Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
7 <br />The Breakpoint Initiative <br />Culture is organic - it cannot be dictated by one person. In the process of delivering our <br />curriculum, the culture of the organization will naturally begin to shift as the group buys in. <br />A successful foundation has its origins in the already established culture. Racial equity is not <br />meant to overhaul the culture but to help steer it toward better health. It should be a <br />completely organic process – which is a far cry from many corporate environments, in which <br />a single person or committee is responsible for dictating the culture. Remember: healthy <br />culture may be encouraged from the top-down, but it will only take root from the bottom-up. <br />Action (Build a Culture of Empowerment) <br />One of the ways that smart business leaders can encourage a healthy culture is by actively <br />putting the power to shape the culture in the hands of those who work in it. In other words, <br />the shift will not be a mandate. It will be because a strong foundation has been laid to ensure <br />empathy is rooted in all staff interactions, onboarding procedures, and is considered when <br />implementing policies. Invitation to be a part of this process will work better than a mandate. <br />When an organization is fully aligned, when everyone feels empowered to have healthy <br />conversations around professional growth, career development, and feel their beliefs are <br />respected – it breeds a desire to join these trainings, which in turn breeds success. <br />It is important that every workplace articulate its unique features and create themes, both <br />internally and externally, that can be narrowed down and shared with all employees. But <br />when the hierarchy initiates programs without involving those who it will govern then it will <br />be subject to a culture better defined by what it wants to be than what it really is. We look <br />forward to seeing how the staff reacts to the idea of attending racial and financial equity <br />training rather than the necessity of it. We also look forward to building a “skin in the game” <br />atmosphere throughout the staff as we discuss the actions to take to build a healthy culture. <br />Reflection/Evaluation (Breakpoint) <br />The Breakpoint Initiative operates as a hard pause in the culture building process to take <br />inventory of the strength of what is being built. We have strategies unique to our platform, <br />drawn from our years of experience in diversity and inclusion training and financial <br />education, which are designed to test the foundation of the organization. When these <br />strategies are used, they allow us to openly discuss how people feel about the company and <br />the direction it is headed in as well as their own hurdles. The responses will identify whether <br />empathy and impact are the foundation of the organization or if profit, productivity, and/or <br />power are in the cement. <br />Many organizations have a core mission to serve the community and push forward healthy <br />initiatives, so these strategies are even more important. By embracing the humanity of the <br />organization/network, identifying the long-term goals but having an intimate understanding <br />of the goals of the people within it as well, we find our building blocks. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 6F871CCE-055E-46A1-A81E-C2ED2DA28D40