SUSPEND YOUR EGO Ego is the enemy of progress. This is an unbelievably powerful statement and can be applied to many different situations. If you cannot put your ego aside, you will find yourself constantly thinking that you know better than anyone else around you. So many great ideas will go unheard or worse, unspoken. The people with those ideas will ultimately leave and find a place where they will be heard and appreciated. A culture of inclusivity and cooperation will never come to be, and the team will never fully " buy in " or take ownership of the department processes. If we are able to suspend the ego and decide that we do not have to be the smartest person in the room, true collaboration will take your teams to entirely new places. BE INTENTIONAL Finally, we must also be willing to look at the diversity of our departments. It is impossible to foster an environ46