Coaching Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Creative Industries
Building for a better future.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is not only the right way forward for organizations but closing the racial and gender wealth gap will enhance GDP by an estimated $12 trillion by 2025 (McKinsey, 2020). Awareness is a first step, the second step is a strategy and a way forward. Coaching is an effective tool to place organizations on pathways that honor diversity and inclusion and build an equitable workplace. With coaching employees are 32 % more committed to (and 46 % more satisfied with) their jobs, suffer significantly less burnout than other employees do, and perform 16 percent better." (McKinsey, 2016). Coaching identifies and integrates effective behaviors that build agency, direction and functionality within organizations. It empowers autonomous decision-making, reduces managerial burnout and increases employee engagement, retention and satisfaction.
“Working within established professional standards set by International Coaching Federation and leadership coaching programs at New York University and Columbia University coaches we work co-actively with clients and small teams. Using the GROW model (Whitmore, 1992) the Coach works with the client to identify Goals, Current Realities. Options/Obstacles and Ways Forward.” - Les Joynes
Diversity
:The first step is diversity (Forbes, 2019). Building a Culture of Diversity is understanding and honoring the differences between people, that can include dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It also means honoring the linguistically, culturally and ethnically diversity.
Equity
Building equity is setting the vision of what equity would look like to the organization. This is not just about financial compensation but also about professional development, access to upskilling, leadership opportunities, mentorship, promotions and bonuses. Equity is also about clarity in communication of these goals as part of an organizational strategy, and channels by which managers can be accessed and be accountable to their reports.
Inclusion
An inclusive work environment is one in which leaders are vocal about encouraging everyone to share their contributions and, when done well, makes employees feel valued through positive reinforcement and clear outcomes. (Forbes, 2019)
Bio: Dr. Les Joynes is an NYU-certified professional coach specialized in the cultural industries. Les is a Leadership Coach at Columbia Business School, Academic Coach at University of Melbourne, Australia and an Entrepreneurship Coach at the New School. Experienced serving Fortune 500 organizations since 1989 in the US, EU and Asia, Les has coached in museums at Yale and artists at Columbia.
Trained in the arts and management Les combines left-brain (analytical) and right-brain (creative) thinking to explore solutions that enhance personal and professional growth. Les has lectured on intercultural collaboration at University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Peking University Institute of Cultural Industries, University of California Santa Barbara, University of the Arts London (UAL), University of Coventry, UK. He was Fellow (2015) at the University of the Arts London Research Center on Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) and researches models for intercultural collaboration in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Les serves as a New York Membership Ambassador for the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and is a member of the IOC (Affiliate of Harvard Medical School), the American Alliance of Art Museums, College Arts Association and is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, London. Educated in the US, UK and Japan he has an M.Sc Managment from Boston University, MBA from California State University, MA from Goldsmiths, London, MA from Musashino Art University, Japan, PhD from the Faculty of Art, Environment and Technology, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and Post-Doctorate from the School of Communications and Arts (ECA), University of São Paulo, Brazil. He is recipient of the US Department of State ACMS Fellowship for his research on International Education and the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award.
