I brought a carryout Roasterie coffee when I recently met with Diana Kander. Diana asked for no coffee, perhaps because her laser-focused energy could power half a continent without caffeine. Diana is a Millennial, and she and husband Jason are busy raising their two young children. And in case you didn’t already know, Diana
Belonging at Work
Law Firm DEI through the lens of Belonging
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How to connect in identity conversations
The last part of Charles Duhigg’s book Supercommunicators, after problem-solving conversations and emotion conversations, helps unpack what goes on in perhaps the most challenging and uncomfortable conversations of all – those that turn upon, or trigger, our identities.
As Duhigg reminds us:
All of us have a personal identity, how we think of ourselves…
Practicing Belonging: Be clear about your Firm’s standards and evenhanded in applying them.
Shomari Benton and I met up over morning coffee at Café Corazón. Shomari is a real estate and development lawyer and also an entrepreneurial property redeveloper focused on Kansas City’s urban core. He is a young Gen Xer, and he and his wife are newlyweds. And behind his resonant voice and engaging laugh,…
How to connect with emotion conversations
I was uncomfortable about this next part of Charles Duhigg’s book, Supercommunicators, which moves on from “what’s this about” (problem-solving) conversations to “how do I feel?” (emotion) conversations. Beats me if it’s a me-thing, or an old guy-thing, or a WASP-thing, but when a conversation turns to “how do I feel,” there’s…
How to connect through conversation
Just a few posts into this project of listening to other lawyers tell me about their experiences with Belonging at work, and I’m already way out of my depth. Dan and Tessa each spoke about the importance of engaging with lawyers different from me in race, ethnicity, gender, or other aspects of diversity, and truly…
Practicing Belonging: Not everyone comes into your law firm as a “Star.” But Stars can be made, by nurturing talent, providing opportunities, and building confidence.
Tessa Jacob and I caught up over coffee at Banksia. Tessa is a law firm partner and a nationally prominent expert on eDiscovery law. She’s a Gen Xer, of Indian/South Asian heritage. Tessa and her husband have raised two daughters, one headed to medical school and the other in college. And though this may…
Practicing Belonging: Don’t assume that everyone thinks the same – engage with people, be flexible, and build your firm culture around the people you have.
I met Dan Cranshaw for coffee and breakfast at Billie’s Grocery. If you know Dan, you understand he is extraordinary – a wise soul, a people-person, and a connector, with a gregarious, positive attitude and a candid, “call it what it is” sense of humor. Dan is a late Boomer/early Gen Xer, Black, and…
Words for Belonging at work
For the interviews fueling this blog, here are some key words used:
Belonging: From Alida Miranda-Wolff’s book, Cultures of Belonging:
Belonging is your sense that you are part of something greater than yourself that you value and need and that values and needs you back; it cannot be achieved without factoring in social identity…
What the backlash against DEI teaches us about the practice of Belonging
This is the second draft of this post. The first was a point-by-point evisceration of anti-“woke” state laws, anti-LGBTQ+ laws, “critical race theory” accusations, book-banning, curriculum-whitewashing, the 1776 Commission, and the new threat (though not new at all) of activist litigation using the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on race-conscious college admissions as a…
What law firm race & gender diversity data tell us about the practice of Belonging
Law firms across the country have invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts for decades. Impactful work has been done, and National Association of Law Placement (NALP) data demonstrates twenty years of gradual progress.[1] Such progress has been slow but significant for women, with more women in law firm partnerships, and with 2023…