No. 1: Inclusion Creates Innovation
Toyota Financial Services offered case studies on how diverse teams have led to innovative business solutions, including increased performance in times of economic turbulence and more engaged employees/leadership.

Watch additional excerpts from Toyota’s presentation.

No. 2: It’s Never to Late to ‘Get’ It
After being in business for 93 years, Hilton Worldwide started its first resource groups and got five (with 20 chapters) up to speed within a year.

Watch additional excerpts from Hilton Worldwide’s presentation.

No. 3: Use Personal Examples to Sell D&I
In getting white men to “buy in” to the value of diversity or in convincing entire staffs that the CEO really supports this, the personal story is critical, as leaders of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Toyota Financial Services, Deloitte, Cox Communications and Altria told us.

Watch additional excerpts from the roundtable.

No. 4: Challenge Assumptions
Everyone has biases and blind spots. Deloitte’s diversity leadership said that it’s important to find out what those are and to challenge assumptions.

Watch additional excerpts from Deloitte’s presentation.

No. 5: Use Metrics to Evaluate Business Success
The most successful D&I initiatives measure results, as ADP’s new effort to recruit and retain veterans shows. The company has recognized the value of veterans in its workplace and has jumpstarted efforts to recruit, retain and engage former service members.

Watch additional excerpts from ADP’s presentation.

The post 5 Lessons Learned at Innovation Fest! & Do White Men Need Diversity Outreach? appeared first on DiversityInc.

Building on Ernst & Young’s successful 2012 Black History Month Executive Roundtable in Oakland, the firm hosted more than 500 professionals, community leaders and students during an expanded 2013 Black History Month roundtable series in Oakland, Los Angeles and Seattle this February. While each event offered unique elements, all featured compelling panel discussions about the career progression and personal achievements of black professionals, as well as diversity and inclusiveness business strategies.

Each roundtable was moderated by an Ernst & Young current or retired partner, including Risk Partner Marcus Odedina in Seattle; Ernst & Young Americas Inclusiveness Officer Karyn Twaronite (pictured above) in Oakland; and retired Midwest Region Managing Partner and Vice Chair Tony Anderson in Los Angeles. Roundtable panelists represented leading West Coast businesses such as: Joanne Harrell, Senior Director of Public Affairs and US Citizenship at Microsoft; Kelvin E. Council, CFO of Boeing Commercial Aviation; Gregory Adams, President of the Northern California Region Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals; and Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of NBC Universal.

“Our Black History Month dialogue in Oakland was remarkable, and I’m so thrilled that business and community demand for these discussions inspired us to create an event series,” said Ernst & Young’s Karyn Twaronite. “Within our organization, I’m consistently reminded of how our black professionals are building a better working world, and these cross-company events made it clear there are so many more success stories to celebrate throughout our businesses and communities — yet we must tell these stories if we want to replicate and multiply them.”

Reflecting on different career journeys

No one’s career starts at the top, and the panelists offered motivating and inspirational stories about their journeys into leadership roles and the C-suite, as well as their unique experiences as black professionals. For example, Kaiser’s Gregory Adams told the Oakland audience that despite growing up in the South in the 1960s and personally experiencing discrimination, “It never defined who I was or who I was going to be.”

During the Seattle roundtable, Microsoft’s Joanne Harrell shared her own stories and perspectives on her success and personal achievements, emphasizing the importance of feeling “centered, comfortable and confident.” Boeing’s Kelvin Council stressed that focusing on performance and technical competency plays a key role in having a successful career. 

Finding common ground in taking risks, learning from mistakes

Each panel provided different takeaways, yet one recurring theme was that taking risks throughout your career is a necessary step to growing professionally. For example, during the Los Angeles roundtable, NBC Universal’s Craig Robinson shared how he is pleased that he pushed through his concerns about taking a job in Columbus, Ohio, a city he had never been to before and was not particularly interested in. “Not only was the opportunity excellent for my career, but it turned out to be the best five years of my life,” he said.

When the Seattle discussion turned to career-shaping opportunities and lessons learned, Boeing’s Kelvin Council commented that, “Everyone makes mistakes, but it is the professional who is willing to take ownership and find a solution who leverages challenges as opportunities to grow professionally.”

Ernst & Young LLP retired partner Tony Anderson noted that this thinking goes to the core of being authentic. “You have to allow people to be who they are at work — not 50%, not 75%, their whole selves. Only then can people truly provide their diverse views, improve the decision-making process and help your organization realize the true value of diversity.”

Building your brand, your network and your board

Another shared theme of the roundtables was the importance of building your personal and professional reputation and continually growing and fostering your professional network. At the Los Angeles roundtable, NBC Universal’s Craig Robinson summarized it well: networking is a quality game, not a quantity game. On the other hand, Kaiser’s Gregory Adams recommended to the Oakland audience that finding a way to disconnect is important, because you can’t bring your true value if you are always connected. He walks an hour and a half a day to unplug.

