September 22, 2025 • 17 mins
Part 1: Do you ever feel like you're walking on eggshells at work, afraid to speak up, share an idea, or be your authentic self? That feeling is more than just stress—it's a lack of psychological safety, a critical outcome of an inclusive workplace.
In Part 1 of this crucial conversation, I am joined by Culture and Belonging expert Dr. Kesha Carter to unpack the undeniable link between Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and your mental, emotional, and even physical health. We lay the groundwork for understanding why true inclusion is the only way to prevent burnout and build a thriving culture.
In this episode, you will learn:
- What psychological safety truly is and why it's a non-negotiable for employee well-being.
- The draining, real-world impact of microaggressions and a non-inclusive workplace on your mental health.
- Why DEI is the foundational key to unlocking team-wide wellness and performance.
Be sure to tune into Part 2, where we shift from theory to action with strategies to help you flourish and evolve.
Connect with Dr. Carter and learn more about her transformative work via email at Lkcarter827@gmail.com or LinkedIn
What's the #1 wellness topic you think we should cover?
Thank you for listening! We'd love to hear from you!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
UNKNOWN (00:00):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Hello, and welcome back to the Life Podcast, where
we explore what it means tolearn, inspire, flourish, and
evolve in our journey towardsholistic well-being.
Today, we're talking aboutoccupational wellness, which, as
we defined back in our veryfirst episode, is about finding
that balance between meaningfulwork and personal fulfillment.
(00:23):
We're diving into a topic thatis absolutely critical in
today's world, the powerful,undeniable link between
diversity, equity, andinclusion.
and our wellness at work.
So many of us have heard theterm DEI, but what does it truly
mean for our mental, emotional,and even physical health?
How does a truly inclusiveculture become a sanctuary for
(00:45):
our well-being and what happenswhen that sanctuary is
threatened?
To help us unpack all of this,we have a very special guest
with us today.
Dr.
Keisha Carter is a nationallyrecognized leader and the
Director of Culture, Belonging,and Engagement at a local school
district.
With over 17 years of experienceleading organizational change,
(01:05):
she has been instrumental inbuilding sustainable,
value-driven workplace culture.
She holds a doctorate inexecutive leadership and is a
certified diversity executive.
Her incredible work has earnedher honors, like being named one
of the top female we admire in2024 and the 2023 DEI Executive
of the Year.
(01:26):
She is truly passionate abouthelping leaders create cultures
where people feel seen, valued,and empowered to drive.
Dr.
Carter, thank you so much forjoining us today.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Thank you so much for having me.
It's a pleasure.
It's my honor.
SPEAKER_01 (01:39):
Well, it's our honor and privilege, right, to have
you on our show so that youcould share some valuable,
actionable strategies for ourlisteners.
So let's jump right into it.
And let's start with the firstpillar of life, and that is to
learn.
So Dr.
Carter, for many, DEI can feellike a corporate buzzword.
What are we really talkingabout?
(02:01):
And how does DEI Connect to thecore of our well-being.
Can you break that down for us?
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
Yeah, it's become this buzzword because folks
don't really understand the D,the E, and the I.
And it's just this one, like,big acronym that folks always
say together, DEI, DEI.
And I think because it's been sosmooshed together, everybody has
their own idea of what it reallyis.
(02:26):
And so when we really break itdown, the D is, you know, the
diversity, the E is the equity,and the I is inclusion.
And diversity is just everythingthat every single person brings
with them, right?
We all bring diversityeverywhere we go.
And then the equity is how weuse the resources in spaces to
meet the needs of people.
And then the I is how do we makepeople know that they belong and
(02:47):
they are really valued andrespected for everything that
they bring with them into aspace.
And I think it's reallyimportant to well-being because
it really, so one, the medicalpart of it is when And folks
feel stressed and like theydon't belong, that they always
have to cover some part ofthemselves.
(03:07):
There's the neurological aspectwhere our brains are so clogged
up with who can I, who do I, whocan I be in this space?
Who can't I be?
What part of myself can I bring?
What part of myself can't Ibring?
How do I need to dress?
How do I need to wear my hair?
How do I need to speak?
All of those things.
