By McClain Lilly, marketing & communications coordinator, Greenville Chamber of Commerce
The third annual Greenville Chamber Diversity & Inclusion Summit, held Oct. 8 at the Greenville Convention Center, brought more than 700 people together to discuss the best practices in the field.
Everyone from business leaders to industry practitioners to those just beginning their work to build inclusive organizations and environments came together for an all-day summit that included three keynote sessions and eight workshops. Some topics covered included:
- Retaining diverse talent in the workplace.
- Finding common places through conflict resolution.
- Closing the generational gap.
- Mentorship.
- Putting your diversity and inclusion voice into action
The three keynotes included Jennifer Brown, “Covering, Intersectionality, and Allyship: The Next Way We Need to Advocate for Inclusive Organizations,” a conversation with Lee Gill and Victoria Russell, “A Look into Papa John’s Efforts to Drive a More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Culture” and Karen Hinds, “Empowering Leaders of Distinction.”
Here are a few of the key takeaways from the summit:
Amplify those who can’t amplify themselves
“We often think of bias as something being done to us, but we often ‘cover’ in anticipation of that bias,” Jennifer Brown said in her keynote. Sixty-one percent of people in the workplace “cover,” or downplay a part of themselves that is a known, stigmatized identity by changing their affiliations, appearance or associations. Underrepresented people cover the most, but Brown said the big “a-ha moment” for her was that 45% of white males cover as well, hiding political affiliations, socioeconomic backgrounds, religion or levels of education. Allies are needed to lift the covering work, amplify the voices of those who feel underrepresented, and create a safe and inclusive environment that allows everyone to bring their full selves to work.
By 2035, the minority will be the majority
When Victoria Russell accepted the position of chief diversity officer at Papa John’s in the wake of their recent public-relations crisis, she knew that she had a lot of work ahead of her — and her first act was writing her own job description. “The best advice I received when I took on this role was that I can’t have this job if I am afraid to lose it.” During her tenure at Papa John’s thus far, she has implemented diversity and inclusion training that has helped the Papa John’s team become the family they always wanted to be. Russell says that she knows that not everyone will continue this journey with them, but they are an inclusive company and their values align with that now. “By 2035, the minority will be the majority, and if you don’t currently have a multicultural strategy, you don’t have a growth strategy,,” Russell says. As leaders and allies, it falls on those with a seat at the table to look around, figure out who is missing and pull up a chair for them.
Empowered people empower people
At the end of the day, Karen Hinds charged all attendees with a call to action: multiply yourselves. “An effective leader solves problems and helps other grow into their greatness. What will you do with the knowledge you have gained today,” she asked. By taking ownership and committing to taking consistent action, diversity can become infectious. She stressed that you don’t have to have a diversity and inclusion title to develop a personal DI strategy. Hinds encouraged attendees to know their personal value without their respective titles and to recognize how that impacts their organizations.
“People do business with those they know, like and trust,” Hinds said. “We want to expand what that looks like.”
Save the date for the 2020 Diversity & Inclusion Summit, Oct. 20, 2020.
