Hello and welcome to Women Taking the Lead. I'm going to start us off by reading a quote I read not too long ago of my guest today. "As leaders in an increasingly polarized society, it's crucial that we recognize the talent within our organizations. Incredible talents are often overlooked, underutilized, or placed in situations that are bound to fail. The consequence of this is stagnant teams and underperforming businesses because our people feel disconnected. However, it's not the people who are broken; it's our organizational systems that require fixing."

That is a bold statement made by Dr. Mary-Clare Race, the President of Talking Talent.

Meet Mary-Clare Race

Dr. Mary-Clare Race is recognized for her remarkable career spanning four continents. She has played a pivotal role in facilitating business improvement for globally renowned organizations, including Barclays, Goldman Sachs, GSK, Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Estee Lauder Companies, as well as governmental organizations including the British Government, Cabinet Office, and the UK National Health Service.

A prominent figure in her field, Dr. Race's research contributions have been published in reputable journals such as Frontiers in Psychology, Mental Illness at Work, and People & Strategy. While her expertise features in industry-leading publications including The Harvard Business Review, People Management and The Financial Times.

Talking Talent, a team of business psychologists, coaches, talent specialists, and diversity leaders committed to creating workplaces where everyone feels valued and respected. With almost two decades of experience, they know that the best way to ensure business success and resiliency is by building spaces where people feel like they truly belong. Through their coaching-led approach, they help individuals and organizations develop the skills and behaviors they need to create a culture of belonging.

Talking Talent has delivered award-winning DE&I programs and coaching within world-renowned organizations, including Disney, NatWest, Lloyds Bank, Citi, EY and many more. Clients have reported a 56% increase in job performance and £100 million saved each year in retention costs through a 50% reduction in the risk of staff turnover.

In this episode Mary-Clare and I discussed:

The history DEI and the current state of DEI efforts around the globe.
The importance of considering the ecosystem vs. the individual when looking to retain talent
Where companies can make investments in the coming year to see meaningful progress.
How the most effective programs will both customize to the organization and personalize to the individual.
Why, when psychological safety is introduced to a team or organization, the issues can appear to get worse before they get better.

Where you can find Mary-Clare Race:

www.talking-talent.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/talking-talent-ltd/

Resources

Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Apply to be on an "On-Air Coaching" episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast.

Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader.

Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.