Professional Documents
Culture Documents
J 28%
M A J J M
A S O Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 N D J F 19%
34%
CEOs share how D&I commitment from the top produces bottom-line results pg. 38
SPELMAN COLLEGE: Molding Todays Black Female Leaders pg. 30 An In-Depth Look at Employee Resource Groups pg. 78
OUR PEOPLE, LIKE OUR SPIRITS, COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, REPRESENT MANY AGES AND ORIENTATIONS AND ALL HAVE IN THEIR HANDS UNIQUE PASTS, PRESENTS AND FUTURES. WE WOULDNT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY. THATS THE SPIRIT OF DIVERSITY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BROWN-FORMAN AND OUR DIVERSITY INITIATIVES, PLEASE VISIT WWW.BROWN-FORMAN.COM
| PUBLISHERS COLUMN
James R. Rector
PUBLISHER/CEO/MANAGING EDITOR
Damian Johnson
VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL SERVICES AND CLIENT PARTNERSHIPS
Paul Malanij
ART DIRECTOR
James Gorman
IT DIRECTOR
Grace Austin
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
April W. Klimley
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Matt Hoffman
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Vicky L. DePiore
HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES
Elena Rector
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Commentaries or questions should be addressed to: Profiles in Diversity Journal, P.O. Box 45605, Cleveland, OH 44145-0605. All correspondence should include authors full name, address, e-mail and phone number.
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March/April 2012
Sodexo
Vijaya tions Manager Opera India
I am
Engaged employees drive business success. Thats why were committed to creating an environment where each employee contributes to his or her full potential. By fostering
Lisa Culinary Director, Education-Schools United States
a culture based on mutual respect and inclusion, we make every day a better day at Sodexo. But dont take our word for it. Hear what our employees have to say about working
To view these employees stories, scan the smart tag or visit bit.ly/SodexoCommunity Get this app at http://gettag.mobi
Inside
FEATURES CEO LEADERSHIP IN ACTION
It gives us great pleasure to present the Profiles in Diversity Journal 2012 CEO Leadership in Action Award. We spotlight CEOs with a passion for diversity, profiling each while offering them an opportunity to relate their organizations D&I efforts through their own words.
38 74 78
COVER STORY
3m Accenture Alliant Women American Exp press African American Booz Allen Hamilton AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT Brown-Forman Corporation Charles Schwab & p EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS Co CSC Energizer Generational Fannie Mae g Ford Motor Company Gannett/USA Today LGBT p y / y Disa ris Corporation Kraft Foods p Lathrop Gage Mercer Native American Nielsen p g FOLLOW US y AT: Novartis Pharma AG Oliver Wyman Working Pare Wealth Management Robins, g Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Hispanic American p p Shell Oil WalMart Stores, Inc WellPoint, Inc
Successful leaders discuss best practices to help launch and improve your own employee resource group. facebook.com/diversityjournal twitter.com/diversityjrnl scribd.com/diversityjournal twitter.com/mentorings facebook.com/mentorings
March/April 2012
The Issue
DEPARTMENTS
13
IN EVERY ISSUE
16
108 | CORPORATE INDEX
Names and websites of participating companies and advertisers
34
30 | SPELMAN COLLEGE
The prestigious HBCU has managed to remain financially viable while maintaining its exclusivity. What's its secret?
CULTURE
22 | CULTURAL EVENTS
International and stateside events in January and February
110 | Q&A
An interview with Dr. Paul White, author and business relationship expert
10 | BULLETIN
Diversity Who, What, Where and When
MILITARY | GOVERNMENT
90 | THOUGHTLEADERS
Mentoring vs. Sponsorship and Keeping Diversity Fresh in a Down Economy
34 | A LETTER TO AMERICA
Colonel Gary Packard, Jr. reflects on his thoughts post-DADT for the military and the country
12 | CATCHAFIRE
Startup helps volunteers find philanthropic options
HIGHER EDUCATION
96 | GLOBAL DIVERSITY
The latest news on international inclusion
26 | UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Maryland has recently named a new CDO...what does this mean for its large campus and widely diverse student body?
36 | DISCOVER AMERICA
Taking a look at Americas new travel and tourism campaign
NONPROFIT
16 | GIRL SCOUTS
An in-depth profile on the century-old organization that has produced more government leaders and astronauts than any other girls organization
20 | CATALYST
Solid research backs up bottom line for diversity, specifically women representation in the business world
CRAIG STORTI Communicating Across Cultures LINDA JIMENEZ WellPoint, Inc. TREVOR WILSON TWI Inc. PAM ARNOLD American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. NADINE VOGEL Springboard Consulting LLC JULIE KAMPF JBK Associates, Inc.
March/April 2012
WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM
| EDITORS NOTE
March/April 2012
Diversity Leaders
Aflac AIMD Inc. Akraya, Inc. American Express Andrews Kurth LLP Army and Air Force Exchange Service Bank of the West BDO USA, LLP Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC Booz Allen Hamilton Brinker International Burger King Corp Caesars Entertainment Corp. Catalyst CDW LLC Chevron Chrysler Group LLC Cisco Systems, Inc. Citigroup Inc. Comcast Corporation CSC CVS Caremark Deloitte LLP Eastman Kodak Company Fannie Mae Freddie Mac Gibbons P.C. Halliburton Harris Corporation ITT Corporation JBK Associates, Inc. Kelly Services KeyCorp KPMG LLP Lockheed Martin Corp. ManpowerGroup Marsh & McLennan Companies Medco Health Solutions MGM Resorts International Moss Adams MWV National Grid New York Life Insurance Newell Rubbermaid Northrop Grumman IS PNC Financial Services Group Raytheon Company RBC Wealth Management Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Royal Dutch Shell SAIC Sodexo Springboard Consulting LLC Sprint Target The Lifetime Healthcare Companies TWI Inc. Union Bank N.A. United States Air Force Academy UnitedHealth Group University of the Rockies US Airways, Inc Vanguard Verizon W.W. Grainger, Inc. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Waste Management, Inc. WellPoint, Inc.
WAL-MART
Training
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Wal-Mart targets 1.4 million managers and associates across all U.S. facilities. Leadership on the Move is unique in its method of linking cultural competencies with leadership development. The series is comprised of four training tracks that include personal leadership, people leadership, results leadership and thought leadership. Each six-week track includes 15-minute discussions designed to equip associates with practical information that will help them better understand and maximize the value of diversity and inclusion.
TARGET
Intranet Portal
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Targets diversity and inclusion team works with Target Communications to place regular articles on insideTGT, Targets corporate intranet site. These articles promote upcoming events, share team member stories and celebrate achievements. Diversity and Inclusion has dedicated SharePoint sites and wiki pages. Additionally, Target has created specific SharePoint group sites for each of the five business councils (African American, Asian, Hispanic, LGBTA, and Women.) Targets intranet also features a site, Building Connections, where team members and leaders can find unique tools and resources related to D&I.
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RBC hosts quarterly Lunch and Learn sessions for employees at the corporate headquarters, including sessions featuring external speakers such as the PACER Centers anti-bullying program; Dr. Reatha Clark for Black History Month; and the YWCA Lets Talk Race program. Additional internal events include the annual Festival of Nations celebration and breakfast hosted by RBCs employee resource groups.
March/April 2012
Thanks to You,
Women from every walk of life have improved their communities and our nation.
Bulletin
Coca-Cola Diversity Leader Retires
Leading the way for minorities and women in the largest beverage corporation in the world, Johnnie B. Booker first took over as director of Supplier Diversity in 2001. After a BOOKER decade of improving diversity within the Coca-Cola ranks, Booker has now decided to go into retirement. I was taught as a child that those who are blessed have a responsibility and an obligation to spread that blessing to others, said Booker. Commitment, perseverance, and the need to help, are qualities Booker says have kept her passionate about helping minorities and women in business. In the next phase of her life, Booker has plans to work as a consultant for major firms. Active in a number of service organizations on the local, national, and in-
WHOWHATWHEREWHEN
ternational level, Booker is a member of the Womens Business Enterprise National Council, The National Black Child Development Institute, NAACP, and the Urban League.
and inclusion mission in both within and outside the USTA family. Abrams brings 27 years of experience to the USTA both on the national and sectional levels. Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the USTAs Eastern Section, where he led it through unprecedented growth. Under his leadership, the sections membership increased by more than 20%, and its recreational programs for adults and juniors expanding as well. He has been a pioneer by becoming the first African-American executive director of a USTA regional office at the USTA Missouri Valley section. While there, Abrams increased USTA individual and organizational membership, and exceeded goals set for growth in USTA programs, including USA Tennis 1-2-3, Team Tennis, Community Tennis Associations, NJTL, Schools and Park and Recreation organizations.
Wells Fargo names Jimmie Walton Paschall EVP, Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion
Jimmie Walton Paschall has been named Executive Vice President for Enterprise Diversity and Inclusion at Wells Fargo. Paschall will lead Wells Fargos enterprise diversity and inclusion efforts, which includes consulting with and providing guidance to the companys various lines of business, leading the companys Enterprise Diversity Council and Team Member Network programs, and reporting to senior management and the Board of Directors. Paschall joins Wells Fargo from Marriott International, where she most recently served as Global Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President of External Affairs. PDJ
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March/April 2012
RAYTHEON PEOPLE
DRIVEN BY DIVERSITY.
As one of the worlds foremost technology leaders, Raytheon takes on some of the most difcult challenges imaginable. Meeting those challenges requires a diversity of talent, ideas, backgrounds, opinions and beliefs. Diversity helps our teams make better decisions, build stronger customer relationships and feel more inspired, supported and empowered. It is both a catalyst and an essential advantage to everything we do.
INNOVATION.
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By Grace Austin
success story matched Change for Kids on a Salesforce Database Customization Project with Luis Morales, Managing Director of IT with FSA. Change for Kids invested significant time and money trying to implement a useful database with Salesforce, but with little success. Luis created a database that Change for Kids, which has been very successful for the organization. Change for Kids was so thrilled with Luis, they recruited him on their board of directors. For a project that began in Chongs apartment in New York, the company has expanded now to 13 full-time employees. Originally in investment banking, Chong grew frustrated finding volunteer opportunities in her spare time. During research for the start-up of the U.S. affiliate of BRAC [a non-profit development organization], Chong became aware of a significant gap between those, like herself, who
March/April 2012
wanted to devote their time, and nonprofits looking for help. [It] opened my eyes to an untapped marketplace of millions of professionals who want to give their skills to causes they love and millions of social good organizations that need their help. Inspired by what I had discovered, I founded Catchafire with the goal of making it easy for every professional to give their skills to make it easy for every nonprofit and social enterprise to leverage the goodwill of professionals, said Chong. Chong has felt numerous challenges, as many new businesses do in their first few years. The companys lack of resources has made it difficult to both expand and spread the benefits of service. The most challenging part of our business is getting in front of professionals and communicating the benefits of pro-bono service. There are many benefits of pro-bono service
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Photography credit: RTimages
including personal and professional development, growing your network, leadership, and building your resum. The challenge for us is to spread this word to as many professionals as possible, related Chong. In contrast, Chong does not see her status, as a young, Australianborn Chinese female, as a challenge. Being a minority may generally present challenges, which I do not want to belittle; however, I believe that in this day and age, in the city that I live and work in, overall, I am far more advantaged than disadvantaged, said Chong. Age, like race, is what it is, and I think that in this day and age and in this country, our personal attitude towards these uncontrollable factors determines our
success and happiness more than the factors themselves. While Chong dismisses her ethnicity and age as barriers to entrepreneurial success, Catchafire has considerable diversity amongst its employees. We have employees in all age groups, ethnicities, and nationalities, including Finland, Australia, and various cities across the United States. We also have a pretty even 50/50 split between men and women working here, said Chong. As Catchafire continues to grow, Chong envisions the websites expansion to other cities across the country. Boston was the first step in this process. Our goals are expansion to new
CHONG cities across America so that we can provide our services to as many social good organizations and professionals as possible, said Chong. Our vision is for all professionals to be able to give their skills easily and for all social good organizations to be able to leverage the goodwill of professionals. PDJ
By Debra L. Stang, LCSW female entrepreneurs who procrastinate, but most of them do not address the issue of working in great detail. When ones business is at ones home, its especially easy to get drawn into the trap of never really leaving work for instance, foregoing family time to check and respond to emails, or regularly putting ones me-time on hold due to client requests. Finding a work/life balance is difficult. Here are some tips for those struggling or who wish to better.
IME MANAGEMENT BOOKS have much advice for
Work/life balance means different things to different people. Gail Granger, a communication professional who works from home, defines her view of work/life balance
March/April 2012 WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM
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Schedule Your Days 14
as me in charge of my life and time. She thrives on working into the wee hours of the morning and reports that her laptop is always within arms reach. In contrast, Thekla Richter, a home-based time management coach, states that her right work/ balance is to currently work part-time. Karen Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed., a psychotherapist, eating coach, and international author, tells clients, You know what makes you work and feel best. You run your business. Dont let it run you. Figuring out a comfortable work/life balance is an important step. From there, there are three basic steps to achieving much-needed me-time. Successful work-from-home female entrepreneurs emphasize the importance of setting a work schedule and sticking to it. Diane Kobrynowicz, a health and wellness coach, states that she overcame her workaholic tendencies by recognizing that I am in control of my life and my calendar, and if I want work/life balance, I must make it happen. Other women schedule time into their day for exercise, spending time with their children or mate, running errands, or getting out of the house for a quick lunch with a friend. Another important part of scheduling is to clearly denote when a work day has finished. Develop a routine, such as making tomorrows to-do list, putting papers away, and shutting off the computer. Once this pattern becomes a habit, it will signal the subconscious mind that the work day is over and that its time to start focusing on other things.
I am in control of my life and my calendar, and if I want work/life balance, I must make it happen.
in a far wing of her house where she meets clients and works on her writing projects. Other areas of her house are strictly off limits to work-related activities. Dont use your bed for anything except sleeping, she advises. If your mind comes to Diane Kobrynowicz associate your bed with workrelated concerns, you may find yourself developing a sleep disorder.
Amber Watson-Tardiff, partner in Legal Marketing Maven and account manager and copywriter for Solamar Marketing, found that achieving a work/life balance was an ongoing struggle until she hired a babysitter to take care of her children so she could further concentrate on work. Its the only thing that hasmade it possible to keep all my balls in the air, she says. In addition to keeping the needs and routines of ones children in mind, it is important to take into account the needs of other adults in the home, such as ones significant other, parents, or in-laws. Richter reminds women that creating a life balance for yourself needs to be done within the ecosystem of your family, because everything each member does affects everyone else. For instance, after staying home full-time with her newborn baby and considering a return to full-time work, Richter decided it made more sense for her to work part-time while her child is a toddler. I chose to dedicate fewer hours to my business right now, she says, and more hours to parenting and running the household.
Another factor that helps work-at-home entrepreneurs separate their work space from their life space is by allocating a specific place in the house where work is done. Ideally, this should be a spare room, but if you dont have a spare room, it can be a corner of your house. Karen Koenig, for instance, has designated one room
PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL March/April 2012
There is no mathematical formula to find the perfect work/life balance. Instead, one must pay attention to ones intuition about what one needs and define work/ life balance for ones self. One can work from home and maintain a rich private life, but first one must explore ones priorities and change ones work habits to reflect the balance one is trying to achieve. PDJ
FRESH
www.lockheedmartin.com
PERSPECTIVES, CREATED
DAILY.
2012 Lockheed Martin Corporation
THIS IS HOW
Diversity is more than a goal. Its a necessity. When facing down the most important projects in the world, every idea counts. Every viewpoint matters. Thats why, at Lockheed Martin, we not only believe in diversity. We embrace it. Because diversity is the how that delivers the most innovative solutions to some of the most complex problems imaginable.
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NONPROFIT ON MY HONOR:
W
By Grace Austin
Girl Scouts compete in the Mission Ocean Challenge during the USS California Science Experience at Naval Surface Warfare.
today as a leader, said Julie Kampf, CEO and years. While we are continuing to offer year-long founder of JBK Associates, a talent sourcing firm troops, we recognized as girls grow older they want headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey. more flexible options, said Susan Swanson, Vice Girl Scouts has made considerable changes President of Membership for GSUSA. since it beginning a century ago. Girl Scouts was Over the years, Girl Scouts has remained structurally reorganized in 2006, significantly relevant by constantly evolving. With emergdecreasing its number of councils, changing its ing demographics like the Hispanic/Latino age levels, and adding a New Girl population, Girl Scouts has faced Scout Leadership Experience, which new challenges, including the task involves leadership journeys. of introducing themselves to a group In recent years, Girl Scouts has unfamiliar with their organization. faced external criticism for the usage We have approached that challenge of God in the Girl Scout Promise. by instead of using a flyer sent home To adapt to changing times, the orgawith their daughter, we have small nization now allows omitting the word meetings with trusted adults like ESL and substituting the word for ones teachers and church leaders. We have individual beliefs. to make people comfortable and get Our program has undergone a to know our organization. The results whole new renovation within the past are incredibly exciting, because when few years. The content has been towe find we take the time, the intertally updated to be totally relevant to est in belonging is huge not only for todays girls, like environmental issues; daughters but for adults themselves, mind, health and body; and focus on said Swanson. careers and STEM. The other area [we Another major issue has come from have changed] is how girls participate. the basis and key to the organizations Our delivery is 100% dependent on sustainabilitythe volunteers. adults and volunteers, and through We have made a significant effort research we have realized adults have within the past five years to say volunGirl Scout in uniform, 1973. become busier within the past ten to 20 teers first, and it needs to be a part of the
March/April 2012 WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM
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fabric of the community. Its work, but its worth it and it is working, added Swanson. Reaching out to new demographics is not new; Girl Scouts bears a long history of diversity. The organization has a long history of multi-racial troops; in 1954, Martin Luther King, Jr. called the Girl Scouts a force of desegregation. Girl Scouts welcomed girls with disabilities early in their history at a time when they were not included in most other activities. Its been part of us since the very beginning. Theres never been a part of Girl Scouts when we havent been reaching out to new organizations. Diversity is as much a part of us as leadership, said Tompkins. Diversity also translates into the staffing at Girl Scouts. The senior management is comprised of 30% underrepresented groups, while the overall staff is approximately 45% underrepresented groups, a term that includes Asian Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic/Latinos. We feel like its important to look like America. Diversity has been very important since we were founded in 1912; there were no barriers to participation in terms of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic group, and the like, and thats been something we try to build on. We are continually trying to work on new strategies to attract diverse staff; we are also engaged in collaborative recruiting with other nonprofits. We take a lot of strides to make sure that we try to reach different areas of the labor market to recruit diverse talent, said Michael Watson, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Diversity at GSUSA. Girl Scouts hopes to keeping changing and modernizing, continuing to offer exceptional lead-
Girl Scouts
by the
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March/April 2012
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NON-PROFIT
We have much opportunity for more and more girls to develop their leadership and take on bigger and better roles to make the world a better place.
