This article was originally published by Authority Magazine and has been edited for clarity.

Creating inclusive workplaces is crucial for any organization that wants to get the most out of its talent. This means creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong, has equal opportunities, is empowered to do their best work, and feels comfortable making requests and contributing ideas. In this series, we asked prominent HR and business leaders about the steps they take to create more inclusive workplaces. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Marsha Wesley Coleman.

Rachel: Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Before we drive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

Marsha: Diversity has always been woven into my professional journey, even before I stepped into a role as an advisor. I went to Hampton University, a historically black university in Virginia, and then to Penn State, where, as an African American woman in the MBA program, I was in the minority. My early career spanned multiple corporate organizations, one of which was an American cable provider and then, eventually, Black Entertainment Television (BET). Beside my experience working at BET, I was often the only person of color, and I gravitated toward advocating for diversity and inclusion. This passion led me to join the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communication, where I first participated as a volunteer and then as the manager of the mentorship program. This significant role allowed me to recruit mentors and manage mentoring relationships, encouraging young people of color to pursue senior-level careers in cable television. I was also involved in an affinity group with an accounting firm where I worked after leaving the cable industry.

Another part of my backstory that has continued to leave an impression on my work is the experience of sitting alongside my parents at the dinner table growing up. My father would talk about his struggles as a Black man at work, including being passed over for promotions at his company. My mother, who was working on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cases with the government, would share her challenges in the workplace. I could see how their workplaces lacked inclusion, and those conversations translated to what I would see and experience when I entered the workforce.

About 13 years ago, I landed in my current role, advising and consulting with aging services organizations nationwide. Over time, my role shifted toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, especially after the 2020 deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Before these pivotal moments in broader society, my position only partially focused on diversity initiatives but quickly adapted to meet the needs of organizations eager to foster diverse environments. Like many colleagues who consult in areas of diversity and inclusion, the number of training and consulting requests I’ve received related to DEI in the past few years has nearly tripled.

Rachel: It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Marsha: I remember when I had just learned a new technique for facilitating meetings. I worked in a school district and walked into a classroom with a group of students whose school was about to undergo a change in leadership. I came prepared with a book of flip charts, papers, and materials. I was excited about the planned activity but overlooked the environment I was walking into. The students were angry knowing their school was changing hands and weren’t amenable to my planned activity. They looked at me and said, “We aren’t doing this.”

What they needed at that moment was to talk. They didn’t need — or want — a cookie-cutter solution. It was a mistake to think these students could do this activity, given the circumstances.

From this experience, I learned to be flexible. In my role today, I regularly facilitate these types of conversations and workshops. I’ve learned to tailor my work to the environment and the needs and adjust accordingly.

Rachel: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Marsha: There have been several mentors from whom I’ve learned technical skills and other skills. But the answer to this question must be my mother.

My mother helped me to get into graduate school. My advisor told me I needed to increase my GMAT scores, attend three classes during the summer and receive an “A,” and only then could I get into the program. I did all those things successfully but still did not receive admittance into the program.

My mother called the school (even though I was over 21) and advocated for me. She said, “My daughter did all of the things that you asked. You are going to let her into this program.”

I got in. My mother always had unwavering support for me. She believed in my abilities and was brave enough to go to bat for me. Today, I try to be that person for my daughter and those I believe in. She was an example of equity for me.

Rachel: Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Marsha: “Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible.” — Unknown

I am passionate about my career and other areas of my life, and I apply this thinking to my work in diversity. I find it helpful to expect more from people than they even think possible. This philosophy applies to both marginalized people and those in positions to share resources.

Rachel: Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self?

Marsha: I would encourage my younger self to believe in myself and my abilities. Often, much of what we think is personal is not. Sometimes, feedback or circumstances weren’t about me or my abilities, but I doubted myself because I felt that I was the only one thinking in a certain way. I think that all of us might think differently depending on who we are and our background. I would trust my voice a little bit more. I wouldn’t be down on myself for not thinking like others. It’s essential to be who I am and embrace my background and my experiences — the rooms where I’ve been where everybody didn’t look like me. I would tell my younger self to get my voice out there and never doubt my capabilities.

Rachel: Let’s now move to the central part of our interview. What systems do you have to ensure your workplace is as inclusive as possible?

Marsha: In my role, I advise organizations on creating inclusive workplaces, and I’ve found that the thinking is similar across industries and organizations.

Most organizations start with the question, “How can you make change?” Ideally, your whole system makes the change — starting with senior leadership and working across the system. If you cannot implement changes to make your organization inclusive system-wide, then you may not be able to accomplish as much. One or two task forces can’t make the change you desire by themselves. Sure, they might be able to develop a few programs here or there, but for the whole system to make a change, it should start with everybody working together to do their part. A strategy from the top of the organization initiates and then gets implemented through various parts of the organization.

Sometimes, individuals want to make a difference in creating inclusive workplaces, but their whole organization needs to be ready to implement the change. How can we encourage those people with resources to make a change? How can you be an advocate? Start by asking yourself what you have responsibility for. If you are responsible for hiring, can you widen the pool of who you hire? Can you learn together in informal groups throughout your organization about what you can do to make your workplace more inclusive?

There are even small ways organizations can create more inclusive work environments, such as expanding hiring practices, changing vendors and adding pronouns to Zoom names.

