It’s time to take action.

 

Learn how to take your E&I efforts to the next level –  sustainable progress – when nationally -renowned DEI leader Michael Moore, president and CEO of Black Achievers, provides the keynote at GCP’s annual Equity & Inclusion Conference on August 29 at Cleveland Marriott East. In addition to Moore’s presentation, the day will feature idea sharing, thought leadership, interactive panels and workshops and group discussions.

 

Moore will discuss his personal journey as a Black professional in corporate America and becoming the leader of one of the largest professional networks in the country, and share action steps for DEI success. He will also discuss the empowerment of employee voices and the essential role DEI should play in business strategy. He recently sat down with GCP to share some thoughts in advance of the conference.

 

 

 

To register and for more information: Equity and Inclusion Conference - Next Level Thinking: Achieving Sustainable Progress - Greater Cleveland Partnership

 

 

 

Can you talk a little bit about the action steps you will be sharing at the conference?

 

They will be centered mostly around how we source talent at the top of funnel - how you create relationships with organizations in the community that can help with your brand.

 

A lot of times for African Americans, there's the brand that you have with general society, but there's also a brand within the Black community. So, the question becomes, how do you manage that and how do you improve that so that people say, “Hey, I want to work at this company?”

 

What do you want those in leadership to learn?

 

We’re going to talk about, “why should I care about diversity as a leader? What is the business case and what is the reality? What do statistics say about diverse teams?”

 

Leadership is very important because it is a top-down process. What we have to do is create a situation where there's a better dialog amongst races, which leads to the ability to understand the other person's perspective.

 

How can companies work on their retention, not just attraction, of Black professionals?

 

It’s a challenge with African Americans because there are fewer of us in the workforce. What happens is you start off right out of college, with other African Americans getting hired. But the retention part becomes difficult because as we climb the ladder of organizations, the pool is smaller. You may feel isolated in a situation where it's difficult to speak up, especially when you make comments or challenge something. And what happens is you don't have a support structure around you, and a lot of times we look external to the company for that type of support. But unfortunately, they don't work within the company, so they don't really know. So, it becomes a situation where the advice that's given may not be accurate. And then a person gets frustrated and ultimately, they want to leave the company.  We’ll talk about what steps can we take so that you don't have this type of tokenism situation and you have more peer-to-peer support.

 

 What would you say are the biggest challenges facing Black professionals in 2023?

 

One is the fact that the unemployment rate is usually twice that of our white colleagues, so it creates a lot of fear and anxiety around impending recessions.

 

You also hear a lot now about “how do I approach my career in a way that is authentic to myself? A way that makes me feel like I'm a part of the organization instead of just an employee.” We’ll talk about that, too.

 

Greater Cleveland Partnership’s All In vision for a Great Region on a Great Lake has five key priorities: Dynamic Business, Abundant Talent, Inclusive Opportunity, Appealing Community and Business Confidence. All of our work ties back to these values. This story relates to Dynamic Business and Inclusive Opportunity.