Showcasing Inclusion in FY26 Reflections

Unknown Speaker

Welcome to C O B Elevate, the quick podcast for Communities of Belonging leaders at GitHub. [short pause] Today we’re talking about how you can showcase your contributions to inclusion and belonging in your FY26 Reflections—making sure your work is seen, valued, and tied to GitHub’s performance framework.

Millie Pod

Yep! And let’s be real—CoB leadership isn’t just about running events or mentoring. [slight laugh] It’s about shaping the culture. Everything you do, from fostering safe spaces to helping your teams grow, matters. [short pause] And your Reflections are where that impact really shines.

Unknown Speaker

Yeah, and I love how our leadership is really pushing for that in FY26. So, what does inclusion actually look like in the day-to-day? For me, one of the simplest but most powerful examples is—uh, well, you know those global teams where folks are scattered across time zones? Rotating meetings so everyone gets a fair shot at a convenient time, instead of, uh, always favoring, say, the US Pacific zone. That small move goes a long way.

Millie Pod

Totally. And sometimes it’s about making sure every voice is really heard in meetings. Like, not just giving someone the floor, but creating the space for quieter folks—or people who are newer to the group—to speak up. I know you had a story about this, Michael, about a team standup?

Unknown Speaker

Right. So, a while back, I had a team with, uh, a couple of folks who were pretty quiet during standups. We ended up switching the format—I think we went from popcorn style to just going around in a circle, with everyone sharing what they needed help with, not just a status update. Honestly, within a few weeks, those quieter members started jumping into the conversation more. It was such a small change, but the energy shifted. Suddenly, you could just, you know, feel people were more comfortable bringing up ideas.

Millie Pod

That’s such a great example—and honestly, those small tweaks add up. They show you’re not just checking off a box, you’re creating a team culture where everyone is part of things.

Millie Pod

So, let’s talk about how to capture those kinds of efforts in your yearly reflections without making it sound like a laundry list. It can be tricky, right? But I’ve found that it helps to focus on outcomes—what actually changed for your team—rather than just what you tried to do. Instead of saying, "I invited more folks to speak," maybe it’s, "Team members started volunteering ideas more actively, and discussions led to broader solutions."

Unknown Speaker

That makes a lot of sense. I mean, sometimes you want to write, "I tried to help," but what really matters is what your team experienced because of that. I might be overthinking it, but this is where being concrete can really help.

Millie Pod

Yeah! And it doesn’t always have to be huge, sweeping changes. For example, there was a manager on another team who looked at onboarding for remote new hires. They restructured the first week—so instead of just sending everyone the same checklist, they paired new hires with buddies in similar time zones and set up intro meetings at reasonable hours for each person. It sounds kinda simple, but it meant new folks felt like they could actually ask questions and make connections from day one. As a result, those new hires integrated so much faster and gave really positive feedback in the first-month surveys.

Unknown Speaker

I actually love that. It’s such a small but thoughtful change, but you can see the impact right away. And it gives you real data to reflect on, not just intentions. Like, “Remote hires completed onboarding tasks 30% faster compared to the previous quarter,” or whatever your stat is.

Millie Pod

Exactly—it’s the outcomes that matter. Describing what changed makes the reflection useful for both you and your leaders.

Unknown Speaker

Now, let’s shift to the practical—because writing about this stuff can be, uh, weirdly tough, even if you’re doing good things. GitHub actually gives us some great prompts and frameworks you can plug your experience into. For example, there’s the old, "As a result of [action], my team now [impact]." Or, "By changing [process], we improved [specific outcome]." Sounds simple, but it helps.

Millie Pod

I’ve found it helps to just start messy. Like, jot down a couple sentences about what you changed, who it affected, and what you noticed after. Even something like, "After we started rotating meeting times, team members in EMEA commented that they felt more included and engaged." That’s clear and ties your action to impact.

Unknown Speaker

For sure. And one challenge managers talk about a lot is, well, how do you measure impact when some of this is kinda, um, invisible? Like, if someone just feels more at ease, how do you show that? One tip is to ask for feedback—anonymous pulse surveys, one-on-ones, or just tracking more participation over time. Even small comments can count, you know?

Millie Pod

Oh yeah—and don’t forget about those contributions that don’t always get the spotlight. Sometimes, adapting how you share information, or setting up a buddy system, isn’t headline-grabbing but really unlocks team success. For busy managers, here are a few fill-in-the-blank starters: "Since [change], I've observed [result] among the team," or "One thing I did this year to support inclusion was [action], which led to [impact]."

Unknown Speaker

Those make it a lot less daunting, honestly.

Millie Pod

Totally! Just get your first draft out, and adjust from there. The more you practice, the easier it gets—they don’t have to be poetic, just real.

Unknown Speaker

Alright, that’s a wrap for today. Thanks for listening in—hopefully, you got a couple tips you can use in your own FY26 reflections. We’ll dig into more strategies in our next episode, so stay tuned.

Millie Pod

Thanks, everyone, for joining us. Good luck with those reflections! See you next time. Bye!

Unknown Speaker

Take care, bye everyone.