The Includers - by Colette A M Phillips (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In The Includers, Colette Phillips shares data and real-life stories, focusing on the steps to take, qualities to hone, and people to emulate to become an "includer." By highlighting the experiences of real includers who have utilized their positions as leaders to fight for change, Phillips shows that this form of allyship isn't just possible, it's easy, sustainable, and necessary"--

Book Synopsis

Learn to be a leader who is not simply "against racism," but who actively advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion as an anti-racist ally.

It's a simple fact that the people who make policy and oversee government, sports, business, and the arts and entertainment are most commonly white men. Another fact: We cannot achieve meaningful progress if we exclude the very people who have the power to make systemic change.

This easy-to-read handbook is free of any attempts to shame, blame, or guilt leaders for the choices they made in the past or privileges they were born with. Instead, readers will learn to view the work they do through a racial equity lens so they can easily and immediately begin making changes.

In The Includers, Colette Phillips explores the core qualities that inclusive leaders share: character, cultural intelligence, connections, communications, collaboration, courage, and commitment. With humor and poignance, and backed by research, Phillips shares stories of real Includers: the CEOs, politicians, and public figures--all white male allies--she's admired, known, and, in some cases, counseled.

For leaders who are ready to do their part and get beyond today's "anti-woke" rhetoric, this eye-opening guide demonstrates the business imperative of diversity, equity, and inclusion and offers practical, actionable insights from allies and advocates who are willing to listen, learn, and "lead from behind" to create sustainable systemic change.

Review Quotes

"""The enlightening business guide The Includers emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, illustrating how to makeprogress happen.""
--Foreword Reivews

""Colette Phillips's inspiring new book provides an important guide on how each of us can match our ideals with our actions . . . The Includers is a must-read for those who want to build a future that will allow us to flourish as individuals and as a compassionate, humane, and, yes, successful society.""
--William S. Cohen, former US Secretary of Defense and president and CEO of The Cohen Group and Janet Langhart Cohen, journalist and author of My Life in Two Americas and Anne and Emmett

""The Includers is the thoughtful, tactical guide we all need to better understand and practice allyship and create a strong organizational culture.""
--Sam Kennedy, president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox

""Colette Phillips's wisdom is personally and professionally transformative . . . The Includers is a culture-changing, narrative-shifting, and indispensable guide that should be required reading for today's leaders and changemakers.""
--Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights

""A wise and much-needed handbook for a workplace culture of inclusion . . . Colette Phillips weaves together her personal history, practical action tips, stories of role-model white-male allies, and corporate policy ideas into a fascinating and compelling read.""
--Rosabeth Moss Kanter, professor at Harvard Business School and author of Think Outside the Building

""Employers, managers, and business leaders can learn a lot from the lessons and principles Colette provides in these pages . . . This is a book that provides inspiration as much as it requires of its reader the determination to answer the call-in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion.""
--Doug Banks, executive editor at the Boston Business Journal

""Filled with humanity, wisdom, and no-nonsense actions that CEOs, nonprofit executives, community leaders--in fact, every one of us--can take to rid America of its legacy of racism and sexism.""
--Evelyn Murphy, former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, founder and president of the WAGE Project, and author of Getting Even

""We need more books like The Includers, a powerful call to action for any business or community leader, that don't preach but rather teach the importance of allyship and DEI both in the workplace and at home. A master at bringing people together, Colette Phillips will inspire you to change the way you think and give you the tools you need to become an 'includer.'""
--Chris Vogel, editor of Boston magazine

""Colette Phillips has always had a way with words; encouraging us to act with character, courage, and compassion and to be attuned to and appreciative of cultural nuances . . . Turn to any section of the book and your thinking will be challenged, refreshed, or expanded.""
--Dr. Priscilla H. Douglas, executive coach and author of Woke Leadership

""For allies looking to improve equity and inclusivity in their workplace, community, or personal life, The Includers is the perfect place to begin. Colette is an encouraging and clear guide for anyone ready to work for a more compassionate and connected world.""
--Dr. M. Lee Pelton, president and CEO of The Boston Foundation and president emeritus of Emerson College

""A must-read for managers and other business leaders! Colette Phillips's seven principles are a clear-cut approach to creating a collaborative, culturally intelligent workplace that supports opportunity and access for everyone.""
--Rachel Pacheco, PhD, author of Bringing Up the Boss"

About the Author

Colette A.M. Phillips is president and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications, Inc., and founder and president of The GK Fund and the multicultural professional and business networking organization Get Konnected! For 30 years, Colette has been a powerful voice and effective agent of change in one of America's oldest cities. An immigrant Black woman from the Caribbean island of Antigua described by Boston Magazine as "Boston's Great Connector" and cited by Boston Globe for "changing the conversation about diversity in Boston," she was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study for creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ecosystem. Colette has brought her passion, power, and wisdom to publications and C-suites around the globe. She has spent a lifetime making workplaces more inclusive, opening them to new markets, talent, and possibilities.