This Web Accessibility icon serves as a link to download eSSENTIAL Accessibility assistive technology software for individuals with physical disabilities.

FEATURES
CEOs, CDOs Connect to Advance Diversity at Our Event
By the Editors of DiversityInc - Nov 6, 2009
| E-mail Article | Print Article | Post Comments
Photo

Also read: diversity management, diversity leadership, DiversityInc Top 50, diversity commitment, DiversityInc 2010 event series

Eleven CEOs, more than 50 chief diversity officers primarily from Fortune 500 companies, seven of the nation's leading professors and more than 30 high-level government officials took diversity management to the next level at DiversityInc's event this week, "How Leadership Expresses Diversity Commitment."

*Photo above, left to right: Lourdes Diaz (Sodexo), Jimmie Paschall (Marriott International), Dr.Rohini Anand (Sodexo)*

As they explored the intersection of leadership, innovation and business sustainability, they frequently mentioned the litmus test of courage to do what's needed, even in the face of opposition. Bill Marriott Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International, proudly talked about his decision to conflict with his Mormon church and have the company oppose Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages in California. Other CEOs and very senior corporate leaders—including PricewaterhouseCoopers' Dennis Nally, Accenture's Bill Green, Aetna's Ron Williams, Cox Communications' Pat Esser, Novartis AG's Joerg Reinhardt, KPMG's Lord Michael Hastings, Sodexo's Michael Montelongo and Michael Norris, and Rockwell Collins' Clay Jones—stressed their deep personal and professional commitment to diversity management as the key to their future corporate success.

Around 300 people attended the two-day event at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The most critical part was the interaction of the chief diversity officers during facilitated sessions. They connected directly with each other, exploring how broad topics analyzed by top minds, such as Dartmouth's Dr. Ella Bell, Rutgers' Dr. Farrokh Langdana and Dr. Simon Reich, and North Carolina A&T's Dr. Olenda Johnson, link diversity to business differentiation, which creates competitiveness and increases margin. Chief diversity officers included Anthony Carter of Johnson & Johnson, Deborah Dagit of Merck & Co., Rohini Anand of Sodexo, Jimmie Paschall of Marriott International, Cole Brown of Walmart, LaMae de Jongh of Accenture, Kerrie Peraino of American Express, Mae Douglas of Cox Communications, Essie Calhoun of Eastman Kodak Co., Wilson Dunnington of JCPenney, Robert Perkins of Burger King, Robert Crumpton of Monsanto, Billie Williamson of Ernst & Young, Jeffery Smith of Procter & Gamble, William Lee of Abbott, Margot Copeland of KeyBank, Susan Hamilton of CSX, Ed Gallegos of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Maurice Cox of PepsiCo.

Highlights of the event included heartfelt talks from passionate leaders who continue to change the thinking and the actions of corporate and mainstream America. Diego Sanchez, the first transgender person to work on Capitol Hill and senior policy adviser to Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., brought several people to tears as he told his story and emphasized how many battles still need to be won for transgender people, Latinos and others who are excluded from realizing their full potential.

"In every interaction you make, make it your testimony to express your commitment to diversity and inclusion as a lesson for everyone else," he said.

A rousing talk by Dr. Cornel West of Princeton University echoed the theme of creating opportunities and finding and enhancing real talent. "It's so easy to become obsessed with the glass ceiling, but we forget about those in the basement and those on the seventh floor," he said.

Judith E. Heumann, a polio survivor and disability-rights activist who is the director of the D.C. Department of Disability, stressed the importance of looking beyond stereotypes to see the potential in people.

Alma Morales Riojas, CEO of MANA, emphasized how corporate America, especially on the East Coast, puts itself at peril if it ignores the talent pool of Latinas. "No matter how many degrees they have, no matter how successful they are, there are always going to be barriers," she said, adding that while women in general are paid 74 cents versus $1 for men, Latinas are only paid 57 cents.

Dr. Richard McCormick, president of Rutgers University, spoke passionately about his own commitment to diversity and to the Rutgers Future Scholars program, in which eighth-grade Black and Latino students from low-income families get the exposure and guidance to become successful college students and future productive employees. He told the moving story of a girl in a poor area whose neighbors flocked to see the large red-and-white Rutgers bus coming onto their street. "Who is that bus coming for?" they wondered. The girl proudly stated, "It's coming for me!"

Several of the corporations present have contributed to the Rutgers Future Scholars, including Merck & Co. and AT&T. They understand the critical need to not leave this future talent behind. For more information on Rutgers Future Scholars, click here.

Seven companies that exemplify this type of visionary effort to create a sustainable future work force received special recognition. DiversityInc CEO Luke Visconti presented awards to their CEOs and top leaders at a black-tie gala. Recipients were PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, Cox Communications, Sodexo, KPMG, Novartis and Aetna.

"These companies were chosen based on DiversityInc's exclusive knowledge of their diversity initiatives after a decade of collecting and analyzing in-depth diversity-management data. With 401 companies participating in the DiversityInc Top 50 last year, we are in the unique position of being able to evaluate which companies are really setting the bar on diversity-management initiatives," said Visconti.

