As part of the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2021 Diversity, Inclusion + Equity Symposium, our Co-Founder, Renee Young, joined other inspiring LA leaders for a DEI-focused masterclass on best practices for creating productive company cultures.
Renee spoke with host Dr. Lois Shelton (Professor of Management, CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics) and fellow panelists Kandee Lewis (Chief Executive Officer, Positive Results Center), Teresa Maxwell (DBE Compliance Manager, Skanska USA Inc.) and Ken Wiseman (Chief Workforce Development Officer, AMS Fulfillment) about why fostering diverse teams is essential to business success.
“To me, it means creating an environment that is welcoming and engaging. I mean, if you really look at it, I choose the example of a pie. Let’s say you have all these great ingredients—you’ve got flour, you’ve got eggs, milk, water, apples. But it’s when you combine everything together that you’ve got something really amazing. For a business to really succeed, you’ve got to create an environment where people can be their most authentic self. I think what’s really important is that when people pull into their parking space or go up the elevator, or in the case of today, where we’re working from our spare bedrooms, people really need to feel recognized and heard to really contribute to moving the business forward. It’s a hugely critical piece to really make a business truly successful.” Check out the panel to hear more about how companies can support more diverse workplaces, including creating supplier diversity programs, unconscious bias training, the encouraging rise of Chief Diversity Officers in executive leadership, and why HR is “mission critical” for DEI efforts: https://labusinessjournal.com/di2021/
For more of Renee’s thoughts on the role of company leadership in fostering diversity, and the double-edged sword of “cultural fit,” read her interview with the LA Business Journal: https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2021/mar/19/creating-and-maintaining-diverse-and-inclusive-cul/