CSC CelebrateS
WomenS
HiStory montH
For professionals who seek to reach new career milestones, CSC offers the ideal environment a dynamic culture where innovation flourishes. Visit CSCs career site at http://careers. csc.com to explore opportunities to join one of the worlds most successful IT business solutions providers. csc.com/careersus
CSC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D/V.
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NON-PROFIT
By Catalyst
DL
goal of a corporation? Seems like a foolish question flip open any MBA textbook and the right answer is obvious: profit maximization. But is it really so simple? If companies havent turned their ears to the Occupy Wall Street protestors yet, they should. The growing movement reflects an important trend in public opinion: 71% of Americans report an unfavorable impression of Wall Street and large corporations. Its clear that while companies need to make money to survive, profit maximization, without regard to consequences or risks, is not a strategic business practice. Cue corporate sustainability. Through its focus on stakeholder relations, a key tenet of corporate sustainability is CSR, or corporate social responsibilitya consideration of the organizations impact, both positive and negative, on the world. Companies committed to CSR pay more than lip service to their stakeholders, looking beyond the interests of quick-buck investors. They are positioned for long-term growth. CSR isnt just a passing fad. A companys CSR activities are a visible way to judge their values. And one easily investigated metricsomething that we at Catalyst measure for every Fortune 500 company each yearis the representation of women in senior leadership. Gender and Corporate Social Responsibility: Its a Matter of Sustainability, a study Catalyst authored with researchers from Harvard Business School, shows that companies and society win when business leaders are gender-diverse. We found that across a period of ten years, companies with more women board directors and more women corporate officers donated significantly more charitable funds than their less-diverse peers. Each additional woman board director translated to an added $2.3 million in annual philanthropic giving. And for every percent increase in woman corporate officers, companies gave an additional $5.7 million. These findings cant be explained away by factors other than gender-diverse leadership. Women leaders still had a significant positive effect after controlling
PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL March/April 2012
for financial performance, company size, and industry. While this could be a case of the chicken versus the egg, other research suggests that diverse leaders are employed before increases in CSR are observed. Why might this be? We believe that operating with gender-inclusive leadership can provide diverse perspectives on fairness, which may broaden the companys understanding of CSR and lead to greater philanthropy. Obviously, CSR isnt just about the quantity of philanthropic donations. The quality of initiatives is important too. We speculate that when leaders spotlight gender issues in their CSR strategies, for example focusing on the importance of women as customers and suppliers, they often position their organization for sustained growth, and the payoff extends beyond the company to society at large. So the next time you are looking to invest, make a purchase, or take a job offer, consider the gender diversity of the companys leadership. It might point you to a company that pays attention to its stakeholders, and not just the next quarters balance sheet. PDJ
Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit membership organization expanding opportunities for women and business. With offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, and India, and more than 500 preeminent corporations as members, Catalyst is the trusted resource for research, information, and advice about women at work.
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Melbournes 9th Annual Thai Culture and Food Festival, March 18:
The Festival will start at 10 AM with the traditional Buddhist blessing by Thai monks. A Thai long drum parade will follow, with cooking demonstrations, vendors selling traditional Thai goods and foods, and live bands featuring Australian and Thai musicians. Dont forget the recently added Miss Thai Festival pageant either!
CULTURE
EVENTS MARCH|APRIL
A Bloody History, and Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad, showcasing the creativity of participating young people, emerging artists and amateur companies.
Attention all Tennessee Williams buffs: occurring daily in the French Quarter, the annual festival takes place each spring in New Orleans, the setting for many of the playwrights works. Featuring theater, play readings, and panel discussions, the festival ends with the Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest, one of
March/April 2012
This spring, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. celebrates the centennial of the National Cherry Blossom Festival with a music festival and the exhibition Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird-And-Flower Paintings by eighteenth century painter It Jakuch. Colorful Realm of Living Beings is a 30-scroll set of bird-andflower paintings on silk and the centerpiece of the landmark exhibition, never before shown in its entirety outside of Japan. Colorful Realm of Living Beings provides a panoramic survey of flora and fauna, both mythical and actual, reflecting the highest artistic and technical accomplishment in Japanese painting. PDJ
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>> Q&A
CULTURE
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PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL
im, I read you wrote short stories in grade school and read them to younger students. My teacher had such faith in my little stories. It was Mrs. Clark, Sylvia Clarkshes my favorite teacher ever. We actually dedicated Amy Hodgepodge to her, because she was so instrumental in building my confidence about my writing. I have a lot of gratitude to her. What were some of those stories about? Most of them were about fairy tales. I had one called The Wash Cloth of Youth. It was about a little old lady who found a washcloth that whenever she used it it would make her young again. [Laughs] It sounds preposterous, but I was all of ten. The kids loved that story. Unfortunately, my dad threw out all of my stories. My mom still hasnt gotten over that. You wanted to be in show business from a very young age. How did you know from a young age you wanted to do this? I was really lucky that way. Some people come into the world knowing what they want to do,
March/April 2012
and I was just one of those people. It was natural to me; it was what I wanted to do. Kevin, was it true you were raised on a ranch in Oklahoma? Can you describe some of your fondest memories growing up there? Yes, I was. I did a lot of fishing. I had a clear, spring-fed creek in my backyard. We had rainbow trout, large-mouth bass, and albino squirrels. It was a pretty wonderful place. I got to be myself a lot of times, use my imagination, and just appreciate nature. Kim and Kevin, can you tell me a little bit about the background of Amy Hodgepodge, and how you developed the story and it came into being. Kim: Amy was really inspired by our nieces and nephews. We have tons of nieces and nephews, and some are multi-racial children. We thought it was very important for them to see positive images of themselves reflected in mainstream childrens literature. We thought, wouldnt it be great to create a series surrounded on a multi-racial child? [Nowadays] the cultural lines have blurred to a great extent, and its really hard to categorize this generation growing up. Part of the process was to sit down with an illustrator, and we had really specific ideas of what we wanted the characters to look like. We gave her pictures of our nieces to get a jumping-off point for her to create the
Who as writers do you most admire? Kevin: I love Tennessee Williams and Eugene ONeill. When I was four I liked Dr. Seuss. [Laughs] Kim: There are authors I admire. When I was a kid, my all-time favorite book was Charlottes Web, by E.B. White. I loved Pippy Longstocking. I related to her wackiness, her sense of adventure, and she was just herself. I had so much admiration for Pippy. Now, I love Alice Walker, shes a wonderful writer; its so many its hard to narrow it down. Was there one particular adventure that Amy Hodgepodge went on that you liked writing about the most? Kevin: I enjoyed the camping adventure the most, because I could use my ranch background. Kim: I think the Happy Birthday to Me was my favorite Amy Hodgepodge book so far to write. Its based on the truth of something very similar that happened to me, without the happy ending. I had my first big party, a Hawaiian luau, and none of my friends showed up. [Laughs] PDJ
For more information, to schedule meetings, or order books, please visit amyhodgepodge.com.
March/April 2012 WWW.DIVERSITYJOURNAL.COM
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By Grace Austin
HIGHER EDUCATION
DIVERSITY ON CAMPUS
ounded in 1856, the University of Maryland is the largest school in Maryland and considered the flagship university in the state. Located in College Park, Maryland is a public university, well-known for their athletic prowess in basketball, football, and lacrosse. With a large student population of more than 35,000, diversity amongst the student body has grown, but is still a hot-button issue. In an attempt to increase diversity and develop the diversity office, Maryland has recently named a Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Kumea Shorter-Gooden. Maryland has done a good job over the past few decades at developing diversity-based offices, programs, and initiatives. But what has been missing has been a comprehensive, systematic, and strategic focus. There hasnt been senior leadership to provide voice to these issues, but the chief diversity officer will have a more systematic perspective and opportunity to advocate and articulate around diversity issues, says ShorterGooden. Dr. Kumea Shorter-Gooden was appointed Marylands Chief Diversity Officer in January 2012. ShorterGooden is a licensed psychologist and previously worked as Associate Provost for International Initiative at
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Left, view of the University of Maryland near the South Commons residential area; right, statue of mascot Testudo
Alliant University based in Alhambra, California. Shorter-Goodens work at her previous position was similar to that of a chief diversity officer. Prior to that, she worked as a psychology professor for 16 years. I see my job as helping to pull together the pieces, helping to align the various offices and initiatives so we can really harness the strengths and the capacities that were set out, says Shorter-Godden. Shorter-Gooden was chosen through a meticulous search process headed by a 15-person committee that included many important leaders at Maryland, including the Associate Provost for Diversity & Equity, Dr. Lee Thornton. Thorntons position was absolved when Shorter-Gooden took office. Thornton leaves behind a remarkable legacy of diversity innovation. In her position, Thornton conducted 12 in-depth interviews with academic deans on issues of retention, recruitment, and leadership of faculty of color. Thornton also wrote the diversity policy for Marylands Merrill School of Journalism, and sat on the universitys Presidents Commission on Ethnic Minority Issues for four years, chairing the commission twice.
stablished in the mid-1850s, the University of Maryland, College Park is a historically white public research institution. Like many such American universities, especially those in the South, College Park actively resisted desegregatingespecially with respect to African-American students well into the 1980s, when it was found to be in non-compliance with desegregation as required by Brown v. Board in 1954. Almost concomitant with this finding, College Park retained its first African American President, John Slaughter. Among the multitude of things that President Slaughter did to turn College Park from an institution regionally known for its actively racist resistance into one that is now nationally recognized for its demographic diversity, was to expand the charge of the campus Office of Diversity Education and Compliance (ODEC) from an exclusive focus on mere legal compliance with equity mandates to include pro-active diversity education for faculty, staff, and students. Shortly thereafter, in 1994, OHRP became College Parks institutional representative in the Ford Foundation-funded Campus Diversity Initiative effort. Through OHRP, College Park, one of only ten original Diversity Initiative campuses across the country, received over $1 million during a seven-year period to develop itself as a national model institution for comprehensive equity and diversity work.
Says Thornton about Marylands diversity efforts and her tenure as head of diversity: I believe passionately in the work and in a vision that must be ever evolving as this nation evolves. I grew up in a segregated America. I marvel at the country we now live in and I feel privileged to have been able to lend my abilities to the effort at Maryland.
Asian Americans and African Americans each comprise 14% of the campus makeup, making them the largest minority groups. African Americans are a significant minority group, yet underrepresented in terms of their population in the state of Maryland. Clearly, we need to do much work in efforts to look
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The Terrapins take on the University of Denver Pioneers in a Division I lacrosse game.
more closely as to what are the strategies to recruit and to retain. We need to achieve parity in terms of admission, retention, and graduation, says Shorter-Gooden. With African American, Asian American, and other marginalized groups, we need to learn how the university can change to better accommodate these groups. Maryland has a large percentage of over-25 students, approximately 20%. The LGBT community is active, too, sponsoring annual events like Pride Prom. Maryland also boasts an LGBT Studies Program, one of around 40 universities in the country to do so. Marylands campus is known for its political activism and a socioeconomically diverse population, a rarity at most universities. Socio-economic issues are really important. Clearly, we are in a time of recession and budget cut-backs, and when its harder for families to pay for higher education. We have a commitment to make sure Maryland is accessible to all families of the socio-economic spectrum, says Shorter-Gooden.
campus close to the big-city experiences that the capital has to offer. Many opportunities are available at the institution due to its large population, whether they be intramural sports or clubs and groups. Fraternities, sororities, student clubs and organizations are a really critical element of creating a diverse and inclusive campus. One of the things thats going to be really important for my office early on is to connect to staff and faculty that are directly involved with these organizations, as well as student leaders from the student organizations and to get a sense of what their thoughts are to create a more diverse and inclusive campus for all, says Shorter-Gooden.
Shorter-Gooden is aware of the challenges and pressure that awaits her as Marylands first Chief Diversity Officer. These include reaching out to underrepresented communities, improving faculty minority representation, and navigating the large student and faculty populations. Maryland is very big, says ShorterGooden. The challenge is how do you get buy-in and engagement with those people. Its really about getting a whole community involved, with a big community that makes it harder.
Shorter-Gooden hopes to use her status to grow the universitys diversity program and improve the diversity make-up at Maryland. This is the beginning of a new era at Maryland, says Shorter-Gooden. It is the beginning of a more strategic focus on diversity, organized, coordinated set of efforts to achieve the vision of a university that is truly diverse and inclusive. Obviously this is something that other universities are working on, and will not occur in the short run, but we need to be aware of where were at with that vision, and ways to better achieve that vision. PDJ
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By Grace Austin
HIGHER EDUCATION
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s a historically black college (HBCU), Spelman College has been an innovative learning institution since its founding in 1881. With a selective 2,100 students, Spelman is considered the premier HCBU for women in the United States. A private, liberal arts college, Spelman is located in Atlanta, Georgia, one of three Atlanta University Center schools, along with Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College. With notable alumni including Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, and the first AfricanAmerican general, Marcelite J. Harris, Spelman has been a wellspring for female African-American leadership since its establishment more than 100 years ago.
PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL March/April 2012
From our vantage point, we see ourselves as producing particular kinds of leaders. We are focused on activism leadership as opposed to a generic idea of producing women leaders, said Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, founding director of the Womens Research and Resource Center and the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Womens Studies. We are focused on developing students who see themselves as transformational leaders, not just leaders who get good jobs and earn big incomes. From its humble beginnings in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church to its current endowment of almost $300 million, Spelman has paralleled the progress of African Americans from Reconstruction to the twenty-
Left, view of the Spelman College campus entrance and Giles Hall; Right, a Spelman student is helped by a professor.
first century. Named after a family of prominent antislavery activists, Spelman has ties to billionaire John D. Rockefeller, who pledged the school a $250 grant in 1882. Spelman also has a long commitment to Africa, which began in 1889 when student Nora Gordon left for missionary work in the Congo, and continues today through the Gordon-Zeto Center for Global Education, named in honor of missionary Gordon. The Center recently received a $17 million gift from an anonymous donor, some of it to be used for scholarships targeted at young women from South Africa. While we welcome students from all backgrounds, we recognize our historic mission has a particular appeal for young women from across the African diaspora. For the last two years we have participated in President Clintons initiative to bring Rwandan students to study in the U.S., and several Rwandan students are currently attending Spelman. We also have established relationships with a few South African universities, participating in student and faculty exchanges, said Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President of Spelman. In February 2011, President Obama renewed a White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Obamas efforts could not be more timely, as some HCBUs, most notably Bennett College and Fisk University, have faced financial difficulties and potential closings. Spelman has managed to retain its prestige while capturing substantial endowments; Comedian and activist Bill Cosby pledged $20 million in 1987, and NASA has awarded Spelman a multi-billion dollar grant. Alumnae participation is almost 40%, and alumnae gifts are only increasing.
Even in this economic downturn, employers and graduate school representatives are recruiting heavily at Spelman, making the investment in a Spelman education a tremendous value for those who choose it. Preserving and strengthening our brand in higher education is central to our success, and we work hard at it. We have also worked hard at developing a strong alumnae base of support. Over the last ten years our annual participation rate of alumnae giving has grown, a critical factor for ensuring the long-term viability of our institution. And we have aggressively pursued our fundraising goals to expand our ability to provide financial support for those students in need, said Tatum. Spelman has remained fiscally stable and institutionally relevant primarily because of its history of female empowerment. Dr. Sophia Jones became the first black female faculty member in 1885. In 1944, a conference on higher education for African-American women was held. Today, the annual Spelman College Leadership and Women of Color Conference continues this legacy, an intergen-
We are focused on activism leadership as opposed to a generic idea of producing women leaders.
Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, founding director of the Womens Research and Resource Center
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The spiritual component of leadership development has been an important factor in education.
