Editor’s note: Veteran entrepreneur and investor Donald Thompson writes a weekly column about management and leadership as well as diversity and other important issues for WRAL TechWire. His columns are published on Wednesdays.
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – One of my leadership tenets is straightforward and I repeat it often: If you want to build, create or strengthen an organization, you need to hire women leaders ASAP.
The Diversity Movement is testament to that thinking. Each day we are in the office, I’m looking around – quite proudly – of the women-led organization that we have created. I’m elbow-to-elbow with women leaders who are authentically changing the workplace for the better to create stronger teams and better organizations.
When a company has strong women leaders at every level, it wins – from better customer experiences to more robust innovation and creativity. What business executive doesn’t want advanced knowledge-building capacity, better business outcomes or a stronger bottom line? By bringing women leaders to the table, you can have all three simultaneously.
The evidence for the benefits of having women leaders throughout the company, from the managerial ranks to the board of directors, is so overwhelming that the choice to not elevate women at every opportunity is also deliberate. This single bad decision is costing organizations money every single second of every single day.
Donald Thompson
You can imagine my delight when Jackie Ferguson, vice president of content and programming at The Diversity Movement, was named to Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 200 list, a group of women leaders “shaping the world into a better place.” According to the editors, the list highlights “female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the world’s biggest problems.” Jackie is just one of four women from North Carolina and among the 25 “change-makers” who are “transforming the future of everything…and making it look easy.”
What many people don’t realize is that we are life partners, as well as business partners. Because Jackie and I made a deliberate choice, most people who see us work together don’t know, including most of the people we have hired. It’s humorous to all of us at the company when someone finally realizes the depth of our relationship.
The source of much of the confusion is likely that Jackie elected to keep her last name, a decision she made to honor family who are here today and to acknowledge others who are no longer with us. Over the years working side by side, I have witnessed firsthand how she has grown into a leader worthy of being named to the Inc. list.
Jackie Ferguson (TDM photo)
FIERCENESS AND GRACE
Today’s business landscape is complex, challenging and constantly evolving. I have seen in Jackie a combination of fierceness and grace that enables her to better navigate this difficult terrain. Let’s be completely honest, the road to success is vastly different for Black women in America than it is for many other leaders, even if they are women. There are simply a lot more potholes. Navigating this path, Jackie has responded with resilience and perseverance. What I value in Jackie’s work is her ability to be highly competitive, to build her unique platform in podcasting and publishing, and to lead teams across multiple functions that drive excellence across the company.
Women leaders who are fierce are not afraid to speak their minds, make courageous decisions and take bold action. One of TDM’s newest products, for example, is an executive assessment tool that helps companies look at leadership teams based on cultural competency. From my coaching experience, I knew this was a gaping hole in development training. I asked Jackie to assemble the team and resources to get the program up and running – in other words, take it from idea to reality. Under her leadership, the team created the tool with pace, and it is now being implemented by clients who see it as a one-of-a-kind way to build stronger teams.
Jackie also led the creation and launch of TDM Library, a multimedia resource hub that gives culture leaders a trusted source of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content. The business-focused content provides real-world solutions that leaders and managers can apply right away to build stronger teams and stronger organizations. This entrepreneurial expertise is central to Jackie’s commitment to making lives better in the community and globally, which she brings to life with determination and by making smart strategic decisions.
However, fierceness is not enough in today’s business landscape. Grace drives Jackie’s natural empathetic and compassionate style. She is able to build strong relationships, foster collaboration and inspire trust among teammates and with clients. Her grace is one of the primary factors behind the growth of the Diversity: Beyond the Checkbox podcast, now among the top 5% downloaded globally. Jackie’s grace is a foundational characteristic of the show and the reason that leaders from EY, the PGA, Boeing and others want to chat with her.
From a personal perspective, I get to see Jackie’s grace at home too. I admire the way she manages to do so many things as a mom, daughter, sister, friend and wife, constantly giving to others over herself. Even when she hits a snag, her resilience enables her to go right back to changing the world for the better. I admire that she holds herself to such a high standard, but with the empathy that makes her a role model for her teammates and the communities she serves.
WOMEN LEADERS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS
My hope is that the term “woman leader” is soon replaced simply by “leader” and that we are able to view leaders as leaders without gender coming into the discussion. I may be overly optimistic, but I base this notion on more than just my own experience. Studies show how beneficial it is to have women leaders at the top of organizations, and lists of highly accomplished female leaders, like Inc.’s Female Founders 200, provide real-world proof.
When I think about power, it is difficult to separate it from control. Jackie and other high achieving women demonstrate that real power enables greatness across the board in ways that the traditional male-dominated business world often can’t. The attributes of outstanding women leaders are too long to cite, but I see how women face challenges with an entrepreneurial spirit that enables them to adapt quickly and find solutions to obstacles that others have placed before them.
The business landscape is better now than in the past, but there are still significant steps to take, including pay equity and promotion opportunities. Advocating for women is the right thing to do and it makes financial sense. If you are a senior leader, C-Suite executive or member of a board, the call-to-action is direct: Support and encourage women leaders with resources, mentorship, sponsorship and opportunities that enable them to achieve greatness.
About the Author
Donald Thompson founded The Diversity Movement to literally change the world. As CEO, he has guided its work with hundreds of clients and through hundreds of thousands of data touch points. TDM’s global recognition centers on tying DEI initiatives to business objectives. Recognized by Inc., Fast Company and Forbes, he is the author of Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, hosts the podcast “High Octane Leadership in an Empathetic World” and has published widely on leadership and the executive mindset. As a leadership and executive coach, Thompson has created a culture-centric ethos for winning in the marketplace by balancing empathy and economics. Follow him on LinkedIn for updates on news, events, and his podcast, or contact him at info@donaldthompson.com for executive coaching, speaking engagements or DEI-related content.
