Alignment and partnership between business and community

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In last week’s blog, I summarized a workshop I presented on September 22 at the Carolinas Conference on Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement. The workshop and blog reviewed the growing need for competencies around diversity and global awareness for leaders in today’s fast growing diverse global economy.

In addition to the workshop, I also was one of six panelists on a “Leadership Panel Discussion” along with other business and community leaders. One of the questions posed to the panel was “Is there a need for alignment or partnership between community and business organizations in our constantly changing local or regional landscape? Any recommendations for fostering these partnerships?”

I offered four points:

1. Traditionally, corporations have taken the lead in community partnerships and promoting diversity. For example, IBM provided equal opportunity and equal pay for African American and female employees at least a decade before it became federal law. Today, many corporations include sexual orientation and gender identity / expression in their diversity policies, as well as offer domestic partner benefits whereas our federal government has been unsuccessful in providing these protections and benefits. Especially with the log jam in Congress today, corporations will need to step up and lead.

2. In today’s economy, corporate wealth continues to increase while personal wealth is decreasing. A recent Associated Press article (link to article) reported that in the past quarter, personal wealth declined by 0.3% while at the same time corporate wealth (cash stockpiles specifically) increased 4.5%. It only makes sense that along with corporate wealth increase comes additional responsibility to lead within the community utilizing these resources.

3. A very important way for corporations to help the economy and local community is to focus on business development projects in traditionally poor areas with high levels of unemployment.

4. Finally, corporations, as they participate in corporate projects should continue to encourage employees to individually get involved in their community. This can involve not overworking employees so they have the time to get involved in their communities, providing additional time off for participation in projects, and continuing programs like matching grants where corporations provide matching donations to their employee community contributions.

Core Competencies for Leading in Today’s Competitive Diverse Global Economy

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Last week I presented a workshop at the Diversity Council of the Carolinas 2011 Conference on Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement. Below is a short summary. Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to schedule me to present a similar workshop for you or for a copy of my presentation.

Over the past 20 years there have been tremendous changes in the global world that has now dictated that we look at the economy though lenses of global and diversity dynamics. These include:

Work teams are now becoming much more diverse and multi-national


• Work teams with all employees co-located together in a single location to virtual global workteams which could include people from several different countries
• US centric sales strategy to now growth coming from fast growing economies in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South America. The US economy is now in the bottom half of all nations in year to year growth.
• From a white male American workforce to a workforce that includes more women, people of color and people from various countries.\
• The internet has enabled global sales to anyone anywhere, and web-based supply chain applications has opened up global procurement possibilities.

The internet has enabled tremendous growth in global sales and supply chains

I have studied five different management competency models and have identified eight competencies that appeared in three or more models. A competency is a skill that can be learned and developed. Of those eight competencies, six have a strong global / diversity component:
1. Being able to work across boundaries and to embrace multiple dimensions of diversity
2. Being able to partner, collaborate and team – especially with diverse, global people
3. Empowering, leading, mentoring others – and that includes diverse people and people outside the US that are now in your enterprise
4. Strategic risk taking / entrepreneurial spirit, since stepping out of your comfort zone to engage with a diverse global world does involve taking risk
5. Embracing change and being adaptable since you need to be flexible and able to adjust management style when dealing with a wide diversity of people
6. Being a life-long learner, curiosity – since you need to be willing to learn, stretch and grow in interacting globally.