Representation. Inclusion. Equity. Liberation. Solidarity. Is your organization creating spaces where these important conversations can happen? In this episode of On the Mic with Ad Results Media, Lindsay Boyd and Nathan Spell share space with Ad Results Media's SEEN Committee, a working group created to create, plan, and implement initiatives surrounding difference and inclusion in the workplace.
Podcast Transcript
(0s):
2020 was a year of uncertainty, fear, trial, and error. It was also a year that saw growth, gratitude, guidance, and grit throughout the year. Ad Results, Media sought out ways to bring our employees and teams together. And one of those initiatives was through employee led committees in this episode of, On the Mic with Ad Results, Media Nathan Spell. And I sit down with the members of the SEEN committee whose objective is to create a plan and implement initiatives that encourage employees to celebrate difference Inclusion and become better allies. So let's get started. It's a show me then I don't really have to choose which version of myself I want to wear.
(40s):
I'm just always looking for different opportunities to be more present, Unlike anything I've ever been a part of in any organization, We are different from each other and that's okay. All right. And to thank everyone so much for joining us today for this very special episode of On the Mic, where we interview members of our SEEN Committee before we get started, I'd like to do some round table introductions most since you're the founder, let's start with you. Absolutely. I'm more Oregon, but my preferred name is Mo by day. I work as a senior media planner on various client accounts.
(1m 24s):
And by night I am a sound curated, creative, a passionate about people, passionate about purpose and passionate about where it thank you for having me. Hi, my name's John. I'm the Media research coordinator here at Ad Results Media. I don't have it as an exciting nightlife. I don't think is a modus, but in my off time, I enjoy cooking. I enjoy reading and writing. I do a little of painting here and there and just, you know, anything that catches my interest really. Thanks for having me. Hi, I'm Blake Geary. I am a media planner here at Ad Results. Been here for about a year and a half now, and I'm Ari. I'm a copywriter with Ad Results, Media, helping craft scripts and copy direction for our clients.
(2m 9s):
And in the off hours, I am a writer and roller skater. So I kind of want to start off with you Mo as the founder of SEEN. Can you tell us a little bit about the Committee and what inspired you to take on this initiative? I think more than anything, it's the state of the world, just with the senseless police killings and the pandemic, the activism. It was almost impossible for me to continue to be within an organization without having these kinds of conversations before 2020. It was always very important for me to separate my personal life from my professional life. And I never wanted to blend the two. Like when I came to work, I only wanted people to know me as Morgan and, you know, I worked at Ad Results Media.
(2m 57s):
And when I go outside of that, I'm Mo and I'm this and I'm that. And I never wanted to, to blend the two worlds. And I was okay with that. But in 2020 has shown me that I don't really have to choose which version of myself I want to wear, because I am just as valuable. And just as important as everyone else's experiences, I guess in so many ways, I felt like I needed to, to mute a part of myself in order to fit within an organizational structure. Not that anyone was making me feel that way. I think by default, I just felt like I had to always kind of condense myself a little bit and just be leery about the kind of conversations that I was having, you know, outside of work.
(3m 43s):
And so with the pandemic in the killings and just the state of the world, I was like, man, I really want to have these conversations, but I'm afraid to, I don't know how people are gonna respond to this within the workplace. And once I saw Kurt and Marshall make that statement in the Slack channel, basically acknowledging the experience and what's happening in the world and making themselves available to the opportunity to create space for everyone. That's when I felt I needed to call them to action and be like, Hey, are we going to put some movement behind this? Or, or is this just going to be a moment? And I was very, I was very afraid to do that just because you think, whereas like equality and inclusion and diversity in all of these words, these, these power words, you feel like everyone is going to align in and believe in the purpose, but we all have our different views.
(4m 36s):
You know, we all have our different opinions. And so I just, you know, mustered up the courage and surrendered to my fears and just threw the idea out there. And, and Kurt was very receptive. I went straight to Kurt. Like I didn't go to anybody else. I wrote him personally. It was like, Hey, this is how I feel. And he was like, whatever you want to do, let's make it happen. So, yeah, I'm very more than anything. I just want to say that I'm very blessed to have an honor to have the space, to be able to create these kinds of conversations, to be supported by such a strong group of allies and people that had never made me feel like I'm just isolated on an Island.
