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FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Diversity is not a minority problem; it is an American opportunity |
In my role at The Consortium, I speak daily to representatives from top MBA schools and corporations. I often hear, “We need to increase our diversity numbers.” Or, “We’re looking for highly qualified diverse candidates.” I will often reply – with a smile – that Caucasian men are an important component of diversity. I smile, not because my reply is disingenuous; my reply is genuine. I smile because many diversity professionals incorrectly use the term “diversity” to represent underrepresented minorities – one of the many downfalls of political correctness. I smile because smiles tend to break down barriers to dialogue. Understanding and leveraging the power of ethnic diversity in the United States is one of our greatest opportunities. This understanding will enhance leadership, governance, product and service development, and the marketing and distribution of those products and services. We live in a global economy. If we fail to understand and flourish within our own multicultural environment, we will never find success in the global economy. Diversity is not a minority problem; it is an American opportunity. If we are going to address social problems in the United States that stem from cultural clashes, we need to remove ignorance as an excuse. Contrary to one popular line of thinking, we need to stop talking about race. There is only one race – it’s the human race. Instead, we need to become educated about ethnic diversity. Diversity is a state of being, something that can be easily measured. In any room full of people, we can take a snapshot and quantify the diversity in the room by ethnicity, religious background, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Unfortunately, we tend to oversimplify the meaning of diversity when we discuss it. That often results in flawed understandings, inappropriate “solutions” and undesired outcomes. We categorize people as black, white, Hispanic, Asian. These categories lead many to think the groups are homogeneous. They are not. These categories also lead many to believe everyone is included in at least one group. They are not. Rather than assume everyone is the same – and then be shocked to learn the fallacy of this assumption – let’s assume everyone is different. Let’s have dialogue to understand and enjoy these differences, celebrate the common ground and leverage these commonalities to move our country forward in a positive and productive manner. Further, we should understand that when we remove race from the equation, we all become part of a minority. Ethnically, as the chart below shows, no one ethnicity in the United States is a majority. The percentages are based on numbers from the 2010 U.S. Census. On that basis, the United States has always been a very diverse country – since long before we formed our nation, in fact. Native Americans (American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians) were here before the United States was created. Likewise, roughly 300,000 Africans were kidnapped and brought here as slaves. Pre-colonial immigrants arrived from England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Spain. As the United States annexed more and more of the West, via war, purchases and treaties, the number of Hispanics (primarily Mexicans) and Native Americans increased. The notion of “minorities” and “majorities” shifts depending on where we stand – or who is framing the discussion. Most of us will find that we are part of both the majority and the minority. From this broader perspective, we can make some statements about being in the majority. For example: The majority of those living in the United States were born in the United States; speak English; have graduated from high school; are employed. A minority of those living in the United States were born outside of the United States; speak more than two languages; have completed a bachelor’s degree; vote. Quoting Mark Twain, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Finally, we need to recognize that political correctness and a positive and healthy dialogue are quite often mutually exclusive. We tend to see two extremes: Some of us hide behind political correctness to avoid discussing controversial yet important topics; others use hatred or violence to illustrate our collective ignorance about ethnic diversity. The turmoil in Ferguson, Mo., and the responses that followed merely underscore the social issues that rage across our entire nation. If we are to resolve this tension between American cultures and move our country forward, we need to initiate a positive and healthy dialogue. We need to learn to listen and we need to learn that everyone has a right to be heard. Maybe then we will begin to learn about inclusion. Is anyone with me? NOTE: This post is adapted from one that original ran on my LinkedIn profile. |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Martin Nance: His route from the NFL to Gatorade |
The sports icons flash across the screen for just an instant: Jeter, Jordan, Montana, Hamm, Abdul-Jabbar. Celtics, 49ers, Blackhawks. One after another they speed past, ticking up to 50 — all in celebration of Gatorade’s 50th anniversary. The Christmas Day 2014 television ad was the brainchild of Martin Nance (OP, 2010), a Consortium alumnus who now manages ad campaigns for the sports beverage brand, famously invented at the University of Florida — home of the Florida Gators. As the marketing innovation manager for PepsiCo, owner of the Gatorade brand, Nance is often the guy behind the scenes, making sure his brand’s ads get from concept to air. “I set the strategic vision of the ad, I write the brief outlining it,” Nance told us. He’s involved in choosing directors, casting the ads and more. “I’m responsible for briefing everyone involved in that campaign, overseeing the production and media buying for that campaign.” The job is a drastic change from his previous job: Four years in the NFL. Although he won a Super Bowl ring for being part of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad in the 2008 season, he’s never had the pleasure of a Gatorade shower on the sidelines. A screen-capture from the Christmas Day 2014 Gatorade ad, celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary. As a pro football player, he had the opportunity to get involved with a number of youth programs along his path from Buffalo (with the Bills), to Minnesota (and the Vikings), and finally, Pittsburgh. “That