Career Launch 2020

09/22/2024

This is the best celebration of accessibility and accommodation I've ever seen. 😁🤣

My heart is happy.

08/24/2024

Average salary in 1990: $50,000
Average Rent in 1990: $600

Average salary in 2023: $61,000
Average rent in 2023: $2,600

See a problem?

Facts brought to you by: US government websites and Zillow (rents).

08/23/2024

Join this Metaverse Neurodiversity event!

NOWHERE is the easiest metaverse platform for live entertainment and virtual events. Connect face-to-face in video chat in unforgettable 3D worlds on a browser. No download. No headset. Share amplified performances, content streaming, immersive galleries and more.

08/19/2024

This is going to be a killer session!

Shelley will be breaking down pre-employment assessments and sharing neuro-inclusive best practices.

Shelley is an HRTech entrepreneur and a fantastic human being.

Come check her out and learn too!

Register for the free virtual event:
www.neuroverselive.org

Register for her talk: https://calendar.app.google/ToYeU1dXYzEEf2or7

(Login links will be sent the day before via email to all ticket holders and those who sign up for the talk.)

08/19/2024

Learn from the best... for FREE!

Join our virtual event Friday and Saturday to attend any class or talk for free.

This class, taught by the wonderful Angela Buccellato , Founder of Resume Rescue, will take you through how to land the job you WANT!

(Link to register in comments... your login link will be sent the day before via email.)

See you there!

07/22/2024

I wrote a book!

It's all about my method of universal workplace design that increases wellness, satisfaction, efficiency, productivity, and ultimately... profits!

It's a short one, only 70 pages plus resources, and I wrote it in only two days, but I am proud of it none the less. :)

If HR, leadership, or business is your thing, check it out!



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9V7TXCL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E3BIGK4L6KS3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7mUdPx40d3K-oQQabqc7jA.qXVpC5YZBrlsy2LyBnGpdXCmsXYuXCU5mRy1UIl8f2E&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+obvious+solution+you+never+heard+of&qid=1721657231&sprefix=the+obvious+solution+you+never+heard+of%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1

04/30/2024

DFW folks... PAID HR INTERN ROLE AVAILABLE!

A friend of mine reached out because her school is hiring for an HR intern. She is a terrific person and really knows her stuff. She would make an excellent teacher for anyone wanting to break into HR.

The role is Monday-Friday, with full benefits, and pays $15/hour.

There is room for advancement too.

Hit me up of you are interested!

03/20/2024

"Do you think that our society has gotten too woke?"

I was asked this during a show the other day.

The question made me laugh. When you live in Florida, this word and concept are thrown around, typically incorrectly, ALL the time, so hearing it from Canadian Keith Bilous just cracked me up.

Based on definition of the term "woke", which is often misused, the question was "Do you think that we are too aware of social injustice?"

Here was my reply (paraphrased):

No, not at all.

We are in a transition period. This is something that happens with every great cultural shift. There is a time during which we are trying to figure out how this better world will work and we do some experimenting.

Some of it works, and some of it doesn't.

Eventually, it levels out.

We are moving, slowly, in the right direction. It takes time to learn and then teach how to adjust and function effectively any time there is progress.

The main obstacles in reaching successful inclusion are aversion to change and respect.

Most people will tell you that they believe in equal opportunity, respect, and freedom which are the components of inclusion.

Watch them in their daily lives though, or check out their social media, and a new picture is painted. They want everyone to be like them and when others are not like them, respect is not shown.

By the way, this is not "one side of the fence" doing this. It's folks on both sides of inclusion.

Here's the thing...

Inclusion is NOT about...

liking everyone...

agreeing with everyone...

sharing the same beliefs as everyone...

sharing the same experience as everyone...

Inclusion IS about...

Freedom (the freedom to live and work in ways that are natural to you and align with your integrity and beliefs)...

Equality (Everyone having equal opportunity and rights)...

Respect (Respecting others as they are, as individuals, different from yourself)...

Universal Design (Designing the world for everybody, not just some).

That's it.

* Freedom
* Equality
* Respect
* Universal Design

It's pretty simple, yet we are really struggling with that respect part.

