BE BROWN BRAVE: Guide to Supporting Women of ALL Color in the Workplace

By Michelle Starr

It's time for a change...

Women of Color are underrepresented and not fully supported in their workplace environments. This taxes their mental and physical energy. This lack of inclusion negatively impacts white people and the company by losing out to higher attrition, an increase in racial and sexual lawsuits, and a loss

• Language: English
• Publisher: BE BROWN BRAVE
• Release date: Sep 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798218009458

Michelle Starr

The author graduated from The University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. She worked in corporate for 25 years, half with The Procter and Gamble Company and the other half with General Electric's Aviation & Aerospace Suppliers and Contract Manufacturers. She is married to her husband with one son. She participates in her communities and loves socializing with friends, family, and neighbors. Her hobbies are reading and decorating baked goods.

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BE BROWN BRAVE (Guide To Supporting Women Of All Color In The Workplace)

© Copyright <<2022>> MICHELLE STARR

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Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of the consumer or reader of this material. Any perceived slight of any individual or organization is purely unintentional.

The resources in this book are provided for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the specialized training and professional judgment of a health care or mental health care professional.

Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for the use of the information provided within this book. Please always consult a trained professional before making any decision regarding treatment of yourself or others.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to many people:

My father taught me at a very young age over and over to be brave when I grow into an adult. He would tell me to go out into this big world and LIVE. He knew I would come across tremendous struggles as a woman of color in more ways than one. I did. Yet, I am doing what he taught me and that is to be brave. I am. Thank you, father.

My mother prayed over me for many years as I was her last newborn when she became seriously ill and permanently hospitalized. Her prayers are still working. Thank you, mother.

My sisters and brothers pitched in to help raise and develop me into being my best self. I hold a LOVING special place in my HEART for ALL of them, close and extended. Especially, my niece. Thank you, family!

My husband spent as much time loving me as my family did. I cannot express how much I love him but will try to show him every day. Thank you, Long Jaws!

My son, I have raised him to be his best self in preparation to receive my baton. My diving behind a dumpster to secretly watch over him shows a parent’s love for their child. Thank you, Gorgeous!

My friends, new and longtime, I used as sounding boards for my personal and professional take on life. Thank you!

My neighbors, who walked with me and talked to me, sharing their personal and professional stories of successes and challenges. Thank you.

More importantly, my coworkers, who were and still are my Active Allies. Being authentic along with me and bringing your true selves to work, your compassion radiated. You helped me believe there are coworkers that care, which made me rethink my own bias. Your kindness is appreciated. I hope this book will cause many more to emulate this BE BROWN BRAVE behavior. Thank you!

Finally, my Women of Color, have been and will continue to be brave. Don’t stop being you.

THANK YOU! :)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: My Youth and Young Adulthood13

Chapter 2: Living Dictionary of the Preferred Workplace19

Chapter 3: P&G’s Example 27

Chapter 4: My Journey After P&G35

Chapter 5: Five Groups59

Chapter 6: Leadership in General69

Chapter 7: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Bias73

Chapter 8: Being Brown Brave77

Chapter 9: Goals83

Chapter 10: Strategies89

Chapter 11: Sample Metrics95

Chapter 12: Support97

Chapter 13: Improvements and Growth101

Chapter 14: Current Evidence105

Chapter 15: Overall Conclusions111

Foreword

Step into Michelle’s shoes and take an eye-opening walk through the workplace of manufacturing and corporate culture in Midwestern America over the past 20+ years. This firsthand account from a woman of color navigating the ebbs and flows of employee attitudes, interactions, and workplace dynamics provides a rich backdrop for valuable lessons every employer can benefit from.

I first met Michelle at the all-boys high school where our sons got an excellent education, and we parents had ample opportunities to help the school grow a culture of inclusivity. We both served on the parent board, working in partnership with faculty and staff to welcome families of diverse backgrounds, create opportunities for connections, and help prepare students to live and work in a diverse society. She always brought enthusiasm and smart ideas to the group—ideas that were both practical and effective—and I saw firsthand how her interactions with new parents often enhanced their sense of belonging.

Though we had worked at the same company for several years before we met, I never knew Michelle at work. When she shared a draft of this book, I learned more about the ups and downs of her professional life. Her journey across different companies and different workplaces is at times surprising, sometimes heartwarming, and at other times discouraging. For many women of color, some of Michelle’s experiences may be all too familiar and frustrating.

I believe Michelle’s up close and personal accounts translate into unique insights and ideas to help today’s managers avoid pitfalls and embrace the many valuable contributions that women of color have to offer in the workplace. Much of her advice is straightforward, while some is nuanced. She strikes an important balance of practical commonsense actions with not-so- obvious, but invaluable insights about workplace dynamics, helping the reader better understand why and what it means to be brown brave.

As Michelle illustrates with a range of examples, the employers who work to continuously create an inclusive environment are the ones who bring out the best in their employees. Not surprisingly, these employers enjoy higher employee retention, effective teamwork operations, and greater business growth.

Maria Burquest

P&G Alumni, Communications Professional, Wife & Mom

Introduction

Sharing only my opinions throughout this book, you will read and learn from my experiences working in corporate for over twenty-five years. I have been the only woman or woman of color. I have experienced success, aggression, and minimum support. What I’ve learned about many industries is that women of all color are underrepresented and not fully supported in their workplace environments. This lack of representation and support taxes the mental and physical energy of the woman and her coworkers. which damages all employees’ overall wellbeing and that of future generations.

For working America to thrive and succeed in the workplace, we must advocate for fair inclusion for women of all color by following my idea to Be Brown Brave. Being Brown Brave will require commitments from senior leaders across all industries to interweave inclusion throughout their entire organizations, at every level, in every department, and into every action. Being Brown Brave will require all employees to become aware of their own biases and learn to manage them to overcome them.

Using my Mechanical Engineering Technology degree from the University of Cincinnati and passion for adding value to the world, I have worked with some of the most brilliant minds in the consumer goods and aerospace industry through companies like Procter & Gamble and General Electric’s suppliers and contract manufacturers for over twenty-five years.

Being Brown Brave will scale empathy and build revenue by increasing employees’ levels of positive experience, increasing productivity, and capitalizing on women of color’s hidden value.

Being introduced to corporate twenty-five years ago through The Procter & Gamble Company and recently contracted with them, I have seen their senior leaders imitate this brave behavior by placing other minority groups and me in multicultural, gender-equal, and supportive environments. This mindset was adopted in the past and still works today, which means other companies can adopt it.

I promise if more companies support this new brave behavior, we all will change the world to be better, more inclusive, and at peace with one another.

If possible, please read this book now so you can adopt this mentality, share it, and be a part of the solution. Every day of not supporting women of all color is a loss of opportunities to become net-zero for capitalizing on missed efforts.

By reading my strategies in this book: Senior Leaders, you will gain an insight on using your authority and leverage to make this happen. Executives, you will see a different perspective to motivate and inspire your teams. Managers, you will become more effective in leading the boots on the ground. IT, you will bring light to awareness to keep all employees informed and ready. White people, you will become aware of how to help and have more peace while at work. Men of color, you will learn how to increase what you are already doing. Women of color, you will learn to trust more in yourself and be grateful for your advocates.

Chapter 1

My Youth and Young Adulthood

I was raised by my father, who became a single parent when my mother took ill two months after giving birth to me. He was older than