This article was written by our sponsor, The Diversity Movement
Jackie Ferguson has a special notebook filled with advice, insights and tips from conversations she’s had with business leaders, authors, educators and professionals from across the globe. After five seasons as host of the Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox podcast, that notebook contains page after page of tips from game-changers and glass-ceiling breakers who have shared their incredible stories of resilience, journeys to success, and lessons learned.
What sets Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox apart from many other podcasts is Ferguson’s determination to celebrate leadership as it relates to compassion, inclusion and empathy.
Gleaning knowledge from the nearly 100 episodes she has hosted, Ferguson shares her top five pieces of advice she’s learned from industry and thought leaders who have been on her show.
1. Rest is a key to high performance
Ferguson talked to Everett Harper, a former championship-winning soccer player at Duke University and founder and CEO of Truss, about high performance for entrepreneurs and other successful professionals. Rather than hold up 60-plus hour work weeks and nearly dropping from exhaustion, Harper shared that high performance is the combination of hard work and recovery.
Their conversation centered on prioritizing rest as part of a successful week. “When we are tired, we aren’t sharp in our judgment or our work. We make mistakes, we overlook things and we get sloppy,” said Ferguson. “Taking time to rest allows us to be refreshed, work with a stronger purpose and prevents us from getting burnt out.”
2. Open dialogue, while sometimes challenging, is vital
In a memorable episode of Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox, Ferguson spoke with Sheena Mason, Ph.D., an assistant professor at SUNY Oneonta, who discussed a new theory about race, dubbed the Theory of Racelessness. Mason’s research asserts that the idea of race (studies show that the nucleotide diversity between humans is only about 0.1 percent) is created by the institution of racism and that to eliminate the construct of race abrogates racism.
As someone with deep experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Ferguson found Mason’s work new and interesting, but thought that some people might find it counter to traditional DEI thinking. The lesson Ferguson learned is that with any important ideas or concepts, it takes an open mind and willingness to understand a different perspective. Mason wasn’t trying to force anyone into changing viewpoints, but appreciated that Ferguson created a safe space to share. “I often think about Dr. Mason and her viewpoints when I think about having patience throughout the learning process,” said Ferguson.
3. Reconsider the notion of situational ethics
A true highlight in hosting DBTC came when Ferguson interviewed legendary sports agent and “Show Me the Money” originator Leigh Steinberg, who has represented more than 300 professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, boxing and Olympic sports. “We talked about an array of issues, including, diversity in sports leadership, high level negotiations and his epic Super Bowl events,” said Ferguson. “We also focused on the concept of ethics from his position as a leader in the business world and in his community.”
Too many of our current challenges, Steinberg explained, are derived from holding two separate ethical systems – one in our personal lives (how you treat animals, children and neighbors) and a different one in business (more ruthless, based on the concept “it’s not personal, just business.”). The lesson she took away from Steinberg is that people should focus on creating a single, central ethical perspective, which would build stronger relationships and build trust between people and organizations. “Leigh has built his career and philanthropic activities based on integrity,” said Ferguson. “He taught me to always consider the right choices and not just easy shortcuts.”
4. Be your authentic self
Precious Brady-Davis is a culturally-diverse trans woman. She believes that walking out of her door every day is an act of dignity. From their interview, Ferguson learned two important things, the value of each individual being brave enough to stand in the truth of who they are and for all of us to advocate for the marginalized. They discussed Brady-Davis’s book, “I Have Always Been Me,” her story of adversity and resilience and finding a life of happiness and fulfillment.
Reflecting on the interview, Ferguson said, “At varying degrees, we all have challenges to overcome and experiences that we’ve managed through, but Precious reminds us to persevere and be who you are because it could inspire others to do the same.”
5. Find new ways to look at old practices
As a Global DE&I Officer at EY, Karen Twaronite plays a critical role in ensuring the firm eliminates bias in hiring practices, particularly when they create inequities for culturally diverse, educated on the job and neurodiverse professionals. She outlined the RTP methodology on DBTC, explaining that each candidate evaluation is examined by three questions
Is it Required? In other words, does a candidate have to have this skill or qualification to do the job?
Is it a Tradition? Or, is that a requirement that was previously requested, but has never been reevaluated for relevance.
Is it a Preference? Is it a skill or qualification that the interviewer thinks they need, but may not necessarily be required to do the job well.
“Science shows that everyone has biases based on the way our brains process information and it’s difficult to eliminate bias,” said Ferguson. The lesson she learned is that applying RTP to an interview process can keep you from missing out on someone who could be an exceptional, loyal employee based on antiquated or exclusionary practices.
Listeners can find these interviews and more on Spotify and other podcast providers.
“I have learned so much from these exceptional human beings across a five-year span,” said Ferguson. “I not only have my notebook filled with wisdom, but I have a lifetime’s worth of advice that I use each day.”
This article was written by our sponsor, The Diversity Movement
