Case Study: KNOCK
“Changed our company forever”
WHERE WE STARTED
- From Ally to Accomplice – 8 Month for Leadership
- All Employee Engagements
- Leadership Team Engagements
- Executive Coaching
- From Ally to Accomplice — Part II
WHERE WE ARE
- Refined and improved hiring & training
- Increased awareness of and fostered antiracist practices in all facets of life
- Improved the way the business functions top to bottom
About the Organization
KNOCK, inc. is a women/minority-owned, full-experience creative agency. Through creative marketing and strategic insight, KNOCK, inc. moves brands and businesses forward in a convergence of capability and process.
Before The Woke Coach
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, KNOCK, inc. leadership and staff knew they needed to be doing more. The organization was committed to the work and had done some foundational workshops but they were ready to go deeper.
Why did they engage The Woke Coach?
KNOCK, inc. wanted to work with someone who could take the leadership team on a journey of deep understanding. They were looking for a partner that felt part of the team and an organization that would be in it together.
The Work
Starting in 2020 with FATA for Leadership team, the program included:
- The Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI) for the cohort
- 2, one-on-one coaching sessions for each member of the cohort
- Eight, 3-hour team engagement sessions
- Contextualized coaching sessions for the CEO and COO
- Customized homework and learning assignments
- A capstone session for the full cohort
Continuing into 2021, KNOCK, inc., completed FATA Part II and ongoing engagements with Leadership and staff. In 2022, they added BIPOC Brave Spaces.
Ongoing Work
The organization is continuing BIPOC Brave Spaces into 2023 and ongoing consultation for DEIA related issues.
“Being able to be vulnerable with friends and colleagues, and sharing our journeys. We all come from different places and spaces, but it's amazing when you start to journey together through this program, how more connected you feel than disconnected and what that means for everyone.”
Results
“I've seen a change in the way that I am able to communicate with my coworkers. Whatever their background is, I can communicate with them differently. I can talk about these things without worrying about HR calling me later on because I might have said something or brought something to the table that's not appropriate for work. It opens this door for us to say, Hey, we just talked about this in this session. And I'm curious to know, how do you feel about it or what's your take about it? Or, um, I've also had, you know, a lot of people that I can tell, have shifted to being a lot more mindful with how they address or approach things.
KNOCK, inc. was so inspired by the work they did with The Woke Coach, they featured the experience on their website, Experiences That Matter – Seena Hodges.
Tools for Having Tough Conversations
Through the FATA program and leadership engagements, the organization now has a toolkit for approaching and handling tough conversations and addressing issues early and appropriately.
Continuous Examination of Processes & Policies
In partnership with The Woke Coach, KNOCK has continued to reevaluate, rewrite and improve existing processes and policies to ensure they are equitable, informed and inclusive.
Improved Recruitment and Hiring
The Woke Coach Team made concrete recommendations for the company to improve its practices. Through setting goals for recruiting and hiring, they are starting to see the composition of the company change and better represent the communities in which they are located.
Why should people hire The Woke Coach?
“It's been transformational. If people don't have a DEI commitment or if they haven't started this work, I think people feel they don't wanna mess up. And so they choose not to do anything. The one thing that I feel like we're so much further along in these conversations is that people are comfortable being uncomfortable. And they feel that they have the tools to navigate tough conversations and situations. To speak up when needed. We're all learning.”
“We hired The Woke Coach for a deeper understanding and education. Before there was a lot of surface work that we were doing. The work with The Woke Coach is not always planned – it's of the moment. Every time we would meet, there would be something that happened and we would have that discussion and we would learn from that discussion in real time. It taught us how we can help and what action that we can take for our staff.”