Monthly Archives: May 2016

Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision supporting nationwide marriage equality for same-sex couples was a historic ruling, and for those of us that support and promote diversity, it was a very positive development in the LGBT population’s fight for civil rights. Of course, the ruling will most directly affect same-sex couples in states that previously prevented them from legally marrying. However, employers will also feel the effects of the ruling in differing ways.

Last spring, Starbucks launched a controversial campaign called Race Together, encouraging baristas in its chain stores to write the words “Race Together” on customers’ cups to encourage dialogue about race. Swift criticism of the campaign included the belief that it was a marketing ploy, a poorly planned effort with good intentions, and the accusation that Starbucks was being hypocritical given its lack of racial diversity in leadership.

I remember the first time I saw those boxes. It was in the fifth grade, the first time I had to take a standardized testing exam. The usual blanks were there for me to fill: my name, the date, my grade and my school. But below the customary lay the unfamiliar: a heading titled “Racial/Ethnic Category,” and under it, the five racial and one ethnic categories in the United States, as defined by the US Census Bureau: African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and White/Caucasian.

Today’s executives are being asked to communicate their organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy to more diverse audiences and in a variety of cultural settings. The key to success is a well briefed executive who is comfortable with the content, understands the business relevance of diversity and inclusion, and believes that they can deliver a powerful and motivational message.

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During the summer of 2001, I was one of 50 law students chosen to work as a summer associate in the Washington, DC office of an international law firm. Coming from Indiana to the place commonly called “Chocolate City,” I expected to see a diverse class of summer associates. But as I looked around the room, I didn’t see any other African Americans and only a few other law students of color. This lack of diversity concerned me, so I boldly expressed my concerns during a training session. I distinctly remember pointing out the irony of a summer associate class that did not reflect the diversity of Washington, DC.

A marked change is taking place in workplace demographics across the country that has employers scrambling to leverage the advantages of generational diversity to...

Minority Owned organizations tend to wait on contracts, go after RFP's, and then wait for the results. These are barriers that can hold you back. How often have you listened as someone rationalized his or her mishandling of a business problem by externalizing its source: "I can't meet my projections because . . .," "They won't do business with a company of my size" or "the margins are too low"? Closer scrutiny almost always reveals the source of the problem to be internal, stemming from the persons concept of self - specifically, a state of mind that prevents him or her from trying to break through their "success barrier." This state of mind is your "comfort zone."

By 2020, Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z will co-exist in the workforce. Workforces are becoming progressively diverse in age demographics, creating environments that are opulent with experience as well as youthful enthusiasm. If organizations want to remain competitive in the 21st Century, it is imperative that they implement strategies to navigate the age-diversity of the 2020 workforce. Organizations that embrace the concept of the multi-generational workforce can benefit from the diverse range of skills that comes with employing workers in a varying age ranges.

There are  many types of systems of thinking in today’s organizations, and as new generations start entering the market place, leaders need to be...