Rev. Lisa Rhodes, Dean of the Sisters Chapel and Director of the WISDOM Center
each of these categories); religious diversity: Christians, Muslims, and Bahai are among the most common faith traditions represented; geographic diversity: regional as well as rural, urban, and suburban; and diversity in sexual orientation and in physical ability and learning styles. Diversity is not just within people of different races, but within a race itself, said Senior Ashley Grisham, who majors in International Studies and has a minor in Chinese. We have a lot of students from Africa themselves, as well as international students from Germany and India. A lot of people dont know that, because when they think of an HBCU they think of all African-American students, but we do have students from all different backgrounds. And we have many students that even though they might identify as African American, they are mixed. Regionally Spelman is extremely diverse. A majority of students are out-of-state, with New York, California, Maryland, and Illinois most represented, while homestate of Georgia makes up 29% of the student population. Overall, 45 states are represented at Spelman. Diversity among Diversity Students from the Bahamas, Kenya, Rwanda, Jamaica, While Spelmans student population is almost entirely made up of women of African descent, there is significant China and Ghana have the largest international populadiversity within that population. There is ethnic diver- tions at Spelman. Through the Gordon-Zeto Center for sity: African American, AfroCaribbean, AfroHispanic, Global Education, Spelman offers students engagement and African immigrants (with national variation within with global cultures and prepares them for leadership roles in an increasingly interdependent global society. The Center focuses on growing the number of African students who study and graduate from Spelman, supports study abroad opportunities for students and faculty, and provides senior Preserving and strengthening leadership for the Colleges international educaour brand in higher education is tion programs. Spelman has attempted to reach out to the central to our success, and we LGBT community through significant univerwork hard at it. sity projects and campus-wide events. Through Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President of Spelman the Womens Center, Spelman convened a historic summit in April 2011 on climate issues around diversity, inclusion, gender, and sexuality
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obotics is not a traditionally female field. But dont let the Spelman robotics team, the Spelbots, tell you otherwise. The Spelbots have traveled across the country and internationally to compete their self-made robots and share their story, all while promoting STEM to underrepresented minorities and girls. The Spelbots are a testament to the ability of young women, particularly women of color, to be leaders in science, technology, and math. They have had to be trailblazers. Through the years, theyve faced subtle and not so subtle sexism and racism being the only women and usually the only African Americans at competitions. When we got an award in Japan, they didnt want to give us an award publicly. I told the students, Let this be a teaching moment, youre trailblazers. People dont think that women or African-American women in particular can do things in science, and you have to show them that you can,
said Dr. Andrew B. Williams, coach and founder of the Spelbots. The Spelbots were formed by Williams in the fall of 2004 when he came to Spelman after reading The Purpose Driven Life. In 2005, the Spelbots became the first all-women, African-American team to compete in the RoboCup four-legged robot soccer competition, which is considered the Olympics of robotics and artificial intelligence. Dr. Williams also founded the ARTSI Alliance, a robotics alliance consisting of thirteen HBCUs and seven research institutions, to increase the number of African-American students studying robotics and computer science by offering research and education projects centered on robotics and healthcare, the arts, and entrepreneurship. The Spelbots, though sponsored by Boeing and GM, has secured a more than half-million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to fund and expand STEM outreach. The
grant will allow the Spelbots to expand research and improve their robotic technology, let them travel without the help of extensive fundraising, as well as change stereotypes about women and women of color in technology. Theres still a real lack of role models for African-American ladies. Seeing women do STEM is relevant and combats the nerd stereotype, said Williams. Women and African Americans have just as much potential as everyone else.
at HCBUs, which was funded by the Arcus Foundation. The summit was unprecedented, the first of its kind to address these issues at historically black colleges, organized widely due to the wave of suicides of LGBT and LGBTlabeled individuals. Thats a project that weve been engaged in for four years. It began with the processing of the Audre Lorde papers. We worked on issues in the Atlanta University Center, and broadened that to include historically black colleges. In some ways it was our most ambitious project, said Guy-Sheftall. Spelman has attempted to not only acknowledge but embrace religious differences through the Sisters Chapel, dating to the 20s, and its WISDOM Center program, founded in 2001. Rev. Lisa Rhodes heads the Sisters Chapel and the Center. During her tenure, Rhodes has helped establish an interfaith council, which helped affirm diversity and present roundtable discussions/presentations, Diwali and Ramadan celebrations, and forums addressing Islamic stereotypes. The spiritual component of leadership development has been an important factor in education. When we started the WISDOM Center, we wanted to continue this development, and broaden the religious tradition of women of African descent. Weve identified that although the majority [of students] are Christian, there are an increased
number of Muslim students, Hindu faculty, occasionally Bahai, Hebrew/Israelites, and Buddhists. We wanted to create a community that affirmed difference, said Rhodes.
The future looks bright for Spelman College. While remembering the past is a major part of the Spelman experience, moving forward as a haven of learning and empowerment for African-American women is the central mission of the institution. Ive been teaching at Spelman for 40 years. I went there as an undergraduate. I imagine Spelman sees itself as continuing to be the premier institution for women of African descentwho will go out into the world and be change agents, said Guy-Sheftall. Continues Grisham: I think Spelman is going to continue to go global, continuing to spread Spelman success and uplifting the Spelman spirit around the world. I definitely see students engaged in not just philanthropy, but civil rights causes and social justices, said Grisham. The tradition of where Spelman started, to now a fullfledged academic institution and movement [is significant]. Spelman women come from all different walks of life, but once youre admitted, you dont just join a college, you join a family and community where everyone has equal access to rights and success. PDJ
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Sep 20, 2011
MILITARY | GOVERNMENT
HIS MORNING, I TURNED ON THE NEWS AS I NORMALLY DO ABOUT 5:30 EACH MORNING TO HEAR THE DAILY WEATHER FORECAST AND LISTEN FOR ANY BREAKING LOCAL, NATIONAL, OR WORLD EVENTS.
Today, I was especially curious to see what would be on the news on this historic day for the U.S. military. Just after midnight, 10 U.S.C. 654, commonly known as the Dont Ask, Dont Tell (DADT) law, was repealed, allowing gay and lesbian service members to choose to reveal their sexual orientation without the fear of being separated from the service. Today had a January 1, 2000 familiar feel to it for me. You may recall 1999 when many people were concerned about the Y2K computer bug and what would happen to all the computers when we rolled over to the new millennium. When we woke up on the first day of the 21st century, there were some minor glitches, but life went on pretty much as usual despite the doom and gloom predictions. When we woke up today, despite predictions of significant impact, postrepeal military life goes on as usual. The news trucks are not lined up outside the gate to cover a significant event, protesters are not swarming the Academy, and there isnt a gay rights parade streaming across campus. Cadets are starting class, faculty and staff are getting on with their day, and people are getting along with each other just as they were yesterday. This morning, the sun came up as normal on a beautiful, crisp Colorado day. The main thing that changed was that a portion of our population started their day carrying a much lighter load because they dont have to worry about losing their ability to serve just because of who they are. For those individuals, I imagine the sunrise today was just a little brighter and more meaningful than it was yesterday. Why is the DADT repeal, like Y2K, just another day
U.S. President Barack Obama signs into law the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.
at our campus? From July until Thanksgiving of 2010, I served at the Pentagon as the Air Force writer on the Secretary of Defenses Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG) study of the impact of repealing the law known as Dont Ask, Dont Tell (DADT). I assisted with data analysis and the writing the main Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with a Repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell. In addition, I had the privilege of leading the team responsible for writing the companion Support Plan for Implementation, which served as the basis for training across the Department of Defense for over two million active duty and reserve Service Members. The CRWG completed one of the largest personnel studies in the history of the U.S. military, soliciting the views of over 500,000 active duty and reserve service members and spouses and analyzing nearly 225,000 responses from surveys, focus groups,
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and online entries. In addition, the Working Group harassment and discrimination, and violence against studied the history of racial and gender integration in minority groups. With the DADT repeal, we would be the U.S. military, analyzed the experiences of foreign nave to think that we will not have isolated incidents militaries that allow open gay and lesbian service, and related to a persons sexual orientation or religious/moral reviewed the experiences of domestic organizations such beliefs about homosexuality. But these incidents will pale as fire and police departments. We talked to people and in comparison to the strength the military gains through advocacy groups from both sides of the issue. Using a recruiting and retaining a diverse force. You would be diverse panel of experts representing all branches of the hard pressed to find many who would support the idea service, enlisted and officer, combat veterans and civilian that our military is weaker because we have women or employees, we assessed the potential impact of repeal on persons of color serving our nation in the uniformed military readiness, effectiveness, cohesion, recruiting, and military service. We have many measures of diversity at retention. All the data sources and analysis pointed to the Air Force Academy to include race, ethnicity, gender, the same conclusionrepeal of DADT would not have religion, prior-enlisted, and athletic status. We recruit a debilitating effect on military cohesion, effectiveness, students from all 50 states and U.S. territories as well as readiness, recruiting, or retention. The two CRWG Coseveral of our allied partners. This broad perspective on Chairs, Mr. Jeh Johnson, DoD General Counsel, and diversity makes us better as an institution and requires Gen Carter Ham, current Commander of United States our students to learn how to build successful teams Africa Command, stated in the conclusion of the report, through dignity, courtesy, and respect. In our culture, We are both convinced that our military can do this, respect is not just as a good idea, it is a military necessity even during this time of war. We do not underestimate that we are all duty-bound to follow. the challenges in implementing a change in the law, but As Admiral Mike Mullen stated in his testimony to neither should we underestimate the ability of our exCongress in February of 2010, repealing DADT is an traordinarily dedicated Service men and women to adapt integrity issue. Serving with integrity means staying true to such change and continue to provide our Nation with to ourselves while staying true to our duty to support and the military capability to accomplish any mission. defend the Constitution of the United States. With the While the data are compelling, I personally believe that repeal of DADT, our duty to uphold our Oath of Office DADT repeal will not be a troublesome event primarremains unchanged. We must do our duty to keep our ily because of what the Co-chairs called the ability of standards high; create an environment free from barriour extraordinarily dedicated Service men and women. ers that prevent people from rising to the highest level of The integrity and values of the U.S. service member responsibility possible; and ensure all who serve are able will ensure that our nations defenses do not skip a beat to do their duty without fear of reprisal, harassment, or as a result of the repeal of DADT. Service Members, prejudice. We must do our duty to protect personal befrom our youngest cadets and enlisted troops up to the liefs while honoring and respecting all who serve; evaluate Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, understand their others based solely on individual merit, fitness, and capaduty to the laws of our nation that is embodied in the bility; and treat others with dignity, courtesy, and respect. Oath of Office. We learned in Korea, after President We must do our duty to create a cohesive team able to Truman ordered a desegregated military, that black and win our nations battles. We must do our duty to do the white soldiers were more effective fighting side-by-side right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. than they were fighting in separate but equal units. We learned at the service academies in 1976 that men and Col Gary Packard Jr., PhD women could train and study side-by-side and that we Permanent Professor and Head would be stronger as an institution because of our more Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership diverse student population. With a DADT repeal, we USAF Academy, Colorado will learn that gay and straight cadets will respectfully serve side-by-side and we will Col Packard served as a writer on the Department of Defenses Report of the Issues be stronger as a result. Associated with a Repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell. He also serves as the Academys Respect Diversity certainly comes with challeng- for Human Dignity Outcome Chair. The views expressed above are those of the author and es. The military, like the rest of our society, do not necessarily represent the policy of the United States Air Force Academy or any other has struggled with racial tension, sexual government agency.
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E
VERYTHING NEEDS A FACELIFT ONCE IN A WHILE, INCLUDING AMERICAS TRAVEL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN. Adopting
MILITARY | GOVERNMENT
the tagline, United States of Awesome Possibilities, the campaign, launched in March, is the brainchild of the Corporation for Travel Promotion (CTP), a private-public partnership formed in 2010 to encourage tourism, with a marketing budget of $200 million. The push is designed to promote leisure and business travel to drive economic growth and jobs in the tourism industry. Tourists from the UK, Canada, Germany, Mexico, and Japan are the main targets. The CTPs goal is to create a 21st-century brand which symboliz[es] the boundless possibilities of the U.S., as well as representing Americas diversity. What is so compelling about the United States is that no one thing can explain who we are as a nation, CTPs Chris Perkins said in a statement. Each visitor and each experience helps create the fabric of American culture, and Brand USA embodies this spirit. When we launch our global marketing and advertising campaign next year, we will be able to reach audiences around the world by showcasing the best of America and spreading the message that we welcome visitors
with open arms. A new logo has been designed by The Brand Union, featuring many dots forming the letters USA. The dots are supposed to represented diverse colors and people across the country. People are encouraged to visit the website, discoveramerica. com. The easily navigable, large-print website includes featured destinations, Top 10 Lists, Trip Ideas, and entertaining Travel Tips. One such tip warns: Health care is superior in the U.S. but it can be very expensive because there is no universal health care. Other tips refer to social customs, which include: Keep your voice down when talking on a mobile phone in public. And for your transportation needs: Hitchhiking is illegal in many U.S. states. The site has been marketed as a one-stop shop, with federal agencies, transportation companies like rental cars and buses, and travel agenMarch/April 2012
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At New York Life we believe that peoples di erences can be their greatest attributes. We recognize that employees unique qualities often lead to innovation, positive change, and a more productive and dynamic workplace.
For more information about a career with New York Life visit us at www.newyorklife.com/diversity
NEW YORK LIFE. THE COMPANY YOU KEEP.
2010 New York Life Insuranace Company, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 EOE/M/F/D/V
CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
ACTION
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PRESENTING THE
2012 CEO Leadership In Action Award
RECOGNIZING CEOs WHO FULLY SUPPORT THEIR ORGANIZATIONS DIVERSITY & INCLUSION INITIATIVES.
28%
8%
M A J J M
A S O Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 N D J F 19%
34%
2012 CEO Leadership in Action Award to the organizations featured in the pages that follow. The CEOs being recognized do not seek recognition for their work. In fact, all of them are eager to give credit to others. Thats the nature of leadership. But we honor them because their personal, hands-on involvement in diversity sends an unequivocal message about the importance of diversity and inclusion at these companies and organizations. Their work sets a powerful example in the workplace and in the communities in which they live and do business. We especially hope that all the employees at these firms take pride in the diversity leadership shown by the CEO. Let this award honor and proclaim to the world their Leadership in Action! Congratulations to all!
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ACTION
Glenn
Britt
CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
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HEADQUARTERS: Gaithersburg, Maryland WEBSITE: www.sodexousa.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Foodservice, facility management, service vouchers ANNUAL REVENUES: $8 billion EMPLOYEES: 125,000 EDUCATION: BA, Albion College FIRST JOB: Stock boy on the loading dock of my fathers candy and tobacco wholesale distributorship WHAT IM READING: Employer Brand Leadership, by Brett Minchington MY PHILOSOPHY: Be yourself; treat everyone around you with respect and dignity; be open to new possibilities; listen to good advice. BEST ADVICE: Keeping employees happy is attainable by providing clear direction, setting expectations, and communicating intent. FAMILY: Married with two sons INTERESTS: Playing the piano, golf, Pittsburgh Steelers FAVORITE CHARITY: Sodexo Foundation
SODEXO, INC.
DL
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CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
ACTION
George
Chavel
ACTION
Michael L.
Center Director
Coats
LOCATION: Houston, Texas WEBSITE: www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/ PRIMARY BUSINESS: Aerospace EMPLOYEES: 3,200 EDUCATION: BS, United States Naval Academy; MS, George Washington University; MS, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School FIRST JOB: Delivering newspapers WHAT IM READING: Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin MY PHILOSOPHY: Point the way, find a way, and get out of the way BEST ADVICE: Put family first, including time for yourself, success follows. FAMILY: Wife, Diane; two grown children, a daughter and a son; twin granddaughters INTERESTS: Family, sports, history FAVORITE CHARITY: Alzheimers Association
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in 2007, the legal industry has undergone enormous changes. Law firms in general have been comfortable if not set in their ways, but the struggling economy has now forced them to evolve in order to succeed in the 21st century. In that environment, Ive spent much of my tenure building a new business model, seeking to transform our organization into one thats built to surpass. However, diversity is one constant that remains essential to our success. Then and now, a diverse workplace is critical to our clients declared interests, leads to superior work product and in fact represents the future of the entire business community. Many of our most enlightened clients have placed an emphasis on inclusion for many years. Some have implemented diverse supplier policies, while others have even created awards for outside vendors that demonstrate a clear commitment to inclusionIm pleased to report that Quarles has been so recognized and honored many times over. Looking forward, inclusion will increasingly become a prerequisite to business partnerships. It will become virtually impossible to function in the absence of a sincerely inclusive working environment. On a practical level, inclusion simply leads to competitive advantage. In our highly competitive professional world, only top performance translates to success. Clearly, those organizations with the greatest range of minds and perspectives will outthink, and thus outperform, the competition. Inclusion, by its nature, brings more ideas to the table, facilitating better solutionswithin just a few years, non-diverse companies wont stand a chance in the global marketplace. There is now an abundance of data in just about every business sector demonstrating the benefit of inclusion. For those who are able to see, understand and act on this, it offers yet another competitive advantage in serving clients, customers and others. It does, however, require an absolute commitment from the very top of the organization as well as a commitment to accountability. Its a fact: America itself is becoming more diverse with each passing year. Culturally we may have a way to go, but demographically were already there. Companies that hope to succeed, now and in the future, must reflect the mindset and the makeup of the markets in which they operate. In other words, inclusion isnt just a virtue, its the face of reality, business and otherwise. Those organizations that acknowledge and embrace this truth will succeed in the years to come, while those that lag behind will soon look like and become remnants of the past. When I became the chairman of Quarles & Brady, I knew in my heart that inclusion was critical to the future of the firm. Today, its already proven policy. PDJ
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CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
ACTION
John W.
Daniels, Jr.
