Archive for April, 2010

Diversity from the Inside Out

Monday, April 26th, 2010

By Renae Sanders

As the world grows smaller, the opportunity to conduct business with or through culturally diverse individuals increases significantly. The days of homogeneous organizations are dwindling among large organizations, but homogeneity is remains common among small businesses. Organizational makeup with standing, the greatest opportunity to succeed in business is the ability to penetrate diverse markets.

According to the US Census, 52% of the U.S. population will be people of color by 2050, with the Latino population representing 25% of the population. DiversityInc (2007) reported foreign born workers accounted for nearly 100% of the workforce growth between 1990-2005. Layer on generational differences, growth of the women’s workforce, increased cultural and ethnic diversity and organization leaders will find themselves facing, for many, an eye opening demographic shift.

Business leaders are increasingly seeing the benefits of entering specific markets represented by businesses and professionals of diverse cultural backgrounds and ethnic origins. Companies that fail to learn about such markets or who resist the need to hire and retain a diverse workforce miss the extraordinary benefits of doing so.

Organizations skilled at harvesting the knowledge and perspectives of diverse groups (i.e. diverse cultures, religions, age, views and experiences) make better choices than those who are stuck in their homogeneous views; who respond predictably to problems. For instance, PepsiCo Inc.’s Hispanic employees were instrumental in helping the company develop the guacamole chip, which sold $100M of the new chips it first year. It also used their diverse employee base to provide insight into the successful launch of Code Red which sold 100 million cases and grew the Mountain Dew brand by 6% (Standford GSB News, 2004). While the size and scale of these examples are huge, the importance of being open to diversity and inclusion should not be lost on small businesses. Diversity and inclusion can help drive innovation, problem solving, employee retention and open doors to new markets. But don’t be confused. Hiring people of color as a silver bullet for entering new markets is a mistake. If employees of any age, gender, cultural origin, or religion do not feel valued or respected for the skills they bring to the organization the benefits of your efforts to grow or change will be difficult.

I come back to this perspective about diversity, “The power and beauty of diversity is everywhere. The challenge with diversity lies within each of us”.

Sources

DiversityInc. (2007). Facts and figures. Impact of immigrants.

Stanford Graduate School of Business. (2004). A more diverse workforce is good for business at Pepisco. Retrieved April 23, 2010 from http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/vftt_reinemund.shtml

U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). Retrieved April 21, 2010 for http://www.census.gov

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Posted in Diversity & Inclusion, Dr. Renae Sanders, Multicultural, Organization Relationships, Small Business | 62 Comments »

From Corporate to Business Owner: Women Face Same Challenges

Friday, April 9th, 2010

By Renae Sanders

As women, laid-off in the wake of the greatest economic crisis since the 1930s, forge a path toward their “new normal”, an increasing number are experiencing a phenomenon often only heard about in large corporations – sexual harassment. The twist; It’s not an employer-employee dynamic, rather B2B.

The small business arena is a new to many new women business owners, but the challenges facing women as they seek to demonstrate their skills as business leaders and express creativity through business interactions are dealing with double entendres, outright propositions, from men who often suggest “if you showed a little more, your business could be more successful”. 

Women have gained the experience, education, and resources necessary to lead organizations, large and small. However, having to contend with sexual overtures while conducting business is, at best, a waste of precious time; at worse, it is a continuation of major workplace problem -the objectification of women.

Most business people expect a certain amount of decorum when working across gender and seek to separate business and pleasure.  Research and an internet search on “small business and sexual harassment” indicate the lack of structure in small businesses, the lack of policy or HR professionals on staff, make this space ripe for increased infractions and scrutiny.

Does your small business have a policy against sexual harassment? Have you experienced B2B innuendo or sexual overtures during business interactions? 

Related article(s)

Employment Discrimination and Harassment

Renae Sanders is the Managing Director at KRS Consulting, LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in organizational relationships. Believing people are the link between strategy and success, Renae works with organizations, leaders, and managers to strengthen internal relationships. You can reach her at renae@krsconsult.com.

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Posted in Diversity & Inclusion, Dr. Renae Sanders, Small Business, Uncategorized, Women's Leadership | 48 Comments »

Your Vocal Image is Critical to Your Personal Brand

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

By Renae Sanders

One of the primary roles of leaders is communication – the ability to express your ideas effectively. Vocal expression is the ability to communication emotion and credibility through the words we use and how we use them. Your vocal image strengthens your personal brand.

Your personal brand encompasses experience, values, behaviors, attitudes, appearance and voice. Voice is underrepresented in the realm of professional development. Regional accents play an enormous role in building trust and credibility; consider the New Yorker, the Southerner, and the Valley Girl dialects. Moreover, vocal register or pitch has a similar affect. High pitched, nasal sounds make us more uncomfortable than lower, deeper tones associated with the middle voice relative to the deep, commando tone which reminds us of our parent(s), a drill sergeant, or the mean old teacher; consider Dennis Haysbert vs. Fran Drescher, Sean Connery vs. Chris Tucker, or Oprah Winfrey vs. Rosie O’Donnell, different vocal ranges and speech patterns illicit different emotions.

If you are being questioned more at work than others, it maybe that your speaking style contributes to your lack of trustworthiness as determined by others; do you have an “up speak” at the end of your sentences? Or is your voice high and soft (male or female)? Your vocal presence can be changed just like learning to run a marathon, training to build stamina, or weight loss; with the exception of birth defects, your vocal presence can be improved.

It’s not about your level of intelligence or education. Don’t make it personal. It’s a physical thing. To become a better leader, personally or professionally, remember it’s often not what you say but HOW you say it!

Related articles

Speaking from a Podium: Tips to Get You Started

Renae Sanders is the Managing Director at KRS Consulting, LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in organizational relationships. Believing people are the link between strategy and success, Renae works with organizations, leaders, and managers to strengthen internal relationships. You can reach her at renae@krsconsult.com.

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Posted in Dr. Renae Sanders, Leadership, Organization Relationships, Professional Development, Trust | 7 Comments »