In today’s workplace, driving change means learning a new language—whether it’s the language of digital transformation, diversity, or human-centered leadership.
In this episode of #ThroughlineThursdays, Kristin Coleman, Executive Director for CCB Diversity & Inclusion at JPMorgan Chase, shares how companies can adapt to the evolving needs of their workforce—and why vulnerability and openness are now core leadership skills.
Learning as a team isn’t just about strategy—it’s about mindset. It’s about recognizing that the old ways of operating no longer apply, and embracing the opportunity to do better.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
• Why leaders need to give themselves permission to not know
• How to shift from legacy behaviors to a new, inclusive operating model
• The emotional courage it takes to lead diverse, distributed teams
• Why the ability to “learn out loud” is the mark of future-ready leadership
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Timestamps:
00:08 – Why organizations need a new language
00:30 – Embracing vulnerability as a leader
00:50 – Rethinking legacy ways of working
01:15 – Caring about things we once ignored
01:45 – The new norm of inclusive, conscious leadership
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How is your team adapting to the new language of work? Let us know in the comments.
[00:08]
Question: “How do you learn a new language—as a team?”
Kristin Coleman:
We’re living through unprecedented times, and that means we have to operate differently than we did before.
Whether as an organization or as an industry, we need to make a bold commitment to change. There are external factors—social, cultural, economic—that we can’t ignore anymore. And those shifts are forcing us to rethink not just what we do, but how we do it.
That starts with giving ourselves permission to learn. To say, “I don’t have all the answers right now.” To admit that we may not know how to operationalize these changes just yet, but we’re willing to try.
It means being vulnerable, and recognizing that the things we didn’t think about before—like employee well-being, lived experiences, or social context—are now things we must care about. And not just in passing—but deeply, intentionally.
This shift requires a certain courage—the willingness to learn new perspectives, to understand new dimensions of the employee experience, and to engage with the factors that impact how people bring their full selves to work.
We’ve been primed for this moment. And now it’s about leadership:
Leaders who are open to operating differently, and who can facilitate change—across teams, across hierarchies, and across identities.
