Staff Senate – Building Inclusive Leadership

The first Wednesday of the month, July 1st, marked the first meeting of the 2020 – 21 NC State Staff Senate. New Chair Pat Gaddy presided along with Chair Elect Helen DiPietro. New Senators took the oath of Office and congrats to both Pat and Helen! Pat has almost 30 years experience at NC State and brings great energy to her work. Pat shared her vision of the Staff Senate leading together as one body moving in the same direction. She exclaimed – “We are the change!” Thus, it was fitting that Pat invited Stephanie Davis from NC State Learning and Organizational Development to share a snapshot of Inclusive Leadership – Thriving in a Diverse New World. 

Researched and developed by Bernadette Dillon and Juliet Bourke from Deloitte, Inclusive Leadership, focuses on six main traits that all start with the letter “C” – the six C’s.

• Curiosity – different ideas and experiences enable growth
• Cultural Intelligence – the world is seen through different cultural lens
• Collaboration – diverse thinking teams are greater than the sum of their parts
• Commitment – staying the course is a key driver
• Courage – acknowledging mistakes entails personal risk-taking
• Cognizance – bias is a leaders Achilles heel

In this time of covid and social protest, it makes sense for Staff Senator’s to think about how they lead. With an August retreat planned to include additional Inclusive Leadership training, Staff Senate will be well positioned to support both constituents and the University in this very challenging time. Pat charged the Senate to inspire, empower and develop both within and with their constituents!

Good luck to the 2020 – 21 Staff Senate and Go Pack!

And, in this turbulent time, if you want some help and are not sure where to turn – Go Ombuds.