Building a corporate culture that authentically supports diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) takes more than crafting a statement or policy. Unfortunately, for many corporations this simple act seems to “check the box” when in fact if approached the wrong way, it can sometimes do more harm than good. Some DEI statements and DEI efforts, if implemented without perspective, can be interpreted as tone deaf or inadequate.
When it comes to truly building a corporate culture that supports DEI, organizations must shift from policy making to focusing on talent development and leadership. Organizations and leaders that seek out more voices from a broader audience can more authentically support and build a DEI culture.
A DEI approach to talent development and coaching better equips leaders to see the value and find opportunities to hear and understand the varied perspectives and experiences of their team. Organizations that do this will naturally increase their ability to attract, retain, and develop critical talent that not contributes to the success of the organization and accelerates the growth of a true DEI culture.
Zia Best
Account Service Manager
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Zia Best serves as an Account Service Manager for CoachSource where she manages 70 corporate clients and oversees more than 130 coaching engagements per year. Zia also serves as the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Specialist. In that role, she leads CoachSource’s DE&I goals to cultivate global leaders, attract, and retain world-class coaches, and build measurable, impactful leadership programs.
Prior to CoachSource, Zia spent 12 years in academia working at Rutgers University and Princeton University in diversity and inclusion, project management, employee relations, events and communications roles. Zia is a seasoned moderator having led CoachSource’s webinar, Supporting Black Leaders Through Times of Pandemic and Injustice and Coacharya’s 2020 Awake, Aware, Arise Conference webinar titled Awakening Our Support of Black Leaders.
Lawrence Henderson
Chief Executive Officer
Business Operational Suppt Svc.
As a people leader for over 20 years, Lawrence has gathered expertise and continued education in the areas of organizational development, leadership, coaching, and talent management which have been crucial in leading and aiding the complex transformation of organizations.
Lawrence is uniquely positioned and purposed to use these areas of mastery to facilitate and lead all human capital work across organizations while supporting members of the executive leadership team. He is able to do this while limiting disruptions and distractions to the organizational process flow thus giving back Operational equity that affects the bottom line.
David Edgerton
Managing Principal
The DEJ Group LLC
David Edgerton Jr. is the managing principal for The DEJ Group, an executive search and recruiting firm that focuses on finding and connecting exceptional diverse talent with inclusive companies. The firm also provides executive coaching and custom training services for minority entrepreneurs and business professionals.
David has over twenty-four years of corporate experience and also has served as an adjunct professor for over eleven years – teaching information technology, project management and business analytics. With his passion in minority business development, David was recently appointed an entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Minnesota to assist and coach startups as a part of the Discovery Launchpad MN program and also facilitates content for the Ascend Twin Cities program in partnership with JPMorgan Chase, the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, and the Carlson School of Management.
Please note: Webinar access will be provided to registrants via an email prior to the event.
