Moe and James Rodgers talk about how to effectively manage diversity to get 100% from 100% of your people 100% of the time.
Diversity with Impact
Earlier this year, at the urging of Sheryl Sandberg, venture capitalist, Marc Andreessen identified a diverse group of 40 high-potential, would-be directors and invited them to participate in a first of its kind bootcamp designed to expose them to the responsibilities and obligations of becoming a board member. The program, co-designed with Stanford University’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance, was a bold step towards demonstrating Silicon Valley’s commitment to building a more diverse ecosystem. “We want everyone who is talented and determined to have a full opportunity to contribute to Silicon Valley and Valley companies,” Andreessen said, who along with his partner, Ben Horowitz have been forthright in acknowledging and advancing the conversation around the broader diversity issues facing the Valley.
Of course, one two-day program with 40 individuals hardly moves the needle, still it sends a message to the harsh critics who are far too good at magnifying the problem, but do very little to advance the agenda. It is believed that Andreessen Horowitz will release the list of attendees on its web site later this year, and as Sandberg said of the experience, it ‘shows that leaders in [our] industry are not just waiting for the pipeline of the future board members to be built,’ she said. “Leaders are taking the initiative to find and train great people now.”
In my conversation with the The Diversity Coach, James Rogers, I opted to focus on the good that leaders like Andreessen are doing, and why technology entrepreneurs just might be the key to unlocking this diversity gridlock.
Here’s what we discuss:
The modern diversity workplace
The common threats amongst those organizations who do it right
The leader’s role in advancing the diversity conversation
The impact of a diverse workforce on workplace culture
The emergence of boardroom diversity
The role of technology in a diverse organization
- Millennials and diversity