(5m 23s):
Try to have these conversations. I'm curious to hear what do the rest of you to this committee as well? Ari, why don't we start with you? I'm just always looking for different opportunities to be more present, first of all, to be present as a duty per Representation. So as an immigrant, as a woman and a minority, I do feel that there is a little bit of responsibility on myself to say, Hey, I'm here. I exist. And secondly, to be present, to witness for other people so that they know that their experience, their struggles and their unique viewpoints heard and are SEEN and Moe's vision for the Committee was so clearly aligned with that mission of mine.
(6m 6s):
That I was really just Kind of like what Mo alluded to earlier. I mean, first off, it's just like On unlike anything I've ever been in a part of, in any organization I've been with, usually when it comes to diversity in the conversation is a very, it's kind of tip-toed around and everyone approaches it with this kind of like, you know, we want to speak on it, but not too much. Cause you know, we'll get in trouble. And so this was the first of its the first kind of group of its kind. And that have seen that there's so ready to tackle that. Like head-on, which I appreciate it's it's as you were saying, it's so easy to kind of lose your personal self when you're a part of a organization, you know, you, and, and that's based upon many different things.
(6m 49s):
Like, you know, just the way the country's always been in the way like the American workplace has always been, but regardless of reason, you know, that can be disheartening at times you can come in to your nine to five and work every day and feel like the real you isn't out there. No one knows that person who does, you know, a, B or C, they just know the person that does it. And that's it. And so this, I definitely saw this as an opportunity to like, you know, get, get to know my, my coworkers in a, in a more, in a deeper fashion, I guess in a way that's a little less surface level, a little less just like, Oh, you know, happy Monday, happy Friday, like a bare bones you get in a normal workplace and also find out the different, the different qualities about them.
(7m 32s):
That lens our lens, the diversity, two of 'em are workplace. You know, like we always, we always tend to hear like, you know, childhood stories around like holiday season time, or when we have like a big potluck at the office or something like that. We don't get to know that kind of, you know, backgrounds and, and experiences beyond those kinds of cursory times. So definitely it's it. I think overall, I just see it as this M it's a great opportunity to, to bring the organization closer with one another and to understand the different things that we can For sure. I just want to say thank you for having me. Thanks for Mo for thinking of me to be here. I appreciate you guys similar to most thread.
(8m 14s):
It was a completely for me, at least motivated by the senseless martyrs of the granite Taylor. And it really, I think, you know, the fact that we're in the middle of a pandemic and isolated from each other in terms of just, you know, spatially being away from the people we love, you know, our, our appointed communities, we had the internet and we had the media and we had all of these things happening and really no nobody to talk to about it or not in a way to come together with some kind of, okay, let's address this And to John's point, coming to work every day and knowing, you know, we call ourselves the arm fam and not addressing these things happening, did it feel right?
(9m 9s):
It didn't sit right with me at all as an animal rights activist, as a person with empathy who cares for other people, it's just something that didn't fit. And so whenever Moe came to the heart of the larger organization with the idea for the SEEN committee, I, yeah, I was a static to be a part of it in and contribute to the conversation and, and then some kind of meaningful way. I think it's cool hearing how, you know, you guys share a lot of this, this sort of internal motivation for joining. I'm curious what words like diversity and equity and inclusion mean to each of you. So maybe if we start with the milk and what, what are those words that mean to you?
(9m 53s):
Diversity to me is, I mean, it's a plate out where you're at. It's been played out for many, many years. I think it's like a placeholder, it's just a way to fulfill the quota or to fulfill the expectation or the appropriate perception. I don't really have to abide or really hold myself accountable to the root of difference. So when I was framing how I wanted to really call it, like, where do I want to call this? And what type of power where is do I want to use to create that synchronicity?
