Dara M Wilson’s Post

"𝐎𝐡! 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬." Imagine hearing that after years of hard work—disheartening, isn't it? This is what a client shared with me during our counselling session, feeling undervalued and overlooked despite her qualifications. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔: 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: We first cataloged all her contributions and achievements that led to her promotion. Listing these allowed her to visually reaffirm her capabilities and qualifications, reinforcing that her promotion was well-deserved. 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤: We worked on changing her inner dialogue from doubts instilled by external comments to a narrative of self-confidence and pride in her accomplishments. This shift in mindset is crucial for personal empowerment and professional growth. 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡: Finally, we prepared responses for her to use in future encounters of similar comments. By articulating her journey and the hard work behind her success, she not only educates others but also advocates for the merit-based recognition of all professionals, regardless of gender. PS : 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦? 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳! #mentalhealth

🗣️It gave me a distinct pleasure today to exercise my index 👆🏽 finger to block a troll who endeavored to rationalize the ‘loss of life’ of the pregnant Black woman ‘Ta'kiya Young’ under my recent post. 🙏🏾 📵I'm no longer allowing willful racist ignorance and the absence of human decency to be entertained on my limited social media space. 💻 The ease of use and access to end-all contact gave me a sense of empowerment.✌🏽 While I welcome various perspectives 🤗, I also have the unapologetic and unmitigated gall to demand due regard, even during the age of digitization. 👩🏽💻 That feeling we get when we stumble upon a comment that’s not just off-topic 🤯but also out-of-this-world inappropriate is completely within our capability to control. 🌍🙅♂️ Consider the BLOCK button your trusty sidekick in the quest to keep your online space troll-free. It’s cause for celebration🎉! 🚀 Here’s my why: 🛡️ Defending Dignity: Blocking gives you the power to protect yourself and your community from hate speech, racial trolling, and toxic vibes. It’s like having a personal forcefield for your digital well-being! 🧐 Reflex-free Zone: Say goodbye 👋🏽 to those moments when you were this close to typing a scathing response to a troll, only to remember that Gandalf-level wisdom: “You shall not pass!” Instead, block’em 📵 and keep your cool. 😎 🌈 Embrace Positivity: By blocking the negativity, you create space for meaningful, constructive conversations. Let’s build bridges, not burn ’em! 🌉 🌟 Remember, blocking isn’t about silencing differing opinions; it’s about keeping the discourse respectful and productive. 👩🏽🏫 I share 🫶🏽 content specific to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging with the perspective of my individual intersectionalites. 👉🏽Protecting the interactions on information I share is my responsibility and I’m here for it.😎 #BlockTheTrolls #deib #diversityequityinclusionandbelonging #GandalfTheGrey #inclusionmatters #respectforpeople

Apparently my post last Thursday struck a nerve, I received a delightful message in my email on Friday, This pleasant chap notified me that I am “woke” accompanied by some other “pleasantries”, I take this as a compliment, Because yes I am “awake” to the many injustices in the world, Which includes the continued need for women to fight for equal treatment us men have enjoyed since forever, And the need to eradicate bullying and toxic behaviors from our workplaces, In fact according to Oxford dictionary, woke means: “Being aware or well informed in a political or cultural sense” I did take the opportunity to highlight to this person it was due to antiquated views like his, That posts like the one I put up last Thursday are required and why I wrote UNLIKE A BOSS, Such messages only serve to make me double down in my efforts, So thank you for the further inspiration, Like many other people, I stand against bullying and anyone being made to feel they don’t belong, I stand for diversity, full inclusion, equality and equity – for all! We can all make a positive impact, It just takes the will! Do you agree? 🤔 Tap my 🛎️ to see my daily content. UNLIKE A BOSS is available from most online bookstores and you can find links to a selection of these including Amazon, on my website (in the comments below). #peoplefirst #culture #inclusion #leadership #management #unlikeaboss

We're all biased - it's part of being human. But what really matters is how we respond to our biases. Check out this excellent blog post from our Lead Trainer, Jo Gower https://lnkd.in/e89Fe6NC #BiasAwareness #PersonalGrowth #Inclusion

I wish I could pick every single reaction option LinkedIn provides for this post. #Intersectionality is a core part of who we are as humans, especially for those of the global majority. Refusing to acknowledge that, or even worse, actively speaking against it says much about who *you* are. It's why I have my mental health status in my header. It's why I have my gender identity in my header. It's why I have my orientation in my header. It's why I have my race in my header. All of these are part of my #authenticself. I won't hide any of those segments just to make others comfortable. Get onboard or get out of my way.

Feeling "not enough" of something lately? Don't assume that being dyed-in-the-fin "typical" is the answer. Neurodiverse people often need allies who help them to be their best selves, wherever they work and play. Come to think of it, everyone can benefit from: Building self-awareness; Being more inclusive; Reimagining "social" behavior; Offering accommodations; Being sensitive to people's needs for disclosure #neurodiverse #neurodiversityawareness #executivefunctioning