And so when your brain is soclogged up with those things,
you can't really focus on thework that you, you're not giving
(03:29):
100% to the work that you aresupposed to give.
Yeah, absolutely.
(04:01):
And so not really resting, notreally so that if we think about
that armor that people alwayshave to have on.
And if folks are in a space andthey don't truly feel included,
they don't truly feel like theybelong there, they don't feel
like they are valued orrespected for who they truly
(04:23):
are.
They're always in that state offight, flight, freeze or fawn.
And they're not really able tojust relax and be them and be
themselves.
And so it really is part ofwell-being.
And I think overall, inclusionand belonging really need to be
part of corporate wellnessprograms or wellness programs in
(04:45):
many different spaces because itreally is a part of wellness for
people.
SPEAKER_01 (04:50):
So thank you for that because, you know, you
often hear about psychologicalsafety in relation to DEI.
Can you explain, and you toucheda little bit upon it, but can
you explain what that actuallyis and why it's not a Yeah,
absolutely.
So there's
SPEAKER_00 (05:06):
a couple different parts to psychological safety,
right?
There's, like I mentioned, youknow, who can I be in this
space?
How psychologically safe am I tobe who I am authentically to
bring everything about me intothis space?
Do I need to edit the way thatI'm wearing my hair?
Do I need to edit the jewelrythat I'm wearing?
(05:27):
Do I need to edit the clothesthat I'm wearing?
Do I need to edit the way that Ispeak?
And so there's that part of thepsychological safety where I
don't feel psychologically.
So part of my brain isconstantly working to remind
myself who I who it's safe to bein this space.
And then the other part is whenthings happen to individuals,
(05:47):
when something is said, whensomething when an action is
done, how safe do I feel torespond to that in the way that
is either educational forsomeone is because I also have
to check my emotions, right?
I have to be emotionally intoAnd so how safe do I feel to
respond to that in this spacewith the folks who are around
(06:09):
me?
So do I feel safe enough to say,hey, Dr.
Cooper, you said something thatwas really harmful and I wanted
to share that with you.
Can I give you some ideas on howyou can say some things a little
bit differently so it's notharmful to someone else?
And so we think about the scaleof harm, right?
Is it harmful where I'm like,and the relationship that we
(06:30):
have, right?
I don't want you to harm someoneelse.
I care about you.
I don't want you to harm someoneelse.
So I'm going to share this withyou.
Or we haven't built thatrelationship.
And in my head, I'm like, whoare you talking to?
Who did you really just say thatto me?
And I have to check, is it safeto say, oh, no, you don't say
that to people, right?
So also, so it's the safety partof who can I be in this space?
(06:53):
How can I be accepted in thisspace and really, truly
understand that I belong here?
And how can I respond to things?
that are coming at me as well.
So it's all of those togethermake up the psychological
safety.
And so that's where other folksin spaces need to do work to
really step forward and say, youknow what, because of your
(07:15):
identity, whether it is as awoman, as a Black woman, if
someone is part of the LGBTQcommunity, if they are a
different generation than whatis the majority in that space,
whatever those identities, somany different identities that
are talked about, whatever thatidentity is, usually that person
who holds that identity is theone that is tasked or burdened
(07:37):
with speaking up, educatingfolks, and shutting things down
that are harmful.
So that's where other folks whohave that privilege, who are not
part of that traditionalminority within our society,
have the duty to step forwardand say, you know what, I'm
going to say that for youbecause you shouldn't have to
(07:58):
live this and always have toeducate Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (08:03):
So you actually have role modeled how to tell
individuals like, hey, that'snot that's not a good term.
Let me tell you about thehistory.
And you did that with me.
And I was so grateful because Ibelieve it was the term the
peanut gallery.
And I said it in a conversationthat we were having.
And you were like, hey, sis,that's not a good term to use.
And let me tell you why.
And it was an educational momentfor me, an aha moment of, wow,
(08:27):
our words have meanings and theyhave historical definition.
they're defined historically,right?
So really thinking about when itwas created, why it was created
and how harmful it could, itactually can be.
So I thank you for that becauseI think about that day a lot.
Whenever I go to use the word,the peanut gallery, because it's
so ingrained, right?
(08:48):
Of using certain terms.
And now I think about it.
