Building Inclusive Leadership Teams

Etheline Desir President

In 2002, Desir Group came on the scene, promulgating the need for healthcare leaders to pay closer attention to the shifting demographics and building an unprecedented database of minority talent to meet our clients' changing needs.

As the ONLY retained search firm with a prominent diversity focus, there were many who questioned any real need for minority talent. Today, with increased national awareness and with the election of President Obama, some people are vigorously jumping on the "diversity" bandwagon. Sadly, however, we have discovered that everyone is not equipped to properly help you diversify your leadership team because building an effective, inclusive leadership team is not a simple matter. Your corporate culture and the buy-in of other leaders are but two of the critical, overlooked considerations to any cultural change of this nature.

With the launch of this new, monthly e-newsletter -- "Desir Group DSPOTLIGHT" -- we want to continue to share with our current and future clients our insights on the continuing war for "high-value talent" and the need to promote cultural/linguistic competency as well as workforce inclusiveness as major strategic objectives. You can also expect to read case studies on various facets of successful and innovative talent management.

Why all this activity? Because changing demographics in the workforce that were heralded a decade ago are now upon us and the labor pool is dramatically different -- not only in terms of ethnic diversity but cultural, generational, linguistic, and expectations that now form the "stew" representing today's dynamic workforce.

While healthcare leadership is still dominated by a mostly homogenous group, available talent is increasingly represented by people from a vast array of backgrounds. And to remain competitive, many organizations that respond proactively to this change will be ahead of the curve, according to numerous sources including ACHE, IFD, and Diversity Inc. Succession planning, training and development, talent management, cultural competency, and valuing differences should be on the minds of every effective leader to ensure that their most valued asset -- "human capital" -- is primed to meet the challenges of providing quality healthcare in the 21st Century.

Unfortunately, many organizations still focus on quotas/affirmative action rather than on the business case for diversity. In other words, the hiring manager must always ask, "What measurable value will this new hire add to the team?" In today's competitive environment, every hire should be based on the business imperative -- and not just because it appears to be "the fashion of the day."

We look forward to having these discussions with you, to engaging you, to sharing more thoughts -- and to getting your feedback as well as learning more about your organizational needs. We can't wait to hear your opinions and your suggestions as to what you'd like to read in this new e-newsletter. E-mail us, call us … and look for your next "Desir Group DSPOTLIGHT" in your in-box next month.

Etheline Desir is President of Desir Group.

Corporate Executives Say More Minorities
In The C-Suite Is Good For Business
Corporate executives believe that having minorities in senior executive positions is particularly important to providing new ideas and innovation and to better reflect the diversity of customers, according to a poll by Harris Interactive.

The findings also show that African-American women in particular face serious challenges in their climb up the corporate ladder.

The survey, conducted immediately after the election of Barack Obama, occurred at a time when there was increased discussion of how the election of the first African-American U.S. president would impact opportunities for minorities seeking to move into the C-Suite and on to corporate boards. Complete story.

Latino Alliance Calls For Cultural Competency In New Jersey
In these difficult economic times, it makes sense for all levels of government to provide the most efficient services possible to the public. With this in mind, the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey (LLANJ) called on Gov. Jon Corzine and the New Jersey legislature to follow through on their commitment to provide culturally competent services to all the citizens of their state.

Cultural competence sounds like a nice term. But what does it mean and why is it sound public policy?

The core principle at the root of cultural competence is to provide services to the community in a language its members understand. Complete story.

Leadership IQ Study: Don't Expect Layoff Survivors To Be Grateful
If your company is undertaking a layoff, be forewarned: Your surviving employees are not going to work harder out of gratitude.

According to a new study by Leadership IQ, 74% of employees who kept their job amidst a corporate layoff say their own productivity has declined since the layoff. And 69% say the quality of their company's product or service has declined since the layoffs.

Meanwhile, 87% of surviving workers say they are less likely to recommend their organization as a good place to work. Complete story.

Desir Group is a retained executive search and consulting firm that partners with healthcare organizations to recruit and retain exceptional talent and develop high-performing teams.

The Desir Group helps clients achieve a sustainable competitive advantage by offering a qualified, diverse slate of candidates for C-level, senior executive, and middle management positions.

One of Desir Group's strengths is its ability to dig deeper into the fabric of our society to find talent that represents the broad community our clients serve.

The Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) is the worldwide professional association for the retained executive search industry.

Among other benefits that it offers through its members, the "Client's Bill of Rights" is designed to increase the chances of optimal search results and receiving full value for your investment.

We have consistently adhered to these standards which include:

• The executive search firm shall provide a high-level consultative relationship.
• The executive search firm shall provide you with regular, detailed status reports on the progress of the search.
• The executive search firm shall present qualified candidates who fit the position and the culture of your organization.

Click here if you'd like to receive the entire document or to discuss how Desir Group attains and often surpasses these industry goals.

Desir Group will participate in these events. Click here or call 1-770-431-4664 to set up an appointment to discuss our services.

May 6-12
National Nurses Week

May 10-16
National Hospital Week

May 20
National Employee Health & Fitness Day

June 2
National Health Care Recruiter Recognition Day

June 15-19
National Healthcare Risk Management Week

Studies have shown that the cost of a wrong diverse hire has more far-reaching consequences than a non-minority hire. What consequences?

Consider these: In addition to the traditional costs of severance, other hiring costs, stakeholders' resources, loss of business relationships, credibility, and customer attention, there is the disappointment of church, board, and key community members, as well as minority employees who are distraught.

But the most impactful are the cultural implications which may make the employer overly cautious about another minority hire.