Applying Lessons Learned From The Arts To Create A More Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workplace

Last week, WLH wrapped up our podcast series on what organizations can do to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture. 

This week, WLH is kicking off our next three-part series on applying lessons learned from the Arts and Sports worlds to help create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. 

In this first installment of the series, I will speak with Maya Lawrence, a member of the Alliance Theatre. Through the Alliance, Maya has leveraged the medium of theater and the skill of storytelling as a way of driving progress in the DEI sphere throughout the Atlanta area. The Alliance has done groundbreaking work by using theaters as a means of offering skill-building workshops to business leaders with the ultimate goal of addressing systemic racism and pervasive biases.

Maya and I will further discuss how she has used the three-step process of Awareness, Assessment, and Action in her work in theater and then how she translated the skills using the “Actor’s Toolkit” that allows corporations and organizations to tailor their DEI practices to what their employees specifically need.

Theater offers a unique perspective on business operations, as actors must react to the changes that happen on stage and be tuned into the moment. Similarly, leaders cannot expect results by using old frameworks on new problems — they must react to specific issues that arise in their organizations and create space for their employees to be their unique and authentic selves. This podcast will provide clarity on how organizations can achieve that end.