I'm like, nope, I'm not sayingthat.
So thank you for that.
Because the other thing I'mtaking away from what you're
saying is when we feel that wecan, when we feel safe to be
our, Oh, I can't talk today.
(09:14):
Okay, let me start over.
Yeah.
Oh, this is, this is
SPEAKER_00 (09:38):
a good one.
So I thought, I thought long andhard about this and thought
really about what kind of, whatstory do I want to share?
And so, so I'm going to share,I'm going to share two.
I'm going to share one thatgives, that really brings to
life how not so great and itcould have really, it could have
turned around and made a bigimpact and one that was really
(09:58):
good.
So I'm going to start with thenot so great.
So I'm going to start with thenot so great.
So that I leave people on a morepositive note at the end of the
stories.
(10:31):
And in this one building, thereis an elevator that is very
pronounced and it is a glasselevator that sits in the middle
of the building.
It's attached to this big brickcolumn in the middle of this one
building.
And the unspoken rule, becauseit's not written anywhere, but
(10:53):
you go into a space and peoplewill teach you verbally and
non-verbally some things.
And so the unspoken rule is thatthat elevator is only for the
executives.
And if you are not an executivemember, you are not to ride that
elevator.
Now, I was brought in, right, Iwas brought in as the inaugural
(11:13):
chief diversity officer for thisorganization.
And so my role is to break downthose barriers, create a more
inclusive environment.
So I started riding theelevator.
I was not part of the executiveteam, but I was, you know, very
close to the executive team.
I reported to one of theexecutive members.
And So I get on the elevator oneday and I was taking another
employee with me on thiselevator and the employee was
(11:35):
like, they were really afraid.
And I was like, no, no, no, thisis, we should be doing this to
break down those barriers tostop creating that us and them
kind of mentality, right?
And as just so happens on thisday, we're getting on the
elevator and the person from theexecutive team that I reported
to was on the elevator and theelevator stopped.
(11:55):
And the person I reported tolooked and said, oh, I was
wondering why the elevatorstopped on this floor.
What are you doing?
And I said, I'm breaking downbarriers.
I'm pushing the envelope.
And as the other employee and Istepped onto the elevator, the
person I reported to, my leader,looked me straight in my face,
eye to eye and said, don't pushtoo hard.
SPEAKER_01 (12:18):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (12:19):
Yeah.
So that let me know that thework that was being done, you
created this position because noone, as I mentioned, I was the
inaugural person in thisposition.
I was recruited very heavily tocome and create this culture,
help change this culture.
And that in that moment, let meknow that this was performative
work and it was not true workthat they wanted to be done.
(12:43):
And when we talk aboutwell-being and inspiring, right,
I was no longer inspired to dothe work that I knew I was
capable of doing and bring allthe expertise I had with me.
So from that point forward, Istarted, one, I started looking
for another job.
Two, while I was still there,while I was looking for, while I
was waiting to be hiredsomewhere else, I basically,
(13:04):
what they call quiet quitting,right?
I quiet quit.
I did the minimum necessary todo my job and still get a
paycheck and fly under the radarand not have any disciplinary
actions or anything like thatbecause I wasn't doing my work.
So I did my work, but I didminimum necessary.
And so that was not inspiring.
And especially from a leader,that was not inspiring at all.
(13:28):
So counter to that, anotherorganization that I worked in
where I also led DEI efforts,what was very inspiring was in
this organization, the executiveleaders had, they always talked
about having an open doorpolicy, right?
And they really did.
When you walked up to the floorwhere all the executives sat,
they did have their adminassistant sitting like in the
(13:51):
middle.
So it was like they sat allaround these, the doors were all
around the hallway.
And so in the middle of thewalkway area where you would
walk, each of their executiveassistants sat there at desks.
And from the beginning, youwould get the feeling like, oh,
I have to stop and see thisadmin assistant and ask
permission.
And so what happened was what Isaw was I went up one day to
(14:15):
talk to one of the executivesand I stopped at the executive
assistant and And just alsobecause also we have to be
respectful.
Right.
I didn't want to just walk intotheir office, even though their
door was open.
And I said, hey, is such andsuch in their office.
Are they open to can I make anappointment to see them?
