Inclusion often shows up in the smallest moments. This article explores how a simple language shift, replacing “but” with “and,” can change how people feel heard, valued, and included in everyday conversations.

In this three-part Back to Basics Reset series, I’ve explored why taking time to revisit the forms, workflows, and everyday practices that shape how we work can be such a powerful step for organizations at the start of a new year. We began with why this work matters, then moved into where to start, looking at practical ways to review templates, workflows, and internal language through a DEIBCA lens so the systems supporting our work reflect the values we stand for. In this final instalment, the focus shifts to the next question many teams ask: how to implement these changes thoughtfully and make them stick without overwhelming the people doing the work.

A Back to Basics Reset doesn’t start with sweeping change. It starts by looking closely at the everyday systems we rely on - - forms, workflows, and language - - and asking whether they still reflect who we are and what we value. In Part 2 of this series, I explore where to begin and how a DEIBCA lens can help turn small, practical changes into meaningful shifts in how people experience work.

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing a three-part reflection on something I’ve seen make a real difference in organizations of all sizes: taking the time to reset the foundations we often take for granted.

This series isn’t about sweeping change or shiny new systems. It’s about slowing down just enough to ask whether the forms, workflows, and practices we rely on every day still reflect who we are, how we work, and what we value — especially as we step into a new year.

In this first piece, I’m focusing on why a Back to Basics Reset matters and why now is such a powerful moment to do it.