Insights to Inspire Inclusion

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive.  A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

The first IWD was held in March 1911, and today it belongs to all those committed to forging women’s equality. Let’s continue to inspire inclusion and celebrate the progress we’ve made. The campaign theme for 2024 is Inspire Inclusion.

In celebration of IWD, I recently sat down with Nicole Nevulis MBA, Verint Senior Director of GTM Strategy, for a Women in Technology Q&A spotlight. Nicole is one of the Verint Women in Technology (WIT) founding members and serves as Chair on our Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) employee resource group. As a fellow Verint WIT founder and a WIN co-leadership member, I am enthusiastic to share my conversation with Nicole.

Q: Let us first explore how Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can inspire inclusion.

A: Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led groups within companies that aim to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. ERGs typically bring together employees who share common characteristics or experiences, such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disabilities.

These groups can help create a more diverse and inclusive workplace culture, which in turn can lead to improved employee morale, creativity, innovation, and overall business success. As a result, Verint actively supports and encourages the formation and growth of Employee Resource Groups as part of our diversity and inclusion commitment. I also would like to take a deeper dive into our first Verint ERG, Women’s Inclusive Network (WIN).

Q: I know our Insights readers would love to learn about WIN ERG!

A: Our WIN ERG began over a year ago with a small working group of 6 Verint employees (also known as Verinteers). We formalized our efforts and welcomed others to join to meet on a regular basis to create and operationalize activities to support our mission.

Now over 90 Verinteers meet monthly to participate in book clubs, mentoring programs, and constructively provide pathways for progress. When I host our ongoing WIN meeting, I aways begin by articulating our mission.

Our Mission:

To make Verint a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for women, and offer personal and professional development opportunities that contribute to company success by:

• Elevating the needs, experiences, and achievements of women.
• Empowering women to thrive within our business.
• Educating to encourage equitable treatment of women in their working lives.
• Engaging our employees with mentoring, coaching and development activities.

As I reflect on the collaborative work efforts to build and grow our WIN ERG community, I recall an “Aha! Moment.” I spent years driving into Boston during the Big Dig. Right before South Station Tunnel there was a sign that said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, this won’t be either.”

It’s true, we must focus on incremental activity that supports the broader goal to bring equality to women in the workplace. What can I do within my ecosystem to make a difference? What can I leave behind as a legacy that impacts the lives of other women? As the saying goes, you may not change the world, but you may change the life of another person.

That’s how I look at the WIN ERG here at Verint. We have a phenomenal group of allies and advocates, and the focus has been to create a strong foundation to grow from. I see it as stewardship, making the space for others to come along to change the narrative. One step at a time, we move in the direction and do our part not just for women, also others striving for equality.

Q: How do you personally elevate awareness and advocacy?

A: Think about a time when someone was adamant with you that your view is wrong. How do you react? Psychology dictates that our amygdala will hijack our brain, then flight, or fight kicks in. Instead of opening someone’s mind to consider thinking differently, it most likely has a counter effect – it will close their mind.

Power to drive change is recognizing this and consider rethinking the approach. In other words, you need to leverage the science of strategy and the skill of driving change.

Our perceptions are based on our own experiences, and this is where confirmation bias comes in. If someone doesn’t see that there is a bias regarding women’s equality in the workplace, perhaps their experience has shaped them to see that this is a reality.  According to Harvard Business School, “Confirmation bias is the human tendency to search for, favor, and use information that confirms one’s pre-existing views on a certain topic.”

Influencing those agnostics to recognize a need and create advocates of women’s equality in business, requires identifying the blind spots created by confirmation bias. Put yourself in their shoes and consider the following:

• What don’t they know that could change perceptions?
• Where can you find common ground?
• How can I illuminate?

The best way to do that is to engage in conversation and listen… be curious. It opens the door to discovering common ground and effective dialogue to start on the path to creating a new perspective.

Q: What strength helps you supercharge progress and impact?

A: Since our world is shaped by what we know, and knowledge is power, then the more we bring people together to share experiences the greater our understanding will be. You know the saying, walk a mile in someone’s shoes. Well, when we get to know the people around us, we get a sense of that. My path is different than your path. I’ve learned challenges other women have gone through that I had never considered and developed a new level of empathy for them. It may not have been my experience, but it’s their truth and don’t ever discount it.

Empathy is a skill. Building it is like going to the gym. The more you use it, the better you get at it.

I’ve learned it’s critical to pause before I say something…because when I actively listen to what others say, I can be more mindful with my words. Words matter. By bringing people together, we learn how to engage better and reduce bias.

Plus, creating community and expanding your circle with people who have different and shared experience expands the collaborative IQ. It fosters innovation in moving the needle on gender bias in the workplace.

If you want to bring out the best in people and open new paths for women, we must lift them up. It’s our responsibility to do so. You can do this with appreciation, promoting what they have done, and providing them with ways to unlock their superpowers.

When you know your strengths, you can lean into them to elevate your working life and magnify the impact of efforts towards women’s equality. CliftonStrengths® Assessment was a game changer for me, and we provided the opportunity to take it to women in our WIN ERG. Not only can we leverage this as individuals, but we can also leverage it to understand how we can make a difference together as a community to drive deeper impact.

I thank Nicole for sharing a few of her professional and personal journey milestones and insightful perspectives. When we inspire others to understand and value inclusion, we forge a better world. Throughout 2024, we’ll be shining more spotlights on the inspiring women and allies who contribute to our success every day.

Collectively, let’s forge a more inclusive world for everyone. #InspireInclusion

More About Nicole Nevulis: 

As an influential change leader in technology, her unique background allows her to generate impactful strategies for Verint and customers. Having filled the shoes of multiple roles, she brings empathy to the table as she engages with various stakeholders, especially with buyers, customers and the internal Verint team.

By being able to create the connection between technology and the business users, she creates trust and builds confidence with buyers, customers, and market leaders. Her passion for inclusion helps her translate the needs of the business and the people within Verint into sustainable programs to drive organizational and operational innovation.