(10m 33s):
I was a very turned off by the word diversity. And I know that that's the norm, but Kurt was like, well, what, what, what kind of words would you use? Like how would you replace? You know, and I was like different. And we think about people that are different from that. It's just literally the difference in skin tone, that the difference in sexual orientation, the difference in gender, the difference in what I eat vegetarian versus a pescatarian, like all of these differences is what seems to be the most chaotic for people to wrap their minds around that we are different from each other and that's okay. That's fair. And that your experience despite to a different style matters and so different is a word that I've really tried to really continuously use with the hopes that we can kind of phase out this word diversity altogether, and Inclusion difference, Inclusion, Equity, all of these things are just words.
(11m 32s):
If there are no actions or no real conversations happening, no practices happening behind it. So even Equity, like I feel like my two power words is different in Inclusion because that, to me is saying you're different, but I'm still including you. And it's a simple to me in my mind. It's as simple, just To open that up a little bit. Do you, do you guys also see that sort of dichotomy between the word like diversity in the word, like difference how it seems like a similar word, you know, but diversity has all this other baggage with it. Do you guys feel the same way?
(12m 12s):
Just, just to be open to any other viewpoints you guys have? I definitely feel that way. I think a lot of times when those words get used, they're very well-intentioned. But I think that when you do want to use those words, you have to acknowledge that it's all, it always has to be more than acknowledgement that someone different from you exists, but also that you are giving them the opportunity to be understood and that you're helping them gain an equal platform to share what they bring from their community. Yeah. And just to piggyback on that, I think like most Ad diversity is, is kind of a buzz word in Business right now.
(12m 58s):
And in how we put actions behind ensuring that our differences and experiences are being brought to the table and being included, you know, you can have like a, I go the PSN on the Bernie Brown Podcast. You can have your diversity without having Inclusion, but you can have Inclusion without having diversity and in Equity, as the reason that we talk about these things in the first place, you know, historically we have other people and not treated them I'm with the values that they deserve, you know, depending on their, you know, a protected class kind of, you know, the way that they identify or the way the world identifies them.
(13m 46s):
So those are all important things that we talk about a lot more important that we show up to actually do something and put, put action behind. Yeah. I find it. I find it kind of funny that the word diversity is kind of this, like, as they've mentioned, this, this buzzword, it's like kind of a thing you see in corporate culture as kind of like this, like, I don't want to say seal of approval, but like when you, when you think of this idea of like, Oh, we have a diversity program or this and that, like, it's like almost, it's like, Oh, we're good. But in actuality, I think diversity is just the base state of human life. I think just all human beings are just inherently different.
(14m 27s):
And I mean, I, there's a reason to use that. A cliche of like, like, like snowflakes, how you Mic supposed to be like snowflakes, how they're, you know, they're all the same, but each one's completely different, but it's very true. It's, it's, you know, regardless of where you come from or what your background is, or, you know, where your race or religion or sexual orientation or anything, it's, it's, it makes it a part of who you are and is going to be different than the next person over. And so I Feel like that's, that's where Inclusion comes in. I think that's where we need to start thinking about inclusivity. Cause at first you have to acknowledge that not all human being is going to, they're going to appeal know not necessarily appeal, but fit a certain model of person, especially when it comes to in the workplace.
(15m 10s):
You have to kind of throw those notions of like, you know, the model employee out the window, because you know, what you bring into a job is going to be largely depending on your experiences and what those experiences are built upon, or, you know, what makes you different and how people, how other people perceive those differences in you, but no Inclusion Inclusion. The more important part of that for me personally, is just the fact that, and so easy to just like, not talk about what makes us different because, you know, it's a scary topic to approach, but at the end of the day, it does a disservice because, you know, we're kind of just, you know, putting that away in the attic and ignoring it around necessarily celebrating those things as we should be. So I know that we've touched on kind of how it's common to talk about the importance of diversity and the importance of Inclusion and, and how a lot of workplaces may acknowledge it or may say, yeah, we're diverse.
(16m 1s):
Yeah, we're super inclusive, but maybe they're not taking the action to, to kind of hold up those statements. What have you found is the most challenging part of creating an inclusive environment? My biggest challenge has been being in the forefront and this way, and being SEEN period, there's a risk always involved with advocating amongst a group of 80 plus people who may or may not have the same perspective or understanding as you, you know, when I, I was literally shaking my anxiety when I was presenting during the town hall, wanting to invite people in, is anybody gonna care about this?
