Archives for November 2020

The Value of Taking a Strategic Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion With Jennifer Ingram

My guest on Episode 51 of the Impact Makers podcast is Jennifer Ingram.

Jennifer is the Founder and CEO of Calibrated Lens LLC,where she specializes in helping organizations to enhance their performance, productivity, and brand presence by centering equity and inclusion.

Jennifer has previously served as the first Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, which is the sixth largest United Way in the nation, and has also led DE&I strategies at two nationally ranked academic medical centers – The Mayo Clinic and Henry Ford Health System.

She’s passionate about her work, and describes herself as an Equity & Inclusion Evangelist.

I think you’ll learn a lot from the fresh perspectives she shares in this episode.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

What Jennifer learned by being a member of a Diversity and Inclusion committee back in elementary school, and how those experiences still impact her today.
How diversity should be an outcome of our work, instead of the driver of it.
Why the head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion should be a member of the executive team, reporting into the CEO.
The importance of clarifying how diversity programs have changed as a result of introducing equity into the equation.
What does equity look like from a strategic perspective?
Where many organizations miss the mark when trying to improve their diversity recruiting efforts.
Creative approaches to establishing equity programs in your organization.
How we’ve created a false sense of inclusion within organizations, and perpetuated that with diversity and inclusion programs.
Is it possible for a white person to be the head of diversity and inclusion?
Thoughts on incentivizing DE&I efforts for leaders of organizations.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 51

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“If you have a head of D&I that is not a member of the executive team, you’re missing the mark. Not to say that you can’t do good work, but it won’t be as deeply impactful at achieving some of those desired outcomes as it could be.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“What does equity look like from a strategic perspective? Diversity is happening, inclusion in intentional, equity is deliberate. It’s taking a deliberate look at your systems and understanding where you may be producing disparity.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“Equity work is deliberate. It won’t just happen.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“Folks love to say that diverse teams outperform more homogeneous teams. That’s not true. Well-managed diverse teams outperform teams that lack diversity.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

“Oftentimes we confuse the goal of reaching this kumbaya state, it’s not. The desire is not always to change everyone’s beliefs. That’s not success. It’s teaching how to be mutually respectful of differences and understanding and seeing and valuing those differences in others, and understanding that those are the things that make us better – not everyone singing from the same hymn book of sorts.” ~ Jennifer Ingram

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

Calibrated Lens LLC

Jennifer Ingram LinkedIn

Navigating Uncertainty and Unrest in 2020 by Jennifer Ingram

RESOURCE GUIDE: Exploring Differences, Reducing Harm, Evolving Strategies

Mishawn Styles

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

Written by Jennifer McClure

Balancing a Strong Personal Brand With a High Profile Corporate Career With Amber Naslund

If you’re a regular listener of the podcast, you’ve heard me talk with several previous guests that I first connected with back in the somewhat golden days of blogging, and the beginnings of social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Although I’m not sure how I originally came across my guest on this episode, I know that I was a regular reader of her very popular blog called Brass Tack Thinking during that time frame.

Through great writing and a relatable voice, she shared experiences, practical advice, and marketing expertise, that was extremely helpful to me, and thousands of others, in building a personal brand, and in building a business that connected with those that I wanted to serve.

Then, one day in January 2010, she wrote a blog post that was titled – “The Equestrian’s Guide to Reaching Your Goals” – and as a fellow adult amateur equestrian, I loved how she linked lessons she had learned from horseback riding to setting foundational goals for the next year.

That was it. We were destined to be the best of friends. Or, at least virtual horse buddies. 🙂

To this day, we love sharing, commenting and liking pictures of our horsey adventures online, and I hope we’ll actually get to meet at a horse show or an industry conference or event sometime in the future.

But, since that doesn’t look like it will be able to happen any time soon, I thought that asking her to join me on the podcast would be fun, but also really valuable for both me and you. She’s still doing great work, and continues to share her thoughts and ideas freely in order to help others.

Amber Naslund is a 20-year veteran marketer, and in that time she’s worked with some of the biggest companies, the freshest startups, and everything in between.

In her current role as a senior consultant at LinkedIn, she advises top global clients on their digital content marketing strategies, and their overall approach to using LinkedIn, while on a mission to prove that companies can build compelling, authoritative B2B brands without being dull.

Amber is also the co-author of the best-selling social media handbook The Now Revolution, and when she’s not working on her next book, article, or industry talk, she’s restoring her brain cells on horseback, or spending time with her kid (who’s also an accomplished equestrian already), and her rescue dogs.

