Failures

The pandemic changed social media and the way we view other people’s lives, suddenly it wasn’t picture perfect moments but messy beds, and wearing the same clothes as yesterday moments that gave everyone a real look into other people’s lives. This new perspective brought to light that families everywhere were struggling with inequity in the home when it came to housework and caregiving. This revelation gave comfort to some women and lifted the burden of feeling that the structural failure of the home was theirs alone.

“We have created a society where we make moms feel like they don’t deserve anything. That if they’re failing, it’s their own personal problem. I think that when we are in our own households, when we’re doing the laundry and the dishes. And our husbands are not doing our partners are not doing what they need to be doing. We think it’s our own personal failure. ‘I married the wrong person. I just haven’t trained him.’ And then I think the pandemic was such an eye opener because you got a window into other people’s families and you’re like, oh, no. Collectively, it’s a structural problem. And so it’s really, I think, the shift into recognizing that we have to change the structure and that it’s not individual inadequacies, it’s structural inadequacies.

“We have created a society where we make moms feel like they don’t deserve anything. That if they’re failing, it’s their own personal problem.”

The pandemic shifted how we think about caregiving and women’s roles in the household as well as in the workplace. It’s through this shift that we strive for equality in the workplace and the home. While we advocate for women and mothers we must also remember to listen to others perspectives to not only gain understanding but share it. Reshma reminds us that women are not to blame for society’s structural failures and that they are not alone. It’s through open dialogue, empathy, and breaking bias that we can create a more inclusive and equitable world for all. Creating an inclusive environment can be hard.

Did you know that Break the Bias podcast is recognized in the top 20% of most followed podcasts on Spotify! Don’t miss out on past episodes and keep up with the discussion. Explore our live sessions in the DEI Video Archive and If you are interested in bringing our  training to your team, you can get more information here to learn more about our DEI Training.

In a Consciously Unbiased LinkedIn Live conversation, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, sat down with parents and women’s rights leaders to talk about how supporting parents pays off for companies, families and the economy, strategies men can follow to share the responsibilities at home, and, action steps leaders of all levels can take in normalizing caregiving in the workplace. You can watch the full conversation here, and read on for some key takeaways from our expert panelists.

Key Takeaways on Normalizing Caregiving Support

It’s Time to Support Caregivers at Work: Join the Conversation

We’d love to hear your thoughts: Is your company focusing on supporting parents in and outside of the workplace? If so, what have you found that has worked well in terms of making the support successful? Share your ideas in the comments section of the LinkedIn broadcast here.

Consciously Unbiased helps organizations break all types of unconscious bias in the workplace. See how our DEI Training can help you meet your inclusion goals and browse our DEI resource library for tools to promote workplace belonging. For more expert LinkedIn Live content, check out our DEI Video Archive.

Assess Your  Specific DEI Challenges

Creating a DEI strategy is a multi-step process, and the first step is knowing where you stand. For example, do you know if your company has a racial or gender pay gap? Do your policies need to be updated to be more accommodating for people with disabilities or who are neurodiverse?

You may feel hesitant about gathering metrics if you find, for example, there is a lack of representation in your leadership or that your company is not retaining Black talent or working parents, for example. However, being honest about where your organization is in its DEI journey is critical to getting better results.  After all, you can’t change what you aren’t aware of, or track areas of improvement if you don’t have any metrics in place. Don’t be discouraged by what you find and let it stop you from moving forward; instead, let it motivate you to make real impactful change.

Set a Goal and Choose Your Metrics

What does success look like for you when it comes to driving DEI in your workplace? It can be difficult to know where to begin; in this case, it can be beneficial to set a goal and work backward to determine what needs to be measured in order to accurately track what you’ve defined as success.

Ask yourself why your organization needs a DEI strategy. Is it because you want to better connect and serve a diverse customer base? Do you want to improve your culture to attract and retain diverse talent?  From your answer, set a relevant goal and metrics to measure.

For example, maybe retaining diverse talent is difficult for your organization. The plan would be to not only hire diverse talent but also to make sure you retain those employees by finding out what’s keeping them from staying and what needs to change within your culture to make your talent feel more included, whether that is closing a pay gap or creating more pathways to promotionThe next step is to make your goal something you can measure. for this particular goal, measuring your turnover rate for diverse employees may be the best metric.

Create Inclusive Hiring Practices And Policies

As an organization looking to make your DEI strategy a core part of your organization, you need to ensure that all feel welcomed and that they belong. This includes bringing belonging into your hiring practices and policies. Who are these policies potentially leaving out? How can it be changed to better encourage belonging?

For example, maybe your policy only allows paid holidays that could be considered ‘traditional,’ such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Floating holidays could offer paid leave on holidays that underrepresented groups celebrate.