And they're like, oh, no.
Looked at the calendar reallyquickly because they were the
executive admin.
Right.
Looked at the calendar.
(14:36):
Oh, he's not in a meeting oranything right now.
Go right in.
Oh, wow.
What?
Oh, oh, I can just.
So I went in and, you know, hewas doing some work and he
looked up and he was like, oh,hey, come on in.
And I went in.
And so I got to share that storywith other people so that they
(15:01):
knew you can also do this.
And so people started doingthat.
And the executives started to beso much more involved in the
work that was coming.
So here they are, if we thinkabout hierarchy, right?
They're here.
And the frontline employees evenwere able to do that.
And so frontline employees werelike, I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do this.
I need to talk about some thingsand wanted to just check in.
(15:22):
And so they're getting thisexposure.
And so they felt much moreinspired to do the work because
they started to understand howthey, the work, even at the
front line, how the work thatthey did fed into the mission
and the goals for theorganization.
And so I like to believe thatwas a factor in increasing
(15:42):
engagement scores and reducingour turnover.
SPEAKER_01 (15:46):
That's incredible.
Thank you for sharing the impactof a performative versus an
authentic, inclusiveorganizational culture.
As you mentioned, you'redirectly linking it to our
well-being.
And we'll pause here for amoment of reflection.
In the first half of ourconversation, Dr.
Carter has really illuminatedwhat it means to learn about the
(16:09):
foundational need forpsychological safety.
We've defined what it is, thefeeling of security to be our
authentic self without fear ofnegative consequences.
And just as importantly, what itis not.
It's not about being nice allthe time, but about creating a
culture of respect where candoris possible.
(16:31):
Then she truly inspired us byconnecting the dots between
psychological safety and theprinciples of diversity, equity,
and inclusion.
We heard how a lack of safetydisproportionately impacts
marginalized groups through, forexample, the daily weight of
microaggressions, which preventsemployees from doing their best
work.
(16:52):
So we're going to break ourepisode up into two parts.
This is a crucial conversation,and Dr.
Carter will guide us through howwe take these principles and
begin to flourish by actuallycreating psychological safe
environments and how we canevolve into leaders who champion
this work.
(17:12):
Thank you for being part of ourcircle.
Be sure to join us in 48 hoursthis Wednesday for the
conclusion of this conversationover the next couple days take a
moment to observe your ownworkplace where do you see
psychological safety in actionwhere are the opportunities for
growth until then remember thatcreating a healthier more
(17:34):
inclusive world starts with youkeep learning stay inspired
continue to flourish and neverstop evolving I am your host Dr.
C and this is the life podcast
UNKNOWN (17:46):
you
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Hello, and welcome back to the Life Podcast, where
we explore what it means tolearn, inspire, flourish, and
evolve in our journey towardsholistic well-being.
Today, we're talking aboutoccupational wellness, which, as
we defined back in our veryfirst episode, is about finding
that balance between meaningfulwork and personal fulfillment.
(00:23):
We're diving into a topic thatis absolutely critical in
today's world, the powerful,undeniable link between
diversity, equity, andinclusion.
and our wellness at work.
So many of us have heard theterm DEI, but what does it truly
mean for our mental, emotional,and even physical health?
How does a truly inclusiveculture become a sanctuary for
(00:45):
our well-being and what happenswhen that sanctuary is
threatened?
To help us unpack all of this,we have a very special guest
with us today.
Dr.
Keisha Carter is a nationallyrecognized leader and the
Director of Culture, Belonging,and Engagement at a local school
district.
With over 17 years of experienceleading organizational change,
(01:05):
she has been instrumental inbuilding sustainable,
value-driven workplace culture.
She holds a doctorate inexecutive leadership and is a
certified diversity executive.
Her incredible work has earnedher honors, like being named one
of the top female we admire in2024 and the 2023 DEI Executive
of the Year.
(01:26):
She is truly passionate abouthelping leaders create cultures
where people feel seen, valued,and empowered to drive.
Dr.
Carter, thank you so much forjoining us today.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Thank you so much for having me.
It's a pleasure.
It's my honor.
