My Day in the Zone

Yesterday I spent my day in the Zone…HR Tech Alliances’s Virtual Collaboration Zone (VCZ)! WOW — what a great day spent with an all star cast of innovative solution providers, HR/Work Tech industry thought leaders, analysts, investors and judges.

Yesterday’s VCZ’s theme was Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a hot and timely topic. I must confess, out of the past four events I have attended, this was the event I was the most excited about! It is long past time that DE&I is no longer simply considered a “check the box” or “click-through compliance” training. Instead DE&I must be embedded in corporate culture with the clear understanding that increasing diversity in the workforce directly correlates to improved business results! 

While I feel like I am pretty adept regarding Diversity initiatives and solutions, I love that every time I talk with a solution provider, I always learn something new! Yesterday felt like I started my DE&I MBA (started because there is always more to learn!) Did you know that the saying “rule of thumb” is actually quite offensive? Pro tip from Allen Interactions!

The day kicked off with a fascinating session led by Caitlin MacGregor showcasing how Plum helps managers and leaders really understand the human potential, not just experience or education, but actual transferable innate skills that can put employees in positions where they can truly shine and thrive throughout their career. 

Next up was an interactive learning session on unconscious bias led by Allen Interactions’ Lisa Stortz and Scott Colehour (see comment above) followed by an inspirational keynote by Vikas Narula, the creator and cofounder of Keyhubs. Vikas spoke about the power of informal networks (his informal network included George Floyd by way of a chance meeting on Vikas’ boat one afternoon). You can read the article here: Two friends. One stranger. And a chance encounter on a sailboat.

The big takeaway from Vikas’ session was that often leadership thinks they are the glue, or the ‘key hub’ of the company, when really there is an influence dynamic that is based on the informal tapestry of the organization and understanding that dynamic and those influencers is critical for organizational alignment. 

Then we hit the ground running with the contestants! We had front row seats (front zoom seats?) to see the innovative ways different providers are addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace!

Solution providers included: WillHire, Claro Workforce Analytics, ThisWay Global, Allsorter.com, TalVista, & Diversely.io

I am always amazed at how quickly the day goes when I am in the Zone! I am so grateful to have spent the day with this inspiring community of people!

Judges: Aiko Bethea, Esq., PCC (she-her) Scott Berg, William Tincup, Jennifer Burnett, Ph.D., Jennifer Stroud, Thomas Abraham, Devyani Vaishampayan, Deb Andrychuk, Kathi Enderes, Ph.D., Andrew G., Andy Najjar ??, Tim Hawk, Martin Burns, Mark Feffer, and Tess Manning.

Contestants: Scot Sessions, Kevin Poll, Angela Hood, Declan Murphy, Michael Beygelman, Hayley Bakker

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