Oof...the moment you recognize you've contributed to a systemically racist system. Let's be real. Relationship-building is pushed like drugs at high volumes in corporations and institutions. We are taught very early to get a mentor, get a sponsor, get advocates, build relationships, network, network, network, etc. And I've definitely been guilty of being a relationship pusher 🙋🏾♀️ Because we know there's limited spots at the top and you gotta stand out from the crowd somehow, right? But what happens when you recognize that there are cultural, cognitive and overall philosophical differences that keep people from connecting at that rate and on that level? 👉🏾 Some people just want to go to work and go home. 👉🏾 Some cultures and backgrounds are accustomed to being heads-down and not overly socializing at work. 👉🏾 Some people have social anxiety or are introverted to the point of deep physical or mental distress when meeting new people. Here's the even bigger headline: Absolutely nothing is wrong with any of these scenarios...how did we come to rely so heavily on relationships and socializing to succeed in the workplace anyway? We've created workplaces where if you're not all up under powerful and influential people's armpits, you're destined to stay professionally stuck. And it's this way practically everywhere... So when are we going to create truly MERIT-BASED workplaces that aren't overly reliant on you being the influencers' and gatekeepers' favorite show poodle? And that do not, as a result, disproportionately disadvantage historically marginalized populations because, of course, the vast majority of people in power are Wh.ite, male, cishetero without disabilities. We got some WORK to do. Image / Screenshot Credit: 25_bwb on Instagram

Unfortunately, mean girls in the workplace are all too common and at every level. Here are a few tips on how to deal with them. 1. Take the high road – don’t engage with the harmful things people say about you. 2. Kill them with kindness – just be kind to everyone. 3. Do not engage or counterattack – as discussed above, when you don’t give a bully a reaction, it often makes them go away. 4. Problem solve – look for ways to solve the problem with this person in a professional way without stooping to their level. So, for example, if you work or volunteer together, can you find common ground to bring you closer? 5. Find your tribe – when you’re being personally attacked, it’s so important to surround yourself with people who support and really get you. 6. Support and lift up others –

People in positions of privilege as proud personas of particular persons. Let’s discuss! 🗣 Lately, I’ve been seeing a number of folks in the spotlight; especially actors and celebrities; lauding their successes as somehow being this huge point of pride for the entire community they have decided to represent. And while there may be a big fuss about such things in the social media spaces, your average minority on the street could really care less! This may be shocking, so I’ll give you minute. Ready? Okay, so here’s the skinny. I’ve spent time talking to everyday folks from all walks of life and not a single one cares as much about these people ‘representing them’ as the ‘representative’ themselves. Or the press that showers them with praise for…being a minority and still making a bunch of money, I guess! Look, these people made it! Good for them! But it’d be nice if they stopped acting like the folks who happen to look or love like them are celebrating all over the world! And are somehow greatly benefiting from their personal success! It’s not like there aren’t glass ceiling left to break, but it often feels like these types are thinking nothing meaningful happened between 1960 and 2015! Seriously, do we still need have ‘firsts’ for literally everything?  I mean, when you’re having to get as specific as “the first female dwarf of color” then you should know you have probably lost the plot a little bit! So please, stop using race and sexual orientation for your self-aggrandizing talking points and simply enjoy your success! You may be on top of the world. But for the rest of us, it’s just Tuesday! But, how about you folks? Anyone else out there asking the tough questions outside of the social media sphere? If so, what have your own experiences been? #Thoughts #Culture #People

It's #RaceEqualityWeek so here are a few resources by Hira Ali which may be useful; ■ How can you support racially diverse groups? Forbes https://lnkd.in/eShbjuBr ■ The role of Managers in maximizing the potential of diverse employees Diverse Executive Coach Directory https://lnkd.in/e5TSxjmf ■ The #allyship podcast with The Diversity Trust https://lnkd.in/erpRsEen ■ How to be an #ally for other ethnicities with Next Pivot Point https://lnkd.in/gGWc9wUS ■ How #womenofcolor can navigate #biases at work, Harvard Business Review https://lnkd.in/e68UvfmV ◾ How to secure support for ERGs, HBR https://lnkd.in/g9u4_9ch ◾Why People of Colour Should Interview Their Interviewer When Applying For Jobs, HuffPost https://lnkd.in/enS6nGiG Some key points to be aware of: 1️⃣ Be Aware Educate yourself on the issues racially diverse colleagues face and believe them without dismissing or getting defensive if a racial injustice is highlighted. Recognising privilege is crucial in understanding how unequal access to power & resources has impacted communities. 2️⃣ Be Transparent and Authentic During vulnerable times, it’s more critical for you to demonstrate empathy than caution. Many well-intentioned white colleagues are conflicted about what to do and afraid to say the wrong things. But people will appreciate genuineness more than anything. Don't wait too long to express your concern, even if you’re uncertain or still trying to understand the situation. 3️⃣ Avoid Generalisation The racially diverse groups you work with might not fit the #stereotypes society defines for that group, so never assume anything. There are specific terminologies used to describe marginalised groups in many workplaces, but whatever the term, understand that while nearly all marginalised communities have experienced prejudice at some point, particular challenges may be unique to specific ethnicities. It's important not to generalize, cluster, or dilute the barriers respective communities face. Moreover, some people can experience amplified #marginalisation, so be mindful of #intersectionality challenges. 4️⃣ Call It Out Understand that silence is complicit. Supportive allies can no longer be oblivious to the challenges marginalised communities face in the workplace; If you witness #racism, #bias, or #microaggressions on the job, intervene and call the behavior out instead of remaining an apathetic bystander. If you don’t feel equipped to do it alone, rally support or share the matter with relevant personnel. 5️⃣ Mentor and Sponsor Advocate for colleagues and offer them mentorship & sponsorship to progress. You can also help them gain the perspective and secure new connections they need to take on more prominent roles, access power, and advance their careers. Your willingness to take the first few steps towards conscious inclusion can go a long way in creating #psychologicalsafety for racially diverse groups. Race Equality Matters