Poison Ivy Privilege is a framework to consider the aspects of your identity for which you receive privilege rather than marginalization, and how you can use that privilege to enact systemic changes using the analogy of pulling poison ivy. Prologue: I was wrong. Years ago, I wrote an article about poison ivy and privilege, inContinue reading “What is Poison Ivy Privilege?”
Category Archives: Identity
How to Give Feedback without Triggering the Fight or Flight Response
If you’re a parent, bring to mind the characteristics you see in your children that come from you – physical/character traits, or phrases they’ve learned up from hearing you say them over the course of years. Needless to say, your child is their own person; they are not you, but they are an expression ofContinue reading “How to Give Feedback without Triggering the Fight or Flight Response”
Revisiting the Idea of Being a “Student of…” (Not an “Expert in…”)
The idea of being a lifelong learner in your field – a “student of…” rather than an “expert in…” – has come up in a variety of contexts recently, so this seemed like a good time to revisit this article, originally posted in 2021. Have you ever started a conversation with a friend or familyContinue reading “Revisiting the Idea of Being a “Student of…” (Not an “Expert in…”)”
What are Unique Diversity and Diverse Unity?
How many aspects of your identity are visible to those around you? How many are invisible, or at least not intuitive? If you’re like a lot of people, your identity is – as we’ve mentioned before – like an iceberg, with the vast majority (90% in the case of icebergs) being under the surface, andContinue reading “What are Unique Diversity and Diverse Unity?”
Building Bridges Leadership 