The Power of Language in DEI with Beth Livingston

Beth A. Livingston is a professor, consultant, author, and speaker focused on human resources, gender & diversity, and the management of work & family—all in the service of the employee experience. She’s also a colleague of mine at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business and co-author of the new book Shared Sisterhood. We discussed all of this and more, this week on the On Brand podcast.

About Beth A. Livingston

Dr. Beth Livingston is the Ralph L. Sheets Associate Professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. She’s also an internal advisor with the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest, a NIOSH Center of Excellence, and the faculty director of the Dore-Tippie Women's Leadership program.

After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Florida, and her MBA from the University of Kentucky, she began her career at Cornell University in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations before moving to the Midwest. She studies and teaches human resource management, gender & diversity, and the management of work and family in the service of employee well-being.

Her research has been highlighted in the New York Times, NPR, and the Harvard Business Review, and she has been published in multiple top academic journals. Dr. Livingston has also done executive education, speaking engagements, and consulting for companies and non-profits such as Accenture, John Deere, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, HNI/Allsteel, and Hollaback! (now Right to Be) and is the co-author of the book Shared Sisterhood, published by Harvard Business Review Press.

Episode Highlights

“Everything you know—about marketing, managing, leading—has changed.” It’s been a busy two years for Beth Livingston, who studies remote work and DEI issues in the workplace. “People and organizations are ready to learn more about this."

Thinking and doing. With big issues like gender and race, action both thinking and action are critical in driving change. “We talk a lot about doing in the book,” Beth notes. “There are thinking, feeling, and doing questions at the end of each chapter.”

What’s one thing you can do right now on these big issues of gender and race? I thought I’d asked Beth a hardball question but she knocked it out of the park with not one but two things you can do. “The lowest hanging fruit is looking at where you get your news and who you follow on social media. The second thing you can do is look around at work.”

What brand has made Beth smile recently? After a recent trip to New York, Beth and her daughter shared several smiles over the Playbill brand as they saw four Broadway shows.

To learn more, check out Beth’s website and connect with her on LinkedIn.

As We Wrap …

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• On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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