Beth Ridley uses the ADKAR change model to build inclusive leaders: create awareness of why it matters, build desire, teach skills, and reinforce new behaviors. She avoids triggering language like "DEI" in favor of job-relevant terms that minimize resistance.
I align everything I do to the ad car change model. So that doesn't mean whether it's a one hour webinar or a multi year consulting engagement, if we are asking leaders and employees to do something new, that is change. And change can be anxiety producing, as you know. So I want to make sure I'm thinking about what are all the levers that I can pull to make sure we're bringing someone along on that change journey more effectively. Everything from making sure we're creating the awareness for why change needs to happen, the innate desire to want to change, the knowledge of what are the actions I should be taking, and the ability and the reinforcement to take those actions consistently. My first webinar that I did in June really focused on the awareness piece. So really building the business case for why inclusion and belonging and inclusive leadership matters. And again, minimizing resistance and indifference to the business case by using language that better resonates. Right. I think these days if we sort of lead with dei, frankly, I'll just be honest. Those are trigger words in some organizations. Those are fighting words. And I just got to the point where I was tired of debating the merits of dei. If I'm going to talk to you, I want to engage you in how do we create a more inclusive culture, a thriving workplace culture, and sometimes simple language shifts. Using words that are more intuitive, more approachable, more relevant to anybody's job in the organization if they don't work in hr, go a long way to bring people along to create that awareness.