(16m 42s):
Like this, this matters. It's just me because you know, not having these conversations outside of the few people that, you know, you may be cool with outside of work. You don't really know where people stand or how they're gonna respond to you. If there is going to be backlash, like what's the embrace, then it'd be like, if any. And so that part was the most complicated for me. And then once I saw the outpour, I was like, wow, OK. This is amazing. And then once I saw a certain people kind of turning away, I'm like, wow, am I offending people? Like I started to go into these different emotions, which is kind of coming up because I'm, I've opened this can of worms About Inclusion and now, you know, am I going to be sensitive?
(17m 28s):
Am I only going to be able to go so far? And we're only going to be able to go so far, there's just so many. And I think that that feeling is still kind of there in the packet, you know, because like, John's like everyone has said, we don't really know how people are gonna respond to Inclusion when it's at this level of, so hi Opryland today, like on the Slack channel, like what's good. Like I've had a horrible week. I've been anxious. My hands of it. I didn't think I was going to get out of bed. Like these are the kinds of conversations that we're having hyper vulnerable, nonsensical, like really true telling moments. And you just never know how someone is going to respond to that type of space, but I don't know how to make it a shallow because the experience is not shallow in any way, like being a black, queer, masculine presenting woman, you know, essentially with tattoos and just all these ways of being constantly being mis-gendered outside of the societal norms.
(18m 35s):
I'm like a, I don't even want to teach all this. I don't even want to talk to y'all about this because y'all should really know how to look this up for yourselves. It really gained the awareness. So one part of me is I'm not responsible for your ignorance. Right. But then the other part of me is like, wow, okay, let me kind of calm it down and let me open the space and let's just have the conversations and let me try to practice mercy. Let me try to practice understanding, let me try to practice community, everything that I want somebody to practice for me. I want to practice that for someone else, even if I feel like they've offended me in some kind of way. And so I think that that level of intensity of emotions just comes by way of the word Inclusion period.
(19m 21s):
And when you Ad workplace HR on top of that, it just, it adds it an entire nother level of caution and bravery that's required. Yeah. Most right. It takes a lot of courage to do that kind of thing and Chateau to you for like, like I said, for starting this whole thing. I remember, we want to say, we had a conversation about this during one of our one-on-ones before like launch. And I said to him to the effect of like, Oh, wow, I'm glad you're doing this because I couldn't do it. Like that's, that's terrifying to me. And like, we're at the same time, I'm not to like, to not to make assumptions, but I'm sure I'm just as passionate about the subject matter as you are. And so, but like, there's that level of like, Oh, this is my job.
(20m 4s):
I could be jeopardizing my career if I say, Oh, Hey, can I get, can I be hurt please? And so that's a difficult, that's a difficult line to toe for sure. And it also takes, it takes a certain level of being to put yourself in other people's perspectives as well. Like I can, I have my own experience and we, we get to all of our own experiences and it's easy to, to discount other's or to look at someone completely from a completely different walk of life and just look at the surface level, you know, a perception of them and think, Oh, you know, they don't know what I've been through. They don't understand the kind of stuff I've seen when in actuality, you don't know that until you can get to know the person. So that's an important part of it as well, kind of making sure you know, it like, it's like, it's like a, it's like the rest of the has been saying, like, it's not enough just to show up.
(20m 50s):
You've actually got to do the work. And you actually have to like, you know, be willing to like, be willing to put your job at stake or be willing to, to have whatever it takes to make your voice heard, regardless of whether, you know, any kind of blow back you might receive. It's all of the most, it is a little bit, John said, it's the anxieties around, how do my experiences compare to these people's experiences? And, you know, dealing with my own privilege, my own frigidity, understanding the scope that we have to work with them. You know, we, as, as employees can show up and come into the same room and say, these are the things that we care about, but also, you know, there's an aspect of, of freely, if I've learned anything from some Podcasting and, and you know, the Podcast nice way as parents is when you know, white people are trying to solve the problem, you're not solving the problem because you're not addressing the needs of others.