If you are anti-inclusion, ask yourself, "Why am I against freedom, equality, and respect?"

That is the real question.

Choose inclusion. It's part of integrity.

Join us for an inspiring journey with the indomitable Katherine McCord, a true innovator at the heart of inclusion, people operations, and HR technology. In ...

02/14/2024

I have never been big on Valentine's Day, but I love to celebrate these two!

In 1958 they exchanged their wedding vows and began their life together in their home state of Virginia.

However, their joy would be short-lived as they were shortly arrested, at 2:00 in the morning no less, and hauled to jail.

Why?... What was this "Loving" couple's crime?... Their marriage!

At this time in the United States, it was still legal to punish in*******al marriage as long as both parties were punished equally. (That's a twisted spin on equality, isn't it!?)

The Lovings were convicted and sentenced to one year in prison, but their sentence was commuted on the condition that they leave the state and not return.

Heartbroken, the couple left and settled in Washington DC.

Over the next few years, they decided to fight the ruling and partnered with the ACLU to wage their war of love.

Nearly a decade after their arrest the Lovings saw victory in the US Supreme Court, and it became illegal to criminalize in*******al marriage.

This was a mere 56 1/2 years ago.

Let that sink in.

Think of how many people you know that were alive when this ruling passed.

This Valentine's Day, which falls right in the middle of Black History Month, I encourage you to consider the Lovings.

Consider the change that they brought about and the millions of people it beautifully affected.

Consider that it has only been 60 years since employment, education, and housing discrimination were legal.

Consider that it has only been 46 years since the government (admittedly) conducted medical experiments on the Black community.

Consider that many people who lived all of this are still alive.

This is not ancient history.

This is lived experience for millions of living US citizens.

Also remember that attitudes and minds don't change just because laws do.

Keep all of that in mind when you start to get annoyed that people are "still talking about it" or when you are addressing and interacting with people.

Keep in mind that if it weren't for the Lovings, a lot of love would still be illegal in "the land of the free".

Happy Valentine's Day.

01/15/2024

This one always gets me, and I witness it all the time.

"Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man."

"His message was full of love and equality. It was wonderful."

Then they trash inclusion and vote for people who vilify it, and even pass laws against it...

WHAT!?

That doesn't even make sense!

Yet, it happens... All. The. Time.

It's hypocrisy at its most vile because the results are actual harm to other people, lack of equality and opportunity...

even lack of safety.

Per EEOC, 70% of s*xual assaults (not harassment, assault) in the workplace are done to Black women.

According to the US Government Accountability Office, minorities in civil roles are 41 % less likely to be promoted.

Per the National Center for Biotechnology Information, minorities, especially Black persons, have a significantly higher rate of arrest, even when using controlled data.

Oh, and just some personal insight... EVERY recruiter that I know has at some point been asked to discriminate in hiring... and I know hundreds of recruiters.

The law doesn't change hearts and minds.

We still have a LOT of work to do.

So, this Martin Luther King Jr. day, please honor his memory and celebrate his life and accomplishments by checking yourself and making sure that before you praise him and claim to share his beliefs, that you are practicing what you preach.

Make sure that you are:

* Learning about and supporting inclusion, not just diversity, inclusion and equity
* Making inclusion part of your integrity
* Voting accordingly (Sorry folks, that means no De Santis and no Trump, so if you want to vote Republican, pick another candidate)

If you are going to align yourself with MLK, and I hope that you do, make sure that you are part of continuing his mission.

Inclusion is part of embracing freedom.

Choose inclusion.

11/17/2023

Integrity and ethics have long been missing from business, from pay discrepancies and mis-leading advertisements to ignored missions and values.

So how do we fix it?

How do we keep integrity at the forefront of business communication?

Media communication guru Kay Suthar joins me to discuss putting integrity back into business communication.

Chime in using the comments and we will respond LIVE!

11/14/2023

Requiring that team members use the preferred pronouns of their coworkers is NOT a violation of employee rights or the law.

Let me explain why.

The new Health and Human Services mandate requiring that team members use the preferred pronouns of their coworkers has sparked a conversation of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and employer rights.