Floating holidays can be:

Public holidays that don’t fall on the same day every year, such as Thanksgiving or Good Friday.
Extra paid time off or vacation time; this can be provided by an employer as compensation or as part of an employee’s benefits.
Substitution for another public holiday; this substitution can allow employees to take time off for special holidays or events.

Overall, offering floating holidays can ensure that employees from different ethnic backgrounds are able to celebrate holidays and events that are most important to them. Offering your employees these kinds of benefits can signal to diverse talent that your organization is a welcoming space for all.

Get Everyone Involved In Your DEI Strategy

Real change won’t happen if everyone isn’t on board with your DEI strategy, and this includes leaders as well as middle managers, who are key for creating inclusive cultures. A good DEI strategy could be set in place but without the aid and support of leadership, it’s most likely to falter. It’s important that leaders model behavior that reflects the values of DEI, not only to hold themselves accountable but to inspire their peers in their own DEI journey.  For example, leaders can speak for individuals who are often silenced while creating a safe space for others to speak  unapologetically.

And while there may be many barriers for middle managers when it comes to being DEI advocates, research suggests that managers don’t always understand the role they play in diversity and inclusion initiatives, and that this lack of understanding directly impacts their level of commitment. Offer concrete pathways for middle managers to get involved in DEI initiatives.

This means involving middle managers in creating the DEI framework and process, which will be unique to your organization. Doing so means middle managers will have more buy-in and be more likely to reach their goals, according to McKinsey & Company.

Involve your Employees

Having your employee’s feedback could lead to insights that help you see what’s working and what needs to be improved. Ultimately your DEI strategy is going to affect this group the most, so having their feedback and involvement is critical.

One way to do this is to track employee experience with pulse surveys. Executing of- the-moment surveys can offer valuable feedback in real time to help you get back on track and pinpoint potential inclusion roadblocks. Research suggests that questions should be tailored to seven key dimensions of inclusion for best results: fair treatment, integrating

differences, decision-making, psychological safety, trust, belonging, and diversity.

Ensure Your Team Is Properly Prepared To Implement The DEI Strategy

Does your team have the necessary tools and support to succeed in implementing your DEI strategy? Do your leaders know how to teach themselves and others the values of DEI? To ensure success, you can equip your leadership and employees with the right training for your organization. At Consciously Unbiased, we know that implementing a DEI strategy isn’t a one-size-fits-all and that real change starts without shame or blame. Learn more about Consciously Unbiased’s training here.

Shift Your Focus From Experience To Skills

Hiring solely based on work experience and academic achievements can severely limit the range of talent your organization is exposed to. Focusing on skills rather than experience mitigates unconscious bias and allows talent from diverse backgrounds to be considered equally.

Take Your Time And Keep Adapting

Like any strategy, adapting your DEI strategy to your needs and limitations is critical. Remember that your DEI Strategy is an ongoing process; editing and adjusting are part of it. Don’t be discouraged by how long it could take to see change, real change comes slowly. Remember that DEI isn’t a box to be checked, and it’s not something you only do when the bottom line is good. Rather, those who play the long game and make it a core part of your strategies will create more sustainable organizations.

From inclusive leadership training to hiring diverse talent, Consciously Unbiased is your one-stop shop for learning experiences and solutions to help companies of all sizes build the framework for inclusive workplaces where all employees feel valued and engaged. Discover more about our DEI Training or browse our  DEI articles.

What is Diversity Recruiting?

Diversity recruiting is actively seeking job candidates from diverse backgrounds and working to make recruiting processes more inclusive. This also includes taking steps to make the recruiting, hiring, and promotion process more equitable and fair by eliminating or mitigating the effects of unconscious bias or other systemic barriers.

Learn more about DEI training and what it looks like in the workplace.

Benefits Of Hiring Diverse Talent

Here are four reasons why hiring diverse talent is important.

Helps Minimize Conformity Bias

A diverse workforce can avoid confirmation bias that can cause stagnation in creativity and negatively impact your organization. Conformity bias, or “group think,” happens when your views are swayed too much by those of other people. It tends to happen because we seek acceptance from others and want to hold opinions and views that our community accepts, so we “follow the herd” instead of making independent judgments. You can read more about confirmation bias and other types of bias here.

Increases Innovation

Hiring diverse talent can have positive effects on your organization, including through innovation. According to a Harvard Business Review study, diverse organizations are 70% more likely to enter new markets than companies that do not include under-represented groups in their hiring processes. Also according to Forbes, companies with above-average diversity generated a higher proportion of revenue from innovation than companies with below-average diversity.

Improves Financial Performance

All organizations share the same goal of making more profit, and successful diversity hiring has been proven to accomplish this. According to McKinsey, organizations in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity were 35% more likely to receive above-average financial returns, and those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to receive above-average financial returns.

