Dr. Shawn Andrews

Organizations that want to perform at the highest levels and be competitive in their industry must effectively leverage their leadership talent. Yet, in nearly all companies, a leadership gender gap persists. Research has identified an individual's emotional intelligence (EQ) as a key aspect and driver of leadership effectiveness. EQ assessment have found men and women to be strong in different areas. Finally, men and women are raised in different cultures. It begins at birth and carries into the workplace as adults. As a result, we approach virtually every aspect of business differently. Understanding the power of perception can dramatically improve your career advancement and help men and women work better together. Building on her best-selling book, The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide, Dr. Andrews will address the latest research on these topics and share practical strategies you can apply to boost your career.

As a global society, we are becoming more diverse every day. Today, many companies are striving to be more diverse and inclusive but are falling short. Why? Because most companies are not doing the right kinds of activities, not doing enough activities, or are only addressing one piece of the issue. DEI initiatives can be compared to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Diversity awareness starts at the bottom and sets the foundation, then as organization’s progress they move to active diversity management and evolve to become inclusive at the top of the pyramid. If an organization sets out to be inclusive and equitable from the start, then diversity will naturally follow. This presentation is focused on helping organizations leverage inclusion to get the benefits of diversity. Neuroscience aspects to creating inclusion and building safe teams will be discussed, as well as helping people understand the power of microaggressions.

By now, most of us know that unconscious biases affect the workplace. These hidden, reflexive preferences shape our world views and can profoundly affect how welcoming and open a workplace is to different people and ideas. These predispositions shape the decisions we make by affecting the way we interpret information and how we interact with others—significantly impacting a whole host of organizational processes from recruitment to retention. At the same time, we are experiencing significant shifts in global demographic trends which impact age, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and LGBTQ employees. There is no doubt that our workplace is becoming more diverse, which increases the potential for more biases towards our colleagues and clients. Customized bias scenarios (based on your audience) and real-world cases and examples will be discussed. Several individual and organizational strategies to minimize bias will be provided.