SPEAKER_01 (01:39):
Well, it's our honor and privilege, right, to have
you on our show so that youcould share some valuable,
actionable strategies for ourlisteners.
So let's jump right into it.
And let's start with the firstpillar of life, and that is to
learn.
So Dr.
Carter, for many, DEI can feellike a corporate buzzword.
What are we really talkingabout?
(02:01):
And how does DEI Connect to thecore of our well-being.
Can you break that down for us?
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
Yeah, it's become this buzzword because folks
don't really understand the D,the E, and the I.
And it's just this one, like,big acronym that folks always
say together, DEI, DEI.
And I think because it's been sosmooshed together, everybody has
their own idea of what it reallyis.
(02:26):
And so when we really break itdown, the D is, you know, the
diversity, the E is the equity,and the I is inclusion.
And diversity is just everythingthat every single person brings
with them, right?
We all bring diversityeverywhere we go.
And then the equity is how weuse the resources in spaces to
meet the needs of people.
And then the I is how do we makepeople know that they belong and
(02:47):
they are really valued andrespected for everything that
they bring with them into aspace.
And I think it's reallyimportant to well-being because
it really, so one, the medicalpart of it is when And folks
feel stressed and like theydon't belong, that they always
have to cover some part ofthemselves.
(03:07):
There's the neurological aspectwhere our brains are so clogged
up with who can I, who do I, whocan I be in this space?
Who can't I be?
What part of myself can I bring?
What part of myself can't Ibring?
How do I need to dress?
How do I need to wear my hair?
How do I need to speak?
All of those things.
And so when your brain is soclogged up with those things,
you can't really focus on thework that you, you're not giving
(03:29):
100% to the work that you aresupposed to give.
Yeah, absolutely.
(04:01):
And so not really resting, notreally so that if we think about
that armor that people alwayshave to have on.
And if folks are in a space andthey don't truly feel included,
they don't truly feel like theybelong there, they don't feel
like they are valued orrespected for who they truly
(04:23):
are.
They're always in that state offight, flight, freeze or fawn.
And they're not really able tojust relax and be them and be
themselves.
And so it really is part ofwell-being.
And I think overall, inclusionand belonging really need to be
part of corporate wellnessprograms or wellness programs in
(04:45):
many different spaces because itreally is a part of wellness for
people.
SPEAKER_01 (04:50):
So thank you for that because, you know, you
often hear about psychologicalsafety in relation to DEI.
Can you explain, and you toucheda little bit upon it, but can
you explain what that actuallyis and why it's not a Yeah,
absolutely.
So there's
SPEAKER_00 (05:06):
a couple different parts to psychological safety,
right?
There's, like I mentioned, youknow, who can I be in this
space?
How psychologically safe am I tobe who I am authentically to
bring everything about me intothis space?
Do I need to edit the way thatI'm wearing my hair?
Do I need to edit the jewelrythat I'm wearing?
(05:27):
Do I need to edit the clothesthat I'm wearing?
Do I need to edit the way that Ispeak?
And so there's that part of thepsychological safety where I
don't feel psychologically.
So part of my brain isconstantly working to remind
myself who I who it's safe to bein this space.
And then the other part is whenthings happen to individuals,
(05:47):
when something is said, whensomething when an action is
done, how safe do I feel torespond to that in the way that
is either educational forsomeone is because I also have
to check my emotions, right?
I have to be emotionally intoAnd so how safe do I feel to
respond to that in this spacewith the folks who are around
(06:09):
me?
So do I feel safe enough to say,hey, Dr.
Cooper, you said something thatwas really harmful and I wanted
to share that with you.
Can I give you some ideas on howyou can say some things a little
bit differently so it's notharmful to someone else?
And so we think about the scaleof harm, right?
Is it harmful where I'm like,and the relationship that we
(06:30):
have, right?
I don't want you to harm someoneelse.
I care about you.
I don't want you to harm someoneelse.
So I'm going to share this withyou.
Or we haven't built thatrelationship.
And in my head, I'm like, whoare you talking to?
Who did you really just say thatto me?
And I have to check, is it safeto say, oh, no, you don't say
that to people, right?
So also, so it's the safety partof who can I be in this space?
(06:53):
How can I be accepted in thisspace and really, truly
understand that I belong here?