HEADQUARTERS: San Antonio, Texas PRIMARY BUSINESS: Checks and related products, technology, and data management ANNUAL REVENUES: $1.671 billion EMPLOYEES: 6,500 EDUCATION: BA, MBA, Lamar University FIRST JOB: IBM Sales WHAT IM READING: Waiting for Superman, by Karl Weber, and everything else on education MY PHILOSOPHY: Balance BEST ADVICE: Strive for balance of your family, business and faith. An imbalance in one area can negatively impact the other areas and those around you. FAMILY: Wife Freddi; children, Chad and Sara; three grandchildren INTERESTS: Tennis, golf, hunting, fishing, nature, movies FAVORITE CHARITY: Wounded Warriors
issue through multiple lenses as a way to challenge myself and others to consider many different perspectives in viewing an issue. I found that using many lenses helped me determine the best solution, and it didnt take me long to realize that seeking input from others greatly enriched my decisions and expanded potential solutions. When Clarke American acquired the John H. Harland Company, I quickly recognized the companys new Diversity Management program was aligned with principles Id supported my whole career. It was also a platform we could employ to facilitate the integration of two somewhat different cultures. As we educated our leaders in Diversity Management, I realized we all had much more to learn. Weve come a long way since the beginning of our diversity journey. Today, our nationally-ranked and recognized D&I Council drives numerous initiatives impacting our workforce, workplace, and marketplace. Key among these is our Learning Community Series, which invites both external and internal panelists to provide insight and application on a variety of diversity dimensions. Embracing relevant topics such as veterans returning to the workplace, understanding disabilities, and multiple generations in the workplace allows us to engage employees, promote internal education, and development of external partnerships. The ultimate goal is to make our organization more inclusive and understanding. We recognize that the true talent needed to grow our business comes in many different forms. Our Diversity Management Program continues to provide a foundation for acquisition integration and continues to serve as the fundamental way we conduct business. Each acquisition has broadened our platforms and enriched our workforce with a more diverse group of people resulting in a global employee population. More importantly, we continue to seek ways to ensure that every employee has the ability to fully contribute their unique skills, talents, and perspective to the organization. The result is a beautiful prism of opportunity and innovation that is created by all the unique bits, pieces, and perspectives coming together and illuminated by strategic objectivesso many lenses creating a virtual kaleidoscope. In fact, Kaleidoscope is the name our employees gave our new Diversity Management publication. Indeed, the future looks bright through all our lenses. PDJ
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Chuck
Dawson
HEADQUARTERS: Newark, New Jersey WEBSITE: www.gibbonslaw.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Law firm ANNUAL REVENUES: $106.5 million EMPLOYEES: 388 EDUCATION: BA, Iona College; JD, Seton Hall University FIRST JOB: Paper boy WHAT IM READING: The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Star-Ledger, and Record (Bergen County, NJ) MY PHILOSOPHY: Individuals affiliated with an organization should sublimate their own egos for the good of the entire organization. BEST ADVICE: These fabulous lawyers teach me something new about how to solve a complex problem, how to put the clients interests first, and how to continually pursue excellence. FAMILY: Wife, Christina; children, Morgan and Michael INTERESTS: New York Yankees baseball, New York Giants football FAVORITE CHARITIES: New Jersey State Bar Foundation, Seton Hall University School of Law
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minority lawyers at Am Law 200 firms actually decreased half a percentage point from 2008 to 2009 and has since rebounded only to 2008 levels. More alarming is the fact that, despite a years-long, industry-wide effort to increase diversity at corporate law firms, diverse attorneys still experience a higher attrition rate than their non-minority peers. Given the recent economic downturn and slow recovery, increased layoffs are unsurprising. But with attrition rates an average of ten percent higher than overall rates, according to one American Bar Association study, diverse attorneys are more at risk for the career setbacks and professional detours that often accompany high attrition. The cumulative long-term impact on the legal industry as a whole is equally damaging; high attrition depletes the candidate pool of diverse future law firm leaders. As business owners, corporate decision makers, judges, legislators, and other influencers, as well as consumers wielding greater purchasing power, become increasingly diverse, client demand for diversity at their law firms is also increasing. If firms cannot adequately recruit, retain, develop, and promote dynamic, talented attorneys with the valuable perspectives, cultural competence, and talents that diversity encourages, they will likely diminish in both reputation and financial performance. At my law firm, our award-winning Diversity Initiative has been integral in our efforts to alleviate attrition and cultivate the best possible attorney workforce. While the Gibbons Diversity Initiative has always had a holistic focus on recruitment, training, mentoring, retention, and innovative programming to hone our associates professional, business development, and networking skills, we have recently begun to explore the strategic management of key business processes to help lower the attrition gap. These innovations include, for example, outfitting our Chief Diversity Officer and staffing partners with sophisticated technology to ensure objective work assignments; developing more objective evaluation processes that deemphasize less meaningful inequities; and implementing a quality review process. With corporate America increasingly emphasizing corporate social responsibility and supplier diversity, law firms must offer clients the opportunity to work with a strong, diverse attorney workforce, or they risk, quite simply, losing business. Without a strategic, defined, and well-managed diversity initiative that focuses on training, programming, and business innovations to promote an inclusive workplace, a law firm may fail to meet its own diversity goals, not to mention those of its clients. PDJ
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ACTION
Patrick C.
Dunican, Jr.
HOGAN LOVELLS
Co-CEO
spirit of diversity. Diversity is essential to Hogan Lovells business success, which depends upon reflecting the diversity of the world around us and that of our client base. My Co-CEO David Harris and I understand that diversity requires hard work and a strong commitment in order to foster a work environment where people of different backgrounds can flourish and work together as one team worldwide. We also know that diverse teams provide the most comprehensive and strategic legal counsel for our clients. In todays globalized economy, no one group can possibly provide an adequate perspective to address the worlds complex business and legal challenges. That is why we view diversity as fundamental to our firms success. Claudette Christian, Chief Diversity Officer, leads our efforts to promote a workplace that embraces inclusiveness, allowing us to attract and retain the best, high-quality lawyers around the world. Our multifaceted approach includes: mentoring and professional development programs, diversity awareness initiatives, and affinity groups. Working with clients and outside groups, we also promote careers in the legal profession to ethnically diverse and underrepresented students to ensure that our communities retain and improve their diversity. We also actively promote gender equality through the umbrella of our Womens Initiative and are proud of our long history of advancing women within our firm. I am pleased that this year alone, 37% of our lawyers promoted to counsel or partner are women. In October, Hogan Lovells Global Client Forum launched the Womens Executive Summit, which provided a venue for senior women executives from an array of industries and regions to share insights about todays critical business issues. The event exemplifies our commitment to providing innovative arenas in which our clients and colleagues can learn and exchange their shared experiences. The practice of law at Hogan Lovells is, at its heart, based on interpersonal connections and relationshipswith our clients and within our firm. By incorporating a strong diversity ethos throughout Hogan Lovells, we ensure that we are able to truly connect with and represent the many communities of our world. PDJ
yers operating out of more than 40 offices in the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, Hogan Lovellsby the very nature of our operationexemplifies the
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J. Warren
Gorrell, Jr.
ACTION
Jeff
GENERAL ELECTRIC
Chairman and CEO
Immelt
HEADQUARTERS: Fairfield, Connecticut WEBSITE: www.ge.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Diversified industrial and finance ANNUAL REVENUES: $147.3 billion EMPLOYEES: 287,000 EDUCATION: BA, Dartmouth College; MBA, Harvard University FIRST JOB: During the summer in college, I worked at the Ford Motor plant in Cincinnati in the parts depot and on the assembly line. Out of college my first job was at P&G as a brand manager. WHAT IM READING: Fixing the Game, by Roger Martin MY PHILOSOPHY: Always ask whats next. BEST ADVICE: Make your work about more than your own success. FAMILY: Wife and one daughter INTERESTS: Sports and reading FAVORITE CHARITY: Robin Hood Foundation
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about race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Diversity exists when you have two or more people working toward a common goal. The question is not Do we have diversity? But rather, How much diversity do we have and are we making every employee feel included and engaged? Ensuring inclusion and engagement is a vital responsibility for HR professionals. An unprecedented generational mix, Baby Boomer retirements, a skills gap, the transition of veterans to the workplace, and the challenge of employee engagement are things that keep CEOs up at night. And with these demographic shifts, the HR profession must accommodate the priorities and motivations of a diverse mix of employees. At the same time, we must keep all employees engaged. A recent Randstad study found that one in five of the most engaged employees would be willing to accept a new job offer in the next six months. A Manpower survey found that, due to a skills gap, more than half of U.S. employers are having difficulty filling critical positions. SHRMs own research reinforces that dilemma. At SHRM, we recognize that all of these challenges touch on the importance of D&I. Here are just some of the items in our D&I strategy for 2012 and beyond: Creating first-ever standards for D&I. Providing organizations with customized D&I solutions. With 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring every day, we are partnering with AARP to conduct new research and help implement strategies for keeping and leveraging the talents of older workers. Recognizing that workplace flexibility is the next major business imperative. Working with the White Houses Joining Forces effort for active duty military and veterans. With nearly 30 percent of 18-24 year olds underemployed, SHRM is partnering with Summer Jobs Plus!, an initiative that addresses employment opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth. Diversity and inclusion surrounds us. In a world of societal movement and transition, we have an opportunity to ensure that D&I is part of the equation as workplaces and workforces are re-thought and re-imagined. Demographics favor us. We have an emerging generation more predisposed to a world of diversity and inclusion. Wed better be ready to take advantage of that. PDJ
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Henry (Hank) G.
Jackson
CPA
Research Reports including: An Examination of Organizational Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Survey Findings Conference: SHRM 2012 Diversity & Inclusion Conference & Exposition
October 22-24, 2012 in Chicago, Ill.
Rooted in some of the best thinking and practices of global diversity professionals, our D&I offerings equip both practitioners and other business leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools to guide their organizations in addressing 21st-century workplace issues.
Shirley A. Davis, Ph.D., Vice President Diversity & Inclusion SHRM
(SHRM Headquarters)
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(SHRM Headquarters)
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(SHRM Headquarters)
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New DVD Release: Charting Your Path to Success: Leadership Competencies Every Diversity Professional Should Have
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For more information about our Diversity & Inclusion offerings, visit
www.shrm.org/diversity
NOVARTIS AG
CEO
and inclusion a priority not only because its the right thing to do, but also because it makes good business sense. It drives innovation, attracts top talent and enriches a companys culture. At Novartis, our affiliates operate in more than 140 countries, so our customer base and the patient populations we serve are quite diverse. Our workforces need to reflect this diversity so that we can effectively develop solutions that fulfill their needs. In particular, as we build our presence in emerging markets, we need to better understand the needs and deliver appropriate solutions for customers in these countries. Novartis created a program called BOOST, which provides emerging market leaders with mentors and career development tools to help them succeed. Also, our Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) sends top talent to emerging markets to participate in a cross-cultural, experience-based learning program. The ELP exposes associates to health challenges within local markets and broadens their awareness of issues facing our patients and customers. Throughout the program, the teams bring together their diverse viewpoints to generate valuable solutions for our business. Lastly, Ive personally driven the creation of another leadership development program for associates in emerging markets called LEAD. LEAD combines business and leadership seminars with hands-on learning to help enhance each associates knowledge of other markets. The group recently traveled to Kerala, India where we examined local public health achievements and gathered key findings that we can use to improve patient outcomes in every country. At Novartis, we believe that diversity and inclusion means welcoming the unique perspectives of all Group Company associates to help accelerate our innovation and growth. Therefore, we have built a culture where diverse viewpoints and varied work and life experiences are valued. This commitment to diversity and inclusion makes the Novartis Group a more inspiring, satisfying place to work for our associates. And it can help us achieve our goal of becoming the most respected and successful healthcare company in the world. PDJ
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Joseph
Jimenez
HEADQUARTERS: Cedar Rapids, Iowa WEBSITE: www.rockwellcollins.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Aerospace and defense ANNUAL REVENUES: $4.8 billion EMPLOYEES: 20,000 EDUCATION: Bachelors, University of Tennessee; MBA, from George Washington University FIRST JOB: U.S. Air Force Officer WHAT IM READING: Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow; Great by Choice, by Jim Collins MY PHILOSOPHY: Strive to achieve your full potential, and help others achieve theirs as well. BEST ADVICE: Keep your professional and personal life in balance; you control that priority. FAMILY: Wife, Debbie; Daughters, Lindsey and Melissa INTERESTS: Golf, skeet/trap shooting, music FAVORITE CHARITY: Alzheimers Association
ROCKWELL COLLINS
Chairman, President and CEO
I am fortunate to be part of an
organization that sees the possibilities inherent in a robust diversity and inclusion strategy.
others see the possibilities before them, then provide them with the motivation and support to make that future a reality. At Rockwell Collins, our diversity and inclusion strategy has always played a major role in making that happen, and today it is more important than ever. To grow our business, we continue to aggressively expand our outreach around the globe. This goal cannot be accomplished without leveraging the perspectives, experiences and ideas of our entire worldwide workforce. A comprehensive strategy to do that began in earnest this year, and is already yielding valuable dividends. Major international wins hinged upon the knowledge and perspectives of our business development professionals around the world, including a contract to provide next generation avionics for the Brazilian Air Forces new KC-390 tanker. While gender and race are important elements of diversity and inclusion, at Rockwell Collins we are equally attuned to another: veterans and persons with disabilities. Today, more than 870,000 young veterans are unemployed, with more than a million more to come in the next five years. We work side-by-side with these men and women, and many of them trust our solutions to help them accomplish their missions. Eight percent of our domestic workforce is made up of veterans, and many serve active duty through the Guard and Reserve. A full-time recruiter identifies and hires military talent, and we allocate a growing percentage of our budget to military outreach. We have made strides in this effort, and have earned recognition from G.I. Jobs as a top 100 military-friendly employer and from the Chamber of Commerce, which named us a finalist for its Wounded Warrior Employment Transition Assistance Award. But we know we can do more, and have identified it as a key global business goal. Veterans have our deep gratitude for their contribution and sacrifice, and we are committed to helping them put the unique and desirable skills to work for the well-being of themselves, their families and their future. I am fortunate to be part of an organization that sees the possibilities inherent in a robust diversity and inclusion strategy. The richness of intellect and perspectives we gain from a diverse workforce will position Rockwell Collins to succeed now and far into the future. PDJ
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Clayton M.
Jones
NATIONAL GRID
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year. Responsible businesses must embrace and manage diversity for continued success. A diverse workforce increases organizational effectiveness, lifts morale, taps new segments of the workforce, and enhances productivity. In short, business needs diversity to succeed. National Grids objective is to embed Diversity & Inclusion throughout the company. It is no longer considered an initiative, but an integral part of how every single employee thinks and acts. National Grid has embarked on a specific approach to leading D&I initiatives to develop, communicate and lead the organization on a compelling business case. We serve more than 16 million customers every day in very diverse demographic geographies across the Northeast. We must represent and understand our market demographics in order to serve and meet the customer expectations. A key requirement in success will be to ensure an inclusive culture in the organization representing the communities in which we live and work. So what does success look like? Success is when all employees feel involved, valued and included. In a business climate that is forever looking to do more with less, having a high proportion of employees feeling included is critical. In order to deliver our growth strategy we need to attract and retain high-caliber people from the widest possible talent pool. We need to embrace diverse talent today and tomorrow for the future success of the business. D&I helps us reach goals by encouraging collaborative internal and external relationships. These initiatives are a good start but we have more work to do before it is really embedded within our culture. This is an important journey. Each day we see progress and know that we are heading in the right direction. We will know success when the communities we serve welcome our presence as service providers, employers and community partners. PDJ
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Thomas
King
ACTION
Maria
President
Klawe
HEADQUARTERS: Claremont, California WEBSITE: www.hmc.edu PRIMARY BUSINESS: Education ANNUAL REVENUES: $56.9 million EMPLOYEES: 318 EDUCATION: PhD, University of Alberta FIRST JOB: Artist for Film West In Edmonton WHAT IM READING: STEM the Tide, by David E. Drew MY PHILOSOPHY: Take the time to learn to be good at the things you find difficult. BEST ADVICE: Fail often and openly. FAMILY: Husband Nick Pippenger, son Janek Klawe, and daughter Sasha Pippenger INTERESTS: Watercolor painting, hiking, skateboarding FAVORITE CHARITY: Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
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ACTION
David J.
HALLIBURTON
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Lesar
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Robert
McDonald
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ACTION
Sonu
President
AKRAYA, INC.
Ratra
DL
HEADQUARTERS: Sunnyvale, California WEBSITE: www.akraya.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: IT Staffing & Managed solutions ANNUAL REVENUES: $40 million EMPLOYEES: 300 EDUCATION: MS, Tata Institute of Social Studies, India FIRST JOB: Tata Consulting services WHAT IM READING: Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson MY PHILOSOPHY: Doing best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. Oprah Winfrey BEST ADVICE: If opportunity doesnt knock, build a door. FAMILY: Husband, Amar and daughter, Ananya INTERESTS: Skiing, travelling and exploring new countries, building friendships FAVORITE CHARITY: India Literacy Project (ILP)
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long been involved with workforce diversity and inclusion. I arrived in the melting pot of cultures that is America 15 years ago to pursue the American dream and found my own business. Armed with the first hand knowledge of the difficulties diversity businesses are confronted with, I have been committed to sharing my experiences with other businesses in need of guidance. I feel it very important to sustain Akrayas strong diversity program; we are also a minority- and woman-owned business and as such, my goal was to initiate new strategic ways for Akraya to take advantage of its diversity status. As a result, we have been able to grow the business significantly and acquire new clients. I believe that with success comes responsibility, and I try to do my best to share this knowledge with other businesses in a number of venues. I serve as the Vice Chair of the MBE Input Committee for the Northern California Minority Supplier Development Council (NCMSDC) and am a regular speaker at diversity conferences & forums. I am also a member of the Indian Business and Professional Women (IBPW), Women in Technology International (WITI) and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) and I use these forums to extend Akrayas diversity supplier reach. In 2012, I plan to grow Akrayas Diversity Supplier Network while also continuing to educate diverse suppliers about the benefits of the certification. I am committed to workforce diversity and hope that Akraya can serve as a resource and role model for other minority businesses. PDJ
I am committed to workforce
diversity and hope that Akraya can serve as a resource and role model for other minority businesses.
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John R.
Raymond, Sr., MD
HEADQUARTERS: Milwaukee, Wisconsin WEBSITE: www.mcw.edu PRIMARY BUSINESS: Education ANNUAL REVENUES: $895.8 million EMPLOYEES: 5,400 EDUCATION: BS, MD, the Ohio State University FIRST JOB: Janitor, Archbishop Hoban High School, Akron, Ohio WHAT IM READING: Pursuing Excellence in Healthcare, by Dr. Arthur Feldman; On the Mend: Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry, by Drs. John Toussaint and Roger A. Gerard MY PHILOSOPHY: Openness, inclusiveness, positive engagement BEST ADVICE: Listen wellthen engage in courageous conversation. FAMILY: Two children INTERESTS: Reading, writing, chess, fitness FAVORITE CHARITIES: United Way, Combined Federal Campaign, Medical College of Wisconsin
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ACTION
Peter C.
