Dialectic

Dialectic An inclusive workplace learning company creating custom experiences based on science. The creators o We’ll keep you up to date on all things DEI.

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10/06/2026

NEW episode: https://bit.ly/JustOneQ100
🎉 On the 100th episode of Just One Q, Dominique chats with founding host Dr. Melissa Horne about the evolution of workplace DEI from 2020 to today. They explore the pitfalls of early performative initiatives, the challenges and rewards of treating DEI as an embedded technical skill, and how leaders can drive meaningful, systemic culture change.

09/29/2026

“They’re great at their job, but they struggle with ‘professional norms.’”

We frequently hear this critique leveled at three groups:

1️⃣ Early-career talent (Gen Z) entering the workforce with limited work histories or opportunities to observe traditional office dynamics.

2️⃣ Newcomers to North America navigating implicit, low-context workplace expectations for the first time.

3️⃣ Neurodivergent employees who thrive on clear, explicit communication rather than ambiguous social cues.

Here’s the truth: None of these groups lack talent, ambition, or professionalism.

What they lack is an explicit, shame-free guide to the unwritten rules – like how to handle small talk, read “busy cues,” set boundaries politely, or ask for help without escalating to a manager right away.

Expecting employees to “just figure it out” creates anxiety for them and frustration for managers.

💡 When you make implicit workplace norms explicit, you unlock the full potential of your diverse workforce. Discover Unwritten Rules of the Workplace, foundational training that sets every employee up for success from day one.

🎉Limited time offer 20% OFF the NEW Unwritten Rules of the Workplace program. 🔗 https://bit.ly/LS-URW

Contact us for details. Offer valid until October 31, 2026.

09/28/2026

Are your early-career employees inadvertently undercutting their own credibility?

We often notice two polar opposite communication habits in emerging talent:

1️⃣ Over-apologizing (“Sorry to bother you,” “Sorry, dumb question…”), which shrinks authority and confidence.

2️⃣ Failing to apologize when harm has been done, which erodes trust and team cohesion.

By teaching employees how to deliver ONLY genuine, necessary apologies, you develop confident, team-oriented future leaders.

🤝 Help your emerging talent build executive presence and tact. Explore Unwritten Rules of the Workplace.

🎉Limited time offer 20% OFF the NEW Unwritten Rules of the Workplace program. 🔗 https://bit.ly/LS-URW

Contact us for details. Offer valid until October 31, 2026.

09/24/2026

“They took constructive feedback as a personal attack.”

We hear this regularly from managers attempting to coach early-career talent. The knee-jerk reaction to feedback is often defensiveness, interrupting, or making excuses, which halts professional growth instantly.

Receiving constructive feedback gracefully is rarely an innate skill. It has to be developed!

Early-career employees need explicit tools to:

→ Listen without immediate defensiveness

→ Extract actionable insights from tough conversations

→ Proactively follow up to demonstrate growth and coachability

📈 Transform feedback from a source of anxiety into your company's strongest engine for employee retention and development. Discover Unwritten Rules of the Workplace.

🎉Limited time offer 20% OFF the NEW Unwritten Rules of the Workplace program. 🔗 https://bit.ly/LS-URW

Contact us for details. Offer valid until October 31, 2026.

09/22/2026

Compassion = Action. Tap into the strengths of your team for success. Tune in to the conversation on Just One Q 🔗https://bit.ly/JustOneQ99

09/17/2026

✨ Who cleans up the shared kitchen at your office? Who erases the whiteboard and straightens the chairs? Who reorganizes files in the messy shared drive?

Too often, workplace housekeeping – both physical and digital – falls on women and administrative staff.

This “non-promotable work” is an equity issue! It has long-term career consequences.

Professional maturity means recognizing that maintaining physical and digital environments is a shared responsibility. Teaching this during onboarding prevents casual task dumping and ensures all team members take active ownership of shared spaces.

🤝 Instill a culture of equity, shared accountability, and workspace respect across your organization with Unwritten Rules of the Workplace Learning Snippets.

🎉Limited time offer 20% OFF the NEW Unwritten Rules of the Workplace program. 🔗 https://bit.ly/LS-URW

Contact us for details. Offer valid until October 31, 2026.

09/15/2026

Task lists are important, but fuel . On this episode of Just One Q, Dominique and guest Kerry Ann King examine our relationship with “productivity” and how we can rethink it.

🎧Listen Now https://bit.ly/JustOneQ99

09/10/2026

How much time do your people leaders spend navigating “awkward” or inappropriate workplace interactions?

From oversharing in Monday morning check-ins to unintentionally crossing lines during casual small talk, subtle communication missteps create friction across teams.

🕵️‍♀️ The Inspector: “How much did you spend on that vacation?”

❌ The Political Commentator: “I would never vote for that idiot!”

👀 The Unsolicited Body Critic: “Wow, you look so much thinner in that outfit!”

💬 The Gossip: “Did you hear Steve is getting a divorce?”

Telling employees “be professional” isn't enough. People need shame-free, actionable guidance on distinguishing safe rapport from boundary-crossing topics and tactfully redirecting inappropriate conversations.

This kind of training is particularly impactful for employees who are:

→ Early-career

→ Newcomers to the country

→ Neurodivergent

When you normalize transparent, respectful communication standards early on, you prevent boundary violations before they reach HR's desk.

💬 Build a culture of psychological safety and tactful dialogue. Learn more about Unwritten Rules of the Workplace. 🔗 https://bit.ly/LS-URW

🎉Limited time offer 20% OFF the NEW Unwritten Rules of the Workplace program.

Contact us for details. Offer valid until October 31, 2026.

09/08/2026

▶️ Podcast Replay: https://bit.ly/JustOneQ99

On this replay episode of Just One Q, Dominique chats with guest Kerry Ann King, a wellbeing and productivity expert and CEO of Eluminate Labs. They examine our relationship with “productivity” and how we can rethink it through self-compassion, understanding our productivity styles, and addressing the emotional factors that impact how we work. They also explore strategies for supporting neurodivergent individuals and building inclusive workplaces.

09/03/2026

Since 2022, manager engagement has dropped by nine points (https://bit.ly/SGW-2026), and it tends to decline with larger spans of control (https://bit.ly/4zNFMyL), according to Gallup.

Why? Because managing more people usually means spending less time on strategic leadership and more time on putting out tiny fires.

⚠️ This problem is of our own making. Instead of training employees to problem-solve, look it up, help each other, and solve their own problems, we micromanage and enable them to drop every minor issue on their manager’s desk.

Of course, asking questions and getting help is important. But skipping basic troubleshooting—like checking internal documentation, searching past files, or spending 10 minutes testing a fix—stalls the whole team and burns out managers.

Employees need to be explicitly trained to:

1️⃣ Dedicate time to independent problem-solving

2️⃣ Consult all available resources

3️⃣ Supply ideas or a clear description of the help needed

When you train new hires to default to initiative, you give your managers back hours of strategic deep-work time each week.

🛠️ Set expectations of autonomous problem-solving with your new or early-career employees! Explore Unwritten Rules of the Workplace.

🎉Limited time offer 20% OFF the NEW Unwritten Rules of the Workplace program. 🔗 https://bit.ly/LS-URW

Contact us for details. Offer valid until October 31, 2026.

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