Verna Myers

The brutal Killing of George Floyd by police and the Black Lives Movement has not only brought to light the horrors of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States, but also racial inequities and anti-blackness operating in all aspects of our society. What should our response be in light of these disturbing and painful revelations? Verna Myers will discuss how we can recognize and take an active stance against the conscious and unconscious biases and systems of power and privilege that maintain racial disparities. Verna will challenge us to see this time as an opportunity to actively re-imagine a new, more inclusive, and equitable world– one where Black people and other marginalized groups are truly included and we can all experience the creative power of difference.

As our workplaces and society are coming to a deeper awareness of racism and other forms of interpersonal and institutionalized bias, employees and leaders struggle with how they can be part of the solution for change. Inclusive Leadership is imperative to creating real change in our organizations, industries, and communities but Allyship is equally vital in helping to remove barriers that many Black people and other marginalized groups confront on a daily basis. Being an Ally or as some are now calling an “accomplice” or a “co-conspirator”- is not solely about being a “good person.” An effective Ally amplifies the voices of those who have been excluded and advocates on their behalf. Allyship requires us to develop the kind of trusting relationships with groups of people that many of us do not currently have, to be willing to take risks, and spend our privilege to elevate others. This presentation will help participants understand the importance of Inclusive Leadership and where it differs from Allyship. Participants will also learn the specific elements of Allyship, how to leverage their privilege, build authentic relationships, and avoid common pitfalls as they work to create fairness, justice, and meaningful opportunity for all.

Our society is at a crossroad. Political views, race, class, gender, and geography are dividing us more than ever. We are pulling back from one another, drawing the idea of family and community too small, clinging to people who are “like” us, and being afraid of, or angry with, the “other.” But separation and retrenchment are not the way forward. To overcome the epidemic of hatred, bigotry, and oppression, we need to expand and reimagine a more inclusive community and society. We each need to act – we need to commit to reaching across our differences instead of giving in to isolation, fear, and hostility.

In this compelling talk, Verna shares her vision of how we can all move forward, using her four Cs of progress – Cultural Curiosity, Compassion, Consciousness, and Courage. Participants will leave energized and with practical tools for connecting in small and large ways to people who are different.

Every day in the media we see people “stepping in it”- trying to explain how some offensive thing they did or said wasn’t meant to be derogatory or disrespectful of a group of people. Even in meetings, at work, in the classroom and around the dining room table things get said or done that cause great pain, confusion, and disengagement. Some of us blunder forward, but many more of us withdraw from interacting across differences, fearing we will make a mistake. This paralysis makes it hard for us to work in diverse teams and live in diverse communities.

In this provocative and instructive keynote, Verna will help the audience learn not only how to address the verbal, written missteps and negative actions of others, but what to do if they “step in it” themselves. This is a must hear Keynote for any person who is in a position where they can lead by example, even if they “stepped in it” themselves.

It is said that seeing is believing. But what about what we don’t realize we are seeing?

Despite all our good intentions and our desire to be fair and merit-based in our assessments of others, our unconscious biases create blind spots. Decades of research by social scientists make it clear that our brains take short cuts to conclusions without telling us. They rely heavily on schemas- ideas and things that go together- to make evaluations. It can be an efficient system, but it can also be a faulty one, and cause us to misjudge and exclude people based on old societal stereotypes, preferences and our personal belief system.

This is not because we are bad people; it’s because we are people. If an organization wants to attract, retain and advance diverse talent and better understand and serve a diverse customer and client base, its people can’t be in denial. Instead they must get curious and start looking for the implicit biases that are undermining their explicit beliefs, values and goals.

This disarmingly humorous and content rich keynote explains how important it is for leaders, managers, teammates and colleagues to identify the biases in themselves and in the workplace and learn specific ways they can begin to counter their own behaviors.

Cultural Competency isn’t just a catchphrase, it’s a critical characteristic of any successful leader. As organizations look to diversify their workforce and remain competitive and relevant in a constantly changing world and global marketplace, leaders must learn how to create inclusive, enriching, respectful environments for those around them. Effective leaders have honed the skill to motivate and manage a heterogeneous group of people, to get the best out of them and to allow their differences to positively impact the enterprise. This skill is called cultural competence – the ability to understand, recognize, and utilize knowledge and skills to engage effectively across differences.

This interactive, energetic keynote will help leaders see themselves and those they work with as cultural beings, helps them to identify areas where culture may be affecting team effectiveness and gives them tools to build the type of culture and environment that will bring out the best in the people they are leading and serving.

Decades of women in the workplace and graduate schools across many industries have proven that women are smart, capable, hardworking and committed to their families and their professions. Yet, gender inequality still prevails in the C-suite, boardrooms, on teams and in politics. We have evidence that bias, explicit or unconscious, are still alive and well and creating barriers to opportunity and advancement every single day in most organizations. When women are well represented, respected and reflected in decision-making roles, studies suggests they bring certain invaluable qualities, approaches and capabilities that strengthen their organization’s performance.

For organizations and our society to thrive, women must thrive. If women are not allowed to realize their full potential, our businesses, families, communities and society as a whole will suffer.

This candid and motivational keynote makes clear the value women bring to their organizations, what biases and structural barriers prevent their advancement, how women can use their power to overcome barriers including their own sometimes self limiting behavior, and best practices for organizations moving women forward .