Do you find yourself coaching people who are different from you? Perhaps they are of a different age, race, gender, or sexual orientation? As coaches, we pride ourselves on asking questions and listening so being different shouldn’t matter, right? Well, not exactly. We are still human. This interactive session will focus on the human side of coaching. You will specifically learn how implicit biases and blindspots may interfere with us building the most trustful coaching relationships possible with clients that are different from us.

Participants will learn:

• Why coaching people different from oneself is a vital skill
• Common missteps that we take when interacting with people different from ourselves; how to recognize and avoid them
• An immediate tactic you can use to dive below the surface and create a sense of belonging in your coaching practice

Presenter: LaTonya Wilkins

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Founder of The Change Coaches and author of Leading Below the Surface: How to Build Real (and Psychologically Safe) Relationships with People Who Are Different from You, LaTonya Wilkins specializes in coaching executives on leading “below the surface” to build psychologically safe relationships with their teams across differences. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and has inspired audiences all over the world. Through highly customized coaching, culture academies, and human-centered design services, LaTonya and her team work with executives, middle managers, and teams to create cultures of belonging, motivating environments, and amplify the “only ones” at work so they feel more valued, heard, and engaged at work.

LaTonya has worked with leaders at many well-known companies including Google, GE, The New York Times, and several nonprofits. She built her career working in HR, talent management, and learning & development at Fortune 500 companies before teaching and taking on progressive leadership roles at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. LaTonya was rated an “excellent” teacher by her undergraduate business students. She is currently the President of the True Star Youth Foundation board, which is a digital marketing social entrepreneurship company that recently received a Google Impact Award. LaTonya is also a member of the Advisory Board at Women of Color in the Workplace. LaTonya's book Leading Below the Surface was named as a top-10 book for executive leaders by seniorexecutive.com.

LaTonya has been featured in publications such as Fast Company, NPR, Well+ Good, and Inc Magazine. She also gained industry recognition when she was recognized on the most inclusive HR influencer list in 2019.