And how can I respond to things?
that are coming at me as well.
So it's all of those togethermake up the psychological
safety.
And so that's where other folksin spaces need to do work to
really step forward and say, youknow what, because of your
(07:15):
identity, whether it is as awoman, as a Black woman, if
someone is part of the LGBTQcommunity, if they are a
different generation than whatis the majority in that space,
whatever those identities, somany different identities that
are talked about, whatever thatidentity is, usually that person
who holds that identity is theone that is tasked or burdened
(07:37):
with speaking up, educatingfolks, and shutting things down
that are harmful.
So that's where other folks whohave that privilege, who are not
part of that traditionalminority within our society,
have the duty to step forwardand say, you know what, I'm
going to say that for youbecause you shouldn't have to
(07:58):
live this and always have toeducate Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (08:03):
So you actually have role modeled how to tell
individuals like, hey, that'snot that's not a good term.
Let me tell you about thehistory.
And you did that with me.
And I was so grateful because Ibelieve it was the term the
peanut gallery.
And I said it in a conversationthat we were having.
And you were like, hey, sis,that's not a good term to use.
And let me tell you why.
And it was an educational momentfor me, an aha moment of, wow,
(08:27):
our words have meanings and theyhave historical definition.
they're defined historically,right?
So really thinking about when itwas created, why it was created
and how harmful it could, itactually can be.
So I thank you for that becauseI think about that day a lot.
Whenever I go to use the word,the peanut gallery, because it's
so ingrained, right?
(08:48):
Of using certain terms.
And now I think about it.
I'm like, nope, I'm not sayingthat.
So thank you for that.
Because the other thing I'mtaking away from what you're
saying is when we feel that wecan, when we feel safe to be
our, Oh, I can't talk today.
(09:14):
Okay, let me start over.
Yeah.
Oh, this is, this is
SPEAKER_00 (09:38):
a good one.
So I thought, I thought long andhard about this and thought
really about what kind of, whatstory do I want to share?
And so, so I'm going to share,I'm going to share two.
I'm going to share one thatgives, that really brings to
life how not so great and itcould have really, it could have
turned around and made a bigimpact and one that was really
(09:58):
good.
So I'm going to start with thenot so great.
So I'm going to start with thenot so great.
So that I leave people on a morepositive note at the end of the
stories.
(10:31):
And in this one building, thereis an elevator that is very
pronounced and it is a glasselevator that sits in the middle
of the building.
It's attached to this big brickcolumn in the middle of this one
building.
And the unspoken rule, becauseit's not written anywhere, but
(10:53):
you go into a space and peoplewill teach you verbally and
non-verbally some things.
And so the unspoken rule is thatthat elevator is only for the
executives.
And if you are not an executivemember, you are not to ride that
elevator.
Now, I was brought in, right, Iwas brought in as the inaugural
(11:13):
chief diversity officer for thisorganization.
And so my role is to break downthose barriers, create a more
inclusive environment.
So I started riding theelevator.
I was not part of the executiveteam, but I was, you know, very
close to the executive team.
I reported to one of theexecutive members.
And So I get on the elevator oneday and I was taking another
employee with me on thiselevator and the employee was
(11:35):
like, they were really afraid.
And I was like, no, no, no, thisis, we should be doing this to
break down those barriers tostop creating that us and them
kind of mentality, right?
And as just so happens on thisday, we're getting on the
elevator and the person from theexecutive team that I reported
to was on the elevator and theelevator stopped.
(11:55):
And the person I reported tolooked and said, oh, I was
wondering why the elevatorstopped on this floor.
What are you doing?
And I said, I'm breaking downbarriers.
I'm pushing the envelope.
And as the other employee and Istepped onto the elevator, the
person I reported to, my leader,looked me straight in my face,
eye to eye and said, don't pushtoo hard.
SPEAKER_01 (12:18):
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (12:19):
Yeah.
So that let me know that thework that was being done, you
created this position because noone, as I mentioned, I was the
inaugural person in thisposition.
I was recruited very heavily tocome and create this culture,
help change this culture.
And that in that moment, let meknow that this was performative
work and it was not true workthat they wanted to be done.