The award categories and those accepting them were:

  • Top Company for Working Families: PricewaterhouseCoopers. "We have embarked on a mission to be here for families," said Dennis Nally, global chairman. "Even in these uncertain times, it's more important than ever to demonstrate our commitment."
  • Top Company for Generational Communications: Accenture. With 177,000 employees in 120 countries, "we're proud of our accomplishments," said Chairman and CEO Bill Green, "and we feel good about the progress we have made."
  • Top Company for Community Development: Aetna. "It's important for us to look like our communities," said Ronald Williams, Chairman and CEO. "And it's important that we create the next generation of leaders."
  • Top Company for Talent Pipeline: Cox Communications. "The reason why people flourish at Cox is it's a company that appreciates their perspectives," said President Pat Esser.
  • Top Company for Executive Development: Sodexo. "We appreciate this award," Michael Norris, chief operating officer and market president of corporate services, said, "and thank you, DiversityInc, for all your help."
  • Top Company for Global Cultural Competence: Novartis AG. "From a cultural-competency standpoint, diversity and inclusion is a non-negotiable element within our organization," said Chief Operating Officer Joerg Reinhardt.
  • Top Company for Employee-Resource Groups: KPMG. "We are instinctually a people business," said Lord Michael Hastings.

What's next in the rapid evolution of diversity management? DiversityInc will present the findings of the first Global Diversity Survey and highlight global issues and the critical diversity-management best practices for federal agencies at our March 9–10 event in Washington, D.C. The 2010 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® will be announced at the March 9 dinner. Click here for details or contact Carolynn Johnson at cjohnson@DiversityInc.com. Download the full list of DiversityInc 2010 events.

DiversityInc is also launching the first employee-engagement survey that measures the impact of diversity initiatives by tying them directly to race/ethnicity, gender, age, orientation, disability and to best practices measured in The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity survey. For more information, contact Luke Visconti at lvisconti@DiversityInc.com or Barbara Frankel at bfrankel@DiversityInc.com.

Your opinions and thoughts...
Posted Wednesday Nov 4, 2009 by Guest;
For those who heard Diego Sanchez share the frustration of being transgender in America, no doubt his comments were spot on target. Those of you in positions to influence hiring at all levels of Corporate America must recognize that your willingness to employ transgender individuals cannot bolster an empty commitment to diversity for diversity’s sake alone - it must reflect that the transgender employee is qualified, experienced and committed to the success of the enterprises in which they are engaged. Now I know that sounds obvious – perhaps even naively axiomatic, but the facts are too often this - you don't look past your discomfort when faced with a gender non-conforming individual. Too often, you seem to be intent on measuring how “passable” a transgender individual is before you seriously consider their qualifications. You often ask the unspoken questions: how will my clients react to interacting with this person – how will hiring a transgender individual adversely affect my business. Will I lose clients? Will my clients insist on working with another employee with whom they are perhaps more “comfortable”? Should my hiring decisions be predicated upon the assumed prejudice of my customer base? The facts are we did not ask to be transgender – we didn’t choose it as a “lifestyle”. For many of us, being transgender in America is singularly perplexing and alienating. It is an inescapable reality that many of us have dealt with for decades. Notwithstanding all that, we are often talented, intensely loyal, and highly motivated. Our experience has been not unlike that of previous generations of minorities who have had to “work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously.” We don’t want your pity – we want what any other American should be granted without hesitation or argument – that is, the opportunity to succeed or fail on our individual merits and on our willingness to work hard. To be evaluated on any other basis is simply bigotry. I have often confronted in my cisgendered friends and colleagues a troubling attitude; “well you know it’s just human nature” they shrug. Is it “human nature” to fear and hate what you do not understand? Is it human nature to judge others from a position of nearly complete ignorance? We endure much to be as providence made us. Our individual struggles have fortified us, made us creative, articulate and extremely tough-minded. You will each realize this when you challenge yourself to look beyond your ignorance and your discomfort to the whole, complex and talented human being sitting opposite you in your conference room. .
Posted Friday Nov 6, 2009 by Guest;
This top down event is critical as an agent of change, since the CEO's have the power of the pen, they decide who will be a part of their organization. The missing element is applying the same energy given to the retail side of their business to the supplier base. Many are exerting an impressive effort, with noticible gains obtaining the dollars of the emerging markets of diverse communities. I have yet to hear anyone say we are limiting ourselves to a 10% or less goal of the retail dollars of these communities. Yet, many limit thier supplier base, made up these very same communities suppliers to 10% or less and consider meeting these success. Proportional spend with suppliers from these communities should be the minimum goal. With these dollars these companies can employe people, paying them a living wage, with benefits. They in turn now have a vested interest in the coporations doing business with their employer. They will support those companies with purchase of their goods and services and encourage all they know to do the same. Additionally, they now join the corporation as tax payers, expanding those carrying the load. The economy is stimulated as those without cars, homes, appliances, and other equipment and services supporting home ownership purchase these necessary items, which are repeat sales. A review of the dollars passing through the hands of these people is availabe through this magazines Business Case for Diversity. Building sustainable minority businesses is the furute of America, as the middle class is becoming a shade of a different color. We can not have a broke middle class..

Comment on this article   
Name:
 E-mail Address:
Comments:*

| E-mail Article | Print Article | Post Comments

Career Search


Quick Search Advanced Search

Top Stories Video

How Women Are Changing the Navy What Message Do You Send?
How Is The PhD Project Changing Business? How to Handle an Abusive Boss
Business From a People Perspective

Veteran-Owned Business