Yet, the answer is really quite simple.

Be inclusive.

Remember, the term is inclusion, not infliction.

Each individual has the right to their own beliefs, identify, needs, etc.

It is inclusive to use the preferred pronouns of others because you are acknowledging their right to their own identity.

It is infliction not to do so because you are denying their right to their own identity based on your own opinions and preferences.

"But what about my freedom of speech?"

Freedom of speech only applies to actions by the government. It has nothing to do with social or professional interactions.

"What about freedom of religion!? It is against my religion to use preferred pronouns."

First, I challenge you to show me a single line of text in your religious book that addresses gender identifying language. (Hint: It doesn't exist... not in any text I have searched at least, and that covers all major and some smaller religions.)

Second, again, inclusion, not infliction.

The other person has no right to insist that you change your pronouns or beliefs.

You, likewise, have no right to do the same.

Next, there is the issue of employer rights.

Employers absolutely have the right to create policy based on their mission, values, and goals. This principle is well established thousands of times over.

The rules do not change just because someone doesn't like the policy.

"But using preferred pronouns denounces reality!"

Does it?

There is plenty of science to say otherwise.

First of all, there are NOT two biological s*xes.

There are, at minimum, by scientific definition, three: female, male, inters*x.

Some scientific journals list more as they more specifically break down the inters*x category.

Next, gender is NOT the same as s*x.

Per Oxford Dictionary and multiple medical journals...

S*x refers to biology.

Gender refers to presentation.

These terms are not interchangeable.

Gender is viewed by the scientific and medical communities to be fluid.

Therefore, using preferred pronouns (which reference gender) is not denouncing reality.

So, there you have it.

There are no legal or human resources arguments against using preferred pronouns or being required to do so by your employer.

If you just don't want to do it, quit and go work somewhere that does not value inclusion.

But...

Before you do...

Consider how you will feel when one day the shoe is on the other foot and coworkers don't want to include you because your way of living, or your identity, bothers them.

Inclusion is for everyone.

11/10/2023

Sometimes hires don't work out, so how do we handle it?

Join The Job Father himself, Foster Williams, and I to dive deep into how to solve the problem of the organizational misfit.

Chime in using the comments during the show, and we will respond LIVE!

11/03/2023

Join Education Consultant and Author Jerri Johnson and I as we discuss building a successful education program in the workplace... and have a few laughs along the way.

This episode was pre-recorded, but we will still be responding to comments, so feel free to share your thoughts and ideas!

10/20/2023

Experts Dr. Weisdack and Lisa Duke join me to discuss how diet affects you in the workplace!
Join us! We will respond to your comments.

10/13/2023

How can AI help in DEI and what is our responsibility in its direction?

Join Frank Corrigan and I as we dive into the wonderful world of artificial intelligence!

06/22/2023

https://fb.watch/ljo90Qcznb/?mibextid=NnVzG8

06/06/2023

HIRING TEAMS: STOP CREATING IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILES! (Even within your job descriptions)

You are limiting yourselves and are often focusing on the wrong criteria.

WHAT!?... I know... it sounds crazy... but science backs me up on this...

When we create "ideal profiles", whether in business or life, we tell our brains the "correct answer".

Then, even though we think we are open to something different, our brain will process variations from the "ideal profile" as incorrect because it has already learned the "correct" answer.

Thus, you have stunted your process.

(Look up "how the brain learns" to discover more information.)

You cannot predict every scenario in which someone could have gained the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in your role, so don't try!

To be effective, simply define the problem you need solved and find someone who can do it.

This means focusing on skill sets and knowledge, the What, not the How, the method with which they were obtained, or the When, how long it took to get them.

Example: If I want to hire a Recruiter, the requirements will read:

Candidates must possess the following qualities and skills:

Highly organized

Strength in juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities

Self reliant

Project management

Ability to communicate effectively and pivot communication style quickly

Strong, honed instincts for talent and character assessment

Solid research skills

Willingness to learn and be flexible

Strength in guiding others

Basic computer and typing skills

Ability to handle many phone calls and/or Zoom calls per day

Shares values of integrity, inclusion, and innovation

That's it.