(12:43):
And when we talk aboutwell-being and inspiring, right,
I was no longer inspired to dothe work that I knew I was
capable of doing and bring allthe expertise I had with me.
So from that point forward, Istarted, one, I started looking
for another job.
Two, while I was still there,while I was looking for, while I
was waiting to be hiredsomewhere else, I basically,
(13:04):
what they call quiet quitting,right?
I quiet quit.
I did the minimum necessary todo my job and still get a
paycheck and fly under the radarand not have any disciplinary
actions or anything like thatbecause I wasn't doing my work.
So I did my work, but I didminimum necessary.
And so that was not inspiring.
And especially from a leader,that was not inspiring at all.
(13:28):
So counter to that, anotherorganization that I worked in
where I also led DEI efforts,what was very inspiring was in
this organization, the executiveleaders had, they always talked
about having an open doorpolicy, right?
And they really did.
When you walked up to the floorwhere all the executives sat,
they did have their adminassistant sitting like in the
(13:51):
middle.
So it was like they sat allaround these, the doors were all
around the hallway.
And so in the middle of thewalkway area where you would
walk, each of their executiveassistants sat there at desks.
And from the beginning, youwould get the feeling like, oh,
I have to stop and see thisadmin assistant and ask
permission.
And so what happened was what Isaw was I went up one day to
(14:15):
talk to one of the executivesand I stopped at the executive
assistant and And just alsobecause also we have to be
respectful.
Right.
I didn't want to just walk intotheir office, even though their
door was open.
And I said, hey, is such andsuch in their office.
Are they open to can I make anappointment to see them?
And they're like, oh, no.
Looked at the calendar reallyquickly because they were the
executive admin.
Right.
Looked at the calendar.
(14:36):
Oh, he's not in a meeting oranything right now.
Go right in.
Oh, wow.
What?
Oh, oh, I can just.
So I went in and, you know, hewas doing some work and he
looked up and he was like, oh,hey, come on in.
And I went in.
And so I got to share that storywith other people so that they
(15:01):
knew you can also do this.
And so people started doingthat.
And the executives started to beso much more involved in the
work that was coming.
So here they are, if we thinkabout hierarchy, right?
They're here.
And the frontline employees evenwere able to do that.
And so frontline employees werelike, I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do this.
I need to talk about some thingsand wanted to just check in.
(15:22):
And so they're getting thisexposure.
And so they felt much moreinspired to do the work because
they started to understand howthey, the work, even at the
front line, how the work thatthey did fed into the mission
and the goals for theorganization.
And so I like to believe thatwas a factor in increasing
(15:42):
engagement scores and reducingour turnover.
SPEAKER_01 (15:46):
That's incredible.
Thank you for sharing the impactof a performative versus an
authentic, inclusiveorganizational culture.
As you mentioned, you'redirectly linking it to our
well-being.
And we'll pause here for amoment of reflection.
In the first half of ourconversation, Dr.
Carter has really illuminatedwhat it means to learn about the
(16:09):
foundational need forpsychological safety.
We've defined what it is, thefeeling of security to be our
authentic self without fear ofnegative consequences.
And just as importantly, what itis not.
It's not about being nice allthe time, but about creating a
culture of respect where candoris possible.
(16:31):
Then she truly inspired us byconnecting the dots between
psychological safety and theprinciples of diversity, equity,
and inclusion.
We heard how a lack of safetydisproportionately impacts
marginalized groups through, forexample, the daily weight of
microaggressions, which preventsemployees from doing their best
work.
(16:52):
So we're going to break ourepisode up into two parts.
This is a crucial conversation,and Dr.
Carter will guide us through howwe take these principles and
begin to flourish by actuallycreating psychological safe
environments and how we canevolve into leaders who champion
this work.
(17:12):
Thank you for being part of ourcircle.
Be sure to join us in 48 hoursthis Wednesday for the
conclusion of this conversationover the next couple days take a
moment to observe your ownworkplace where do you see
psychological safety in actionwhere are the opportunities for
growth until then remember thatcreating a healthier more
(17:34):
inclusive world starts with youkeep learning stay inspired
continue to flourish and neverstop evolving I am your host Dr.
C and this is the life podcast
UNKNOWN (17:46):
you
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