Yes, that is her family’s given surname.
Vidhi Data, founder of Lead with Impact, and the Take The Lead Leadership Ambassador spearheading the launch of Take The Lead’s Premium Coaching, gets the question often if her last name “Data” is a gimmick because she specializes in digital transformational leadership.
Read MoreWhere you live and who you are unfortunately makes a big difference on how you live and work in this country.
Take The Lead took a look at several new studies— on racial equality by state, opportunities for LGBTQIA persons by state, remote work access by state, post-COVID-19 jobs and women in tech opportunities—to clarify the geographic framing of equity and opportunity in America.
Read MoreIssue 132 — June 22, 2020
I first learned about the power of organizing to make change when I was about 15 years old. In the small town of Stamford, Texas, where I lived at the time, there were two short order restaurants in town. One was called Son’s City Pig and it had indoor tables with juke boxes where we kids could sit and kibitz, as teenagers do. And as teenagers were inclined to do, we created various fads. One was eating our French Fries with mustard. OK, I admit I started that one.
The owner of Son’s became annoyed that we were consuming so much mustard. He began charging us two cents for each little paper cup of mustard. We decided this was terrible injustice. Most of us just groused about it.
Read MoreNonprofits in this country are failing on their diversity and inclusion efforts, even as their missions address social justice and fairness issues, according to a new report of more than 5,000 workers in nonprofits.
“The sad — but unsurprising — truth is that people of color and whites have a different set of experiences in nonprofit organizations. This gap in how professionals experience their workplaces — whether they receive mentorship, are granted promotions, or face microaggressions — is partially reflected in what we call the ‘white advantage,’” write Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, Co-Directors of the Building Movement Project, and authors of the report, Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap.
Read MoreThe media landscape is perhaps at its most chaotic and disrupted in history with firings of top editors, resignings, furloughs, shutdowns, accusations of racism and sexism in content, coverage and workplace culture.
Anna Wintour, the legendary Vogue editor, says the magazine’s culture is by her own admission “hurtful and intolerant,” and rarely promotes black staff. The co-founder and top editor of Refinery 29, Christene Barberich, resigned after accusations of racism. The Bon Appetit editor resigned over racist allegations. Conde Nast is accused of systemic racism.
Read MoreAs Father’s Day approaches it is noteworthy that more fathers in the U.S. and globally are working from home and sharing in childcare duties, even homeschooling. More of them are sharing Zoom screens on business calls with their children at home in the background.
Yet an abundance of new research shows mothers are not faring as well as fathers in the lockdown days of COVID-19.
A May report from the National Women’s Law Center shows “women — and particularly women of color — hold the majority of health care, child care and other jobs now deemed both essential and dangerous amid a pandemic,” according to Benefits Pro.
Read MoreEven after a few months have passed, coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are still on the rise in some U.S. states and in Latin America and the Middle East.
The parallel racism pandemic and unrest following the killing of George Floyd is also a crisis.
Both are taking a toll on our businesses but also on mental health. Nearly 90% of workers reported moderate to severe stress in April. I’ve seen that stress causes a lot of smart business owners to make really rash decisions. If we don’t calm down and rethink our strategies, our economy, especially small woman-owned businesses, will be even more dramatically impacted than they already are.
Read MoreIssue 131 — June 15, 2020
There is ambition and there is intention. Ambition is I hope, I wish, I want. Intention is I will, I am doing it, there was never a question.
Elma Beganovich’s intention is clear: to win the same size contracts that any of the big four ad agencies would get based on her company’s ability and the talent she and her sister and cofounder Amra bring.
Amra and Elma founded A&E, a digital agency with an impressive client portfolio of Fortune 500 companies like J&J, P&G, Netflix, VF Corp, and Wells Fargo. They are mega influencers with over 2.2 million social followers.
Read MoreJ.K. Rowling offended trans individuals and groups on Twitter with an offensive definition of women. Pride parades were cancelled across the country due to COVID-19 safety concerns. New research shows workplace discrimination against LGBTQIA employees is prevalent.
Listen to Take The Lead’s podcast on “Pride in The Workplace”
To be truly inclusive, diverse, equitable and fair to all persons, company and organization leaders have work to do.
Read MoreIssue 130 — June 9, 2020
On the day of George Floyd’s funeral, let me just say it. I’m shocked that anyone is shocked about the blatantly obvious systemic racism and discrimination experienced by African Americans. The data has been in front of our noses since — forever. Even if one has never met a Black person, I don’t get how anyone can be oblivious to the rampant injustice unless he or she never consumes news, goes to the movies, or walks about a city. If you read no further, please read this straightforward overview of Black life in America by Julene Allen, CEO of Women of Color in the Workplace. She clearly documents that we are NOT living in a post-racial world.
Read More“Being uncertain doesn’t mean you are powerless,” said Jami McKeon, chair of Morgan Lewis, the largest law firm in the world led by a woman.
Speaking on the recent online panel, “Building a Better Legal Profession: Diversity, Inclusion, Technology, and the Teams of Tomorrow,” co-sponsored by Take The Lead and University of Texas’ Center For Women in Law, McKeon said COVID-19 and the most recent protests and developments highlighting injustice in the past few weeks have changed the legal profession and practices—especially for women, particularly women of color.
Read MoreIt’s better to do good than to just look good. Non-optical allyship is the goal.
The protests, violence and disruptions of the past weeks after the murder of George Lloyd --whose name is added to the perpetual roster of Black men and women killed in this country as a result of racism-- are symptomatic of the larger systems and infrastructures that must change in business and far beyond.
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