Our Areas of Expertise

Allyship

Allyship is a Critical Component of Inclusive Leadership

Allyship is a concept that has been leveraged in social advocacy communities for years, and is now increasingly being embraced to build more inclusive workplace cultures. This is a must teach and learn area for leaders because it targets inequities and systemic change.

Training That Has a Profound Impact on Fostering Inclusion and Belonging

At bci, we have developed an approach to teaching allyship that is highly impactful — particularly for leaders and team members who are looking for more advanced and nuanced behavioral change strategies to be more inclusive.

Why Choose bci for Your Allyship Training

Our allyship training takes our foundational inclusion programming to the next level, by digging deeper into concepts of equity, power, privilege, supremacy, anti-racism, and more. In a very concrete way, we break down the “how” of supporting professionals from equity-seeking communities by targeting systemic change through programming delivered with an equity lens. Topics we cover in our allyship training include:

Inclusive Leadership

How allyship is connected to being an inclusive leader and cultivating belonging

Power and Privilege

An understanding of equity, power, privilege, and supremacy

Practical Strategies

Practical strategies for applying an allyship lens to team interactions and talent management

We Help Organizations Build a Culture of Allyship

Allyship training is essential for shifting organizational cultures and leadership behaviors to better advance professionals from equity-seeking communities, including professionals of color, women, LGBTQ+ professionals, and professionals from other communities. 

At bci, we bring an in-depth knowledge of DEI best practices and expertise on how to create cultures rooted in active solidarity, expertly breaking down how to embed these behaviors across key talent management areas, including: mentorship and sponsorship, work allocation, performance management, leadership opportunities, talent calibration discussions, and succession planning and promotions.

Did You Know?

Anyone can be
an ally.

When we step into the role of an ally, we offer our friendship, advocacy, support, power, privilege, and voice to those who come from communities that experience underrepresentation and marginalization. In offering our support as allies, we stand next to or behind — but never in front of — equity-seeking communities.

This means that while it is important to use your voice, actions and privilege to call out inequities, allies need to focus on listening as much as they speak in order to learn how to better use their voice as an advocate and to ensure they do not co-opt others’ experiences.

All of bci’s allyship training can be offered in a webinar or virtual workshop format.

Allyship Resources

TIP SHEET​

4 Ways to Provide Meaningful Allyship in the Workplace

VIDEO​

Want to Call Out Racist Remarks? You Must Do This

VIDEO​

What is Allyship and Why is Allyship Important?

REPORT

The State of Allyship Report: The Key to Workplace Inclusion

by Change Catalyst

Interested in building a more inclusive workplace?

Don’t hesitate to contact us to learn how we can help, or subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest DEI insights in your inbox every month.

Dr. Komal Bhasin, MSW, MHSc, DocSocSci

Komal is bci’s Senior DEI Consultant and Mental Health Expert-in-Residence and an accomplished DEI facilitator, coach, and strategist. Komal has over 20 years of experience in providing strategic and advisory guidance and program development across a range of sectors, with a particular concentration in mental health and racial inclusion. Komal is also the founder of Insayva Inc., a social enterprise focused on providing accessible DEI and health equity support to charities and non-profit organizations.

Komal has extensive experience in creating and delivering programming in a range of DEI areas, including unconscious bias, cultural competence, mental health inclusion, psychological safety, and allyship. She is passionate about driving transformational change in workplaces and has worked closely with bci clients — corporations, professional services firms, health care providers, and educational institutions — to embed cultures of DEI within their organizations.

Komal has provided one-on-one inclusion coaching to hundreds of senior leaders and brings a unique approach that is informed by her background as a therapist. She is able to expertly handle sensitive conversations and situations and works with leaders to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to advance racial/ethnocultural, gender, and mental health-related equity across teams and organizations. Komal also offers a performance coaching program designed specifically for BIPOC leaders. This program aims to help BIPOC leaders harness their place, position, and identity to thrive in the workplace and beyond. Komal is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).

As bci’s Mental Health Expert-in-Residence, Komal offers tremendous expertise around workplace mental health. As a doctoral trained mental health clinician, certified health executive, and registered social worker, Komal has assisted organizations looking to advance employee mental health inclusion and well-being through offering programming on inclusive dialogue, anti-stigma, burnout prevention, psychological safety, resilience, and self-care. Komal is committed to advancing mental health and wellness across the life course; she currently serves on the board of the Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario and previously served on the board of Children’s Mental Health Ontario and the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

When Komal is not working, you’ll find her painting, cooking or snuggling with her cat.