Laura Kriska | How Leaders Close The Us Versus Them Gap In The Workplace

Leadership Biz Cafe with Tanveer Naseer

It’s hard not to feel as though there’s a growing tide of divisiveness spreading across the world, splitting people into us vs. them camps on a variety of issues. Of course, those divisive issues found in various communities and countries inevitably spill into the workplace. So how can leaders ensure they’re closing the gap between those us and them groups within their workforce? My guest for this episode of my “Leadership Biz Cafe” podcast, Laura Kriska, not only has the answer, but she has a proven process for how leaders can succeed at creating a more diverse and inclusive organizational culture. And I even apply one of those lessons in my conversation with Laura to prove leaders can start making these efforts right now. Laura is a leading cross-cultural consultant with more than 30 years of experience working with organizations to help them bridge gaps in diverse workplaces. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies around the world helping leaders and their teams overcome us versus them gaps fostered by differences in nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, or other demographic identifiers. In this episode, I talk with Laura about her book “The Business of WE – the proven three-step process for closing the gap between us and them in your workplace” and how leaders can better succeed in their diversity and inclusion initiatives. Over the course of this episode, some of the topics Laura and I discuss include: What’s behind organizations failing to truly embrace diversity and inclusion in the face of a growing talent shortage.What leads to a gap between our awareness and understanding of the different cultural identifiers found within today’s increasingly diverse workforce.5 important rules leaders need to observe when carrying out any kind of diversity and inclusion assessment in their organization.3 types of action leaders can take to close the us versus them gap in their workplace.The unspoken problem behind hiring for “culture fit” when it comes to diversity and inclusion.How to ensure hybrid work arrangements don’t adversely impact career opportunities for minority groups in your workforce. If you enjoy this episode, I’d appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review my podcast on your favourite streaming platform. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5I9WEqDrMNJAFqm1XObsnG?si=A6ZmEIUKT1WQw4jYRIqjbA Noteworthy links: Buy “The Business of WE” on Amazon.*Learn more about Laura’s work (and her free online assessment) at laurakriska.com. *sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.