Inclusion is Leadership Archive | Ruchika T. Malhotra

Jun 28, 20223 min read

Empathy Is More Than a Buzzword

Workplace empathy is getting trendy. What I mean is: building empathy is a nonnegotiable component of inclusion. But empathy is one of...

Jun 14, 20223 min read

Why I want to eradicate “cultural competency”

Only a quarter of white Americans have a friend of color. And for most, their first meaningful interaction with someone of a different...

Jun 7, 20222 min read

How My Baby Niece Gave Me the Strength To Carry On

It’s amazing — but also clearly a lesson I need to keep learning again — how different I feel after I rest. I was lucky enough to have...

May 31, 20222 min read

Stories like this are *exactly* why I wrote my book

I grew up subscribing to the ideals of meritocracy. I was born in Singapore, a tiny island-city-state founded on the principle that if...

May 25, 20222 min read

When We Underpay People, We Don’t Believe They’ll Succeed

I’m often expected to be grateful for what I’m offered. I also risk facing harsher penalties if I try to negotiate a raise or salary...

May 10, 20224 min read

30 publishers rejected my book.

My book Inclusion On Purpose was rejected by 30 publishers. And all it takes is ONE good yes. ONE good yes later, and Inclusion on...

May 3, 20222 min read

Why Women of Color Don’t Need (more) Training Programs

Tell me if this sounds familiar: “I’m so supportive of what you’re doing. I’d love to have you join a training program we recently...

Apr 26, 20222 min read

Two Big Lessons From Justice KBJ’s Confirmation

I––like so many of you––was overcome with emotion when I heard that Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the...

Apr 20, 20223 min read

Ally is a verb. Not a noun.

I received some disappointing feedback recently. After a presentation I was excited about, I learned that one of my favorite cartoons was...

Apr 13, 20223 min read

Lessons From an Exhilarating and Exhausting Month!

I love hearing from you. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: getting responses and feedback from readers is more meaningful to...

Apr 5, 20222 min read

The Inherent Bias In “Professionalism” and “Authenticity” at Work

I think often about what’s considered “professional” or “authentic” in workplace culture. Certain hairstyles. Certain names. Certain...

Mar 29, 20222 min read

I’m Over the Term “Microaggressions.” Here’s Why.

The first time a coworker commented on my “unpronounceable” name, they insisted it was a compliment. But I didn’t feel complimented. I...

Mar 23, 20223 min read

On Equal Pay Day, Can We Also Have an Equal Credit Day?

Sometime last week, in the midst of all the chaos around promoting Inclusion on Purpose, it dawned on me that I was making a big mistake....

Mar 8, 20222 min read

Achieving an Impossible Dream

Get married and become a mother. When I was a little girl, that was the message I got from all around me, even my own family members: My...

Mar 1, 20222 min read

Ijeoma Oluo Taught Me a Masterclass on How To Amplify Women of Color

The Establishment was a women-funded-and-run media startup where I worked in 2015. In many ways, The Establishment was well ahead of its...

Feb 19, 20221 min read

Buy My New Book From These Great Women of Color-Owned Bookstores

One way to practice inclusion every day is by being intentional about who owns the stores you buy from. Below is a list of bookstores...

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