Dear 2025,

I had high hopes for you. It seemed like there was something special about the year being 2025. As such, my word for the year was “abundance”.

I optimistically wrote the word on a poster behind my monitor along with my goals for the year. I can barely look at that poster now.

A better word would have been “struggle” or perhaps “dumpster fire”.

I could talk about all the crappy things that happened this year, but I know 2025 was crappy for many, so in my last newsletter for the year I thought I would share all the great things I got to do.

We often hear about how important it is to understand our values when thinking about our career. It actually took me a while to work out what was important to me.

 I think back to the time I was working for a chain jewellery store, straight out of finishing that super useful Applied Science Degree. I was in their management development program and then worked my way up to store manager.

I have been delivering some workshops on respectful and inclusive cultures, and have written a couple of newsletters on the topic, here and here.

In the first one, mostly written on a plane between Brisbane and Mackay, I was reflecting whether the mostly male audience would feel a bit attacked by the topic, because workplaces that are more at risk of disrespectful and exclusionary behaviours (sexual harassment, bulling, discrimination and victimisation) are those where:

• Most of your workers are men

• Most of your leaders are men

• Your workplace lacks diversity across the board

• Your workplace is isolated or remote

• Your workplace is divided by gender (for example, women in the office, men on the tools)

“Nearly 2 years ago (over the summer holidays in Thailand) I read the book 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less (by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy).

One of the takeaways for me was organising my week to have:

• Free days, for exploring, recovery, learning, idea generating and testing

• Focus days, for getting stuff done, working on important and revenue generating activities, and

• Buffer days, for meetings, organising, planning, admin, and preparing type work.

I decided then that Fridays would be a “Free” day.”

“How do we change these people’s minds?” I was asked during some recent training on respectful culture.

I had been sharing some of their people's comments from the gender equity survey I ran with the organisation.

I won’t share the direct comments here but they were along the lines of “women shouldn’t be in our industry” and “males are just better at some jobs more than women” and “women aren’t capable of doing the job. There was more, but you get the flavour 🙄

Last week I was in Australia delivering workshops on building respectful and inclusive cultures for a particular industry and organisation experiencing rapid growth and unprecedented investment.

I was delivering these workshops to the most delightful groups of people leaders. All up to around 60 people. I built their training around their own gender equity survey results, which we ran over the last 12 months. Their own survey results were the most powerful part of the training.

I started writing this newsletter on a plane from Brisbane to Mackay, Australia. I’m essentially “on tour” to train mostly men, (mostly white men) in a male dominated industry about:

1. Why Diversity & Inclusion is essential for their business and their industry, and

2. Training on Respect at Work, the name given to Australia’s push to banish sexual harassment and discrimination from the workplace, and create respectful workplace cultures.

It's good stuff.

But as I sit on the flight, I’m conscious that these men may feel a bit attacked by both topics.

I was talking to one of my podcast guests last week, about how challenging the market is for business and jobs. She had been talking to someone about to make 40 people's jobs redundant, and had also heard that a large organisation in New Zealand had just hit 500 redundancies this year.

Maybe you have lost your job this year?

Did you have a plan if you lost your job? Have you been developing yourself and your network in case this happens?

This new city, new job mentoring program?

I was paired with a Human Resources Leader at a well-known organisation. It was the kind of organisation I would like to work for one day. But the experience was disappointing. He just talked at me. Gave me advice I didn’t ask for. Gave me advice I didn’t need. Didn’t listen. Didn’t ask me any questions.

I didn’t organise the second mentoring meeting.

It was the start of me noticing that Senior Leaders (#notallseniorleaders 🙄) often seem to feel they have been anointed by a sparkly wand which has given them permission to talk. About everything they know. About things they don’t know. Just talk.

I went to a New Zealand fashion week event last week. It was the Breast Cancer Cure Designer Showcase, and it was kinda great because any of the clothes that were sent down the runway, you could basically head out to the shops and buy them that day.

There was a huge variety of kiwi designers including Trelise Cooper, Moochi, Storm and more.

It was also great because It was the first “fashion week” I have attended, and it was quite fashiony. Lots of people dressed up and excited, including me.

But was it inclusive?

When I first started out in my HR career the “big deal” at the time was culture fit. Did people fit the culture. Would they fit in? Or not?

Of course you first had to define the culture which in itself was a tricky thing because many parts of an organisational culture are not tangible, and often hard to explain. I still talk about one job that I left after 12 months, despite knowing I didn’t “fit” from day one. I still find it very hard to explain why I didn’t fit that culture even with some distance and maturity.

Back in high school my grade 8 art teacher wrote on my end of year report card that I had "a fiery nature when called for". I had spoken up when she punished the whole class for the behaviour of a couple of boys. I wasn't having it.

It's risky to speak up. To create a fuss. To move towards the tension, rather than away from it. Few people want to do this.

I little while ago, maybe back in 2023, a lovely colleague recommended I talk to a particular woman who was creating an amazing network for women in business.

Being a woman in business, and based on that recommendation from a lovely colleague, I would also like to be in an amazing network of other women in business (cause that’s how humans work).

I checked out the website and booked in a call to learn more.

I have had an epiphany.

Who knew that working to build:

- Increased creativity and innovation,

- Employee engagement,

- Accessing the best talent,

- Better problem solving,

- Improved business results,

- Fairness and equity,

- Competitive advantage

- Company reputation

And more….. is start/stop work. Boom or bust?

As part of starting The Culture Ministry I also started The Culture Club for organisations.

An annual membership consisting of curated resources for Diversity & Inclusion work. Research, articles, templates and tools, specialist organisations, videos and podcasts.

Depending on the organisation and their needs it could also include research and advisory services, presentations on specific topics, and coaching.

The restaurant was modest, humble. Having lived in New Zealand over three years now I would say, a relatively typical restaurant. However, it didn’t take long to work out we had stumbled into something quite special.

The pine tables and modest interior quickly gave way to an incredibly knowledgeable sommelier. And the food? Unbelievably good. Chef’s kiss.

It wasn’t long before we googled the restaurant to discover it was an award winning, top New Zealand restaurant.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been speaking to people working in Diversity & Inclusion and hearing about the current challenges.

These range from having to get executive team approval for small changes, through to dealing with the emotions created by political leaders in the US and countries closer to or at home.

Having other people for support, learning and to build your network with will help you to succeed.

What we specialise in is :

• DEI Audits, Surveys, benchmarking and Self ID work– basically helping organisations have good data, and make good decisions with it.

• Crafting Diversity & Inclusion strategy that connects with the organisations purpose, and who they serve. In my view trying to be everything to everyone needs to stop.

• Inclusive leadership development – not the 2 hour workshop delivery and leave kind. I like working with leadership teams from 8-10 months and up to 2 years because what leaders say and do has a massive impact on your culture and how included people feel.

• Providing the structures and tools for Employee Resource Groups to be successful, support inclusion and better business outcomes.

When I first started working in Diversity & Inclusion, I was the only person doing this role, in a very large organisation.

It was during Covid, and while I was part of a team of people we were all working in different areas, no one was doing what I was doing, and we were located all over the world.

It. Was. Lonely.

One of the biggest problems I didn’t anticipate in running The Culture Ministry, a Diversity & Inclusion consulting business, is getting paid.

You would think this is a straightforward task.

I do the agreed work. I give the company an invoice. They pay invoice by the date specified on the invoice. Done.

Not done 😩