“I remember 25 years ago, the idea of having a conversation like this … If we had talked about having a diversity summit, people would have said we lost our mind and excused us from the meeting,” said John Hawkins, president and CEO of MPI Consulting. “And yet, here we are today.”
Hawkins was one of four community leaders on a panel at the IDEA Summit, IDEA standing for “Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Advancement.” The summit was the brainchild of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and it was executed in partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Fifth Third Bank and a range of other community organizations. Held on Friday, June 10, the summit focused on diversity in the community and how that carries over to the workplace.
Nearly every round table was full, as were chairs lining the conference space, as Stephanie A. Smith gave the keynote address.
Smith is the senior vice president and chief inclusion and diversity officer at Fifth Third Bank.
“Inclusion and diversity is not race, it is not ethnicity, it is not gender, it is not isolationism, it is not segregation,” Smith said. “It is when we are all doing everything we can for everyone in need.”
The panel that followed Smith featured Hawkins; Catrena Bowman-Thomas, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission; Paco Tello, who is the vice president of operations for Perfetti Van Melle; and Alecia Webb-Edgington of the Life Learning Center.
Moderating the panel was Dr. Eddie Howard, the vice president of student affairs for Northern Kentucky University. The group focused on removing barriers to employment and how employers can stretch themselves to be more inclusive.
Hawkins said a common misstep for companies is having zero-tolerance policies for tardiness and attendance.
“That is a great example of a company that is setting itself up for failure in the context of diversity,” Hawkins said.
He reflected on a time that he lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and tried to host a meeting at 8 a.m. When no one showed up, he was furious, until he learned that most employees have a two-hour commute each day, working until 8 p.m. and not getting home until after 10 p.m.
“For them to be able to get back in for an 8 o’clock meeting was impossible,” he said. “Guess who changed? We didn’t make them change for the company, or to accommodate me. I changed to accommodate them.”
He said employers should be flexible and mindful of their team’s schedule to create inclusiveness and a better work-life balance.
Edgington used to be a state trooper for the Kentucky State Police and is now part of an organization that provides resources from clothing to education to help residents find gainful employment. She said treating everyone with dignity, no matter their circumstances, helps them “stop looking at the ground for answers.”
Tello and Thomas said employers should self-reflect on how flexible they are and whether they are seeking to include people from diverse backgrounds on hiring panels and executive boards.
Moving in this direction is critical for Northern Kentucky, Hawkins said. As the population grows, employers are being asked to expand their idea of a diverse workforce.
“As we think about the opportunity before us, I really encourage us to think about how we’re casting that bigger net. We talk a lot about inclusion but we have to get back to what it really means. What does it look like? What does it feel like? And it goes back again to our reputation,” Hawkins said. “Are we just going to be the state of basketball, bourbon and politics? Or is it really going to be a place that people can see themselves building a family, growing a community, and realizing it’s a place they can be successful.”