In this episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Julie Kratz, Founder of Next Pivot Point.  Julie talks about her passion for helping people understand how to become an ally for people different from you in relation to gender and racism. She emphasizes looking beyond our own experiences in the world and developing bridges of empathy. With misconceptions about diversity, equality and inclusion, she advises leaders to take responsibility for themselves and their actions, be consistent, intentional and committed.Julie also talks about eliminating the idea of ​​“cultural fit” and incorporating objective criteria with respect to potential performance biases. When it comes to being a champion ally, her recommendations include mentoring programs, diversifying your networks, sponsorship, amplifying voices, and raising awareness of moral obligations. Key Points from the Episode:The Importance of Honesty and Awareness of Systemic BiasCommon Misconceptions of Leaders About Diversity, Equity and InclusionPotential vs Performance Bias About Julie Kratz: Julie Kratz is a highly regarded inclusive leadership trainer who has led teams and delivered results in corporate America for nearly two decades. After experiencing her own career “pivot point,” Julie developed a process to help women leaders create their winning career game plan. Julie is focused on promoting equality in the workplace and encouraging women in their “what’s next” moments. She is also a TEDx speaker, a frequent keynote speaker and executive coach. She holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, is a Certified Unconscious Bias trainer, and is a Certified Master Coach. Julie is the author of these books: Pivot Point: How to Build a Winning Career Game Plan, ONE: How Male Allies Support Women for Gender Equality, Lead Like an Ally: a Journey through Corporate America with Strategies to Facilitate Inclusion, Little Allies: A Children's Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally and Allyship in Action: 10 Practices for Living Inclusively. Tweetable Moments:03:41 - "People want to reduce their budgets on DI or go back to the basics and focus on the things that make money, like sales and marketing. And I would caution people from doing that."03:55 - "The why is because we need everybody involved in this conversation, especially Gen Z. The generation is entering the workforce right now. They demand diversity and inclusion because that's their experience, which is very different from older generations' experience."07:18 - "Just like anything in business, we measure what matters. And so doing a qualitative and/or quantitative assessment, not just demographic information, but more broadly, the perceptions of inclusion in your organization." Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out Next Pivot Point’s website at https://nextpivotpoint.com/Check out Julie Kratz on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliekratz/Check out Next Pivot Point on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextpivotpoint/Check out Next Pivot Point on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nextpivotpointCheck out Next Pivot Point on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nextpivotpointCheck out Next Pivot Point on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nextpivotpoint/Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence:️We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.Want to learn more about all the podcasts managed by UpMyInfluence? Opt in here.