That is what I need from a candidate.

Everything else is training, and EVERY hire requires training.

Notice, there are no years of experience requirements.

Why?

That is a bogus marker.

What matters is expertise.

Period.

Some people get that in one year, some in ten, and some never do.

Expertise is the marker, not years.

Focus on the qualities and basic skills that you need.

Then, find someone who has them.

Ignore titles, years, companies, industry (typically), formal education (unless required by law), etc.

If you need for someone to have experience in your company stage... No you don't! 😊 Just specify what skills and qualities you need them to have in order to thrive in your environment and stage.

Focus on what actually matters in the job every day.

That is effective hiring.

It is simply a matter of practicing self-awareness in hiring. ("What is my base need here?")

Oh, it is also part of inclusion too... but that is a WHOLE other post...

To be continued...

04/28/2023

Personal branding... what is it? ... Do we need it?... How do we go about it?... Am I being odd?... Expert Kay Suthar joins us to discuss effective, personable Personal Branding!

Chime in using the comments during the show, and we will respond LIVE!

03/21/2023

03/08/2023

These are some incredible women that we should be celebrating year round, not just today... but I am pleased to introduce them today!

Some of our ladies are US based, and the rest are from around the world.

Let's meet the ladies!

First up...

Betty Friedan - Author of The Feminine Mystique, credited with kicking off the second wave of feminism in the US

Eleanor Roosevelt - Not only a First Lady, but a feminist columnist, the first female UN delegate, and chair for UN Commission on Human Rights and the JFK's President's Commission on the Status of Women

Judy Singer - Australian Sociologist who coined the term neurodiversity (you see why she's on my list... 😊 ) and continues to advocate for the idea that different is not a deficit

Mary Ellen Pleasant (one of my all time favs!) - Entrepreneurial tycoon in the 1800s despite being a Black woman, one of the richest citizens of the country in her time, and freed hundreds of slaves

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Africa's first democratically elected female President, she lead her people out of the Ebola Crisis and won the Nobel Peace Prize

Ruth Bader Ginsburg - The second woman to sit on the US Supreme Court, she always stood for women's rights and even served as volunteer legal counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union

Malala Yousafzai - Author of I Am Malala, she is an advocate for women's education in Pakistan and across the world through her charity The Malala Fund

Jamila Afghani - Activist for women and women's education in Pakistan, she founded the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organization (NECDO) which provides education and resources to those in need

Toshiko Kishida - One of Japan's first feminists, she was famous for saying, “If it is true that men are better than women because they are stronger, why aren’t our sumo wrestlers in the government?”

Eva Duarte Peron - The actress turned Argentinian First Lady championed women's suffrage and founded and ran the nation's first large-scale female political party, the Female Peronist Party among many other contributions

These are just a few of the many, many extraordinary women in the world.

Let's celebrate them always!

Happy International Women's Day!

02/14/2023

As an HR and Inclusion educator, I run into this misnomer frequently. So today, I am going to debunk the Critical Race Theory myths!!

Myth # 1: The foundations of Critical Race Theory (CRT) lie solely within the Black community, specifically within radical Black groups.

Nope.

That's right!. While the two fathers of CRT are Black men and the first person documented a using the term was a Black woman, it was some prominent White folks initially brought up the concepts that lead to CRT.

In the late 19th century Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote “The life of the law has not been logic, but experience. The felt necessities of the time, the prevalent moral and political theories, institutions of public policy, avowed or unconscious, even the prejudices which judges share with their fellow-men, have had a good deal more to do than the idea of equality before the law in determining the rules by which men should be governed.”

This is the core concept behind CRT and CRT education: the experiences of those in power have had a great deal more to do with shaping the law and history books than a true focus on equality and representation.

Justice Charles Evan Hughes (another White man) agreed saying, “the Constitution is what the judges say it is.”

(Also, one of the most prominent voices in the movement, Richard Delgado, is of Mexican decent.)

Myth # 2: CRT is the product of Marxism.

