Notes From the President & CEO
YOUR TALENT MAY BE ABOUT TO LEAVE, HERE’S WHY
If you are anywhere below the top of the food chain in your organization or work group, please place a copy of this column in company mail directed to your general counsel, managing partner, or section/ practice group head. Or direct them to a copy of it on
mcca.com. I’d like to share a few salient facts:
Dear Sir or Madam,
T e legal profession remains the least diverse white- collar profession in the country. It is not because of a lack of focus on diversity as a recruiting tool. Instead, it is the result of the lack of inclusiveness as a retention and advancement tool. Right now, one of your brightest stars is contem-
8
plating leaving your organization. You won’t see this coming, but the signs are there. She or he is now applying their considerable talents to representing your organization well, with little to no recognition. Despite facing almost daily slights and micro-inequities; despite often being deprived of credit they have earned or enduring blame they have not; and despite being held to performance and evaluation standards that neither her peers nor superiors face. On top of this, she or he may face pressures at home that you cannot imagine. Yes, we are all adults, but is there truly an even playing fi eld within your organization? Do some people receive multiple opportunities to both succeed and fail, while others receive one of each, or simply none of either? Are all of the people in your organization benefi ting from what I call the “Tri - I” approach, meaning “Include, Invest, and Intercede”? Have you done your best to include every employee in the fl ow, culture, and DNA of your organization?
Publications Staff
President & CEO Joseph K. West
Founder and Publisher Emeritus Lloyd M. Johnson Jr.
Editor-in-Chief Joshua H. Shields
Publishing Consultants Bill Cox Toni Coleman
Advertising Kevin Buck Lucy M. Jones
Design/Art Direction QuadCreative
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® MARCH/APRIL 2012 MCCA® Staff
Jennifer Chen Mahzarine Chinoy David Chu Donna Crook Brandon M. Fitzgerald Lori L. Garrett Jessica Martinez Andrea Pimm Connie Swindell-Harding
Contributing Writers Tom Calarco Patrick Folliard Lori L. Garrett Michelle Nealy Kara Mayer Robinson Joshua H. Shields
Have you invested in them with opportunities for training, business development, stretch assignments, and high-profi le work? Do they have a “sponsor,” as the GC of Allstate Michelle Coleman Mayes calls it, who can intervene to correct errors or expend politi- cal capital on their behalf? If you are in a position of leadership, you likely had all of these things and you turned out pretty well. I ask that you seek out whomever sent you this
article. As Judge Denny Chin advises in this issue, “give them a fair shot.” Take them to lunch and listen to what they have to say. T ey will appreciate it, and they will return to their work with a renewed sense of purpose, loyalty, and resolve. As much as this step will benefi t them, in the long run it will benefi t your organization even more. Imagine that.
Joe JOSEPH K. WEST President & CEO
MCCA_law
www.facebook.com/mcca.law
MCCA.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52