Increases Cultural Awareness

A diverse workplace can provide a major competitive edge when entering new markets. To succeed in a foreign market, a product or service may need to be adapted, and understanding local laws, rules, and cultures, as well as the competitive marketplace, can be the difference in an organization’s success or failure. Moreover, cultural awareness, language proficiency, and local connections can help organizations better understand and engage with clients from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

Especially now organizations cannot afford to miss out on investing in what diverse talent can bring to the table. Knowing why diverse hiring is a great first step, keep reading to learn how to strengthen your DEI recruiting strategy by attracting diverse candidates.

4 Ways to Attract Diverse Talent

Here are some tips and strategies on how to attract diverse talent to your organization.

Emphasize Diversity in Your Job Descriptions

Job descriptions should include your organization’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and, Inclusion) initiatives in enough detail that candidates know your dedication to DEI is genuine. Do your best to avoid generic DEI statements such as, “Equal opportunity employer,” as they can come off as disingenuous. If you want DEI training that makes a difference but don’t know where to start, try downloading a sample of our diverse hiring workshop and see what Consciously Unbiased can offer your organization.

Place DEI at the Core of Your Organization

It’s not enough to debias your job descriptions. Employees want messaging that signals how your company is specifically supporting DEI and shows it is a priority, such as by including diverse representation on your social channels. You can help recruit diverse talent by amplifying the stories of your leaders who have the dimensions of identity you’re looking to recruit. One example is how Peloton’s brand is advancing inclusion and belonging in fitness with a blog introducing an adaptive training consultant and then future instructor in an effort to make training inclusive for people of all abilities.

By doing this, you’ll be making it known that your DEI initiative is central to your organization’s values.

Provide Equitable Benefits to all Employees

Benefits should be standardized and available to all employees. For example, offer parental leave to both mothers and fathers and ensure that same-sex couples are a part of your spousal benefit policies. This will help normalize caregiving responsibilities in the workplace for all genders.

Language is something to be aware of here: Avoid terms like, “maternity leave” and ‘paternity’ leave. Do your best to use gender-neutral language, for example, by saying “familial leave,” or “parental leave.”

Create Company Policies that Support Diverse Candidates

This step will help demonstrate your commitment to DEI and, at the same time, make diverse candidates feel protected and cared for.

Make an effort to include time off and scheduling policies that include religious holidays. When hiring diverse candidates, scheduling cannot be a one-size-fits-all, because candidates will need different schedules that require flexibility and understanding.

When it comes to a successful DEI strategy, many leaders lack a clear path for making progress and must learn on their own without clear guidelines. Find out more about our DEI Training and read more about diversity, equity, & inclusion here.

Diversifying Your Workforce: Diversity Hiring Best Practices

Re-evaluate Your Organization’s Interviewing Practices

Does your organization’s interview process support diversity hiring best practices? Here are some steps you can take to ensure you’re supporting a diverse workforce. Always do your best to question what qualities you place value in and determine if they are based on your own bias.

Ensure that Your Interviewers Reflect Diverse Backgrounds

It can feel like conflicting information when it’s stated an organization is diverse and the interviewers do not reflect the diversity organizations are trying to create. Build diverse interview panels where people from various backgrounds are represented to illustrate that diverse people within your company hold decision-making power, as well as helping to minimize hiring bias by allowing for a variety of viewpoints.

Give the Interviewer Tools to Become Aware of Their Bias

Organize a workshop or training to educate your hiring team about any unconscious bias that may come up during the interviewing process. Bias is nothing to be ashamed of or blamed for. Consciously Unbiased offers training that can help with bias in a safe and healthy space. Learn more about our training here.

Ensure Interview Questions are Standardized to Limit or Eliminate Bias

Ensure that the interview process is standardized so that each candidate is asked the same questions. Standardization allows the interviewer to avoid variations in questions and ensures that each candidate is assessed using the same set of criteria.

Consider Using Blind Resumes and Blind Interviews to Mitigate Bias

Blind resumes are what they sound like! This process includes blocking out personal information on resumes, such as names, locations, and date of birth. All of these factors can contribute to bias-led decision making and removing them can help remove the bias itself.

Blind interviews can also aid in mitigating bias in the interview process.t’s accomplished by focusing on forms of communication that allow anonymity for candidates in the early stages of interviews. Communication through text and emails are used here so that the candidate can communicate without giving any personal information that may result in bias.

Harnessing both of these techniques can not only help you fill the role with the best candidate for the job, but also maintain and support a diverse and healthy workforce.Diverse hiring can be difficult: Having someone to guide and help you along the way is what we do. Consciously Unbiased helps organizations break all types of unconscious bias in the workplace. See how our diversity and inclusion training can help you meet your inclusion goals.