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Tips for Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Your Organization

Established in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month was originally only a week long. Now, we shine a light on the Hispanic Heritage and Hispanic Americans who have helped build America for an entire month. While we celebrate progress, we also acknowledge how far we have to go for equal representation for the Latino?community at every level of society – particularly in leadership roles.

GMN mentor and Sustainable Ocean Alliance Founder & CEO,?Daniela Fernandez, knows diverse perspectives in leadership are an asset to any organization. In her interview with us, she said:

"...different people, coming from different backgrounds, bringing different worldviews, [are] so critical in helping [to] advance any project, any startup, any culture.

I grew up in Ecuador. I brought in my love and my passion for the environment. I also grew up in a low income, single mother household ... in a very diverse environment, where I was in a public high school in Chicago. So I think that my perspective, and the struggles that I've had to face, and the perseverance that I've had to undertake to advance in life have enabled me to be a lot more understanding of people.

I'm able to create a world that I want to live in, and to give other people those opportunities that I didn't have growing up, and to enable folks to have a seat at the table."

There’s no shortage of ideas and recommendations for how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month – from casual activities like cooking classes and dance lessons, to more formal events like conducting a company town hall focused on celebrating Hispanic and Latino DE&I achievements at your organization.?

We wanted to also offer you a few things to keep in mind as you’re organizing your plans to celebrate to ensure an inclusive experience for everyone. Here are a few tips we gathered:

• Tip via ADP Spark: Seek input from your Hispanic and Latino employees without forcing them to participate or burdening them with planning or running an event. (Of course you should include employees who are excited about spearheading activities!)?
• Tip via SnackNation: Stereotypes divide people and are harmful to cultural celebrations. Emphasizing learning in your activities brings employees together to bridge cultural gaps.
• Tip via Bonus.ly: Office parties are a fun way to celebrate, but also consider offering opportunities for employees to volunteer, learn, and have a lasting impact on the Hispanic and Latino community. Check with your local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to find out how you can help.

Join us on?LinkedIn,?Instagram, or?Twitter?to share your ideas for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the GMN community.

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Free Guide: Finding Your True North

To be a successful leader, it's not enough to just be great at your job. Successful leaders set a direction and keep their teams inspired and motivated. Great leaders take this a step further and align their teams around core values and a purpose. Truly transformational leaders collaborate with their team and use diverse perspectives to actually define those values.

Our latest leadership guide, “Finding Your True North,” provides you with exercises to help you explore your own values as a leader and open lines of communication with your team to get a better understanding of what drives them.

Use this guide as a jumping off point for developing core values for the first time, or as a blueprint for revisiting values you've already established. Get the Guide >

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