CEO, Americas
Roberts
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Leadership in Action
tance of Diversity and Inclusion in a companys culture both internally and with our clients. Jones Lang LaSalles people and clients are our top priorities, which is why weve identified D&I as fundamental to our corporate values. I am committed to leading a firm that reinforces how I personally feel about diversity in the workplace: that all our people feel valued for their contributions. Jones Lang LaSalles D&I initiatives enable us to attract, develop and retain top talent with broad backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Ive seen how these initiatives help unleash employees full potential, allow them to succeed and help them create strong partnerships with clients and with each other. They also support our clients by creating strong partnerships with women- and minority-owned businesses. Our D&I Council, comprised of some of my most impassioned colleagues, meets regularly to discuss recommendations that will accelerate Jones Lang LaSalles firm-wide D&I practices. One of the initiatives implemented is a self-service mentoring program that pairs young talent with coaches to support career advancement, capture best practices across the firm and implement training that increases awareness and understanding. The program shows measurable results that demonstrate mentors help attract, retain and promote minority and female colleagues. As practiced at our first-ever national Womens Summit, held in 2011, we hold discussions for diverse leaders to share personal stories that empower the firms talent and equip them with tools to develop roadmaps for career advancement. To support our diversity hiring and retention efforts, we hold leaders accountable and give managers tools to help attract and retain a diverse workforce. Our Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Recruitment collaborate and source top-tier diverse employees. Their efforts have increased officer-level female new hires 41 percent and tripled our minority officer hires. Ive seen our Recruiting Action Team visit Historically Black Colleges and Universities to hand-select job candidates, then connect them with leadership to discuss forthcoming opportunities that lead to hiring young talent. Our supplier diversity program effectively increases opportunities for minority, women and disabled veteran business enterprises, ensuring they receive fair market share of our clients business. I believe having a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture opens a world of ideas and opportunities that enables Jones Lang LaSalles family members to grow their careers and do the best work for our clients. PDJ
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HEADQUARTERS: Mountain View, California WEBSITE: www.symantec.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Security, storage, and systems management solutions ANNUAL REVENUES: $6.19 billion EMPLOYEES: 20,000 EDUCATION: BCS, Dartmouth College FIRST JOB: Systems programmer, Security Pacific Bank WHAT IM READING: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink MY PHILOSOPHY: Work hard and have a positive attitude. BEST ADVICE: Check your ego and title at the door. INTERESTS: Cycling, skiing FAVORITE CHARITY: Room to Read
SYMANTEC
Innovation requires a work culture that fosters a curiosity about differing perspectives, a variety of backgrounds and life experiences, and a willingness to challenge basic assumptions. By broadening the talent pool, we are creating a climate of openness and respect for diverse viewpoints, which encourages innovation, productivity and competitiveness. Our diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives inspire employees to open their minds and think about ideas in the context of a global view. As someone who is deeply invested in the advancement of the technology industry, our diversity initiatives are a key priority for me. One of my main efforts is to increase women in leadership positions. I have seen first-hand how the attraction and retention of technical women is a challenge for the male-dominated technology industry as a whole. That is why I signed the UN Womens Empowerment Principles (WEP) CEO Statement of Support, which champions equality between women and men worldwide. I believe that building the pipeline for gender diversity in our workforce begins with making it clear that we are committed to the empowerment of women worldwide. Across the company, we encourage female employee participation in our Top Talent Program, which offers advanced learning and career development training for our key leaders. In our recent D&I survey, 87.3 percent of men and 71.9 percent of women responded favorably regarding equal opportunity for women to advance at Symantec, indicating that the gap continues to close between the genders respective perceptions. In addition, we encourage participation in our employee resource groups, like Symantec Womens Action Network (SWAN), Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Affinity (HOLA), Symantecs Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Allies (SymPride) and the Symantec Black Employee Network Group (SBEN) to broaden their strategic perspective, help the community, and build relationships. Running a multi-billion dollar global company, I recognize the advantage of having employees understand the cultural differences of our customers and their colleagues. By leveraging employee resource groups and career development training programs, we continue to increase the number of women and minorities interested in technical careers. Greater diversity and building this long-term pipeline is a critical business issue for the technology industry. In fact, it is imperative in order to build a larger and more competitive workforce. One that is as broad and innovative as the customers we serve. PDJ
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Enrique
Salem
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James A.
Spitz, Jr.
We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand
that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color. Maya Angelou
The Fabric of Our Firm At Harris Beach, we recognize that our diversity is a significant source of strength. By supporting a broadly inclusive workplace, in which respect for the contributions of diverse individuals empowers each of them, our firm fosters innovative approaches that enhance the legal services we provide. Diversity of Thought and Perspective Conventional and insular thinking yields conventional and predictable results. Critical thinking sparked by a meeting of diverse minds and opinions can yield breakthrough solutions. Valuing the unique skills of each individual, we strategically utilize our broad knowledge base to build dedicated, interdisciplinary, problem-solving teams that are greater than the sum of their parts. Diversity of Practice As one of the countrys Top 250 law firms as ranked by The National Law Journal, Harris Beach and our affiliates provide a full range of legal and professional services for regional, national, and international clients. The Harris Beach family includes 40 practice groups and industry teams and two non-legal consulting subsidiaries, all of whom work in a highly collaborative manner that effectively leverages specialized expertise, relationships, and team synergies to help us fulfill our vision of providing client solutions that exceed expectations.
To learn more about our diversity initiatives, scan this QR code with your smartphone.
www.harrisbeach.com
ACTION
Mark S.
Chair
Stewart
HEADQUARTERS: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania WEBSITE: www.ballardspahr.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Law firm ANNUAL REVENUES: $273.5 million EMPLOYEES: 1,107 EDUCATION: BA, University of Delaware; JD, University of Pennsylvania; GC, London School of Economics FIRST JOB: Cutting grass WHAT IM READING: The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande; Daisy Petals and Mushroom Clouds, by Robert Mann; Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand MY PHILOSOPHY: Keep things on an even keellife is a marathon. Take everyone seriously, except yourself. BEST ADVICE: Listen FAMILY: Wife, Mary Gay Scanlon; Children, Casey, Daniel and Matthew INTERESTS: Running FAVORITE CHARITIES: Support Center for Child Advocates; Project Forward Leap
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William H.
RAYTHEON COMPANY
Swanson
DL
HEADQUARTERS: Waltham, Massachusetts WEBSITE: www.raytheon.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Aerospace and defense ANNUAL REVENUES: $25 billion EMPLOYEES: 71,000 EDUCATION: BSE; MBA FIRST JOB: Golf course pro shop WHAT IM READING: Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy MY PHILOSOPHY: Think about the second and third order effects. BEST ADVICE: Get alignment on actions. FAMILY: Married with no childrenI spoil everyone elses. INTERESTS: Wine, food, classic cars FAVORITE CHARITIES: Charities associated with education
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ACTION
Gregory T.
RYDER SYSTEM, INC.
Chairman and CEO
Swienton
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Paul
BROWN-FORMAN CORPORATION
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
Varga
HEN OUR CHIEF Diversity Officer Ralph de Chabert
CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
told me that I would be included in this special issue discussing my personal commitment to diversity and inclusion, I had several reactions. First, it reminded me of the progress weve made over the past few years in the area of diversity, from creating our seven Employee Resource Groups to improving to our employee benefits to enhancing our diversity recruiting efforts. It is also reminded me that while I am heartened by our progress, we still have work to do, especially in the U.S. Finally, as I thought about my personal commitment to diversity, I recalled something I wrote in 2010 paying tribute to Ralph and the companys diversity journey. Its an example of how I felt then and how I continue to feel today. Right when I thought, Candidly she told me, I knew this crazy game, just what she would do, I met someone new, Ill only join your company, Diversity was her name; if you include me too; At first introduction, Her conditions continued, I found her hard to hear, her words were plainly spoken, I soon discovered that, Im only coming aboard, my ears were filled with fear; when all glass ceilings are broken; Later as I listened, Anxious to have amongst us, her words now getting through, this perspective so rare, She was trying to tell me, I assured her that at our company, what I was supposed to do; all would be treated fair; Purposefully she spoke, Because of our new friendship, encouraging me to care, it was clear for her to see, Her words brought clarity, Brown-Forman was a place, they also brought de Chabert; where she could just be she; Her message so simple, Expect to see her now, she asked me to empathize, everywhere that you might be, Look at the world my friend, Shes working in the office, through someone elses eyes; right down the hall from me; doing as she said, Reality is were different, her words helped me to see, but our highest goal is the same, That the road to success, To keep our wonderful company, was somewhat easier for me; ahead in this endless game; enlightened by her wisdom, The future oh so bright, and her message of respect, and this I can assure, I asked her to join our company, With Diversity among us, as you might expect; Brown-Forman will endure. PDJ
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KPMG LLP
DL
KPMG. In addition to improving our ability to attract, retain, and advance a more innovative workforce and leadership teamwhat I refer to as talent sustainability diversity also affords us an opportunity to engage our clients and our people, and create the type of shared value that benefits our communities. Earlier this year, I brought firm leadership together to review our diversity strategy and the steps weve taken to move these larger objectives forward. I was very clear that we cannot sustain a high-performing culture if we are not diverse. During our discussion, we also reiterated that all must hold ourselves accountable for achieving our diversity goals. Its essential to our long-term success. That meeting, and the steps we took throughout 2011, reaffirmed that we were focused on the right priorities. Im proud to say that as a result: Four women and two ethnically diverse partners now sit on KPMGs Board of Directors. Our new Vice Chair, Advisorythe top executive position of our fastest-growing line of businessis a woman. Our Leaders Engaging Leaders program continues to establish successful one-to-one sponsorship relationships between the members of our Board of Directors and Management Committee and our high-performing female and ethnically diverse partners. Weve teamed with the National Academy Foundation (NAF) to strengthen high school accounting education at its Academies of Finance (AOF) nationwide, with pilot programs in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. Through this collaboration, KPMG assists NAF with its accounting curriculum, and guides and supports NAFs accounting course sequence to ensure industry relevance. We expanded our role within Women Corporate Directors (WCD), a global organization of executive women who serve on more than 1,500 boards of directors worldwide. These are only a few of the steps weve taken as we continue along our diversity journey. If we want to keep up the momentum, though, we must continue to hold ourselves and each other accountable for ensuring that all our decisions contribute to creating a supportive culture where all of our people, diverse and non-diverse, absolutely believe that their career potential within KPMG is unlimited. I am personally committed to doing just that! PDJ
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ACTION
John B.
Veihmeyer
HEADQUARTERS: New York City WEBSITE: www.whitecase.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Law ANNUAL REVENUES: $1.3 billion EMPLOYEES: 4,800 EDUCATION: BA, Universit de Montral, Universit Paul-Valry, Montpellier; LLM, Harvard Law School; LLB, University of Ottawa FIRST JOB: Student law clerk at Ogilvy Renault in Montreal WHAT IM READING: The Legacy, by David Suzuki MY PHILOSOPHY: Give people the tools they need to succeed. FAMILY: Wife Celia and three children INTERESTS: Ocean swimming, chess, conservationist Grey Owl FAVORITE CHARITY: Bhutans Kidu Foundation
Our people come from all over the globe, and our strength depends on our ability to draw on their varied experiences and perspectives to serve our clients. Thats what our clients expect, and thats why they come to us. They come from all over the world too. A global law firm like ours, residing as it does at the intersection of our people and clients, reflects many more facets of diversity, including nationality, language and culture. Our notion of diversity, therefore, is complex, and it also changes with the environmentwhere, for example, a minority in one country may be a majority in another. All this deepens our awareness of diversity and our need for it. Naturally, diversity is one of our core values. But awareness and need do not alone give us the ability to draw on the diversity we have. That requires a commitment in every market to give everyone the opportunity to build a meaningful and rewarding career. We do this through a wide range of activities, including mentoring programs and affinity groups. By promoting diversity and inclusiveness in our offices around the world, we strengthen our one-firm culture. In the United States, White & Case is now ranked as the second most diverse law firm on the American Lawyers 2011 Diversity Scorecard. In the United Kingdom, we are the ninth most diverse law firm according to the 2011 Diversity League Table. But no national ranking can capture the breadth of global diversity. So our national progress must be supported by global commitments. This year, for example, we established our first global affinity group, for LGBT lawyers. Initiatives like these are driven by our global diversity committee composed of firm leaders representing all regions of the world. Throughout my career, Ive seen the power of diversity in action from clerking for Canadas first woman Supreme Court Justice, Bertha Wilson, to my experiences working as a lawyer in New York, Indonesia, Turkey and Russia, and in my role as Chairman of White & Case today. As the chairman of a global law firm, my commitment to diversity is global too. PDJ
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CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
ACTION
Hugh
Verrier
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Joel
Voran
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Mark L.
Wagar
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President & CEO, Empire BlueCross BlueShield, and Senior Vice President of its Parent Company, WellPoint, Inc.
CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
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Michael J.
FANNIE MAE
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Williams
HEADQUARTERS: Washington, D.C. WEBSITE: www.FannieMae.com PRIMARY BUSINESS: Mortgage finance EMPLOYEES: 7,000 EDUCATION: BS, MBA, Drexel University MY PHILOSOPHY: I am a firm believer in the importance of the team. FAVORITE CHARITY: Help the Homeless
CEO | LEADERSHIP IN
The diversity of people and perspectives that drives our culture and business strategy is key to our efforts to build a stronger company, and better serve the nations housing market and families.
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FEATURE
ging In Place:
By Dr. Richard, Lewis, Jr. and Joanne Ford-Robertson
he United States is undergoing unprecedented societal change. Major differences are beginning to emerge in American society with amazing demographic changes in racial and socioeconomic composition. Hispanics and Asian-Americans are the fastest growing ethnic groups and the American middle class is becoming proportionately smaller each year. The United States in 2050 will be very different from the country we know today. The age composition of the American population overshadows all other demographic change comAge dynamics will increasingly factor into the modern-day workplace in ponents. In fact, the most dramatic decades to come. change impacting society is age dyare the children of Traditionalists and they are the namics. For the first time in United States history, the second oldest grouping of individuals in the United workforce is comprised of individuals from four disStates. They were born between 1946 and 1964. tinct age cohorts. This has created new and profound Boomers have been described as optimistic and driven challenges in the American workplace. at work and play. The Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and space travel frame their historical realAge Cohorts and Population Distribution ity. There are 77 million Baby Boomers. An age cohort is a grouping of people assembled by Generation X is one of the younger age cohorts an age range who have common historical experiences. These age ranges are generally correlated with important and it is comprised of the children of Baby Boomers. Individuals in this grouping were born between 1965 societal and world events creating bonding through and 1979. They are known as the baby busters and shared experiences. In contemporary American society were characterized as latch-key kids. The fall of the there are five distinctive age cohorts; Traditionalists, Berlin Wall, the explosion of the Space Challenger, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and the iGeneration. With the exception of the iGeneration, in- and MTV are elements that frame this groups historical focus. There are 49 million Generation Xers. dividuals from each of these age cohorts are represented The Millennial cohort is the youngest age group in at various levels in the contemporary workplace. the workplace. They are the children of Baby Boomers The Traditionalists are the oldest individuals in and Generation Xers. Individuals in this group were American society. They were born between 1922 and born between 1980 and 2000. An around-the-clock 1945. Traditionalists are known as loyalists, veterans, world, the World Trade Center attacks, homegrown and the Greatest Generation, having won World War terrorism, cell phones, and the expansion of the interII and endured the Great Depression. Baby Boomers
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net are historical 16 events that frame this groups refer14 ence. There are about 74 million 12 Millennials. The iGeneration 10 are the children of Millennials and 8 Generation Xers 6 and were born after 2000. Their focus 4 is inward and it is being fashioned by 2 iPods, iPads, and other technology 0 which emphasize the individual. There are 44 million in the iGeneration and it will continue to expand. The age composition of the American population will experience dramatic changes over the next 40 years. United States Census Bureau information from 2000 shows a line graph with the largest portion of the population, for both men and women, between 20 and 59 years of age (see Figure 1.) Projections illustrate a much different age composition by 2050. Figure 1 shows a much older American population with large numbers of men and women throughout the age groupings. It is estimated there will be 11 million women and 7 million men over the age of 85. What these projections imply is that people will live longer and, therefore, be in the workplace longer in comparison to other historical periods. This situation will lead to potential competition and conflict between age groupings. In 2011 there are four distinct age cohorts in the American workforce; Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. Each of these age cohorts brings a unique perspective to the workplace. This creates challenges within organizations with respect to employees working together effectively and efficiently.
19 1514 10-
44 40-
49 45-
64 60-
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Each age cohort can be identified with a unique set of characteristics and values. These delineate membership and the way work is viewed and approached (see
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59 55-
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29 25-
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Table 1.) Workplace dynamics are impacted by five general characteristics associated with each cohort. These entail perception of the organization, work ethic, view of authority, type of leader, and social relationships. All four cohorts view organizations differently. Traditionalists tend to see the stability organizations provide to society and lifestyle. Baby Boomers focus on the strategic efforts that emanate from organizations while Generation Xers are more concerned with the operational nature of organizations. Lastly, Millennials center on the particularistic aspects of organizations which makes it difficult for them to determine the big picture. Work ethic is defined as a set of values placed on hard work and diligence. Some of the values of a work ethic are reliability, individual initiative, and appropriate social skills. Traditionalists tend to view work as a dedication or a life calling. Baby Boomers generally display a work ethic that can be characterized as driven. They tend to exhibit this orientation in both work and leisure time activities and expect others to do the same. Individuals in Generation X tend to have a balanced orientation toward work. They work diligently and do not allow workplace issues to interfere with their personal lives. Lastly, individuals in the Millennial generation have a questionable work ethic because many of them have not had permanent positions. Some are just completing college and have
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FEATURE
AGING IN PLACE
Table 1: Summary of Age Cohort Characteristics in the United States, 2011 not had exposure to the contemporary workplace. Gen X Millenial Age cohorts view authority very differ- Orientation Traditionalist Boomer Org. Perception Stability Strategic Operational Particularistic ently. Traditionalists are very respectful Dedicated Driven Balanced Questionable to people in positions of authority. Baby Work Ethic Boomers are quite similar in viewing au- View of Authority Respectful Love/Hate Unimpressed Confrontational thority if they are in charge. If they are Leadership Hierarchal Consensus Competence Unsure not in a leadership position, Boomers Relationships Self-sacrifice Self-gratified Reflective Detached tend to undermine those in authority positions. Generation X members are generally unimpressed with those in Determining Impact of Generational Issues authority positions while Millennials tend to be conOrganizations must begin to determine how they will frontational. be impacted by generational issues and there are several How each cohort views leadership is tied closely to ways to accomplish this. One is to complete a transition it sees authority. Where individuals in Generation X impact assessment. This is a systematic evaluation of are unimpressed with those in authority positions, they key demographic variables (including age composition) demand that leaders be competent. Baby Boomers and pinpointing their current and future influence on gravitate to consensual leadership and Traditionalists the organization. Another approach is workplace operaare strongly linked to perceiving leadership as a hitional planning. This entails empowering employees to erarchal relationship that should not be questioned. establish the workplace rules, etiquette, and work hours Leadership for Millennials can best be described as un- bridging age cohort differences. Application of technolsure at this time because of their limited participation ogy in the workplace is yet another approach for adin the workplace. dressing generational issues. This involves findings ways Relationships, whether they be personal or organito more effectively use cell phone, texting, and other zational, is another age cohort characteristic that can cutting edge technologies to link employees and enhance affect workplace dynamics. Detached relationships are work production. A final approach is mentoring and fostered through technology (cell phones, IM, e-mail, coaching. Organizations will need professional and sutexting, etc.) with little to no face-to-face contact. pervisory level personnel to become mentors and coaches The Millennial generation is the first cohort to have for younger employees. Enhancement of basic social and primarily detached relationships. Generation X tends critical thinking skills will occur through this interaction. have more of a reflective approach to relationships. The age composition of American society will conMembers generally think through the implications tinue its evolution into a much older population over of relationships and how the implications may afthe next four decades. The workforce and workplace fect them. This has led to a perception of Generation will experience similar changes. Age dynamics and the X being non-committal to work and organizations. interactions across age cohorts will dominant the very Traditionalists view relationships as strong commitnature of work in the United States. Implementing inments based on self-sacrifice. In others words, they novations which mitigate age-related issues and mainwill sacrifice themselves for the good of the organizatain a vibrant, productive work environment represent tion or their family. Lastly, Baby Boomers center their the major challenge most organizations will face to relationships on personal gratification. Generally, they remain successful. PDJ pursue their professional and personal ventures at the expense of their families and friends. Richard Lewis, Jr. is Professor of Sociology at the University of All five of these age-based characteristics influence emTexas at San Antonio. In additional to academic duties, Lewis ployee behavior in the contemporary workplace. As a reis a consultant and has conducted diversity related professional sult, individuals may view and frame organizational issues development training and strategic planning for 20 years. quite differently. Each characteristic has the potential for exacerbating employee miscommunication and conflict. Joanne Ford-Robertson is also a consultant at Round Top Therefore, establishing an efficient and effective workConsulting Associates, LLC, in San Antonio, Texas. She teaches place becomes more of a challenge for organizations. sociology at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
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kpmgcareers.com
2012 KPMG LLP a Delaware limited liability partnership and the U.S. member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG , International Cooperative (KPMG International), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. The KPMG name, logo and cutting through complexity are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International. 25457NSS
3m Accenture Alliant Women American Exp press African American Booz Allen Hamilton Brown-Forman Corporation Charles Schwab & p Successful leaders discuss Co CSC Energizer Generational launch Mae g best practices to help Fannie LGBT Ford Motor Company Gannett/USA Today y / y orp Corporation Kraft Foods improve your own Disa ris p Lathrop Gage Mercer resource groups. Nielsen p g employee Native American Novartis Pharma AG Oliver Wyman Working y Pare Wealth Management Robins, g Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Hispanic American p p Shell Oil WalMart Stores, Inc WellPoint, Inc
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Internal newsletters are combined with word of mouth. Broad awareness of existence is key to generating interest; individual engagement via word of mouth is most effective at translating interest into participation.
