Connecting Awesome People Podcast Appearance!

Image Description: An encircled picture of HR consultant Pharoah Bolding can be seen on a striped background. The words “Featured in today’s episode” are above the encircled picture in green and white. To the upper-right of the encircled picture in a blue and white circle. In the circle is a white silhouette of a microphone. Under the microphone is Pharoah’s name in green and white letters.

Hey, y'all! I'm on this week's episode of Cinder's Connecting Awesome People podcast! We get real and candid about the trauma of being Black, melanated, and intersectional in the workplace. We also talk about HR and DEI. And, if you know me or follow my work, you already know this wasn't some "baby gloves" conversation.

You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/57osaWxRCNIFHEWGegukLX?si=JOonioSyQKGNSWzuJVC38A

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/connecting-awesome-people/id1728583997

[Image Description: An encircled picture of HR consultant Pharoah Bolding can be seen on a striped background. The words “Featured in today’s episode” are above the encircled picture in green and white. To the upper-right of the encircled picture in a blue and white circle. In the circle is a white silhouette of a microphone. Under the microphone is Pharoah’s name in green and white letters.]

This Week's Opening Thought: March 4, 2024

This week's opening thought: What a quiet “corporate” Black History Month! I swear it was 30% less messaging and branding than usual. Where were all the virtue signals, photo ops, overdone ad campaigns, and licensed apparel, with 10% of the proceeds going to a notable Black charity?

Oh, that’s right! Silly me! All the DEI departments no longer exist or are ignored and running on fumes, Pharoah!

I guess they realized they didn't have to front if they decided to openly and publicly embrace that they never cared about diversity, equity, inclusion, and Black lives in the first place.

I guess there’s no Nike shirt with a kente cloth swoosh in my future.

Woe is me.

This Week's Opening Thought: February 26, 2024

This week's (late) opening thought: I wish I could tell you that the world we live in is inherently kind, loving, and affirming, but it's not. We live in a world where countless genocides are happening. We live in a world where trans bathroom bills are killing our Indigenous youth. We live in a world that is constantly seeking out new ways to harm, silence, and dehumanize those with melanin in their skin. If you even have a modicum of empathy and humanity in your soul, I'm sure your body and brain are heavy right now.

I get it because I feel it, too.

It currently feels like a massive undertaking to live, love, and hope. To hope for a better today. To believe in a better tomorrow.

So, I wish I could tell you that our world is inherently kind, loving, and affirming, but it's not.

But that doesn't mean we can't continue striving for it to be so.

There's still love and joy in the world. There's still kindness and humanity. There's still wonder and beauty. It's still there even if it feels like we've got to dig for it, like loose change between seat cushions. No matter what, no matter how daunting it all feels, we must keep diggin' between those seat cushions. We owe it to ourselves, future generations, and our ancestors to embrace love, joy, and hope. We can't be energized and ready to continue fighting without allowing our brains and bodies to live, love, breathe, and hope. So, keep diggin' between those couch cushions and hit the corner store with that loose change.

You deserve some Cheetos and a quarter water before hoppin' back into the fray.

We all do.

On Write-Ups, "Performance Improvement Plans," "Managers," and "Leaders"

Write-ups and "performance improvement plans" exist because most "managers" don't know how to have adult, human, centered conversations with their team members to address issues in real-time and view being vulnerable and connected to their team members and colleagues as weaknesses.

Most write-ups and "performance improvement plans" address things that should've been, and still could be, addressed in a one-on-one, actively engaged conversation and regularly scheduled 1:1s.

If most "managers" and "leaders" used write-ups and "performance improvement plans" as human-centered support tools after exhausting all means of straightforward communication instead of weapons to force compliance, we'd be having different conversations about work.

If most "managers" and "leaders" used write-ups and "performance improvement plans" as a means to remove toxic, oppressive, racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, ableist people from the workplace, we'd be having VERY different conversations about work.

Don't @ me. Tell me when I'm tellin' lies.

This Week's Opening Thought: February 19, 2024

This week's opening thought: Me watching people of pallor get enraged over Beyonce making country music:

Who wants to tell 'em who they can thank for country music even existing? Does anybody wanna tell 'em how country music rhythms, structures, instrumentation, and storytelling are all rooted in African hymnals and folktales? Please, somebody, tell 'em so I can watch them stimmer, stammer, get overwhelmed, and explode like a Power Rangers monster! 😂

I swear people of pallor seem to adore claiming ownership of things they didn't create but decided were theirs to own, only to get indignant when those who created their new "property" choose to update the leasing agreement.

It's hilarious to me that most of y'all can't get your head around how many of the things you love and claim ownership over only exist because of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and melanated communities. That includes the music you believe is the "voice of your people." Five minutes ago, Beyonce was your "spirit animal" (put a pin in that, 'cause we're gonna talk about that soon). As soon as she announced she was making country music? All your mediocre insecurities came pouring out because you know deep down in your loins that she's about to show y'all how it's done, and your fragility can't take it. Suddenly, millions of people of pallor are country music experts! Would you look at that? How precious! 🤣 That Black ownership got y'all armchair quarterbackin'! But the problem with armchair quarterbackin' is that you often know little to nothing of what you act like you're an expert on. This is another one of those moments.

I'll add it to y'all's tab.

This visible lack of education rooted in racism on y'all's part isn't always laughable, so when it is, I allow myself a nice, hearty chuckle.

I might even allow myself a dosey-doe, too.

Do better.

[Video description: an clip of the late comedian Charlie Murphy bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter. Other Black men are nearby, joining in on the hilarious outburst.]