Could a Black Man with Dreadlocks Become a Global CEO?
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is one of the oldest idioms, yet we often assess our peers based on what we think and see of them, rather than what we know and learn about them. UK Black History Month gives us all a chance to get past that, to celebrate Black contributions. Here […]
Read MorePandemic Or Not, ‘Belonging’ Is a Business Essential
The pandemic, as well as heightened social unrest spawned by the death of George Floyd, has upended work routines for employees and leaders alike. What hasn’t changed is our need to feel we belong at work. As we power through a “new normal,” I think it’s critical for employees to feel welcome, included, valued and […]
Read MoreHow Small Changes in the Hiring Process Can Lead to Big Diversity Benefits
As head of diversity and inclusion for management recruitment in the U.S., I’m always on the lookout for new avenues for finding talent. Like many companies, we’re taking steps to open up our hiring process so that we reach out to more nontraditional and under-represented candidates. Last summer, I had the privilege of attending the […]
Read MoreSee My Abilities, Not My Disability
In 2009, just as I joined Cognizant through an acquisition, a car accident left me paralyzed from the neck down. At 29 years old, and in a split second, everything changed: I was completely paralyzed in my chest, abdomen, legs and hands, and partially paralyzed in my wrists and elbows. I still had full shoulder […]
Read MoreThe Way(s) to the Future of Work
In 2010, Martin Sheen starred in The Way, an underrated but beautiful film. His character is a curmudgeonly, set-in-his-ways, late-middle-age, Type A workaholic from Los Angeles. A series of events lands him on El Camino de Santiago (translated into English as “The Way”), where circumstances compel him to interact — in life-affirming ways — with […]
Read MoreForging Our Future: Five Lessons Learned from Women Driving Change in Business, Technology and Society
The website said: “The 2019 MAKERS Conference is a global women’s leadership event that brings together the most powerful names in business, entertainment, tech, and finance to explore ways to accelerate the movement with compelling videos, provocative conversations, and onstage pledges for change.” I read this as I was preparing to head to the MAKERS […]
Read MoreMaking the Future with the Lower Eastside Girls Club
I vividly remember my first visit to the Lower Eastside Girls Club (LESGC) in November 2015. My Uber driver inquired, “Does this look like the right place?” Looking around, I felt a bit swallowed up by the endless rows of ruddy-colored brick tenements lining the narrow streets that crisscross the Lower East Side. I thanked […]
Read MoreLeveraging Tech to Remove Hiring Bias
Organizations are on an ongoing mission to create inclusive and diverse workplaces; however, many are still struggling to make this happen — and, as a result, missing out on whole pools of talent. Both consciously and unconsciously, many organizations’ hiring processes still suffer from the “comfortable clone syndrome,” i.e., selecting talent that looks the same, […]
Read MoreGetting to Equal: The Myth of the Working Mom
Let’s flip the idea of the childrearing career penalty for women on its head: What if being a working mom was seen as a career enhancement? Think about it for a moment. When men become working dads, they’re seen as settling down, getting grounded, reaching maturity. We perceive their family focus as a step forward […]
Read MoreIn Praise of Digital Immigrants
Against the struggles of racism and sexism, ageism may seem a minor concern. But prejudice against older folks is a real issue and one that should be considered in any survey of diversity and inclusion. I know ageism is real, because I’ve long been ageist. I feel emboldened to admit this because so many of […]
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