On Tuesday, March 16, I had the opportunity to participate in the Ignite Career Accelerator Event: Championing Inclusive Leadership. The event featured UW MBA alum, Deanna Singh. Deanna Singh is a champion for marginalized communities and is always at the forefront of social change. She has established and operated multiple social innovations, including the NYC office of LIFT and Milwaukee’s Street Law Program. As Founder and Chief Change Agent with Flying Elephant, she offers dynamic, practical tools to companies engaging in social innovation. Singh earned her BA in Urban Studies from Fordham University, a JD from Georgetown University, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In this hands-on event, I learned how to identify common mistakes even well-intentioned allies commit while deepening my understanding of how inclusion efforts can be implemented in a meaningful way. One of the highlights of the event was learning about foundational fluency, which helped me gain racial fluency competence. During breakout sessions, we were asked to reflect and discuss some of the significant challenges that the business world faces regarding diversity and inclusion.
Another highlight was learning about microaggressions from a leadership role. Microaggression is a term used for brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups. It was fascinating to learn how microaggressions impact the workplace, and most often, people do not realize it is happening. I learned how to recognize the consequences of microaggressions and how I can enhance my awareness of microaggression in the workplace as a future leader. The workshop helped me understand the impact inclusion can have on people in the workplace. It was another fantastic event that made me grateful to be a Business Badger!
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