Season 3, Ep 11: Equity Through Action: Transforming Workplace Culture with C. Marie Taylor

“How do we think about people and create an environment where we see each other as human beings contributing to the work?” C. Marie Taylor, President and Principal Consultant at Equity Through Action, is at the forefront of fostering safer, more inclusive workplaces. Her focus is on empowering historically marginalized individuals to be fully recognized and valued. In this episode of Women Igniting Change, she discusses with host Robbin Jorgensen the critical examination of the 3 Ps: people, policies, and practices. They explore how misalignments between company and personal values can impact workplace culture and the work itself, particularly in the pressing current climate of the U.S.

Marie often finds that leaders mistakenly believe they are exempt from needing change, not realizing they might benefit most. She illustrates how a leader’s satisfaction with the workplace culture can falsely imply that all employees feel the same. The episode delves into the complexities of navigating politics at every level and differentiating between policy and personal preference.

Tune in to today’s conversation for insights into the evolving workplace and learn how you can contribute to enhancing diversity and inclusion within your own organization.

Quotes

“Some of the misconceptions that folks really have going into this is that it can be solved with one or two trainings. That leadership doesn’t need to be part of the trainings. Seriously. They say, ‘Oh, no. This is for the middle level managers and the direct line folks,’ I say, ’No, it’s actually you. Bob. Jamal. Linda. It’s you and the things that you say and how you show up.” (11:44 | C. Marie Taylor)
“So there’s this misconception that, ‘Oh, we have this great culture because I’m happy and the leaders are happy. But you haven’t looked at anybody else. And so when I come in and the organization, the team comes in—because it’s not just me—comes in and says, ‘Well, here’s what’s happening from all the individuals, this is the collective culture that’s happening, not the one that you think is happening.’” (13:06 | C. Marie Taylor)
“Your humanity is tied up in my humanity, and if we don’t continue to recognize that, we’re going to continue to suffer. So it’s really pulling ourselves back and then just centering my humanity with yours and understanding that it’s tied together in work, in the community, whether I’m crossing the street or in the grocery store. If we could do that, the world would be a better place.” (27:11 | C. Marie Taylor)