James O. Rodgers - Diversity Training That Generates Real Change: Inclusive Approaches That Benefit Individuals, Business, and Society

Diversity Training
That Generates
Real Change

Inclusive Approaches That Benefit
Individuals, Business, and Society

James O. Rodgers

Laura L. Kangas

Diversity Training That Generates Real Change

Copyright 2022 by James O. Rodgers and Laura L. Kangas

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First Edition
Hardcover print edition ISBN 978-1-5230-0173-6
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-0174-3
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-5230-0175-0
Digital audio ISBN 978-1-5230-0176-7

2022-1

Book production: Tolman Creek Design
Cover design: Alvaro Villanueva, Bookish Design

We, Jim and Laura, dedicate this book to the hundreds
of old soldiers who have diligently and consistently
delivered high quality, effective, transformational diversity,
equity and inclusion learning experiences. Thank you for your
commitment to the holy work and the sacred responsibility of
guiding people through personal growth.

I, Laura, also dedicate this book to my parents, Vally
and Waino Kangas, for their love and wisdom; to my daughters,
Savannah and Willow, who remind me every day that
miracles are always a possibility; and to my
paternal grandmother, Lempi Kangas, who helped give
me a North Star to believe in.

Chapter 1: Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion: Whats Training Got to Do with It?

As an executive coach for over 40 years, my mission for my clients has been to create positive, lasting behavioral change for themselves, their teams, and their organizations. My clients agree that all I teach and coach is easy to understand, but very difficult to do.

My coaching principles are founded on the need for constant repetition of actions and reminders to form new habits. Creating new mindsets and habits requires not only great lightbulb moments, but also the thoughtful strategies and planning to rewire a persons default settings over time.

Ive seen so many incredibly successful, wealthy, and renowned CEOs be humbled by how difficult it is to make real change in any capacity. It can be so easy to attend a brief seminar, workshop, or start a rigorous plan to change for a week, only to fall back into old habits with the busy nature of life and work. This is the New Years Resolution Trap that makes people believe that by sheer willpower, they will lose the weight, learn a language, or prioritize more time with their families. Without an action plan, accountability, and measurable steps to success, almost everyone gives up their resolution a few weeks into January.

This book is powerfully written and well researched to equip you with the tools you need to create effective Diversity Training that will generate lasting change in your organization. James and Laura will help you create a program or workshop that inspires, and one that sticks with people and drives new habits over a long period of time.

Diversity Training That Generates Real Change dives into the critical components for real change based on the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Youll learn how to communicate the importance of this training for the individual and company, create materials and exercises to engage participants at a profound level, and implement follow-up steps to get back on track as needed.

In my many years working with companies, founders, executives, and managers at every level, Ive seen an amazing level of effort to move in the right direction for inclusion and diversity. But there is so much more to be done in this effort. Changing company cultures and organizational systems starts with a shift in behavior for employees throughout a company. There is a need for more awareness of this in the workplace, and for actionable steps to create programs of learning for everyone.

I hope you will read this book and absorb every detail to help make your company a better place for all.

Marshall Goldsmith
Thinkers 50 #1 Executive Coach and
New York Times bestselling author of
Triggers, Mojo, and What Got You Here Wont Get You There

What Generates Real Change

In a conference room at a remote camping facility in rural Alabama, Mike, the CEO of a local gas utility, stood up, went to the front of a class of about 25 people, and said, Good morning and welcome to what may be the best experience of your life. Mike was a participant in a similar session just months before and was so moved by his experience that he asked Jim if he could attend again. He went on to share his experience with the course and how it had affected his worldview. Then he introduced Jim as a friend, an advisor, and someone who had helped the leaders of the enterprise see the commercial value of becoming a more diversity mature company.

With that setup, Jim confidently said, What you are about to experience will be different from any training you have had or will have. The main reason is that you are in charge of your learning and what you learn will probably come more from one of your classmates, rather than from me or my co-facilitator. That class of participants included a broad range of diversity dimensions. There were White people, Black people, male and female, highly educated and lower literacy, corporate officers, and frontline operators, and most importantly in Alabama (at the time) both Baptist and Methodist members.

It was clear from peoples body language that some of them were willing participants, and some were only there because they were expected to be there. Some of the skeptics relaxed after the very popular CEO spoke. Others became fully engaged after the first learning experience, which taught them that they are equally human, like all the others in the class. That realization created a rich learning environment that benefitted all the participants and led to a better understanding of the human condition.