(21m 50s):
This is not a problem. You know, the marginalized communities can solve because obviously that's the whole problem, you know, white supremacy. So knowing where, where are the members of this committee and a stock and where leadership begins and how to bridge that gap and put some, you know, we can, we can to make things more transformational versus just transactional. You know, we're not just showing up to, to, you know, we have a, we have a difference Inclusion Committee, but we have a committee that's benefiting the needs and the diverse backgrounds and experiences of everyone here and addressing the fact that, you know, maybe they haven't been treated the same or they're ha they have had different, you know, lives, the entire lifestyle we just don't know about.
(22m 46s):
And yeah. And so I think that's been the most difficult thing for me, knowing each time I come in to a meeting or I, I post in the blockchain and I'll just want you to be thoughtful. And also, yeah, just like, there's this inherent feeling of like, I'm going to step on toes. I'm going to step on people's toes, its for the best. But yeah, there's a lot of discomfort in that. And just like they said to having courage being called the courage in showing up anyway, I think another challenge that we have is being able to create a community where everybody feels empowered to have ongoing participation.
(23m 29s):
So sometimes some diversity initiatives don't really gain momentum because they don't make an effort beyond one social media post or after, after one go, they, they don't keep it top of mind on top of all of the work that we had to do. I think everyone under the Committee and Moe essentially has been wonderful so far because we're, we've created an internal organization where we can share new resources as we find them share different educational materials as we learn about them so that we can have more meaningful and like most Ad more candid, honest conversations about our human experiences as, as a group that's trying to survive and work our way through the world in different ways.
(24m 22s):
And I think it's, it's definitely a struggle. It is definitely a struggle because you have to create an environment where people are active enough to flourish and continue to flourish. Are your reasons are a really good point. I hadn't really thought about is just the fact that because the group is so diverse and everyone there is, you know, like all in it, although it takes a lot to make a consistent diversity and inclusion thing in a, in a workplace it's made easier by the entire SEEN Committee and how everyone there is constantly uplifting each other.
(25m 3s):
And even if you don't, if you're not super, you know, brave to bring something up to the committee and when you see all these other people talking about things that are important to them, it kind of, it builds that courage within yourself. It definitely has for me, for sure. Like I'm not normally an outspoken person when it comes to come to the people I work with, but I've definitely through the SEEN committee and, you know, through working with people in general, in the organization in getting to know them more closely, that I become better at that. Just, you know, just by being a part of the group in being there and witnessing other people, you know, finding for the same thing, essentially. So I'm curious as these guys are discussing some of the challenges you've been facing, some of the things that are brought up, so the consistency is this, this place where you're, you're having to be vulnerable, you're having to take that risk.
(25m 49s):
You're having to act courageously to sort of bridge that gap that inclusivity requires. Right. We have to understand these people who are different from us in order to include everyone and come together. So yeah, I'm curious how y'all are approaching, coming to an understanding of the perspectives that you know, your peers from different backgrounds have and, and, and what is the goal from that experience? What are you guys really see as the, sort of the overarching sort of goal of that We're creating a safe space digitally for us to get to know one another, starting with, you know, what's the origin of your name?
(26m 38s):
Why do you prefer to be called this? I mean, she's really stripping it down to the bare bones, having Conversations with people and creating a space for people to feel like they can engage where they can feel empowered or they can just, even if they say nothing, they're still experiencing the content of the conversations and maybe, you know, absorbing something valuable and beneficial and purposeful for themselves. And so, so far it's been less about the check, the check boxes, right? Like here's our to-do list. Here are the initiatives that we want to do. Here's, what's going to be great on LinkedIn and Instagram and all these things. And it's more of just about like, yo, like I have a feeling today, you know, like really just having a casual conversation with people that we might say six feet away from in the office and know nothing about them outside of the basic work stuff and everyone decided to be here.
(27m 36s):
Right. So we don't have to filter through like, Ooh, where am I? You know, when we're in the channel where in the channel, because everyone wants to be here, they're choosing freely to be in this space and to engage in this way. And so at first I felt a little insecure about the SEEN Committee, as of, as of, you know, since the launch we've been kind of moving more so like a support group, a community group and just having these conversations. And so I was like, man, I'm kind of insecure because I'm comparing to the wellness committee, the cycling committee, you know, the social committee, how the In everyone's constantly rolling out these initiatives.
