“When I came into this role, it was really important that we elevated the visibility of diversity as an objective force,” recalled Veihmeyer as he spoke with DiversityInc CEO Luke Visconti at a DiversityInc event. He discussed with Visconti why he believes equitable values are key to an inclusive workplace and how best to communicate those to the entire organization.

He noted that communicating the importance of diversity doesn’t stop with memos, emails and webcasts. “You will fall flat on your face,” he said.

Read: CEO Commitment: Why Visibility & Accountability Matter

Generating Buy-In

Veihmeyer had to convey KPMG’s goals to all leaders of local business units—a total of 150 people—and connect with them on a daily basis. “If you aren’t passionate about this, then you can’t be in your leadership role, and we do have people who don’t respond the right way,” he said. He noted that all 22,000 employees might not yet buy in, but it is imperative to have his 150 local leaders on board.

“Diversity is not just a nice thing to do because we are all good people. It’s about trying to connect the dots and intellectually make the case for why we won’t grow as fast, be as profitable, have the best latent and achieve all of our objectives without inclusion,” he added.

Recruiting & Retention

Talent management is also high on KPMG’s agenda. Despite high unemployment rates, the firm globally is facing a talent shortage. It has shifted its thinking toward an environment of sponsorship.

Veihmeyer says this mentality is an active responsibility for career progression among employees. KPMG has a Leaders Engaging Leaders program in which participants take responsibility for at least two high potentials and are held accountable for their continued growth and resignations.

Community Connection

Additionally, KPMG encourages volunteerism and community outreach. Veihmeyer believes that there is a connection between how you treat employees and clients. “I think those drawn to caring about community and making a difference in the lives of people can look at clients from an empathetic standpoint,” he said. “It’s not just about generating a fee but finding solutions and getting to the next level.”

The post KPMG’s CEO Reveals How to Be a Strong Diversity Leader appeared first on DiversityInc.

KPMG has demonstrated a strong commitment to building an inclusive future workforce, one that has racial and gender diversity. Specifically, the firm has been the co-creator and presenting sponsor of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program, in which KPMG provides financial support for college-bound student athletes participating in an RBI league. Scholarships are awarded on the merits of financial need, academic achievement, leadership skills and community service. The KPMG Foundation also started The PhD Project in 1994, which has helped more than 1,000 Blacks, Latinos and American Indians become business-school professors.

The organization is now serving more than 400 doctoral students. Led by Bernie Milano, former head of recruiting at KPMG, The PhD Project is now a separate 501(c)3 that has more than tripled the number of Black, Latino and American Indian professors in business schools. In addition, KPMG is a leading supporter of other youth-based organizations, especially GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) and INROADS. KPMG has extremely strong employee-resource groups and was honored previously for its efforts to increase employee involvement in those groups. The company has done an excellent job of using them for recruitment, engagement, retention and talent development.

Award accepted by John Veihmeyer, chairman and CEO:

“As a special-services firm, all we have is our talent. If we don’t get it right from a talent and inclusion standpoint, we are not going to be very successful. Good intentions are good, but they don’t take you where you want to go. It takes a layering of accountability. This [award] is a tremendous encouragement to keep plugging in the direction we are going … We need the right diversity in our partnership. On some metrics, we are doing a good job, but we are woefully short of where we need to get. We have a number of things to make sure that we eventually right that.”

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