On this episode of the Bourbon Friday Show, we had the opportunity to talk with LaShana Lewis, Founder and CEO of L.M. Lewis Consulting.

Diversifying the Workplace

So what happens after all those HR training sessions every year?

Most times they are completed with the best intentions in mind, but usually the lessons learned fade away after a few months and the company culture reverts back to how it was before. Try as they might, some businesses don’t have the resources or the connections to change company culture or diversity issues on their own.

Which is where L.M. Lewis Consulting comes in.

Lewis happened across the idea for her new venture early in 2018 when she was chatting with friends regarding diversity and inclusion issues they were having at work. After suggesting several applicable tips and resources, Lewis’ partner encouraged her to make a business out of it.

“I go into companies right after they’ve done their diversity training and I help them align their initiatives to be more diverse,” says Lewis. “I go and I sit down and we discuss some of their diversity issues that they are needing to work on, and then we put together a plan.”

From connecting businesses to diverse groups in the St. Louis area so they can hire more diversely, to implementing and finessing new inclusion policies, Lewis aims to turn good intentions into reality.

She estimates that these efforts typically show results after a few months depending on the company and the issues they are tackling, though some businesses may extend that time period or request a retainer to continue refining their policies. If you’re interested in partnering with L.M. Lewis Consulting you can go to https://www.lmlewisconsulting.com/ for more info.

Bourbon Innovation

As always, the Bourbon Friday team does their best to choose a fitting drink for the occasion.

The drink of choice was Rabbit Hole Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Since both Lewis (a proud bunny parent) and co-host Erik Lutenegger have backgrounds in technology and coding, going down a rabbit hole has great significance, as it’s an all too common occurrence in tech when encountering complex problems.