Stage 4 Solutions' August 2023 Newsletter: My Career Path: Interview with Gloria Goins, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Cisco

The summer is almost over! September marks the start of a new season, bringing us closer to the end of 2023. ?

We acknowledge that this year has been tough with a lot of uncertainty across various areas. However, overall employment remains strong. The recent report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 187,000 in July, and the unemployment rate remains at 3.5%, a historic low. Job gains mainly occurred in healthcare, social assistance, financial activities, and wholesale trade. In our work, we continue to experience a robust demand for contingent workforce solutions due to the advantages of flexibility and scalability. While some companies and verticals have slowed down, many companies continue to hire interim staff for short-term priorities and also full-time employees. ??

At the same time, layoffs are making headlines again, primarily concentrated in the high-tech industry. Approximately 1000 companies have laid off workers in 2023. The tech layoffs are anticipated to slow down as the Federal Reserve effectively addresses inflation concerns, which seem to have improved already. We understand that layoffs and uncertainty can have significant negative impacts on employees and their families. It's essential to put their well-being first, especially now. We asked our professional network about what matters most for employee well-being and analyzed the results in the article below.

My Career Path: Interview with Gloria Goins, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Cisco

This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with?Gloria Goins, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer of?Cisco, about her career path and the decisions that have contributed to her success. Here at Stage 4 Solutions, we are committed to supporting professionals’ career growth, and we believe that one way to enable success is by learning from leaders.

Gloria Goins is a dynamic senior business executive with a rare background in operations, sales, marketing, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, human resources, and law. Currently, Gloria is the Chief DEI Officer at Cisco, where she oversees the company’s DEI strategy and solutions, Inclusive Communities (Employee Resource Groups), and fairness work. Her team’s mission is to remove barriers to inclusion and belonging to ensure the company’s internal culture reflects its values.

Most recently, Gloria was the Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity for the Sales, Marketing and Global Services for Amazon Web Services (AWS). Prior to her role at AWS, Gloria served as the Head of Health Equity and Business Development at Amazon Pharmacy, reporting to the CEO. In that role, Gloria was charged with growing revenue and building new business partnerships with a focus on underserved customers and was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the top five Amazon health care executives to know. Prior to joining Amazon Pharmacy, Gloria was the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Amazon’s worldwide consumer division and supported nine business leaders in expanding the company’s brand, revenue and loyalty among diverse employees, customers, suppliers and communities.

What factors influenced your decision to change your career from law to HR?

Gloria: I would love to tell you that I made this strategic, deliberate decision, and it was all planned, but it wasn’t. It's really just something I share with a lot of people – being open to, what Robert Frost calls, the roads less traveled. So much of my life, education, and professional development had centered around being a lawyer. In fact, I wanted to be a judge!

When I was an attorney for a company called BellSouth Cellular, which is one of the predecessor companies of what is now AT&T Wireless, I was in the legal department and doing really well. One of my main internal customers approached me and said, "We are starting this new company called Cingular Wireless, and there are three jobs I want you to consider." One of the jobs, to be frank, was to go to D.C. and become a lobbyist – which was actually what I wanted to do. I am a people person, and I find that I click with many people I meet for the first time. So, being a lobbyist seemed like the perfect next role for me coming out of the legal profession. But that job would have required me to move to Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, my father, who had been a role model and inspiration, was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the time. So, logistically and emotionally, it was not an ideal time for me to move.

One opportunity that sparked my interest was to start the very first diversity and inclusion program at Cingular Wireless. As part of being an attorney, I had drafted a statement of commitment to diversity, which is now the legal standard for what corporations commit to in terms of diversity. This statement has been signed by over 1,000 general counsels who believe diversity is important to business. When businesses who value diversity select their law firms, they want firms who also value diversity as a value proposition. I had the opportunity to draft this commitment and then approach other companies to draft it as well. It helped shape how diversity, equity, and inclusion manifest in the legal profession. So, I mention this to say, I had some prior experience in this space, which led me to decide to start this program 23 years ago. It was driven by not wanting to move and disrupt my caregiving role for my father. Also, I recognized that, although it wasn't what I initially expected - being a lobbyist - it did provide a platform for people who didn't know the power of their own voices and needed advocacy.

What has surprised you the most in your career?

Gloria: What surprised me the most is that, when I have taken opportunities I didn’t plan out or didn’t see coming, they have often been the best ones. Especially if you’re like me – type A, who plans everything out and wanted to be a lawyer from the age of 6 – when you stick to these plans, you might miss the opportunities that the universe brings you to take you to new places and give you platforms or relationships that are transformative that you couldn’t have envisioned or planned. So, in many instances, you have to take a leap of faith and match it with your purpose and passion. You might think, “I never saw myself doing that.” Yet, for some reason, you feel drawn and attracted, sensing purpose and passion. Thus, you lean into it, seeing where that path leads you. That’s what surprises me.

So, if you had asked me 23 years ago or told me that I would become a Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at a tech company named Cisco, I would have said absolutely not. First of all, what is diversity, equity, and inclusion? And what is Cisco? As the saying goes, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray; the most surprising and impactful opportunities stem from the unplanned, unseen ones.

What advice would you give to your younger self? Younger professionals?