In this episode, Amber and I chat about what it was like for her to go from industry darling, to best selling author, to failed entrepreneur, and what she discovered about herself in that journey that helped her to rebuild her confidence, and fuel her success today.

We also talk about what it takes to build a strong and authentic personal brand and platform in today’s noisy world, as well as what to consider when balancing a strong personal brand with a high profile corporate career.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

What an entrepreneurial failure taught Amber about herself, and how it set her up for future success.
What it’s like being a woman out front in the tech industry sharing your ideas.
Advice for someone who asks how they can build a loyal following online.
Amber’s thoughts on whether it’s necessary to be on all of the online platforms if you’re trying to build your personal brand.
The difference between being authentic and being genuine, and why it’s important for personal brands.
Why Amber is comfortable talking online about sensitive topics like mental health, imposter syndrome, and failures in business.
Amber’s journey toward understanding imposter syndrome, and how she’s come to view it as a normal, and real, part of the process.
How sharing your own vulnerabilities can be helpful with addressing imposter syndrome, and foster trust with your community.
3 tips for those who are interesting becoming thought leaders.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 50

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“Being a thought leader isn’t the goal, it’s the result. So, every “thought leader” started as a nobody that no one had ever heard of, that didn’t have an audience. That stuff comes with your willingness to show up first, and put more into the community than you’re asking to take out. So make all of the deposits up front, share the knowledge, be generous, be effusive with how much you’re willing to put in, and the results come. But it has to go in that order.” ~ Amber Naslund

“When we feel seen, and we feel that sense of belonging to something that is bigger than us, but still imperfect, it’s okay for us to be imperfect. That’s an incredibly relieving, reenforcing and validating feeling as humans, and we could all use a little bit more of that right now.” ~ Amber Naslund

“The world doesn’t have your point of view, so there’s really no harm in seeing what you can add that’s unique, even if the conversation itself is not.” ~ Amber Naslund

People & Resources Mentioned In This episode:

Amber Naslund

Amber Naslund LinkedIn

Amber Naslund Twitter

The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 049 – Discovering the Hidden Forces That Drive You to Do Your Best Work With Todd Henry

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

Written by Jennifer McClure

Discovering the Hidden Forces That Drive You to Do Your Best Work With Todd Henry

On Episode 49 of the Impact Makers Podcast, I’m speaking with someone that I admire and respect, and whom I’ve learned a great deal from over the past 10 years through his podcast, his books, and also by sometimes sharing stages with him speaking at conferences and events around the world.

Todd Henry positions himself as an “arms dealer for the creative revolution”, and he teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance.

He’s the author of five books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, and the latest – The Motivation Code), and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

Todd is also the host of The Accidental Creative podcast, where he offers weekly tips for how to stay prolific, brilliant, and healthy, and it’s been downloaded over 10 million times.

When I saw that he was releasing his latest book – his fifth – in early October, I immediately bought a copy to keep my streak going of having read all of his books, and I also reached out to ask if he would join me on the podcast to share more about it with you. I was thrilled when he said yes right away, and I think you’ll enjoy learning more about his books, as well as how you can do the best work of your life.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

How starting a podcast in 2005 as a fun side project and creative outlet led unexpectedly to a book deal with a major publisher, and invitations to speak at events all over the world.
Why persistence is the key to success at work and in life.
What a 5-time published author who hates the writing process loves about writing books.
How to structure your life in a way that you’re going to produce great work.
How to avoid the seven forces that disrupt your ability to produce work you can be proud of.
The five key elements needed when putting your work into the world to ensure it will resonate with people.
The leadership framework necessary to lead highly creative people, and to provide the stability and challenge they need to thrive.
How identifying your core motivators can help you understand what drives you, and also how you can mitigate any of their negative effects.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 49

(Email subscribers – click HERE to listen to the podcast.)

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“Part of the key to life and to success is that success comes in layers, and it’s just showing up over and over and over and over and over. Because you might show up today and get rejected, and then six months later you show up to the exact same person but the circumstances have changed, and you’re the greatest thing in the history of the world. All of a sudden, now you’re exactly what they’re looking for.” ~ Todd Henry

“For me, my love of the writing process has little to do with the actual writing, and more to do with the fact that it introduces the opportunity for me to put ideas out into the world in the way that they’re accessible to people.” ~ Todd Henry

“Every motivation is a gift. We should not feel guilty for the way that we’re motivated.” ~ Todd Henry

“Motivation is the base layer for everything else we do. If we understand what drives us, so much of our other behavior is explainable and we can mitigate so many of the negative effects of our actions.” ~ Todd Henry