CSC Abilities First Network Leanne Thomas, Sr. Manager HR
The use of C3 (CSCs internal collaboration site) and broadcast messages are found to be most successful, allowing the ERG to reach a large number of people at the same time. The C3 environment allows the target audience to provide instant feedback and input on events and objectives of the employee resource group.
Alliant Energy Multicultural Network Jamie Toledo, Manager, Corporate D&I
Social media allows the Alliant Energy Multicultural Network the opportunity to share the mission of the group and to be interactive and answer questions. This particular ERG holds an awareness breakfast each year, during this time they recruit and network with new potential members.
Mercer Women In Business Sissy Pitts, Senior Client Services Team Lead
Word of mouth is great, says Pitts. Friends bring friends to meetings, while talking up the events we do and the goals of the network. Email is great too since it goes to a broader audience.
Shell Oil POWER* Cynthia Rushing, Strategic Planning Manager
POWER is unique in that it is an intranetwork, which means that membership comes from those Multicultural ERGs. However, POWER prides itself on generating excitement from events primarily due to face-to-face interaction.
Promoting Opportunities
Develop Goals/Mission/Vision
2 3
The name should reflect main goals and objectives of the group. The ideas should collectively define the group and its purpose. Example goals: Increase meeting attendance, increase membership. It is good idea to conduct end-of-year surveys and determine what changes can be made to improve the ERG.
Meet with previously established diversity groups. This is a great way to gain knowledge of the initial dos and donts when forming the ERG.
Determine the day/time/location of meetings Consider specific roles for group members to take Be aware of scheduling conflicts and make plans for alternative meeting agendas (teleconference/video conference)
Increase Awareness
Draw up a plan with your leadership team to develop strategies for recruiting new members. Mediums to consider include: newsletters, company intranet sites, mass email campaigns, flyers included in paychecks, hosting events, advertisements on inter-office boards, word-of-mouth and face-to-face.
By identifying a business need or shortcoming, the group can generate interest among members and executive sponsors. By solving a key business problem through the ERG you can assure active recruitment/retention and budgeting strategies.
Secure Funding
Maintain Momentum
Funding could come from a number of areas such as company diversity budget, membership fees, representative departments budget and grants.
One of the biggest challenges of a successful ERG is maintaining popularity among members. Here are some suggested activities to maintain momentum in your ERG: in-house networking events, workshops on topics related to the ERG, and outside speakers.
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CSC Black Employee Network (BEN) Alvin Keith, VP National & Defense Programs The BEN Intranet site provides a forum where members and leadership can pose questions to each other and respond. In this way, the group has been able to acquire information and find volunteers for various projects.
Novartis Asian Business Club (ABC) Yan Gao-Okundaye, Global Brand Mgr. Asian Business Club developed and implemented a communications strategy, focusing on WIFM (What's in it for me) and the value ABC brings to the company and individuals. Now many individuals not only participate into ABC activities, but have volunteered to contribute and organize future events.
Energizer Generational Synergies and Excellence Adam Jakubiak & Nicole Thimke AGES is for young professionals, so it is an easy hook to get them involved, says CoChairs Jakubiak and Thimke. AGES reaches out soon after employees are brought in to the facility, offering them a platform and voice to make sure their concerns and ideas are heard.
WellPoint SOMOS* Angela Lopez, LPN/LVN Utilization Review I We are piloting a program which we are titling SOMOS University in which various topics are discussed to help provide additional skill sets to our members. *Hispanic/Latino ERG
Means "we are" in Spanish
Accenture Northern California Asian Pacific American Interest Group Swee-May Ngeow, Senior Manager The main draw at Accentures Northern California Asian Pacific American Interest Group for entry-level professionals is the promise of networking with other peers, as well as more senior members. The group also tries to tailor event activities to be of interest to entry-level professionals, encouraging greater participation. More formally, as part of a new hire, entrylevel orientation, time is set aside for an overview presentation of the various ERGs, with contact information distributed for anyone interested in joining one.
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Harris Corporation - GRAD*, DC Chapter Haythem Hedda, Contract Compliance Analyst Internally, the ERG focuses on providing opportunities for leadership and personal/professional growth to its membership. In the six months since the ERG was created, they have coordinated a career development discussion featuring an executive panel, workshops focused on individual development and career advice, and several college spirit- and sports-based charity drives to support the United Way.
* Graduate Acclimation and Development
Women of WellPoint (WOW) Helen Drexler, VP Large Group Sales - Anthem BCBS Colorado WOW was active in support of the Associate Giving Campaign in the fall of 2011 and is sponsoring a Go Red for Women campaign in the first quarter of 2012 to raise awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death for women. In addition, the ERG has supported a strong mentor/mentee program and also continues to promote monthly meetings to share information about this ERG.
INTERNAL
Nielsen - Southeast Chapter of PRIDE David Elsey, Staffing Project Manager Nielsons Southeast Chapter of PRIDE participates in community outreach, including Pride festivals, volunteer efforts at food banks, various meal deliveries, professional development through Lunch-and-Learns, Out & Equal Affiliations, and communicating with outside ERGs.
EXTERNAL
Lathrop Gage - Women's Affinity Group Nancy Roush, Partner Lathrop Gages Women's Affinity Group organizes and sponsors various networking opportunities, including receptions for high-profile women in the community and women-owned businesses.
Harris Corporation - Women in Engineering Jennifer Ogburn, Program Manager/WIE ERG Co-Chair We participate in many Harris-sponsored outreach activities including the annual HERO backpack drive, United Way Canthropy contest, and the Kaboom playground build, and we have sponsored two clothing drives for United Way agency Serene Harbour. Our members have also joined together for a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk for the past three years around our Palm Bay Campus.
Brown-Forman - GROW* Cathy Herald and Dee Ford GROW members attend ERG events hosted by other companies, share best practices with other company ERGs and organizational development leaders, have initiated a coalition of external leading employers with women diversity focus, participated in Business Diversity Network forums, and supported many community activities which support womens leadership and issues.
* Growing Remarkable and Outstanding Women
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SECURING FUNDING
American Express - Black Employee Network (BEN) Kelley Williams, Manager, Marketing & Communications The Leadership Team of the Black Employee Network works to develop the strategy and goals for the upcoming year starting in quarter three of the prior year. The ERG provides the proposed strategy, plan and budget to the executive sponsor for approval. Charles Schwab & Co. - Women's Interactive Network at Schwab (WINS) Kelly Livers, Southern Region Branch Executive At Schwab, ERGs are funded by the Diversity and Inclusion Office. Aside from the budget they receive every year, they partner with other organizations' women's affinity groups in to maximize impact and resources. They focus on sharing the costs of a program and create a community with that approach. Harris Corporation - Hispanic Resource Group (HRG) Maria Bruno, Test Engineer Harris Hispanic Resource Group submits a proposal to HR with the results for the current fiscal year, emphasizing the value delivered to the employee and company. The group uses the results as a baseline to address the proposed activities from a value perspective for the upcoming fiscal year. Oliver Wyman - Gays & Lesbians at Oliver Wyman (GLOW) Jorge Davo, Consultant & Co-Chair of GLOW GLOW has been fortunate enough to receive strong support from Oliver Wymans leadership. By building a business case for diversity and inclusion at the firm, and by proving the value of GLOW to the firm through Cultural Transformation and Business Development activities, they have secured funding from Oliver Wyman and the parent company.
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MEASURING SUCCESS
Nielsen - Support and Employee Resources for Veterans (SERV) Jeremy Davis, Engineering Manager We measure success by active membership. I think members will stay active as long as we can avoid doing too little or too much (boredom vs burnout), said Jeremy Davis, SERV leader. Brown-Forman - Bring Your Own Diversity (BYOD) Fabricia Mounce & Emma Hutchens, LGBT ERG Co-Leaders The BYOD ERG measures success in a number of ways. The company engagement survey results, co-leadership survey results, attendance at events, event feedback (developed into metrics), senior leadership feedback and allocation processes. Wal-Mart - Women's Resource Council (WRC) Mandy McDonald, Director Intl HR Project Management Office While Wal-Marts WRC is working on perfecting the way they measure success, the things they would like to measure include year-over-year performance ratings for members, a change in competency scores of members who attended events focused around certain competencies, and overall improvement in inclusion index scores, which are measured on annual Associate Opinion Survey.
American Express - Women's Interest Network (WIN) Caisey Kakasci, Director of Human Resources American Express WIN has recognized a gap in measuring the success of the ERG in the past. For 2012, the group has established a dedicated Success Metrics team to help better define both what success looks like, as well as how it will be measured. Previously WIN gauged success by attendance alone, but the group hopes to do more in the future. Director of HR Caisey Kakasci says, This is a journey we are only just beginning.
MEETING AGENDA
Kraft Foods - Women's Sales Council Michele Byrd, National Customer Manager A typical meeting runs so: 1.) Welcome; 2.) Meeting objectives; 3.) Opening remarks; 4.) Lunch with mentor/sponsor; 5.) Lunch diversity overview; 6.) 2010 WSC accomplishments/2011 goals; 7.) Guest speaker; 8.) Break; 9.) Panel: career development; 10.) Awards presentation; 11.) Networking with senior leaders; 12.) Dinner RBC Wealth Management - Gay, Lesbian, Allied Diverse Employees (GLADE) Ellen Krider, VP - Financial Advisor A typical agenda at GLADE: 1.) Introduction; 2.) Review events/activities that have taken place around the country; 3.) Discuss upcoming events; 4.) Update any corporate or national LGBT developments; 5.) Ask for feedback
Charles Schwab & Co. - Black Professionals at Charles Schwab (BPACS) Devona McClinton, Sr. Project Manager A typical agenda includes the following: 1. Message from national chair (updates from leadership); 2. Regional updates on planning and recaps of events; 3. Membership updates; 4. Q&A
Ford - Ford Hispanic Network (FHN) Carla Traci Preston, Director Supplier Diversity Development A typical agenda entails such: 1.) Welcome; 2.) Chair remarks; 3.) Budget update from the treasurer; 4.) Committee chair and affiliate chapter updates: (i.e. open action item status, status to objectives, workplan review/next steps, open issues, etc.); 5.) Roundtable/open discussion; 6.) Review of new action items; 7.) Conclusion
PDJ
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GOOD JOB?
by Craig Storti
mean it when they say: Good job? My instinct was to say: Sure. What makes you think they dont? But then I realized the answer was more complicated, and it actually gets down to a key difference between American and other work environments. What I finally ended up telling the man was this: They mean it in the sense that they genuinely appreciate it when people do something for them, even if its the persons job, but its also not very significant because they say it all the time and to pretty much everyone. In short, dont get too excited when your manager says Good job. And the mans response was quite revealing: Thank you, he said, because that did not come through in my recent performance evaluation. I realized the man had interpreted good job as fairly strong praise when in fact it was just the Americans way of expressing appreciation. To put it another way, in cultures where managers do not routinely thank employees just for doing their jobs, positive feedback of any kind is unusual and potentially quite significant, signaling a very favorable performance evaluation and maybe even a promotion. This was actually not the first time I have encountered this cultural difference. Europeans often become annoyed with the amount of positive feedback Americans dish out, and some even find it patronizing. They feel that you are given a salary for doing your job and to be praised for that is almost to suggest your manager was not expecting you to do your job and is relieved. I have actually heard the same point made by Americans, in the other direction: European managers dont appreciate us; they never tell us were doing a good job. To which a European would probably reply: Of course not. We dont treat our employees like children. So whats going on here? In particular, what accounts for the American tendency to thank people for doing their job? To be honest, Im not completely sure. Ive pondered this for some time, and the best explanation I have found for this behavior is somehow related to the deep egalitarian streak in American culture. For example,
WAS TAKEN ABACK A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN A PAKISTANI IN ONE OF MY WORKSHOPS ASKED ME: Do Americans
a core American belief is that no one is inherently better than anyone else, whether by birth, social class, education, or wealth. Indeed, it was precisely to escape the negative impact of social and economic distinctions just like these that people came to the New World in the first place, so its not surprising that in the world they created egalitarianism became such a core value. Americans do not believe all people are the samefar from itbut they fervently believe that everyone is equal. Some people are wealthier, smarter, better-educated, and better-looking than others, but at the end of day even the president of the United States is not inherently better than a bellman or a chamber maid. Indeed, one recent president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, went to great pains to make exactly that point when he was shown on national TV carrying his own suitcase into the White House after a weekend trip to Georgia. The message was unmistakable: I may be president of the United States, but I can carry my suitcase into my house just like everyone else does. Its noteworthy in this context how candidates for president always stress their humble roots or, if their roots are clearly not humble (John Kennedy, George Bush), then how they have rubbed elbows with the hoi polloi all their lives. The point is that if we are all equal, then no one owes anybody else anything; we may choose to do things for other people, but we are under no obligation. Even in the workplace no one can compel us to do our job; the most they can do is fire us if we dont. But the choice is ours. How else to explain why we thank the plumber who fixes our leaking pipes, the waiters and waitresses who serve us our food, the taxi driver who drops us at our destination? Were paying these people, for heavens sake! I think we thank them because we want them to know that we know they did not have to help us. Back in the workplace when we say good job or when we thank someone for doing what we pay them to do, in some sense were simply acknowledging that everyone has a choice in these matters. And its just good manners to express appreciation. And thats the pointits just being polite, but its not really praise. And its very indiscriminate. But if you come from a culture where expressions of this kind of appreciation are uncommon, like my Pakistani friend, you can be easily misled and get the wrong idea about your job performance. So if youre a non-American on the receiving end of good job, dont read too much into it. And if youre an American handing out good job right and left, you may be giving your non-American staff the wrong impression. PDJ
Craig Storti, a consultant and trainer in the field of intercultural communications, is the author of seven books.
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woman has been president of the United States yet, the movie made me reflect on several thousand years of leadership by other great womenCleopatra in Egypt, Isabella of Castile, Queen Elizabeth in England, and Catherine the Great of Russiaand the qualities that made them effective leaders. I believe the single greatest quality they all shared was self-confidence. And, of course, Margaret Thatcher herself was the epitome of self-confidence in her role as prime minister of England. I recently read about an experiment called the Goldberg paradigm, in which people were asked to evaluate a particular newspaper article or speech, supposedly written by a man. Others were asked to evaluate the same material, but were told it was written by a woman. Regardless of their country of origin, participants in the study rated the materials they thought were drafted by a man higher. One notable finding from this research was that for men, self-promotion is a successful strategy. However, the study demonstrated that when women promoted their own accomplishments, it was less effective and often perceived as pushy. What is clear is that confident, effective women leaders are willing to stand out from the crowd and take risks to make their mark. They often have strong networks of influencers who help them get things done. Knowing people who have power can be a confidence builder for women leaders. They are able to identify the right gatherings where they can be in the company of the right people with the right contacts to help them meet their goals. Now, more than ever, we need confident women leaders. According to an Intuit, Inc., study, the way women live and work is expected to change during the next decade. In addition to the powerful worldwide consumer force that women represent today, factors such as urban migration, increased access to education, mobile technologies, micro-credit and low market entry costs are expected to create a global she-conomy in which more than a billion women will enter the workforce or start
RLIER THIS YEAR, I SAT THROUGH AN INCREDIBLE ACTING PERFORMANCE BY MERYL STREEP IN HER PORTRAYAL OF MARGARET THATCHER IN THE IRON LADY . While no
businesses by 2020. In fact, beginning this year, women will officially outnumber men in the workforce. And, women have many strengths and talents that are well-suited to respond to the challenges of todays economybut only if they have the confidence to put their ideas into action and inspire others to follow their lead. I have the honor of being one of the co-chairs of Women of WellPoint (WOW). Frequently I am asked by members to share my thoughts on what makes a great female leader. My answer is this: There shouldnt be a different standard for men and women leaders. On the contrary, I believe that the definition of a great leader is evolving to integrate a balance of traditional masculine and feminine traitscombining what are traditionally considered female traits of compassion, inspiration, empathy and collaboration with more typical male traits of bottomline thinking, focus, directness and healthy competition. While men have created the majority of the leadership systems that are the framework for todays businesses, looking towards the future, I believe our best bet is to create a new framework that combines both masculine and feminine models and stresses collaboration and innovation. We then need to groom strong, confident female leaders to take the helm. After all, since women will begin to outnumber men in the workplace this year, shouldnt the leaders of our major corporations mirror their workforce and consumer base? If we look back at female leaders throughout history, those who were regarded as successful maintained their self-confidence even among men. To be a strong female leader, you must be confident in your abilities. If you dont have the confidence to make decisions and maintain commitments, then empowerment is just an empty word. l believe that confidence is the foundation of great leadership. Conversely, great leadership means having the confidence to make decisions and not being afraid to step up and rise to a challenge. PDJ
Linda Jimenez has spent 20 years specializing in labor and employment law.
