Emma Sharkey
Leadership ~
Coaching ~
Belonging
Belonging: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Working in diverse spaces, it's easy to understand that they're needed for both a just society and for more robust work outcomes, no matter the line of business. Yet the amazingly diverse work spaces I've been privileged to be a part of have fallen far short of inclusion and belonging. Racialized colleagues feel pressured to work harder to get ahead, and one doesn't have to look far up an organization's hierarchy to witness the drop off in representation from racialized people, women, those with accessibility needs, and gender, romantic and sexual minorities.
Without inclusion, trust doesn't exist, without trust, safety doesn't exist, and if people are coming to work feeling unsafe, this impacts both quality of life and quality of work. What supports safety, trust, inclusion and belonging? There's as many answers to this question as there are people in the world. Inclusion and diversity work requires engaging people in the workplace, developing the skills and creating the space to have difficult conversations. with staff and management.
"Emma leads confidently through compassion, encouragement and inspiration. She consistently empowers her colleagues, co-workers and staff by routinely valuing, caring for and listening to the many voices around the room. She encourages diversity of thought and incorporates all perspectives to develop robust and wholesome solutions. Emma creates welcoming and inclusive spaces for all by bridging the gap too often felt between staff and management. She challenges the standard by thoughtfully pushing through boundaries to move the conversation beyond diversity to inclusion. She has a keen ability not only to embrace differences, but to explore underlying values that unite and serve a common goal."
Raina Crasto, Nishnabe Aski Nation
"Working for and with Emma was an experience that helped me grow as an employee and as a person. Emma created a team environment where sharing and learning were encouraged and mistakes and questions were embraced. By learning to embrace personal and organizational challenges I made progress that I still benefit from today. The working environment Emma created had a generous amount of recognition and scheduled time for team building and social outings. These activities created a team environment where sharing was the norm and teammates helped each other shine."
Chloe Lazakis, Energy, Northern Development and Mines