Learn / Love / Lead

Pride Month is a time dedicated to the uplifting of LGBTQIA2S+ voices, celebration of LGBTQ culture, and the support of LGBTQ rights. Through Pride events around the world, the LGBTQ community celebrates freedom to be themselves. Pride events like parades, protests, art installations, live theater, and memorial celebrations of life, create spaces where we can build shared understanding while celebrating the intersectionality of the LGBTQ community. Pride Month is part political activism and part celebration of all the LGBTQ community has achieved over the years.

For organizations participating in the festivities, Pride is a time to make a renewed commitment to advancing inclusion of the LGBTQ community. At Skillsoft we are committed to continuous improvement and progress through learning. In 2021, Skillsoft took one more step toward LGBTQ inclusion through our #YouAreIncluded pronoun inclusion initiative with the support of Shell Roth, Skillsoft DEI subject matter expert. Our Internal Global Learning Event resulted in a 38% increase in adoption of pronoun use in employee e-mail signatures measured 10 months later.   

This year, Skillsoft is committing to diversity, equity, and Inclusion by elevating the voices of underrepresented communities within Skillsoft through our inaugural Employee Advisory Groups (EAG). Superbia is the LGBTQIA2S+ Employee Advisory Group of Skillsoft. Leaning into insights gleaned from our Percipio book, Employee Resource Group Excellence, by Robert Rodriguez, Superbia is taking the Skillsoft employee organization on a learning experience called Learn / Love / Lead.

Pride Month serves as a reminder to community members and allies to pause and reflect on the path the LGBTQ community has traveled. Leveraging the Percipio app for Microsoft Teams, Superbia will host a Global Virtual Pride parade for all Skillsoft employees. Social learning empowers learners to create shared understanding while networking and building community across the organization. Together we will learn about LGBTQ language, history, heroes, and culture using our powerful new Percipio book titles: The Book of Pride; LGBTQ Heroes How Changed the World, and From Prejudice to Pride.

To fully Love and embrace the diversity of those around us, we must develop an understanding of ourselves and the diverse ways we view the world. Our DEI courseware series teaches us allyship best practices, and how to use our privilege and power to support and raise the voices of those who remain underserved. The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ Advocate, from our Off-The-Shelf Book Club is the perfect addition for allowing learners to discover new and meaningful ways to show their love through allyship to the LGBTQ community.

Inclusive leadership creates psychological safety, which frees members of the LGBTQ community to bringing their full selves to work. Inclusive organizations have higher morale, improved problem solving, increased creativity, innovation, and organizational flexibility. On June 23 Skillsoft will host our much anticipated leadercamp Inclusive Leadership: Practical Things You Can (Actually!) Do As a Leader teaching leaders how to build inclusive cultures that make employees feel welcome, respected, and represented at work.

At Skillsoft we are accelerating our support for the LGBTQ community by embedding pronoun inclusion education into our DEI employee on boarding experience.  We are elevating the voices of the LGBTQ community by empowering our newly formed Employee Advisory Groups to chart the path forward to a more inclusive workplace at Skillsoft.

Most importantly, our new LGBTQ+ book titles and upcoming leadercamp provide organizational leaders the tools and skills they need to enhance their cultural awareness and enable leaders to create truly inclusive work cultures, where everyone can feel free to bring their full authentic selves to work.

• Skillsoft Off-The-Shelf Book Club Pride Selections
• Skillsoft DEI Resource Page
• Superbia Learn / Love / Lead Swag Store
• Inclusive Leadership: Practical Things You Can (Actually!) Do As A Leader Leadercamp