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ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF DIVERSITY, DOES ITS PURPOSE DESERVE A SECOND LOOK? by Trevor Wilson
Author and Global Human Equity Strategist, TWI Inc. DL
HIS YEAR DIVERSITY WILL CELEBRATE ITS TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY. It may be hard to believe that it
was 25 years ago that the Hudson institute predicted the huge demographic shift in the North American workforce prompted by the expected retirement of baby boomers coupled with an unprecedentedly slow natural labor force growth. These demographic projections were followed by several hopeful predictions of the changing nature of the North American workforce. The first prediction was that the workforce would become more diverse. A more diverse workforce, it was postulated, would be more creative, more productive, and if managed properly more cohesive. However, it would appear that the most recent evidence suggests that not all of these predictions have materialized. In a recent paper, The Diverse Organization Finding Gold at the End of the Rainbow, three academic authors challenge the truisms surrounding diversity. As the opening quote infers, the article poses several unflinching questions. Does diversity, in fact, enhance creativity? Does diversity enhance problem solving or improve organizational flexibility? Does diversity reduce costs? Does it influence stock prices and in general improve financial performance? In other words, the authors research may not be good news for the diversity industry. Perhaps the biggest promise of diversity yet to be fulfilled surrounds the idea of representation in leadership. The 25-year promise was that by embracing diversity an organization would diversify its applicant and employee base which would inevitably lead to more diversity in leadership. Once again, the promise deserves a second look. This brings us to another unmet promise, i.e. increased
75% of Fortune 1000 companies have a diversity initiative and the business case for diversity has been embraced enthusiastically. Nonetheless empirical support for the business case is scant. Indeed although some evidence exists to support the general idea that positive outcomes can result from having a diverse population, research indicates that the impact of diversity is not always positive.
The Diverse Organization Finding Gold at the End of the Rainbow gender representation in leadership would pave the way for other underrepresented diversity groups. So if there has not been success on this representation promise with women it is no surprise that it hasnt happened for other groups either. Perhaps it is time to take a sober second look at the promise of diversity. Perhaps its time for us to revisit why we are doing this. One of the best speeches I have heard recently is the TED.com speech by Simon Sinek who has written the book Start with Why. Sinek makes a compelling argument that if you can clearly articulate why you are doing something, the what and the how are easy. However without a compelling why, it is virtually impossible to inspire change. In 1995 I wrote a book called Diversity at Work: The Business Case for Equity. The book was meant to identify a bottom-line reason for diversity beyond legislation and corporate social responsibility. The book argued that if you show leadership the impact of diversity on business outcomes such as productivity, profitability, and attraction and retention of best talent then diversity would become an essential leadership imperative. This paper has caused me to re-think my position. In light of the evidence, I think it is definitely time for us to create a new why for diversity. PDJ
In 1996 Trevor started TWI Inc. to specialize in the area of equity and diversity as a business issue. In the same year, Trevor published a highly acclaimed book titled Diversity at Work: The Business Case for Equity. The firms clients include some of the most progressive global employers. TWIs Human Equity approach was instrumental in catapulting Coca-Colas South African division to the top performing division worldwide.
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from all educational levels and confirm the need for continuous learning in the diversity field. Last week, I received two requests on the same day for information on a similar topicthe beloved community vision that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote and spoke about. The students wanted to better understand what the beloved community is and how do we build this community. While preparing my responses, I started thinking about the opportunities we have in the twenty-first century to move closer to achieving the beloved community that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discussed. The beloved community is when all perspectives are brought together in a collective effort to achieve goals for the common good. This community would be inclusive of all peoples and include various perspectives regardless of race, gender, class, ethnicity and all elements of diversity. In other words, creating and defining a culture of inclusion where ideas are exchanged, collaboration and innovation thrive, and communication flows amongst the stakeholders for a shared vision. Our diversity and inclusion activities in organizations across industries confirm the common goal we all strive for in obtaining a beloved community. What does that look like? As quoted by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives. We are all committed to making the qualitative and quantitative changes to engage all our citizenry, organizations and communities. A number of D&I programs, networks, and foundations exist to achieve this. The more challenging news is that we need to work together in a more cohesive approach to advance and better evaluate diversity work.
President, AIMD DL
tions we can use to help create a sustainable roadmap for the D&I work needed to achieve the beloved community:
Improved business results Inclusive environment leveraging differences and similarities Engaged associates/students/citizenry Strategic diversity management leadership competencies Alignment and inclusion to the business, including communication plans and strategies Technologyinternet, social media, digital universe Education programs across all levels Diversity capable leaders Stakeholder support Financial support CEO and board support Associate resource groups
Strategic stakeholder alliancesinternal and external Collaboration/partnerships across sectors and industries (corporate, academic, government, non-profit) Leveraging technology Metricssurveys, feedback, focus groups Organizational cultural benchmarking surveys Measurement against stated outcomes
Our Accountability
An ongoing assessment of our D&I work will keep us on target for reaching our goals. The key question of where are we now has to be a fundamental thread that is present at all times as we move our organizations to achieve Martin Luther Kings vision.
In the book Global Literacies, researchers Patricia Digh, Marshall Singer, Carl Phillips, and Robert Rosen surveyed over 1,000 senior executives of seventy-eight companies about business leadership and national cultures. Based on the responses and feedback, they outlined five universal ques-
The Latin quote is posted at the entrance to Pixar University in Emeryville California. These three words, meaning alone no longer summarize an approach for our journey in the diversity field. Proactively and aggressively working together will move us collectively forward. PDJ
Pamela W. Arnold is President of the American Institute for Managing Diversity, Inc. The organization is a 501(c)(3) public interest nonprofit dedicated to advancing diversity thought leadership through research, education, and public outreach.
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ARASSMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES STARTS YOUNG. Nearly forty percent of children
bullied in our schools are students with disabilities, says Joyce Bender in Bullycide. A survey by British disability advocacy organization Mencap reported that eighty-two percent of students with intellectual disabilities had experienced some form of bullying and sixty percent had experienced physical injury as part of the bullying. About half of the children and youth reported that the bullying was chronic. It doesnt get much better as those children move into the workforce: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that harassment tops the list of formal complaints received from both people with mental disabilities and with physical disabilities. A poll conducted by UNISON (a British trade union) found that more than a third of workers with disabilities said they were being bullied at work. Twenty-two percent reported the problem as ongoing. Another British poll found that workers with disabilities were not only subject to lower expectations and negative social treatment, but they experienced workplace violence at nearly twice the rate of nondisabled workers. Why are people with disabilities targets? Bullies target others they see as vulnerable. They also focus on those who are outsiders, who dont appear to have a social peer group who will stand up for them. People with intellectual disabilities may not pick up on social cues, making them an easy target. Sometimes its the sense of difference that surrounds the victim: bullies and those who encourage them may not even know about the existence of a disability. Whats to be done? Training, especially training that focuses on disability etiquette and awareness, helps companies to head off harassment and bullyMarch/April 2012
ing issues before they begin. Though the root causes of bullying are many, education about disability can dispel myths and fears that make people with disabilities easy targets. Perhaps more importantly, it can encourage fence sitters to stand up for their colleagues with disabilities, instead of becoming observers or participants. Although employers understand the value of such training, making it a top global best practice, they often express frustration that such training is not provided earlier, perhaps in college or in K-12 school diversity programs. Interestingly enough, parents of students with disabilities ask the same question. Though bullies may continue to pick on those who are different, education can and often does help by explaining and minimizing the differences surrounding disability and at the same time, providing guidance on how best to work side by side, communicate and engage with someone with a disability and doing so in a way that make them and the other individual comfortable. By providing training that provides accurate information and offers a safe environment for managers, recruiters, and others to ask questions, much of the fear and misinformation surrounding employing someone with a disability can be negated and co-workers can become workplace allies. PDJ
Nadine Vogel is President of Springboard Consulting LLC. Springboard is considered a global expert, working with multinational corporations to mainstream disability in the workforce, workplace and marketplace.
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HAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT AS A DIVERSITY CHAMPION IS THE THOUGHT OF WHAT SENIOR LEADERS MAY BE SLEEPING THROUGH. Its great that nearly every company recruits
diverse talent. At JBK Associates, diversity ranks among the first things clients talk about with our recruiting team when conducting an executive search. But then, too often, companies fall silent. For many hires, trouble starts on day one. Thats when new employees begin evaluating whether the culture will be a good long-term fit, and diverse hires in particular face an unfamiliar culture. Yet while Aberdeen Group reports that 76 percent of firms now have a formal onboarding process, few onboarding programs offer alternate approaches for diverse employees. Asking some questions of the onboarding process can help companies take necessary steps toward creating a competitive, diverse and inclusive environment. Do new hires learn about the companys commitment to diversity as part of their orientation? Are there ways to make the company more family-friendly? Does onboarding include the chance to meet and learn from other diverse employees who have established themselves in the organization? Would peer mentoring make onboarding more effective for different groups? Questions like these become even more important for senior-level hires who place critical importance on their first 90 days. And after all the work that goes into attracting star talent from diverse backgrounds, its worth the effort to retain and engage these employees. Nearly all companies need to do a better job at engagement, so its good news that 2011 research from Mercer suggests renewed enthusiasm for Employee Resource Groups. Younger employees may show particular interest in ERGs, and thats helpful for com-
panies that will feel the loss as 10,000 baby boomers retire each day. Businesses that identify ways to make ERGs more effectivewhether through better use of technology, better measurement, or more active engagement from leadershipmay find as Sodexo has that ERG members serve as mini-chief diversity officers. Leadership development also needs higher priority. Women make up more than half the professional workforce and minority populations are growing, yet the leadership statistics remain dim. And while companies searching for a senior leader invariably want to see a diverse slate, they rarely can point to a diverse internal candidate who is qualified for the role. With a disciplined commitment, companies can build a diverse leadership pipeline to compete in a global marketplace that demands innovation. Its time to put hard policies in place. Empower Chief Diversity Officers with the authority they need to shape the culture as well as have significant input into the talent management/acquisition process. Engage every employee from the first day on the job through the exit interview and even beyond. Understand where the CEO is willing to put a stake in the ground, and work with executives at every level of the organization to hold that ground. Most importantly, for those of us who are diversity champions, vocalize the message that hiring is just the start. Sometimes the best way to rest easy is to help others wake up. PDJ
Julie Kampf is President and CEO of JBK Assoicates. Kampf has much experience in the field of consulting on recruitment and retainment in the workforce.
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THOUGHTLEADERS
| VP of Editorial Services Damian Johnson sat down with Sarah Michel, Professional Speaker, Trainer, and Author of Perfecting Connecting, to discuss successful networking. In this interview we tackle sponsorship and mentorshipthe ever constant gender disparities in the workplace, advice for introverts, and imperatives for successful relationships.
Whats the difference between sponsorship and mentorship? A: Basically, mentoring is a great for professional development, and what I see that happens often with women is that they will have a mentoring relationship with another woman, which is great, but it tends to be less of an active role and more of a friendship. With men, on the other hand, mentoring quickly goes to action. Their mentor or sponsor says, Im going to take you golfing with the CEO, or Im going to take you to lunch with this person. Things seem to happen more quickly with men. Time and time again, you wonder why women dont get promoted faster, and a lot of it happens because men get sponsored. Why dont women get sponsored? A: I think women dont ask for someone to sponsor them. I think women dont know they can or dont feel they can, while I think men dont want to sit around
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t can be especially difficult for women and minorities to rise through the ranks in corporate America. Historically, having a mentor gave you an edgesomeone who would act as a teacher/counselor; a guide through the tangled web of unwritten rules, secret handshakes and bureaucracy. Although having a mentor is helpful, an executive who will put his or her reputation on the line for you is invaluable. A sponsor takes responsibility and therefore credit for advancing your career. This person has a vested interest in your success. Many types of mentoring programs, whose purpose is to advance the careers of women and minorities, have been largely unsuccessful. Companies are gravitating towards sponsorship relationships and networks. It is important to create connections in which a sponsor is willing to go to bat for his or her protge, be an advocate, and champion your advancement. If your goal is success, get a sponsor. Finding a sponsor depends on building relationships, through connections, commonalities and a community of interest with a company leader. Map out your career goals. Define your success. Where will you be when you retire? What role best positions you for opportunities? Write it down. Research potential sponsors and build a relationship. Introduce the relationship by saying yes to work, volunteering for the sponsors project, serving on that persons committee/organization, attending an event he or she supports, or finding a commonality you share. Use creative opportunities to expand the relationship and show your tenacity and potential for success. Ultimately the sponsor will invest in you and be willing to stake his or her reputation on your success. If faced with a choice, I would say bypass the mentor and find a sponsor. Sponsorships may grow out of mentoring relationships, but more often, a mentoring relationship will develop from sponsorships.
f I were to guess, in-group professionals (i.e., members of the traditional majority group) might admit to having a mentor, but they really believe that their career success was primarily self-made. They probably do not realize the informal mentors they have had. Because of the like-me inclination that we all have, these in-group professionals undoubtedly have had in-group sponsorspeople going to bat for them without even being asked to do so. Conversely, I would guess that out-group professionals (i.e., members of historically underrepresented gender/ racial/ethnic groups) would say that mentorship played a significant role in their career success. It did for me. Absent formal mentorship, out-group professionals generally find navigating career paths very difficult, if not impossible, in workplace environments steeped in traditions in which outgroup members are virtually invisible. Coaching is one thing; sponsorship is another requiring courage and confidence. In todays competitive workplace, even the best mentoring programs may not be enough. The stakes are higher and the need is greater for people with influence to step up and sponsor those professionals under their mentorship. Having a sponsor to speak up for you when you are not in the room and when others of influence may not realize your worth is the recipe for success in the twenty-first century workplace. Call to action: identify a sponsor who will champion you!
from you? Of course, this isnt universal across the board, but I think generally women dont ask, men do. Is it ever too early for someone to seek sponsorship? A: No. If youre right out of school, you just need to assess how you can be a resource to someone. What do you do if youre an introvert? A: Introverts can make the best networkers out there. The bottom line is its about talking to one person at a time and listening. Its about honing in and asking open-ended questions to find out how you can be a resource. For introverts, I think its good to have openended questions, and think about them ahead of time.
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talking about feelings or personalities. Mentoring relationships are really important, but I see mentoring as grooming, coaching, and personal. In fact, I think men need to be mentored more. But this is different from an active can you help me get connected and make this happen? type of situation. What I tell people is, look for people that can actively open doors for you and approach them as how can I be a resource
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A Gartner survey showed mentees were promoted 5 times more often than those not in a mentoring program.
60 62 71
Percentage of college and graduate students that indicated mentoring is a key factor in job selection. Of more than 300 organizations polled by The Institute for Corporate Productivity, 62 percent of organizations indicated that mentors are utilized by 5% or fewer employees. Percent of Fortune 500 companies that utilize mentorship programs in their organization.
Its a good idea to look at the list of who is attending [a networking event], see if there is someone youd like to meet, and then go to your network of people you know and see if someone knows them and can pre-introduce you. It wont be as hard to initiate when youre there because they will be expecting you.
What kind of investment is required from both parties in a sponsorship? A: Its definitely an action relationship. The person that is sponsoring you is going to actively open doors for you. On the receiving end, look for ways to give back, and not only be a resource but show gratitude. Im a huge proponent of handwritten thank you notes, and a text or email is not the same thing. Gratitude and appreciation has to be there from the receivers end. And then of course, paying it forward. If someone sponsors you, you have the obligation to look for ways to sponsor somebody else.
Sarah Michel is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and a networking expert. As a certified Myers-Briggs personality style expert, Sarah works with organizations around the world on how to be a more effective connector. She currently resides in Colorado Springs.
here are two main challenges in being a sponsortime and relevance. Senior executives may be approached to act as sponsors quite often and you must have time and energy to give honest and actionable feedback as well as make the necessary connections for the sponsored person. You also need to be relevant to the persons goals. Is your network relevant to the sponsored person and their goals in terms of level, industry, experience? A network of CEOs may not help a new college grad and a network of engineers wont help an aspiring accountant. There are two things a person looking for sponsorship needs to consider. First is performance. A sponsor endorses a person and their abilities so you have to make sure your performance is worth advocating for. Second is taking an inventory of your network, in other words, who knows your performance and your potential and who has relevant connections they would use for you.
DECISION:
SPONSORSHIP WINS! While finding a mentor can provide much value, and may be an excellent springboard for building relationships, its focus on the personal benefits as opposed to the career advantages of sponsorship makes it the fallen contender in this bout. Having a sponsor to vouch for you in your absence can be the difference between being promoted and being looked over. For women and underrepresented minorities seeking to get ahead, sponsorship is decidedly necessary. PDJ
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By Ray Carson, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Highmark Inc.
IVERSITY IS EVEN more important in a
down economy. Companies today are sensitive to the need for providing employees with a work environment that is safe and secure. The reason is simple. Apart from the direct toll on human life, aggressive acts cause untold financial loss from resulting lawsuits and damage awards, workplace disruptions, insurance premium escalations, declines in employee productivity, workforce retention issues and customer anxiety. To remain competitive, businesses must evolve by maximizing the potential of their employees. When everyone contributes and feels valued, the company is better positioned to succeed. Innovation is key to making diversity a priority.
PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL March/April 2012
Challenging business environments require innovation. Original ideas happen most often when diversity of thought is supported and rewarded in an inclusive organization. Dont allow diversity and inclusion programs to fall victim. In this light, diversity and inclusion are smart business and hold the key to your competitivenesseven more so as talent and consumer markets change. Companies that fail to account for demographics in the current environment will fall behind as the economy accelerates. How do you maintain diversity and inclusion commitments from your organization? Listen to your customers and make sure that you are representative of your total customer base. Monitor your talent pools. Internship programs are particularly helpful ways to get in front of changing workforce demographics.
law firms to give attorneys with diverse backgrounds opportunities to thrive. Diversity allows us to be representative of our clients and community, which is essential for many clients. Diversity also brings a variety of perspectives to the workplace and promotes the creativity and exceptional problem solving for which our firm is known. Rather than view diversity as a luxury, weve chosen to view it as a core tenet in our firms business strategy. Despite the economic downturn, our firm is still competing for the best and brightest attorneys; our focus on diversity helps us to recruit and retain talented attorneys. While many firms have cut diversity programs recently, we have strengthened our commitment to diversity. Take, for example, gender diversity. Here, our efforts have included joining Catalyst, a leading nonprofit working globally with businesses to build inclusive workplaces. Irell has also joined a Los Angeles coalition
collaborating to advance and retain women lawyers. Internally, our Womens and Hiring Committees are leading focused efforts to recruit and advance women attorneys at Irell. This past year, these committees collaborated to recruit an increased number of women, with great success. The 2012 women summer associates class will be the largest Irell has ever had, with 18 women out of 34 summer associates. Because most of our permanent hiring results from these summer associates, coordinating recruiting efforts are an essential first step. Ultimately, we maintain our firms commitment to diversity through the dedication of individual attorneys who care about the success of the firm.
Irell & Manella LLP is a premiere AM LAW 200 firm. Andra Greene is the managing partner of Irells Newport Beach, California office and a member of the firms executive committee. Laura Evans chairs Irells Associate Committee and is an active member of its Womens Committee.
DL
built homes are more equipped to withstand storms. Similarly, if a companys Diversity and Inclusion program is an integral part of its business strategy and anchored in leadership behaviors, than that company too can weather the storm brought on by challenging economic times. As businesses look to do more with less, D&I practitioners should
prepare for potential impact to their programs and be able to demonstrate the value of those programs to company leaders. To ensure continued support, its vital to have the value proposition of D&I ingrained into a companys business strategy before economic challenges arise. When funds are short, practitioners need to look for ways to become more efficient so that the company continues along its diversity journey without interruption.
Within Raytheons Diversity program, we recently re-evaluated our processes to create a Diversity and Inclusion center of excellence for the company, ensuring our diversity resources are leveraged to better engage every employee. Companies can also benefit from enhancing the work of their employee resource groups. These networks act as Diversity and Inclusion ambassadors and strengthen the company along its journey. PDJ
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Global Diversity
| VP of Editorial Services Damian Johnson spoke with
author and diversity consultant Melissa Lamson, CEO and President of Lamson Consulting, discusses global diversity and business growth in the first of an ongoing series.
Why should companies globalize their approach to diversity? A: Diversity is all about the people in an organization. The people that we work with today, whether its a local or international project, are from all different kinds of backgrounds. Our workforce is global whether we are working internationally or not. So we need to understand that we are going to have diverse approaches, methods of decision-making, presentations, implementation of solutions, and management of projects. We need to become savvier at adapting our styles to other cultures. What is the top qualification leaders should be looking for in hiring new talent today? A: There have been new studies lately that have shown that leaders of large, multinational companies are looking for people with a global mindset. They are looking for ways to assess and determine whether people can work effectively across cultures and in global contexts. This is a pretty new way of looking at best practices in business. Recruiters used to ask questions like, Did this person come out of the best business school? Do they 96
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How can an employee develop their global mindset? A: If a company has a budget to do more in terms of employee exchange, even letting someone live in another country for three to six months, is an excellent option. Its not necessarily something that a lot of companies feel like they can do, or employees may not necessarily want to leave home, but there are alternatives. We can get this information digitally. I encourage people to seek out alternative business news channels. Through the internet or on TV, make the effort to look at International CNN or BBC, or seek out one of the newspapers in the countries you are interested in. Wall Street Journal Asia is fascinating because it has a totally different perspective from the U.S. version of the paper. I recommend, if you are traveling on business in- tion, but I recommend it. Go to a one of the most enlightening parts ternationally, get out of the hotel. local restaurant and start a conver- of your trip. It might take a little extra motiva- sation with people there. It will be As a person in charge of diversity within an organization, what are the steps they should take to globalize a companys approach to diversity? A: The most important thing they can do is to do a pulse check on what is happening now globally with the company. I highly recommend traveling to as many locaPhotograph credit: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons tions as you can, asking questions,
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Global Diversity
and listening. How are people communicating with each other? What improvements do they recommend? Then from that data, develop some kind of educational program on teamwork or cultural sensitivity. If these are done well, they will be highly impactful and help individuals cooperate better with each other. Thirdly, look at procedures and systems and see where there could be potential bias. Ask where are we doing things from a purely U.S. perspective that may not work the same way in another country, and how can we make sure that those procedures or processes are truly global?
A big challenge for us in the software industry is that we have fewer women coming through the educational pipeline, as opposed to law or medicine which has already come closer to its goals of recruiting and attracting more women. One of the things that is also
March/April 2012
unique to us is the speed at which information comes in, is processed, and influences our decisions. Although this is incredibly exciting, people like myself who lead diversity initiatives must be flexible and agile in making adjustments and open to input from others. PDJ
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Creating jobs and Nearly 75% of our store MANAGEMENT providing ASSOCIATES started out as opportunities. hourly associates.
Leadership Profile
| Fannie Mae Retiree led Fannie Maes
Katrina Response and Low-Income Financing for Millions
ver the past 11 years, Fannie Maes Multifamily Mortgage Business has financed 7.6 million units of rental housing under the seasoned leadership of Kenneth J. Bacon, executive vice president of the division. Today, Fannie Mae is the largest single source of financing for rental housing in the country, ensuring that funds are available to build and maintain the quality rental housing that American families depend on. Bacon will retire in March, concluding a 19-year tenure at Fannie Mae, which also included responsibility for management and marketing of Fannie Maes portfolio of multifamily loans and investments, and roles serving single-family housing and directing investments in community development. Ken is from Houston and resides in Washington, D.C. A distinguished scholar, he has earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School, an MS in international relations from the London School of Economics (where he studied as a Marshall Scholar,) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University. Bacon is also on the board of directors for Comcast. Bacon has guided the multifamily business to a profitable niche serving the workforce rental market. Almost 90 percent of the units Fannie Mae financed in 2011 were affordable to low- and middle-income families. Fannie Mae has a terrific mission, to finance rental housing for millions of Americans, says Bacon. Keeping capital flowing to the market for affordable rental housing provides stability for our communities and the nation. Under his leadership, the multifamily business has provided a total of $289 billion in liquidity to the rental market. He also led Fannie Maes response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when 300,000 homes were severely damaged or destroyed along the Gulf Coast. Fannie Mae has worked with nonprofits, government agencies, and business partners and invested nearly $5 billion in debt and equity to finance multifamily apartments and support housing recovery after the devastating storm. Fannie Maes job is to support housing in all markets and at all times, Bacon says. That includes the national market as it grapples with the current housing crisis and also local and regional housing markets when they are affected by a natural disaster or an economic downturn. Bacon attributes the success of Fannie Maes multifamily organization to the strength of his team. I take a lot of pride in what weve accomplished, and I do mean we, he says. Our employees bring years of experience, expertise, and energy to this business. They understand their customers and know the products backward and forward. These are folks who get things done. But more importantly, they enjoy the process of getting there. Fannie Maes mission has never been more critical than it is right now. Fannie Mae is committed to building a sustainable housing market and stable communities for the future, adds Bacon. I am proud of the legacy I leave behind and feel confident Fannie Mae is poised for continued success serving Americas rental housing needs.
Kenneth J. Bacon
What is your most rewarding career accomplishment? Establishing the Securitization Program while working for the Resolution Trust Corporation. The savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s had significant effects on the US economy, particularly on commercial real estate. The program that I established had never been done previously and was critical to settling this segment of the market. Whats the worst mistake a leader can make? Remaining in a single position of power for too long and having a certain level of comfort. It is paramount that all of us, including those who lead, understand progression is necessary for continued growth, for ourselves and for our future leaders. What was the best advice you ever received? My mother once told me that I was too old and too black to expect life to be fair. While it was difficult to comprehend initially, as I matured I understood that regardless of our best efforts, there are some things that will not go as we expect, and that some of these things will not seem to be just or rational. PDJ
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Digital Diversity
FROM OUR FOLLOWERS
@EdDeCosta: Thank someone today for being different than you. #Diversity is the spice of life. #catalyst @MiraontheWal: The diversity of our individuality co-existing with our unity and interconnectedness #ThingsToBeThankfulFor @Lucyb62: It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in #diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
LEXICON TERMS
Cultural Capital
The accumulation of subjective and objective cultural knowledge one uses to advance or become a leader in society.
@DiversityJrnl
FOLLOW US
@Mentorings
Jenny DeVaughn writes: Congrats to Grace! She is deserving of this honor and we appreciate her innovative leadership at Waste Management.
Grace Cowan - Waste Management
Kevin Arnold writes: Congratulations LeAnn, you are a great role model!!!
LeAnn Ridgeway - Rockwell Collins
Build a #network early on, and continue to grow and nurture these personal #relationships. These contacts are invaluable.
Congratulations to Moss Adams on making diversity a priority. Your article provides a blueprint that I hope other organizations will use.
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YOUR INDIVIDUALITY
>
YOU KNOW
Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: equal opportunity employer M/F/D/V.UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment. 2010 UnitedHealth Group. All rights reserved.
Diversity History
Photograph credits: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
MARCH/APRIL
March 2, 1917:
Puerto Ricans were granted United States Citizenship by President Wilson. Celebrate with mofongo and lechon, the traditional roast pig on a spit.
April is National Autism Awareness Month. Nearly 1 in 110 children are living with autism in America, with numbers only growing. Contact your local Autism Society chapter to get involved.
March 17, 1969: Golda Meir became the prime minister of Israel. The formidable Meir grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Meir took office at the age of 70, remaining in office during the controversial Yom Kippur War. 104
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March 11, 1993: Janet Reno becomes the first female Attorney General of the United States. Appointed by President Clinton, Reno was the longest-serving Attorney General since 1829.
INSIGHT
he ninety-two year old opera singer was the first African American to receive a contract to a major American opera company, the New York City Opera. After Williams, the daughter of a chauffeur, received her degree, she received a fellowship to study privately in New York. She traveled the United States and
Europe, becoming the first African American to sing a major role with the Vienna State Opera. She performed at the March on Washington before Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream speech.
Her husband was one of Malcolm Xs lawyers. In her later years she became a voice professor at Indiana University, the first African American in the country to be appointed to voice faculty at a university.
CHARACTER
At Campbell Soup Company, we are committed to creating a high performance culture that lives these values. We do this by building and sustaining a diverse, inclusive, engaged and socially responsible workplace focused on delivering business results with integrity. To learn more about Campbell and our extraordinary opportunities:
> Visit us: careers.campbellsoupcompany.com > Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/CampbellCareers > Connect with us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ campbell-soup-company > Follow us on Twitter: @CampbellSoupCo
TEAMWORK
COMPETENCE
www.
Supporting women leaders and the organizations that employ them.
.com
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the number of square miles of farmland Wrigley needs to grow all the mint needed for its gums The American Express Black Centurion card has a annual fee, and requires spent yearly. The U.S. Marines were formed in a bar called Tun Tavern in Philadelphia on November 10, 1775. PDJ
$2,500 $250,000
CorporateIndex
3M................................................................... www.3m.com .................................108 Accenture .................................................. www.accenture.com.........................80, 92 adidas ...........................................................www.adidas.com .................................98 Aflac............................................................... www.aflac.com .....................................8 Akraya, Inc. ..................................................www.akraya.com .......................8, 39, 58 Alliant Energy Corp. ................................ www.alliantenergy.com ............................79 American Express ................................www.americanexpress.com ........8, 82, 83,107 American Institute for Managing Diversity...... www.aimd.org ...............................8, 87 Andrews Kurth LLP ................................ www.andrewskurth.com ........................8, 91 Army and Air Force Exchange Serivce ......................................................................... www.shopmyexchange.com ..........................8 Ballard Spahr LLP ................................... www.ballardspahr.com .......................38, 64 Bank of the West ................................ www.bankofthewest.com .....................8, 23 BDO USA, LLP ............................................... www.bdo.com .....................................8 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC ...............www.bcbsnc.com ...................................8 Booz Allen Hamilton ...................................www.boozallen.com .....................8, 81, 82 Brinker International .....................................www.brinker.com ...................................8 Brown-Forman Corporation ...............www.brown-forman.com .............................. Inside Front Cover, 1, 39, 67, 81, 83 Burger King Corp............................................. www.bk.com.......................................8 Caesars Entertainment Corporation ............www.caesars.com ..................................8 Campbell Soup Company ...................www.campbellsoup.com ..................78, 105 Catalyst.........................................................www.catalyst.org .....................8, 20, 102 Catchafire Incorporated .............................. www.catchafire.org ...................12 thru 13 CDW LLC ....................................................... www.cdw.com .....................................8 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ........................ www.schwab.com ....................80, 82, 83 Chevron .....................................................www.chevron.com ...........................8, 93 Chrysler Group LLC ..............................www.chryslergroupllc.com ............................8 Cisco Systems, Inc. ....................................... www.cisco.com ....................................8 Citi ................................................................... www.citi.com ......................................8 Coca-Cola Company, The ..........................www.coca-cola.com ...............................10 Comcast Corporation ..................................www.comcast.com ..................................8 Corporation for Travel Promotion ............ www.thebrandusa.com ............................36 CSC ................................................................www.csc.com ...................8, 19, 79, 80 CVS Caremark ..............................................www.cvs.com ... 8, Inside Back Cover Deloitte LLP ................................................. www.deloitte.com ...................................8 Eastman Kodak Company............................ www.kodak.com ....................................8 Empire BlueCross BlueShield .................. www.empireblue.com........................39, 71 Energizer ....................................................www.energizer.com ...............................80 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ................................................................ www.eeoc.gov ...................................88 Fannie Mae ...............................................www.fanniemae.com ......8, 38, 72, 80, 100 Ford & Harrison LLP.................................www.fordharrison.com .............................91 Ford Motor Company ..................................... www.ford.com ...................................83 Freddie Mac ............................................. www.freddiemac.com................................8 Gannett Co., Inc. ......................................... www.gannett.com ................................80 General Electric ............................................... www.ge.com ..............................38, 49 Gibbons P.C.............................................. www.gibbonslaw.com....................8, 39, 47 Girl Scouts of the USA ............................... www.girlscouts.org ....................16 thru 18 Halliburton.............................................. www.halliburton.com...........8, 40, 56, 101 Harland Clarke Holdings Corporation .... www.harlandclarke.com ......................39, 46 Harris Beach PLLC ............................... www.harrisbeach.com................40, 62, 63 Harris Corporation .........................................www.harris.com ..................8, 80, 81, 82 Harvey Mudd College ..................................... www.hmu.edu .............................38, 55 Highmark, Inc. ............................................www.highmark.com ...............................94 Hogan Lovells.......................................... www.hoganlovells.com ......................38, 48 Indiana University .........................................www.indiana.edu ...............................105 Irell & Manella LLP ......................................... www.irell.com ....................................95 ITT Corporation ................................................www.itt.com .......................................8 JBK Associates, Inc. ............................... www.jbkassociates.com ..................8, 17, 89
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2012 (Media:
March/April 2012
109
We spoke to Dr. Paul White, psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant. Whites book, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, is in stores now.
Q. You have over 20 years of experience as a
psychologist. How do business relationships compare to personal relationships? There are similarities and there are differences. They both involve personality styles and communication styles. In business relationships, theres often a power dynamic that is involved, because there is a supervisor to a supervisee. That reporting relationship creates a different dynamic than a personal relationship where that doesnt usually exist. There tends to be more formality and distance, emotionally and physically. You have a different context that creates different expectations. Q. What kind of rewards do you propose people receive at work? We do talk about communicating appreciation that may be for something that theyve done, but is not solely performance based, which is different from some business models that are highly performance based, like a sales team reaching their goals for a quarter. We are talking about character qualities and the value of the person individually. The fact that someone is honest and dependable can be valued even though its not performance-based. Q. Why are business relationships so important? What benefits do they have for the company? Business is built around people. You have customers, you have vendors, you have co-workers, you have employees, you have supervisors/owners, and you have the public as well. Work involves people; business involves people. Although it is more objective and data-driven than personal relationships, there are still relationships that are involved. Its often the relationships within the work settings that create the most challenges and tensions for supervisors and managers rather than the actual tasks. Theres the issue of communicationthat you have to be able to communicate clearly with people in 110
PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL March/April 2012
Q. Is there ever a line one should not cross in a business relationship? Absolutely. There are boundaries and expectations, social conventions that you dont cross. It varies from situation to situation, and the types of relationships. Obviously, sexuallyoriented comments and touch are not appropriate, nor should there be verbal or physical aggression. There are boundaries that different people have about how much personal information people should know about each other; there are also legal boundaries about how much you can ask or find out about someones personal life. Q. Do you think people are happier now or 20 years ago when you first started? The research would suggest that people are less happy in the workplace than they were 20 years ago. Generally speaking, it seems that the overall sense of satisfaction both with work and at work is less. The demands at work are greaterpeople feel more stress. People clearly move from job to job more quickly. Especially right now, with the economic downturn, employees have been laid off. Research has shown that employees are doing 30% more work prior to the layoffs a few years ago and theyre not getting paid any more for it. So if youre doing more work for the same amount of money, and with fewer resources and training and staff, that feels unfair to people and they resent it. Q. What is key to communication between diverse groups of people? We have to understand the process of the communication. The challenge in culturally diverse settings or relationships is that the message sent and the message received can often be inaccurate. In some cultures, looking at an authority figure in the eyes is disrespectful. In some cultures, not looking someone in the eyes means that you are not paying attention. The key then is to understand not only your own culture but how messages might be interpreted and vice versa. Its understanding different peoples backgrounds, values, sub-cultures, and the communication messages that are around. PDJ
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Join our team and experience a fulfilling career at CVS Caremark. Visit us at jobs.cvscaremark.com
CVS Caremark is an equal opportunity employer supporting a drug-free work environment.
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