Events
September Chapter Event
When: 9/12/2019
Coaching Across Differences: Dealing with Micro-inequities with Women of Color
There is a high level of diversity in the United States and great nuances in the way race and gender play out in society and through organizations. Therefore, there is a growing and significant need for coaches to develop a deeper understanding of how to coach individuals who are different from us. Many times coaches go into coaching relationships assuming that their experience is similar to that of the people they coach. While we coach the person and not the problem, we must remember as coaches that the context of the experience of the coachee affects the way they view and interpret their world. As a result, the experiences they share with us need to be heard with great attention and as much of their cultural lens as possible.
This workshop explores some of the micro-inequities that African-American and Latina women experience in the workplace and the world in which they live, raise their children, and contribute to the community. While there are some shared experiences among women and differences even between women in the same group, our focus is on the experiences of these two specific groups. As women, they experience differences based on gender in ways that are similar to and different from Caucasian women. As women of color, they experience differences based on race and ethnicity similarly and different than men within their race. Micro-inequities are defined by Rowe (1973) as "apparently small events which are often ephemeral and hard-to-prove, events which are covert, often unintentional, frequently unrecognized by the perpetrator, which occur whenever people are perceived to be 'different'".
We will look at different micro-inequities, triggers of conflict, and coaching tools and tips to help our clients challenge inequities, working on our own biases and assumptions about differences, and strengthening the bevy of responses available to our client in the world they face.
Competencies:
Coaching Presence,
Establishing Trust and Intimacy
Active Listening
Meet Dr. Janice Witt Smith, PCC
Dr. Janice Witt Smith, MBA, SPHR, is an award-winning university educator; experienced human resource and leadership development consultant; trainer; published author; researcher; and executive, business, and career coach. Dr. Smith has been an HR Director and academic Dean and has over 25 years of business experience and in successfully coaching and developing leaders. Dr. Smith is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and ICF-certified Professional Coach (PCC), and has amassed over 2,000 hours of executive coaching; with 1,400 of those hours with clients of the Center for Creative Leadership and its international clientele. Dr. Smith ("Dr. J") is currently the Vice President for Professional Development for the International Coach Federation (ICF)-Charlotte Chapter.
Her research and consulting focus over the past 25 years have been on the way women and racial/ethnic minorities experience the workplace. She is also the author of four books that focus on leadership and coaching. Dr. Smith has coached individuals from all levels in the organization, including senior level. She is certified on many psychological instruments, including CCL Assessment Suite, Hogan Assessment Suite, FIRO-B, MBTI, Conflict Dynamics Profile, Change Style Indicator, Decision Style Profile, Prospector, California Psychological Index, PressTime Simulation, Workplace Big 5, DLI, and others.