Aligning your Mission and Goals with the Business

Jennifer Brown President Jennifer Brown Consulting

Chris Crespo LGBTA Inclusiveness Strategy Leader Ernst & Young, LLP Janice Won Founder The Inclusion Strategies Group

Successful Groups 1.Tell a compelling story; have a consistent message 2.Run themselves like a business, with goals, objectives, deliverables 3.See selves as an internal consultative resource, with “clients” 4.Communicate regularly with senior leaders (C-Suite, HR, Diversity, Head of Marketing, etc.) 5.Share successes regularly, and widely 6.Champion professional development 7.Advocate for advancement of members and leaders 8.Unlock emerging markets – direct business impact 9.Extend membership to anyone interested in participating, whether or not they are a member of the specified group © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

Mission Development IDENTITY WORK: Define your story (company and group-specific) Analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to group success Determine vision and a mission statement Include stakeholders and possible activities Consider the impact of the “WIIFM” on all stakeholders, from individual level to organization at large; “so that” what happens? © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

Go Back to Go Forward … Create a sense of urgency through your story Story consists of the history of your constituency at the company: Good stories that generate pride (executive representation and involvement, employee impact, community involvement, targeted marketing, etc.) Not-so-good stories that highlight the need for change (lack of representation at executive level or among promotes, community missteps, negative “word on the street”, employee engagement survey results, difficulty recruiting/retaining employees, etc.) No stories = blank slate! Huge opportunity. © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

Analyze the Business Where is the pain in the business (internal/external)? Who is the company trying to reach? Market to? Employ? Retain? Where do we group members) think the missed opportunities are? Given these market and business realities, how can we engage as problem-solvers and resources? What could we provide that’s critical to the business? Short- term? Long-term? What unique, transformational role can we play? © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

Possible Domains for Adding Value Product Development (focus groups, market knowledge) Cultural Resource for Employee/Company Relations (knowledge/resource on cultural nuances in workplace) Diversity Initiatives (attract clients and new employees from diverse backgrounds – pulse-check for outside perception) Employee Development & Visibility (opportunity to stretch beyond job tasks, develop leadership/management skills, and gain exposure to key players) PR/Community Affairs (legislative input about how corporate activities affect community opinion/civil rights regulations) Work/Life Balance (advisory on particular needs of different workplace constituencies) © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

Ingredients of “Vision” 5 P’s: Picture of a future ideal (barely attainable, but tantalizing) Passion for change (what’s intolerable now – craft sense of urgency Path (how will we get there, in a broad sense?) Pride in your partners (who do you need, to follow that path? Why?) Purpose (how does your work tie into the organization’s overall purpose?) © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

Sample Visions “The Latino Resource Group helps improve the company’s marketing efforts aimed at the fast-growing Latino population in the US, aids recruitment and retention of Latinos, promotes cultural awareness, and provides opportunities for personal and career development.” “The Women’s Leadership Network seeks to make a difference for the company by researching and recommending solutions to issues affecting women; raising the visibility of women; providing opportunities for women to develop leadership skills and broaden their network; and reaching out to women, students and teens in our community.” © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.

Sample Visions “People Like Us (PLUS) serves as a network and a resource for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees, fosters general awareness of 3M’s GLBT employees and their contributions, and serves as an advisor to Human Resources and Management.” “To provide information on the needs of the disabled for internal and external customers, and supporting mobility motoring in the United States and Europe to create the vehicle of choice for customers with disabilities.” “Assisting the company in becoming a worldwide leader in promoting religious tolerance, corporate integrity, and human dignity by helping increase and maintain religious diversity; attract, develop and retain talented employees of faith; and be more aware of religious consumers’ and investors’ needs.” © 2007 Jennifer Brown Consulting. All Rights Reserved.