How many cups have you had this morning? OK, I'll admit it. I just finished my third coffee and it's only 10.30 am in Brussels . Did you read about it yet? Hillary Russ of Reuters reported yesterday that coffee giant StarbucksCorp. has promised to “nearly double its spending with suppliers and vendors from underrepresented groups in North America by 2030 to $1.5 billion.”
This is inclusive leadership in action. Increasing pressure from customers, governments and other internal & external stakeholders is pushing companies to make "diversity, equity & inclusion" a strategic priority. If 2021 was the year my topic became trending, let 2022 be the year to actually move the needle and work on it. Book your 1to1 Strategy Call in my calendar here to share your challenges.
Working on a inclusive workplace where diverse talents can fully thrive is not a trend, but at the centre of business, where it should be.
Have you mapped it to your business priorities yet?
We have seen a similar push from customers and other stakeholders imposing sustainability criteria as a right to do business. I wonder if the newly appointed (Afro-American) President of the Board Mellody Hobson has anything to do with the Starbucks decision? According to Russ, “Starbucks also said on Tuesday, Jan. 11, that it will spend 15% of its fiscal 2022 paid media budget with minority-owned media companies, [although] the company declined to provide a dollar figure.” Hobson talked earlier about the enormous power big volume buyers such as Starbucks have to impose D&I criteria to suppliers.
What about your efforts to create an inclusive workplace? Maybe you need to raise awareness and map D&I on your business agenda, maybe you are looking for a process to translate ideas into a tactical plan, maybe you want to inspire leaders through best practices on how others do it, maybe you want to train your team for unconscious bias. I am here to help you with management dialogues, scans, strategy journeys and hands-on trainings for everyday inclusive behaviour.
Inclusive leaders know actions speak louder than words. It always seems impossible until it's done. Let's get to work, shall we? I'll buy you a coffee, although I prefer a local shop to a Starbucks .
Elke Jeurissen
+32.476.505454
P.S.: Welcome at my next free webinar. Learn from other companies and get inspired about how they work on a more inclusive company culture. Just book your seat via the link on my homepage.
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