Finally, the Seattle panelists emphasized how critical it is to establish professional mentors and personal accountability. Boeing’s Kelvin Council suggested building a personal board of directors to rely on for regular, candid and meaningful advice. Microsoft’s Joanne Harrell added that she focuses on being accountable for herself rather than investing time in comparing her work to that of others.

“The Seattle event was yet another validation that translating the tremendous potential of black professionals into positions of power requires both personal passion and sponsorship,” said Ernst & Young’s Marcus Odedina. “This series was largely possible because of our Black Professional Network and similar groups, and I applaud their efforts to bring this learning and networking to the community so we can close what is too often a gap between black potential and power.”

For others considering investment in a D&I event series, Neal Sornsen, Ernst & Young’s San Francisco Bay Area Major Accounts Coordinating Partner, added, “The cross-company planning and participation in this series resulted in meaningful relationship building that advanced D&I initiatives and furthered our joint business goals. I joined many firm partners in hosting and engaging in several events from beginning to end. The events may have taken place in the West, but I am confident their impact extends across the US andbeyond.”

* This article features contributed content and has not been fact-checked or copy-edited by DiversityInc.

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Prudential Financial: You May Not ‘Get’ D&I—But You Have To

Creating a culture of diversity and inclusion means including everyone—personally and professionally. That’s the mindset Prudential Financial leverages to create its business case for diversity, explained Michele C.Meyer-Shipp, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Prudential Financial. “For all of us to succeed we have to be able to market our services to diverse communities,” she said. “You might not get it but you have to.”

Altria: Is Diversity a Zero-Sum Game for White Men?

Diversity and inclusion: What’s in it for white men? That’s the question you as a diversity leader need to answer if you’re going to gain buy-in from your white, male senior leaders, said Nancy Adams, Senior Manager, HR Client Services/Diversity/AAP of Altria. She noted that it’s important to shift the conversation away from race and gender toward discussions about how inclusion benefits white men. “But there’s always a small minority of people who just see the world as a zero-sum game,” she says, and the challenge is getting through to them.

Toyota: Attention Straight, White Men—Diversity Includes You Too

Toyota Financial Services’ diversity leaders work hard to get their D&I message out—and a big catalyst for that effort is visible commitment from the company’s senior executives, such as CEO George Borst, Toyota Financial Services. “I had a man come up to me and say he joined the women’s group because ‘I have three daughters and I would want them to have the opportunities they wouldn’t have had if they had grown up in my day,” recalled Stephen Lewis, Corporate Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, Toyota Financial Services.

Cox Communications: How to Begin Diversity Outreach to White Men?

“Everyone has something to share, something to learn from each other,” said Rhonda Taylor, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer of Cox Communications. Taylor notes it starts with opening up the dialogue around our differences and creating an atmosphere that allows employees to ask the hard questions and share their personal stories to make a connection.

The post Can CEOs, Diversity Leaders Use Personal Examples to Sell D&I to White Men? appeared first on DiversityInc.

“White men in the diversity and inclusion space are much more focused on product over process … but there is no silver bullet,” explained PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Chris Brassell, Director, National Office of Diversity, at DiversityInc’s White Men & Diversity event.

Brassell detailed how PwC takes a straightforward, top-to-bottom approach toward diversity management that allows its diversity leaders to effectively build support and understanding for diversity management among white, male leaders in each of the 20 markets it serves. “We need people to understand what it is, and what it isn’t,” said Brassell. “We want to make this a conversation about listening. This is not punitive.”

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is No. 1 in the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50.

The post White Men for Diversity: How PwC Spreads Diversity Messaging appeared first on DiversityInc.

“Success requires more innovative problem solving, and more innovative problem solving demands diversity and inclusion,” Shi said. Watch clips from his presentation below. Or you can view the full presentation from Toyota and download the slides at DiversityIncBestPractices.com.

Stephen Howard, Corporate Manager of Debt and Derivatives, Toyota Financial Services, shared how Toyota’s Treasury Department uses the diverse backgrounds and thoughts of its team and its suppliers to generate  significant business results.

“Working together with MWBEs is a sustainable platform. It’s good for business. It improves our ever-changing national demographic for the better,” Howard said. Watch clips from his presentation below. Or you can view the full presentation from Toyota and download the slides at DiversityIncBestPractices.com.

Toyota Motor North America is No. 41 in the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50.

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“We identified high-performing, high-potential individuals from these different demographic groups who demonstrated leadership and who could step up and, as busy as their schedules are, really take this on,” said, Ford. “Your’re doing this because you have passion; you believe in the mission of the company.”