(28m 19s):
And I'm like, okay, Mo like, relax, you know, this is a different kind of framework. This is a different need. And we, can't just, I feel like we have to have this layer of getting to know one another and trusting each other, right. Like I have to develop trust. People have to develop trust in me like Nathan, for real, like if you want to get in on the SEEN Committee, Slack chat and you don't even have to be in the Committee, if you just want to get in on the conversation, let me know because people are very naked, you know, In, in the rise of sense.
(28m 60s):
And right now that's the focus, but we do have some initiatives that are in the works, but beyond the tangible initiatives, I feel full. And I feel SEEN by knowing that if I'm alone in my apartment and I just want to vent, or if I wanted to have a conversation, I can go to the same Slack channel and engage and people will support support me and, and talk back and see me, I guess the follow-up there is, I know you mentioned that there are some big differences. Like, are there, are there initiatives that you wanted to talk about as well, or the sort of sell In the works as far as beyond the, just like growing the community and getting that trust formed, We have three initiatives, one that's coming up and Lindsay is going to be our first amazing guest.
(29m 55s):
It's like the 10 things we don't know about you. So as a committee, we all came together and, you know, added in some questions and things that we would like to ask. And it's basically just like a highlight a way for Y entire organization to get a better sense of like all of these people are and just find out some really cool information about people. We are creating an inclusive calendar. Blake has done an amazing job, really running point on getting this initiative situated, but her in Kylie are going to be distributing a survey so that we can gauge if people feel represented, you know, in their belief systems specifically me, it's, it's very important for me to moving forward, like really honor Martin Luther King day Juneteenth celebration.
(30m 51s):
And, you know, just saying like, Hey, this is a part of my experience, my heritage, my ancestry. And I would like to see this acknowledged organizationally, right? And so there might be other holidays that employees may feel are absent, and we want to give them an opportunity to express that. And then the last one that we were working on trying to get it together, hopefully we can get it done by the end of this year is just providing support and charity to outside organizations. So whether that's writing letters to a nursing home In, or similar to what the social Committee deal last year, or there's another organization called the circles of mother and his mother's for mothers that have lost their children to gun violence.
(31m 41s):
In what way can we help aid that? Cause, so we, we have some things that are in the works, they're on the timeline, but I am a very free flowing person. I go by the energy and this is the kind of work that it is in a period it's a semicolon is going to always continue. And so I wanted to make sure that we are all, when we do these initiatives and put this work out that we're present, we're invested and we're doing it at the highest level. So if we all can't contribute that, and I would just rather, you know, pause until, until we can.
(32m 24s):
I know that you and I have been with Ad Results for a while and without going into too much detail, I think it's pretty safe to say that we've seen some pretty significant culture changes within the organization over the past few years. So when you brought the idea of the scene Committee up, I couldn't think of someone better to kind of oversee this new initiative. What do you ultimately hope to bring to Ad Results Media? You took me back Lindsay to the very beginning. I think I just wanna bring the possibility to the organization. Like the possibility that people can change their mindset, even after generations and generations and generations of trauma or being rooted in their own belief systems and their traditions and their behaviors.
(33m 21s):
You know, I want to bring for the possibility that that progressive change can happen. And we, as the employees and the people, we really have the voice, but we also have the visibility, a, you know what, to be completely honest. I was like, yo, if I did, like, I'm talking to my partner, I'm like, baby, if I do this, like you think they going to fire me just because you never, you just never know, like, you know, I'm like, will I be targeted? You know, not applying it specifically to Ad Results Media as an organization. But like John said, corporate America, corporate white America, this is the mentality.
(34m 3s):
Like I don't want to be all into the Davids right now, but I was very nervous, scared that I wasn't going to be able to create this space without consequence. And I know that that's a result of my generational trauma, that whenever I stand in the forefront of something, that there is going to be a consequence, if it shakes up the flavor a little bit too much. So regardless of the outcome, you know, now, and forevermore, I just want to create the possibility that people can come into the workspace and be there be them 100% selves, you know, respectfully the, still able to talk casually at the lunch table about their girlfriend, or, you know, if they're in a homosexual relationship or they're transitioning into another gender, if they're gender nonconforming and they have different pronouns, or, you know, if they are a animal activist or a vegetarian, whatever, the quirks, you know, like they, there's a young man that just started today and he was doing his Is 15 things in our planners meeting.
