Coaching & Consulting
Through workshops, coaching, and consulting, we support professional communities in the design and development of practices, policies, and cultures where historically marginalized individuals and communities at-large can thrive.
What We Do
We do this work with the knowledge that our professional spaces–and society as a whole–were not designed for all people to be regarded as innately valuable and whole.
We help create a meaningful foundation and tangible tools for how to effectively participate in conversations related to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Ways to Partner with Us
Organizational Identity
Our organizational identity work is designed to support clients in creating internal and external facing language that aligns with the values surfaced as part of their larger EDI work. Whether your organization is reimagining its mission, vision, or values statement, or you are creating a statement of purpose or action around a commitment to equity, antiracism or other social justice value, our facilitated process ensures the voice and contribution of the collective are included and a meaningful part of the process.
Assessment
We use one or more of the following methods to gain a deeper understanding of what is present as it relates to the experience of individuals and groups within an organization. Understanding what is present leads us to understanding what is possible. Surveys gather information about an organization’s culture and alignment with EDI values. Focus groups allow small groups of people within an organization to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a facilitated setting. Interviews are in-depth, personalized conversations with individuals. They may be preferred over focus groups or surveys because they allow for more nuance and individualized feedback.
Leadership Coaching
Coaching relationships offer individuals a chance to practice, be clumsy, and receive feedback and advice for all that can emerge for leaders who have made the commitment to engage their teams in more equitable, inclusive, and humane ways. Much of what we ask leaders to grapple with and practice can run counter to historical leadership approaches and frameworks that don’t value people for more than what they can produce, and employ tactics that reproduce historically oppressive patterns and outcomes. Coaching is an opportunity to make visible our inheritances around leadership and to identify actions and behaviors that align with who we say we want to be.
Workshops
True North EDI workshops are led by skilled, engaging, and passionate facilitators who deeply understand the importance of creating group spaces that center experience, learning, and critical thinking. Our values-centered approach aims to allow each individual—regardless of their background—to step in from where they are and walk away with the same opportunities for understanding and growth. Our workshop can be designed around a multitude of EDI-related topics and are never “off-the-shelf.” As your partner, we will work together to assess what learning and development opportunities best serve your hopes and aspirations for this work.
DEI Strategic Planning
True North EDI’s Aspirations and Actions Process facilitates organizations in turning learning and reflection into actualized commitments for change. Unlike similar processes, ours galvanizes smaller teams and departments throughout the organization rather than solely centering the perspectives and voices of leadership.
Expand for the Process
- Creates a pathway for individuals across and throughout the organization to participate in the process of EDI action planning
- Utilizes a framework that ensures that aspirations for the future are rooted in history—that is, the past norms, practices, and policies that have reproduced oppressive and inequitable conditions and outcomes
- Results in a dynamic, ambitious, and inspiring plan for the future
People and Talent
Attraction. Recruitment. Onboarding. Development. Engagement. Transition. Every point in what is often known as employee lifecycle is a vital opportunity to embody the EDI values that organizations have declared for themselves. True North EDI supports those in the realm of Human Resources, People, Talent, and Culture who are looking to reimagine an employee journey that honors the experience and identity of each individual, and that ensures organizational practices and policies are designed to truly support the existence of an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment.
Expand for the Process
- Values-centered expansion of philosophy and approach to employee engagement and other Human Resources processes
- Identify aspects of traditional processes where implicit—and sometimes explicit—bias may be operating and causing harm
- Conduct Audit and Insight processes to better understand how the practices, identity, and culture of organization are reproducing oppressive or inequitable outcomes.
Client Case Studies
Penguin Random House
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Penguin Random House (PRH) is the international home to more than 300 editorially and creatively independent publishing imprints with the mission to ignite a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone. With a multi-year DEI strategic plan already in place, PRH partnered with True North EDI in 2021 to standardize the application of an racial equity lens throughout the U.S. Division and equip managers nation-wide with a model for more equitable leadership. Through a highly collaborative design process with PRH’s core DEI team and equity leaders, TNEDI created a series of self-guided video modules for staff members accompanied by a digital workbook and a tool designed to identify areas of possibility and facilitate the creation of equity action plans that center the lens of race as an entry point.
PepsiCo Global Foods R&D
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PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader operating in more than 200 countries and territories with a product portfolio that includes 22 world-famous, billion-dollar brands. In 2021, PepsiCo launched a pilot program with a mission of engaging their R&D colleagues in meaningful conversations around Diversity and Inclusion. Topics included: understanding of bias and blind spots, building empathy, allyship, and privilege. True North EDI was a key partner as the company and lead team reflected on the successes and challenges of the pilot program, and used the feedback and lessons learned to refine a second phase of implementation. TNEDI supported this team in developing the art and science of facilitation in a way that led to stimulating and robust conversations and engagement around DEI topics. TNEDI partnered with PepsiCo R&D Community Circle leads to refine the content of their internal trainings and provide targeted support and feedback around facilitation techniques.
Philanthropy New York (PNY)
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Philanthropy New York (PNY) is a nonprofit membership association of more than 280 foundations and corporate giving programs based in the New York metropolitan region. Philanthropy New York provides professional development, peer networking, and conferences for professionals ranging from short panel discussions to multi-part program series and conferences. PNY began working to build a racial equity practice internally in early 2016. At the urging of several members, PNY decided to replicate their learning process in a professional development cohort designed to support foundation staff. PNY engaged True North to design and co-facilitate a six-month-long cohort-based learning experience collaboratively. Following a full-day training provided by Race Forward, True North generated a series of four workshops over six months that combined community-building with deep learning and personal and professional reflection. The courses built participants’ understanding of the historical and present-day manifestations of racism in the issues that funders support and included group work to establish goals and action plans around changes they wished to implement within their foundations. In the course of three years and across two different cohorts, fifty participants from various foundations have participated. They returned to their organizations with action plans to begin their racial equity journey. True North’s partnership with PNY is ongoing. Between 2018 – 2019, True North supported the organization in reimagining its values. In 2021 and 2022, True North helped the organization build a new Strategic Framework that keeps equity at the center of its work and builds commitments to become an anti-racist organization. True North continues to provide training to Philanthropy New York’s Board Committees and working group leaders to guide the development of anti-racist commitments within their governance and leadership work.
The Commonwealth Fund
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The Commonwealth Fund: In the fall of 2019, The Commonwealth Fund, a health equity and research foundation, engaged True North EDI with the hopes of taking the organization to the next level of its DEI work. Prior to the start of the partnership, the Fund facilitated an organizational assessment that highlighted areas of growth. True North EDI used data captured from the assessment along with staff focus groups to co-design a 3-year plan of support for the organization. Year 1 focused on learning, the development of key understandings and concepts, and trust-building. During year 2, the Fund engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process which True North EDI refers to as Aspirations and Actions. This inclusive process is designed to activate and galvanize small teams across the organization to co-create a DEI plan that is inspiring, actionable, and measurable. Both years 1 and 2 included executive coaching for the President, Executive Team, and Director of Human Resources. Year 3 prompted a deeper look and articulation of the organization’s vision and values. Through True North EDI’s support and partnership, DEI is an ever-present thread found in the mission, grant-making, and day-to-day work and culture of the organization.
Companies We've Partnered With:
Testimonials