Hilton’s resource groups enhance the company’s culture, talent and marketplace strategies by allowing employees to feel valued—and bring their whole selves to work, said Ford.

The post Hilton: Which Employees Make the Best Resource-Group Leaders? appeared first on DiversityInc.

“It’s not about what I think I represent but what our people think I represent,” said  Kelvin Womack, Principal, Deloitte, at DiversityInc Innovation Fest! Wolmack detailed Deloitte’s best practices to retain and develop talent by leveraging the connection between diversity, innovation and stronger collective thinking.

Additionally, Womack says this inclusive leadership is key in helping LGBT employees feel comfortable enough to “come out” at work, which can drastically improve retention among this group. He explained how the firm improves its innovation potential and marketplace success by leveraging its inclusive culture and encouraging employees to bring their whole selves to work.

The post What’s Deloitte’s Top Leadership Imperative? appeared first on DiversityInc.

Cloutier also explained (video below) how the company has changed its recruitment efforts to align job codes to find talented veteran employees. ADP particularly values veterans for their history of service and leadership experience.

ADP is No. 27 in the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50.

The post ADP: What Technologies Can Increase Veteran Recruitment? appeared first on DiversityInc.

Ernst & Young
Get on Board: Driving Action Through Gender Parity
NEW YORK CITY—Ernst & Young hosted “Get on Board: Driving Action Through Gender Parity,” a Forté Foundation event about woman representation in corporate boardrooms at which Forté released its list of Global Board-Ready Women. Nancy Altobello, Ernst & Young’s Americas Vice Chair, People, opened the program by discussing key data from a new E&Y report on the number of women on U.S. boards, and Karyn Twaronite, E&Y Partner and Chief Inclusiveness Officer, participated in a panel discussion. In attendance was DiversityInc Vice President, Consulting Debby Scheinholtz. Ernst & Young is No. 6 in the DiversityInc Top 50.

Forest City
Real Estate Associate Program (REAP)
BEACHWOOD, Ohio—DiversityInc CEO Luke Visconti spoke at a session of the Real Estate Associate Program (REAP)—a 13-week series of courses that exposes professionals from underrepresented groups to the commercial real-estate business—at the headquarters of DDR. The session, titled “Career Workshop,” was facilitated by Andrew Passen, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Forest City; Mark Floyd, Executive Vice President of Employment at DDR; and Daniel Gold, Vice President of Human Resources at Associated Estates. Forest City and DDR sponsored the program, which had only been held in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.

TD Bank
Women in Leadership
MT. LAUREL, N.J.—TD Bank celebrated three years of its Women in Leadership program with a presentation on TD Bank’s diversity initiatives from President and CEO Bharat Masrani, a panel with a number of the company’s most senior women leaders, and a keynote address from Betsy Myers, Founding Director of the Center for Women & Business at Bentley University and former official in the Clinton Administration. The event was attended by DiversityInc General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Transformation Services Lora Fong; Director of Benchmarking Shane Nelson; and Web Editor Stacy Straczynski. TD Bank is one of DiversityInc’s 25 Noteworthy Companies.

National Organization on Disability
NOD’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
NEW YORK CITY—The National Organization on Disability’s 30th anniversary celebration was held at the offices of McGraw-Hill. Kessler Foundation President and CEO Rodger DeRose spoke about the disability employment field and NOD’s place within it. NOD Chairman Tom Ridge and NOD President Carol Glazer presented awards to founder Alan Reich and founding board members. NOD also screened its 30th anniversary video, featuring board member and actor Robert David Hall (CSI), and highlighted its two signature programs: Bridges to Business and Wounded Warrior Career Demonstration. Members of NOD’s CEO Council, including from DiversityInc Top 50 companies Aetna (No. 24) and MetLife (No. 50), were recognized. DiversityInc Foundation Director Stuart Arnold attended the event.

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Diversity Supplier Event Drives Success
WEST CHESTER, OHIO—Adriene K. Bruce, vice president of consulting at DiversityInc, addressed the South Central Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council’s 2012 Cincinnati Business Golf Classic on Sept. 14. This Driving ‘Fore’ Business and Economic Growth event, held at the Wetherington Golf & Country Club, featured two workshops for minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) suppliers: Measuring Your Progress and Reporting Your Outcomes, and Improving Fiscal Operations for Business Success.

NYC Admin Breakfast Celebrates LGBT Pride
NEW YORK CITY—Barbara Frankel, senior vice president and executive editor of DiversityInc, spoke at the City of New York’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ LGBT Pride Month Breakfast on June 27. Frankel spoke about what being an inclusive organization entails and the increasing importance of LGBT rights to corporate America. She is a member of the board of directors of GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Approximately 250 people attended the breakfast.

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