(35m 16s):
He was like, I love all the weird sports that no one likes like hockey and pole vaulting. And I was thinking, why is that weird? You know, like what makes that weird? What makes that outside of the norm? And the fact that we have to kind of have this disclaimer and this precursor To what we naturally and authentically move into, I want to create the possibility that we don't have to do that we can show up exactly as we are. We can arrive exactly as we are. And we're not tolerated a word that we don't have to be understood and we can be respected and we can be accepted.
(35m 56s):
And that's, if I can do that, I'm gravy. It's like the kids say, Well, it's obviously takes a lot of courage. I think hearing you share that sort of dilemma that you had a, you know, even verbalizing it with your partner. I think that's really important for people to keep in mind that that is a legitimate thought. Like, there's this concern that you guys have talked about with corporate America and how it can, it can feel very daunting to, to stand up and say, Hey, this is something that's needed, even though it's so obvious that it is something that's needed in so many organizations.
(36m 39s):
So I guess all that being said, the question that I wanted to ask is how, or what advice would you give to other organizations or maybe other people like yourselves and other organizations who are thinking about launching something similar to SEEN in their own, in their own workspace. I'd like to take this one, if you don't mind though. I, I just want to say, I am grateful just as a, as everybody has stated that Moe took this On. This was initially when, when the SEEN Committee was, you know, a new idea of a freshly baked idea.
(37m 25s):
I wanted to reiterate to Mo that I was grateful to her for, for bringing it about, but it was not her responsibility to educate us to, you know, bring us to an understanding yet she did facilitate this community. So I would say that it's important that leadership takes this on, and this is something that they prioritize and bring to their employees, knowing that this affects everyone. And they have the most power to create change, to create goals, to hold the agency accountable to those goals.
(38m 5s):
So do you know where to start the conversation to start it now, start it and the upper most levels and see who, you know, who you can get involved? I think some, some other advice that I would have for other organizations is to, to just open up the floor to everybody, not just a select few leaders, but to really allow others to take up space and to be heard, but also at the same time to give time for people to ask, to respond with their own stories, because being able to be more inclusive, isn't just about giving somebody a soapbox, but it's about being able to share those stories and understand that the same way that your personal story has impacted your growth has a person that same exact experience happens to other people and their experiences just to be valid and just as meaningful to their growth.
(39m 4s):
So the more that we have the opportunity and the space and the time to learn from other people, we can grow not only as individuals for ourselves, but as a community, because we have a shared well to draw from for inspiration and for joy. I think that's a, that's a large part of that is the, the whole idea of the scene Committee is like fighting all these different voices into one, one, you know, unique channel and the best part of having all these different varied voices is that it makes the, the larger conversation more interesting and dynamic, and you get to learn different things and you get to even find new interests that you may hold and had you not, or how you would have not have come across them, had you not join this specific Committee or a similar committee and your own organization, but a bunch of the biggest pieces of advice I had to give is just to be genuine, I guess, just to be real about it.
(39m 59s):
Don't, don't make it obligatory and don't make it this, like, you know, Oh, we do this one week in January, and then we all sign the forms. And that was it for the year. You know, like, seriously, if you're going to do it, if you're going to even attempt something like in the comm with a willingness and an openness to learn and to, and I suppose there's a face to the scarier aspects of, of, you know, difference and, and, and newness, as most people are kind of apt to shy away from. But no, just give it a go all in with a, you know, give it your, you know, give it, give it the attention of the attention. It would deserve something like this, because if you cultivate it correctly, I think it'll add more of the organization than any, you know, run of the mill, you know, a slideshow I ever would of done well, unless Mo If you had any more parting advice for, for someone who's Is thinking through this as well.
(40m 53s):
I mean, they really articulated it perfectly. I couldn't have said it better. So thank you. Thank you three, always on it. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for updates on future episodes and leave us a comment with your feedback, questions, or ideas for future segments. If you would like more info on Ad Results Media in what we do, please visit us online at Ad Results. Media dot com. This podcast is an Ad Results, Media production.