First, let's address that Karl Marx was a notorious racist, so the idea that he would have taught or supported anything that uplifted non-White persons is ludicrous.

Second, this myth comes from the fact that when CRT began gaining traction, there were Marxist leaders invited to the conferences. However, the theory is not Marxist in history or nature.

Myth # 3: CRT is all about bashing White people and labeling them as "bad".

In the words of Mari Matsuda, a law professor at the University of Hawaii, “The problem is not bad people. The problem is a system that reproduces bad outcomes. It is both humane and inclusive to say, ‘We have done things that have hurt all of us, and we need to find a way out.’”

She continues, “For me, critical race theory is a method that takes the lived experience of racism seriously, using history and social reality to explain how racism operates in American law and culture, toward the end of eliminating the harmful effects of racism and bringing about a just and healthy world for all.”

THIS is what CRT is all about.

It is about true inclusion.

Period.

So...

If you are in a state that allows for the teaching of CRT, I highly encourage you to embrace CRT in your homes, schools, and workplaces.

This is how we move forward.

Teach inclusively and make decisions based on moving the dial forward which means learning and considering the experiences of others.

Choose integrity.

01/29/2023

Did you know that in 2022 69.9% of crime in the US was committed by White people?

FACT.

(Per our government's website)

So...

If you are going to conduct background checks, do them for everyone.

If you are going to ask about background in an interview, ask everyone.

If you are going to trust employees with cash or equipment, trust everyone until they give you a reason not to.

Start working on breaking the association of racially minority persons with crime.

Factually, that bias is incorrect.

Oh, and hire folks with criminal histories. Many make excellent team members.

Grow and be great today!

12/28/2022

She drank, swore, and smoked handmade ci**rs. She wore pants under her skirt and a gun under her apron. At six feet tall, Mary Fields was an intimidating woman.

Mary lived in Montana, in a town called Cascade. She was a special member of the community there, and was even allowed entry to saloons despite women not typically being permitted.

Mary was born into enslavement in Tennessee sometime in the early 1830s, and lived enslaved for more than thirty years until abolishion. After she was freed she moved about the country working for a family.

In her 50s Mary moved to Montana to care for an ill friend. The friend soon recovered and Mary decided to stay in Montana settling in Cascade.

To make ends meet, she first tried her hand at the restaurant business, but she wasn’t much of a chef and willingly fed customers who couldn’t pay, so the restaurant soon failed.

When in her sixties, Mary became the second woman and first African American to work as a contracted mail carrier in the U.S.

Eventually, she retired to a life of running a laundry business and watching basketball games.

This was Mary Fields, Stagecoach Mary. A rebel and a legend.

08/22/2022

I am OVER this nonsense.

ATTENTION COMPANIES:

It is NOT your business what disabilities a person has, especially in the application process.

There is literally no good reason for you to have this information.

If you want to be accommodating, great!

That does not involve diagnosis details.

All you need to know is "what", not "why".

(Read that again.)

This nonsense of asking for details is either performative (gross) or discriminatory (worse).

Cut it out.

Inclusion is not about being nosey.

If you would like help building a more inclusive application and interview process, please reach out to me. I am very happy to help you out!

Be great this week everyone!

08/11/2022

Sharon Hurley Hall will be sharing her wisdom with us about anti-racism, empathy, and how to focus on racial inclusion.

07/17/2022

Keep this at the forefront, and insist that this nonsense be stopped!
Insist the Equal Rights Amendment be passed, NOW!
Insist that marriage equality be Constitutionally protected!
Demand equality for all!

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/24/thomas-constitutional-rights-00042256

Democrats warned that the court would seek to undo other constitutional rights if it overturned Roe v. Wade, as it did on Friday.

07/05/2022

Sign and share this petition for Constitutional Gender Equality. It's time women had equality in this country.



https://www.change.org/p/grant-constitutional-gender-equality-in-the-usa?recruiter=1270026746&recruited_by_id=013ddce0-f7dc-11ec-bdce-3fdf966eed0a&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=us_web_bi_ua_sap_20211101_brand-exact_conversions-sap&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_33800582_en-US%3A3

Implement Constitutional Gender Equality In The USA!