The Waymakers

Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence

By: Tara Jaye Frank

Narrated by: Tara Jaye Frank

What really drives workplace equity and inclusion - beyond strategies and systems?

The truth is, all historically excluded persons who have broken through to greater levels of professional belonging and achievement have succeeded not by policy and systems change alone, but because of leaders who chose to remove barriers, open doors, and guide them toward their goals. The bottom line? Someone made a way for them.

Using case studies, data, and candid storytelling, Tara Jaye Frank outlines how leaders with power and position can clear the path to workplace equity by:

• Discovering where you are on your equity journey today
• Embracing the steps required to achieve true equity
• Understanding what your employees really want from you
• Developing a lens for the big barriers and intervention opportunities
• Connecting the dots between meeting talent needs and unlocking company value
• Recognizing when Waymaking matters most
• Showing up - every day - as a leader who makes a way

The Waymakers not only makes a compelling case for change. It also teaches you how to facilitate that change. Once you’ve listened to it, you’ll understand why the question is not “what” drives equity and inclusion, but “who”.

And the answer is you.

©2022 Tara Jaye Frank (P)2022 Tara Jaye Frank

An Excellent Read!

This is a wonderful book. This book is truly inspiring and empowering for all the incredible Waymakers paving the way.

Exceptional

Incredibly insightful, home-hitting analogies, explained masterfully with instructive simplicity. I'ts a master class! I've listened twice!

Guidance for White People Who Actually Want to Get It

If you believe People of Color that workplace inequities exist, but aren’t really sure what that means or what you, personally, can do about it, this is the book for you. If you don’t believe PoC, this book will probably make you angry, and you need to sit with that and figure things out.

In Waymakers, Tara Jaye Frank eloquently and gently provides some hard truths and perspectives many white people have not considered before. In many cases, many white people, especially white men, haven’t considered how the nuances of their daily interactions, workplace culture, and institutionalized industry standards effect personal lives and even organizational health. But if you’re in that category and you’re reading this review, know that if you don’t get this book and you continue to remain ignorant, willful ignorance of workplace inequities is your choice.

Tara Jaye Frank expertly interweaves logic, data, and storytelling to hit the desires of a wide audience, drawing on her experience as a Hallmark executive, her coaching, and DEI research. She makes a case for the “why” and also presents the “how” in multiple ways. She uses scripture, as her personal faith helps direct her in life, but the references are few and are relevant to all people as empowering instances of poetry.

And to be fair, her recommendations can make you a better manager of people and coworker, in general. This is good Professional Development and touches on issues that also directly affect white people.

The audiobook is done as well as can be, narrated by the author, whose voice is clear, strong, and pleasant. But I would recommend a hard copy you can make notes in, chomp on a little at a time, and reference quickly. And I’m certain the visual order of the guide would help stick in the brain better. But the audiobook for backup may be a good idea too.

I also recommend following Tara Jaye Frank on LinkedIn for continued insight. I actually started following her after hearing her on Clubhouse.

Devoured

The title says it all, I devoured this book. The author has a talent for keeping you engaged in what she is saying. You cannot help but want to be a Waymaker after you read/listen. I am truly inspired and feel that no matter where I am in my professional journey, I too can make a way for someone, in order to help pave the way to a more equitable future.

Excellent

I loved the tools and resources provided. So inspiring to do the Waymakers work! Must share with others.

Putting vision into action.

This is one of the most impactful books I have read as I constantly search out guidance, encouragement, and support for the lifelong mission and journey to create equity in the workplace. This book not only inspires and educates, it provides a solid foundation for the courage we need to leverage our positions of privilege to be waymakers - to take concrete action to make a way towards authentic, sustainable equity in the workplace. Thank you Tara Jaye Frank, 🙏🙏🥲

An Amazing Book

An amaziing book that gives an authentic view into the black and brown experince. Told in a way that I have never seen, but have deffinately lived. I could barely put the book down.

A must read for every leader

Waymakers is an amazing guide and a must-read for anyone looking to drive impact and grow their leadership as an inclusive leader. Tara shares a practical framework that can be put into action moving organizations to developing real goals and achieving measurable results. She helps leaders to translate their good intentions into daily actions and challenges them to listen, empathize and ask questions. I bought this book on Kindle and Audible. I'm now purchasing the physical book to better flip through, see highlights and have it conveniently on my shelf as a reference.

Inspirational

I love when an author reads their own book for the audio version. I wasn’t aware of the Waymaker term before reading this book. Tara explains it easily and effectively. There are so many good quotes in this book. I would highly recommend!

Important and actionable

What Tara has done in such a concise inspirational and actionable way is going to be so impactful for workplaces for years to come. This is for everyone who has questions on the how of equity