Tag: Diversity & Inclusion

Moving Beyond Race & Gender: A Perspective on Diversity & Inclusion

Beyond Race & Gender

Earlier this year, on May 17th, Dr. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr.—a pioneer in diversity management in the workplace—passed away.  Some of his books helped shape my thinking on diversity and inclusion.  It started for me in 2007 when as a participant of NASA’s Leadership Development Program, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator Charles Scales recommended that we read Thomas’ Beyond Race & Gender—the best book on diversity management he’d ever read.

Coincidentally, while I was spending my year in Washington, D.C., I learned that Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the first-ever Federal Agencies’ Diversity Day on November 28, 2007.  I attended and eagerly scribed notes on his talk about “Diversity Today:  A Business Case for the Federal Government.”  Thomas walked through the evolution in approaches to diversity from the Traditional (1960’s) focus on social justice and workforce representation to Diversity (1980’s), which introduced the concepts of diversity and inclusion.  Thomas noted that we’re stuck on “numbers” and “relationships” because society rewards progress on both.  Then, he went on to challenge the title of his talk, noting that diversity itself is not good or bad—instead, diversity management will help you move forward as a leader…

To learn more about Thomas’ views, continue here.

 

My Diversity & Inclusion Journey: Brady’s “Incompetency”

White Like Me

In the Summer of 2009, our Human Resources Leadership Team was stuck… Let me set the context.  Our HR Director and another key member of the team returned from a Diversity Boot Camp, led by Steve Robbins—a self-proclaimed “powerful storyteller with a powerful story to tell”.  They wanted to facilitate a dialogue and critically examine different perspectives. Interestingly, the white men—about a third of our leadership team—shut down and became silent while the conversation continued.

Following the retreat, I visited with our HR Director, and we agreed a different approach was needed to make sure the full team remained engaged.  I committed to helping engage my fellow white men.  Click here to read more.