Two years ago, Dr. Ella F. Washington, organizational psychologist, Founder and CEO of DEI strategy consulting firm Ellavate Solutions, and Professor of Practice at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, shared her vision for a fairer, healthier, more productive workplace utopia with business leaders looking to make positive change in The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion. The book was a hit with the C-Suite, but left workers asking, What about me? How do I make sense of and navigate my workplace? How do I show up authentically when I'm the only person who looks like me? Do I even belong here? Now, Dr. Washington is back with Unspoken: A Guide to Cracking the Hidden Corporate Code, a practical guide for workers across the spectrum who want to succeed in the business world without sacrificing their authenticity. Unspoken is the book for every professional who's asked these questions, battled imposter syndrome, or wondered how to expand their power and influence (and struggled with whether it's okay to do so). In the book, Dr. Washington explains the unspoken rules that determine success in corporate settings, coaching readers in the tactics that will equip them to shape a successful career anchored in meaningful experiences. She shares practical strategies readers can use to own their story and their strengths, leverage their skills, and identify opportunities to excel and advance, along with stories from fellow professionals who have faced similar challenges and successfully navigated these spaces. Packed with fascinating research, helpful exercises, and real, practical advice, this book will help readers build their capacity to move forward more confidently, empowering them and equipping them with the tools and tactics they need to thrive at every level of their organization and build the careers and lives they want.

What does a workplace utopia look like to you?

This is the question Dr. Ella F. Washington asks company leaders, and often she hears about an ideal vision of an organization that values diversity and inclusion and wants employees to bring their whole selves to work.

But how can you get there? Organizations have largely missed the mark when it comes to creating environments where all employees thrive in an equal and equitable way, because they treat diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a program that gets done rather than the necessary and difficult journey it is. A truly inclusive workplace requires invention and reinvention, mistakes and humility, adaptation to a changing world, constant reflection, and sometimes significant sacrifice.

The road to an inclusive workplace is a difficult one, but you can traverse it, and there's help along the way. Start here with stories of companies making the necessary journey, including Slack, PwC, Best Buy, Denny's, and many others. Hear from company leaders about their successes and failures, the times they were on the vanguard, and the moments they realized they had much more work to do. These are profiles in perseverance from people who are keen enough to recognize the need for inclusive workplaces and humble enough to know they're not there yet. Along the way, Washington provides a framework for thinking about where these companies are on their journeys and where you and your company may be too.

Progress is hard won on the necessary journey to becoming an inclusive organization, but it must be won. John Lewis said it best: You see something you want to get done, you cannot give up, and you cannot give in.