Gloria:?Three things come to my mind. The first one is to listen to your older self. There is a whole saying,?Youth is wasted on the young, right? And it’s this idea that, when you get all of this advice when you are young, you wouldn’t be able to appreciate it. Listen to people who are more experienced.

The second piece of advice I would give is to make sure you are a student of finance and business, both in your personal life and in your professional life. My team knows that I challenge them to be really well-versed in, and a student and partner of, our business here at Cisco because I don’t think you can be a functional business partner if you are not business savvy or don’t know the company’s business goals, but you also have to apply that on a personal level. You have to make sure that you are doing things like budgeting and taking advantage of your 401(k). Here at Cisco, we have an employee stock purchase plan along with the 401(k), and tons of other benefits. So, know what those benefits are, and make sure you’ve got a well-thought-out financial retirement plan in partnership with your company, as I do.? ??

Lastly, getting all of this together, is the importance of relationships, the importance of networking, and the importance of netweaving. I think particularly when you’re young, sometimes you think that all you really need to do is just put your head down and work and grind. You don’t take time to sort of pause and build relationships with your manager, your team members, to build mentors, or to have sponsors, and you miss the power of having those relationships that guide you, that keep you balanced, and bring in new opportunities that re-energize you.

To summarize, the most important things are to listen to people who are wiser, be a business student and partner for yourself and your company, and most importantly, never, ever, underestimate the power and the need for really healthy, authentic relationships.

To learn more and read the full article, please click here .

From Burnout to Well-Being: Rethinking Employee Wellness in a Changing World

A global trend highlights that 70% of knowledge workers worldwide have experienced burnout within the past year, and a recent study reveals that 38% of employees said that they wouldn't wish their job on their worst enemy. Evidently, the "workplace wellness" initiatives have fallen short of goals. And the pandemic has served as a catalyst, expediting changes in work paradigms, and intensifying mental health and well-being challenges. We wanted to understand which aspect of employee well-being holds the highest priority in organizations’ efforts to enhance the workplace, and we polled our community for their insights.

Which aspect of employee well-being holds the highest priority for you? (single answer)?

? Flexibility & Autonomy 64%

? Career Growth Opportunities 19%

? Inclusion & Collaboration 9%

? Meaning at Work 8%

A vast majority of our community, encompassing 64% of respondents, said that flexibility & autonomy is the most pronounced facet of employee well-being for them. This preference underscores a monumental shift in work culture, catalyzed by the rise of remote work and the realization of the significance of work-life integration. However, there is a considerable conflict about this topic. Some companies are increasingly embracing flexible work arrangements, entrusting employees with the autonomy to shape their work schedules and environments, while many others are limiting remote work options in a push to have employees return to onsite work and some others continue to offer hybrid work options. Considering the preferences and needs of the workforce, an efficient practice is to set and agree upon clear KPIs and goals to promote accountability and autonomy focused on outcomes vs. location.

Only 19% of respondents reported that "Career Growth Opportunities" is the top aspect of employee well-being for them. This well-being aspect centers around fulfilling the fundamental human needs for knowledge acquisition, achievement, and success such as enabling employees to acquire new insights and skills and fostering growth intellectually, socially, professionally, and emotionally. In the absence of ongoing learning and shared objectives, employees may experience stagnation and reduced effectiveness. On the other hand, accomplishment is the result of successfully attaining goals and making a meaningful impact. Achievements instill a sense of competence, which in turn mitigates stress, anxiety, and self-doubt. By enhancing opportunities for learning, accomplishment and development, organizations cultivate a more optimistic outlook among employees, leading to increased confidence in their abilities and enthusiasm for contributing to the organization's success.

Inclusion and collaboration received 9% of the votes. Considering the significant time employees spend at work, the relationships that are developed in the workplace can have an impact in various ways. We were surprised by this low percentage, as many companies prominently promote their DEI initiatives. However, perhaps these initiatives are interpreted by employees as more corporate-level strategies that do not really affect their well-being.

Lastly, only 8% of survey participants have marked "Meaning at Work" as the most important aspect of employee well-being programs. Companies embracing this priority aspire to align individual contributions with broader organizational missions, generating a sense of purpose that provides the potential to promote increased job satisfaction, motivation, and commitment. While this is an important goal, it seems like this is less important to employees’ well-being than giving employees more flexibility and autonomy.

In conclusion, the landscape of employee well-being is undergoing a transformative shift, fueled by the recognition of its important implications on individuals, organizations, and society as a whole. The preference for flexibility and autonomy signals a departure from conventional work structures, reflecting a growing recognition of work-life integration. Simultaneously, the emphasis on career growth opportunities illuminates a path toward continuous learning and skill enhancement, where individual advancement intertwines with organizational progress. Moreover, the pursuit of meaning at work resonates as a testament to the workforce's desire for purpose-driven engagement. Inclusion and collaboration which fuels the overall workplace wellness calls for leadership to embrace comprehensive policies and mindset shifts.

In your opinion, which aspect of employee well-being holds the highest priority? Please share with us!

Our Value

We fill gaps in marketing, technology and operations teams. For the past 21 years, we have served over 125 organizations. We are the trusted, flexible resourcing solution for global organizations. We provide the right professionals to ensure successful project outcomes for short-term and long-term projects, and contract to perm needs.?

Can We Help?

Let us help accelerate your initiatives!

Contact:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.stage4solutions.com