Sara Taylor is the founder and president of deepSEE Consulting, a global firm specializing in diversity and leadership development. Taylor and her team work with organizations and individuals, helping them operate as effectively as possible as they conduct business in the context of today’s diverse communities and work environments. She has partnered with executives around the world, applying her particular expertise in cultural competence to improve their organizational effectiveness.
A thought leader in the D&I community, Taylor’s unique style moves individuals and organizations through measurable change. In the board room or the boiler room, she ably translates her knowledge of cultural competence and transforms challenges into learning. An innovator in the field of diversity and inclusion, she works to evolve the practice to the next level— Diversity 3.0 or Transformational Diversity. Her expertise is showcased in her recent best seller Filter Shift: How Effective People SEE the World. She literally wrote the book on how to be more effective as we interact across differences.
Taylor holds a master’s degree in diversity and organizational development from the University of Minnesota, and served as a chief diversity officer before founding her own company.
Organizations began the practice of diversity – Diversity 1.0 – with a focus on representation and a goal to offer equitable workplace opportunities, says Taylor. Current practices, or Diversity 2.0, focus on inclusion, respect and engagement. Diversity 3.0, or Transformational Diversity, will enable leaders to transform situations and organizations through understanding and responding to increased complexity, and developing cultural competence. “As a diversity practitioner,” explains Taylor, “my goal is to develop that competence in individuals and organizations, so that they can fully experience the richness of diversity.”
Taylor offers this advice to other women: “Be kind to yourself and other women. Quiet your inner critic. Be true to yourself and your passion. And remember, joy and positivity are always an option.”