Rachel: Based on your experience and success, what are your top five tips for creating more inclusive workplaces?

Marsha:

1. Individuality — Give people on your team the opportunity to share their unique perspectives. Give them projects they manage. Encourage them to use their voice and bring their authentic selves to the workplace. Individuality is a tool to help empower.

2. Support One Another — Create a culture where people encourage and support each other across departments and levels.

3. Use the Differences — Diversity is the difference. Create a culture that leverages diversity in the workplace. Encourage people to bring their differences (skills, perspectives, insights, talents) to their work.

4. Come Together — Make time to come together to share best practices to move toward common values and mission. This time will make people feel that they are part of the whole.

5. Create a Culture Where Resources are Shared — If you have resources, share them with others in your workplace and community. Many of us have access to more resources than we need. Who in your workplace (typically those who are “only” or “othered” in society) could use a mentor, coach, kind word, understanding, cheerleader, and supporter? Be that mentor, coach, etc. — and encourage that mentality in your workplace.

Rachel: Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make while trying to become more inclusive? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

Marsha:

1. Starting From Scratch — People go into a room and decide they are going to build inclusivity practices from scratch. But there are already resources — for example, the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmark Model, an open-source document where contributors have researched best practices for creating a diverse organization. This is just one example of available tools — so you don’t need to start from scratch. I see many organizations spiral because they spend time and resources in the community and run out of energy for the internal work they need to do to ensure their staff receives equity. If you don’t use existing tools, you waste time and energy, and people get frustrated. Organizations may not be able to implement every change as listed in the benchmarking report, but they can do some of the things. The report provides a starting point and a guide to keep the organization on track.
2. Waiting for Employees to Be Ready –Organizations wait for their employees to be ready to make the workplace inclusive before taking steps to make it inclusive. If you wait for every single person to become fully evolved or the type of person to make a workplace inclusive, that may never happen. Instead, execute the processes that allow marginalized people to come in, and those steps will make your workplace inclusive. Hire diverse people into senior positions, start using preferred pronouns, and create anonymous job postings. These processes and systems aren’t relying upon people to evolve. Don’t wait for your employees to be ready. Move forward with creating systemic equity. Then, people will level up to those things.
3. Expecting Everyone to Agree on Values — Diversity is about professionalism. It’s not about agreeing on values. For example, we would never try to agree on our religious beliefs during our workday, yet many organizations think that when making workplaces inclusive, everyone must agree on personal values. Yes, you have your corporate and company values and must agree on those. But your personal values should take a backseat to being professional. Inclusive workplaces are about being professional. For example, let’s look at preferred pronouns. You don’t have to agree on whether people should share preferred pronouns, but you need to address someone with their chosen pronouns if that’s what they’ve requested because that’s being professional.
4. Only Dealing with What’s Above the Waterline — It’s helpful to use the metaphor of an iceberg. Above the waterline are the things we can see when it comes to inclusion. For example, the food people eat, how they dress, and their behaviors. Under the waterline are things like values, people’s thoughts, what’s important to them, and how they manage their time. Organizations often go straight to fleeting efforts like having people bring in the cultural food they enjoy. Does that help someone move up the career ladder? No. Does that change who is on the senior leadership team? No. But it does allow organizations to check off the box that they’ve done something to foster an inclusive environment. What more can we do besides what is obvious and easy? What could your team members contribute to your organization that would help your organization be more innovative?

Rachel: How do you measure the effectiveness of your DEI efforts?‍

Marsha: When advising an organization on measuring the effectiveness of DEI efforts, I focus on whether it’s become part of the fabric of the organization. Is it present in your strategy? Is it present in your values? Are people held accountable in their performance reviews? Do you have processes for going back and measuring change from where you started?There are specific metrics that I referenced in the benchmarking survey earlier. There are things that you can measure to be held accountable. For example, what percentage of your Board of Directors is from marginalized communities? How many people on your senior leadership team are from marginalized communities? Do people in marginalized groups in your organization feel they can move up?‍

Rachel: Are there other organizations you admire for their approach to DEI? Can you please explain why?

‍Marsha: I admire MSNBC. They have diversity from the top that impacts their product. MSNBC is led by an African American Female CEO and there is individuality and representation on shows. They don’t just share the same news that everyone else is sharing.‍

Rachel: What do you do to address Proximity Bias? How do you ensure remote workers are treated the same as onsite workers and have equal access to opportunities?‍

Marsha: First, recognize that proximity bias exists, that it is different, and that there is privilege being in the room. Look at the technology you are using. Try using technology that will give virtual participants equal access to the room. We use a Meeting Owl camera and speaker in our organization. It offers participants a panoramic view of the whole room and moves to whoever is speaking. Virtual participants also mention they can hear more of the conversation instead of having a stationary camera set up.It’s also good to facilitate the conversation by starting with the virtual participants or including them early on in conversations instead of leaving them until the end. Give one person the responsibility to keep an eye on the chat box so virtual participants have an “ally” in the room who can voice anything that appears in the chat. Also, consider the geographic area where virtual participants join and set meetings when everyone can be on a virtual platform to equalize the experience.‍

Rachel: We are very blessed to have some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this.‍

Marsha: Shonda Rimes. She changed the landscape and broke barriers in colorblind casting. She took on an “old guard” mentality in a fearless fashion.