. DeBaun and her company recently expanded their long-running commitment to Black economic advancement by creating the nonprofit foundation, Blavity.org. She is also the creator of WorkSmart, a business podcast and small business advising program.
As I was meeting new people and building our team, I noticed some of the cultural nuances that impact communication. What's really important is understanding the cultural norms of communications in other cultures and how that may impact people's lens in conversations, particularly around performance reviews or access to transparency of information within the company.
When we name objects and give examples, we tend to use male examples. So we'll say, “Oh, when we work the client, when he …” Instead, I often say “she.” So we have to be very conscious about the vocabulary and the words that we use as leaders when we want diverse environments. And you know you're not going to be perfect. I'm constantly learning. I'm constantly making mistakes, but I do my best to be open to feedback and try to continually improve.