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When it comes to developing new talent, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), No. 6 on The 2006 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, has a brazen agenda. Guided closely by its most senior executives, PwC confronts what may be the most pervasive challenge to inclusion: the power of perception.

Committed to a workplace culture that leverages differences, PwC is in a position to enact real change. Its cutting-edge diversity management attracts top talent nationwide, evidenced at this year's Diversity in Business Leadership Conference (DIBLC). 

Last week's 15th annual DIBLC in New York kicked off with a unique lesson for public accountants: how to play the drums. Sixty top finance students from colleges across the country and 120 PwC professionals, including 20 partners, many of whom never have picked up an instrument, each played a part in creating a melodious sound: teamwork.

In a taped message to attendees, U.S. Senior Partner and CEO Dennis Nally set the tone for the three-day event by likening PwC to a jazz ensemble. "When you lead 2,200 partners who have 28,000 people under them, the beat is set by the leader and the individuals." PwC's emphasis on individual value attracts top students from across the nation, creating a pipeline of diverse talent that already has had demonstrable impact.

One of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies last year, PwC jumped to No. 6 this year. "The key is not to just rest on our laurels," Elena Richards, regional diversity leader, New York Metro area, told DiversityInc. "We have to work hard on recruitment, but just as hard on retention and advancement. Our focus on having conversations and establishing a leadership agenda set us apart from last year."

The DIBLC is one of three components of PwC's eXceed program, a recruitment initiative that also provides a $3,000 scholarship and an internship opportunity to 60 of the nation's most outstanding scholars. More than 350 students applied this year, a record since the program launched in 1990.

This year's conference, themed leadership, service and excellence, featured didactic workshops, activities and discussions that integrated PwC's triad of competencies for leadership development: task, people and self. Aligning these capacities with PwC's core principles and strategic goals cultivates a workplace that nurtures individual potential and maximizes organizational productivity.

In a dynamic lecture on leadership, Chief Diversity Officer and Chairman's Office Partner Chris Simmons highlighted constructive feedback as integral to professional development. He encouraged students to evaluate their thoughts, personality and decision-making processes to combat underlying assumptions and to bridge differences. The goal is to create a culture of mutual respect in which professionals at all levels can learn and benefit from one another's experiences.

"Coming together to talk about these issues is very important," said Nally, who appeared in person to the surprise of PwC's planning committee. But to the 60 outstanding scholars, who averaged a 3.7 grade point average, this demonstrated PwC's commitment from the top.

A panel discussion moderated by executive coach and diversity strategist Jane Hyun featured five partners whose candid discussions of personal experience conveyed a strong message at PwC: People are not what you expect.

Take CFO Jean Hobby, for example. Driven to professionalism early on, Hobby had two objectives: become a partner and have children. She has done both. A self-affirmed workaholic in her early career, someone asked how she could work and have children. Not only is she a partner, she now has three sons, ages 17, 15 and 12, and she has balanced her life to spend as much time with them as possible. On the matter of challenging perceptions, she told DiversityInc: "This is an important issue, not just for our firm, but for our country."

Don Christian is a partner and Advisory Site Leader for Washington Metro. As a Howard University undergraduate, he managed the school newspaper, took a full course load, volunteered actively on campus and interned with PwC. While it seems as if he was born ambitious, there is more to his story. How did this successful professional get his start? Christian says, "I perfected my loafing skills in my teens."

May 2006 Buy Now

Such dialogue promotes heightened awareness and a sense of community that makes a difference for some of the nation's top talent. "Before PwC, I thought accounting was so conservative," Amber Brown, a rising junior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, told DiversityInc. "PwC professionals are people too, facing the same problems and obstacles. We all have different backgrounds but similar goals. Together we compete as a team." Brown, a past participant in high-level-executive competitions in North Carolina and Georgia, has aspired to accountancy since taking payroll accounting and technical classes in high school. She now interns in PwC's Atlanta office and expects to be a full-time PwC professional within the next five years.

The eXceed program is one of many initiatives launched by PwC to attract and retain diverse talent. Other programs include national training camps lasting from two weeks to two months in which students interact with professionals and field experts, and an intern-development program that features uniquely innovative team-building activities. In an interview with DiversityInc, Rod Adams, national diversity leader and director of diversity recruiting, said these programs are driven by two overarching goals. The first is to engage students, and the second is to motivate them. Not all students are sure they want careers in financial services, nor are they sure they can succeed, he said.

"Early identification of top candidates is key," said Adams. "We can't create a successful pipeline if we don't do that. We plant the seed early so people don't come in with a chip on their shoulders."

PwC has a national relationship with Junior Achievement, a nonprofit organization that provides K–12 students the tools and motivation to succeed. Partnerships with Howard University and other colleges continually nurture an asset that generates a significant return on investment as the nation's top talent selects PwC as their employer of choice.

Wayne Rowe, a rising junior at Southern Methodist University, told DiversityInc why he wants to work for PwC. "They are committed to us from the beginning and they show that over years. I had an interest in finance, but no one in my family had ever been a professional," he said. "As a sophomore in college, PwC provides great contacts and incredible opportunities. That's how I learned accounting was for me."

Now an intern in PwC's Dallas-Fort Worth office, Rowe actively recruits others and believes he has what it takes to be a successful professional. "They believe in you so much that you can't help but believe in yourself."

For Brown, PwC cultivates relationships it hopes will set it apart from other firms. "I can walk into the office and call my CDO by his first name. Chris encourages us to ask him anything, to not be afraid to say what we're thinking. And PwC provides the stability and security to do so. The personal touch makes me feel valued."

It's the emphasis on individual contributions to the whole that makes PwC's approach successful, said Rowe, who cited other conferences that separate the students from the professionals. "Here we all get the same information. Times change, and some professionals can't keep up with all that goes on through the generations. The way this firm does it, we all learn and change together. PwC is not afraid of change."

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