light bulb went off and I realized I had a passion for helping people pursue opportunities,” Nance said. “Young students know the opportunities are out there, but it takes some pushing for them to get specific. Some have a short-sighted vision about how to work toward those.” He credits The Consortium for supporting him on his transition from the gridiron to the boardroom. Nance earned his MBA from the University of Michigan in 2012. “I would encourage incoming students to gear up for the relationships that you’re getting ready to form” at The Consortium’s Orientation Program in June, he said. “Even students that ended up at other (MBA) programs, I had great relationships with many of them. You find it’s a close-knit group. You see people as you pass through the airport.” Nance loves hearing memories people associate with Gatorade over the past 50 years, back to the days when the drink came in one flavor: lemon-lime. What’s Nance’s favorite flavor of Gatorade today? It’s ice punch. “I’m a big fan,” Nance says, but he’s also a fan of a flavor the public hasn’t seen in years: lemon ice, due to return this summer. |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: You’re prepared to be leaders; now is your time |
Most of our alumni, partner schools representatives and sponsors know The Consortium is based in suburban St. Louis, a few scant miles from the scenes that played out last summer and fall surrounding the death of Michael Brownafter a police shooting in Ferguson. We may as well be witnessing a repeat of those scenes this week. Replace Ferguson with Baltimore. Substitute Michael Brown with Freddie Gray. The rest of the narrative is all too familiar: The death of a black man in police custody. The seeming insensitivity to his injuries. The community uproar.The declaration of a state of emergency. And, of course, the backlash — the inevitable result of criminal action in the name of protest. Nobody condones the violence against people or property. It is criminal. And it is counterproductive. Once the plate glass windows shatter, the rocks soar and the flames consume businesses, people stop listening to the underlying message. Yet the reality is that what we witnessed in Ferguson, and now Baltimore, is the manifestation of decades of frustration. When communities respond this way, there are deeper issues driving the destruction. There is a deeper message trying to be heard. We know what the message is. And we need to help make sure it is heard. In Ferguson, the case was made, and later revealed, that the people who were rioting and looting were indeed being manipulated and exploited by a corrupt system. However, we should never forget this: Without the Michael Brown shooting, there would not have been an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. We must never forget that the Ferguson community had been crying for help against a corrupt law enforcement system for years before the death of Michael Brown. Their cries were ignored. Consortium members were chosen, in part, because you are leaders. We typically mean that in the context of the business world. It’s more than that. Your leadership is required in your school, in your office, in your community. You have a story to tell, an experience to share — and it needs to be heard, now more than ever. Many of your stories are similar to mine. I’m the son of a Russian Jew and an American Indian with Mexican roots. I’ve watched clerks tail me in the department store. Police have stopped me — detaining me, face down, at gunpoint — for driving my own car in white, suburban neighborhoods. Anthony J. Davis, our vice president for development, has a nearly identical story. “I remember being forced to lay face down in a Los Angeles alley, a victim of being the wrong color in the wrong place, encountered by the wrong people — law enforcement,” he said to me today. “And to this day, I still do not understand why.” These scenes are familiar to many of you, either through personal experience, or because you can name friends or family members who have shared them. But these stories are not familiar to everyone. So the message is this: These things really happen. They happen to our brothers and sisters, other American citizens. And they happen disproportionately to underrepresented minorities. They happen because an institutional culture of silence and ambivalence has been allowed to permeate law enforcement, the retail establishment and other elements of our society. Anthony Davis and I share the same challenge to the students and alumni affiliated with The Consortium: Reflect on the opportunity that was extended to you as a member of this organization. Determine what role you will play in the days and weeks to come. Will you mentor? Will you volunteer? Will you vote? Will you serve? Will you lend your voice, energy and collective expertise to promote sustainable change consistent with the mission, vision and values of this organization? Now is not the time to go along to get along. You can no longer afford to be silent. Note: The photograph above was taken Aug. 16, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo., by Flickr user Shawn Semmler. Used under Creative Commons license. |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Stages of grief? The Diversity and Inclusion Paradigm |
In the nearly 12 years since coming aboard at The Consortium — and, frankly, long before that — I’ve done a lot of thinking about what’s required to recognize the need for diversity and inclusion within an organization, nurture those efforts, and realize the results of that work. In many ways, the road an organization (or an individual) must follow is not unlike the “stages of grief” that have become a common part of our vocabulary when dealing with the painful episodes in our lives. Walk through this paradigm with me and see if you recognize where your organization is on the continuum. “The Five Stages of Grief” by Flickr user Cocomariposa. Used under Creative Commons license. Ignorance (akin to “denial and isolation”). At this stage, an organization doesn’t recognize there’s a problem. And it certainly doesn’t recognize that there’s an opportunity in including people of diverse backgrounds. This stage is based in prejudice. Proponents often assume minorities “are just complaining.” They believe everyone has the same opportunity in America. Awareness (akin go to “anger”). Here, the organization’s leaders realize they might have an issue with diversity and inclusion among their team members. However, they are still hampered by the belief that they treat everyone equally. Diversity “is not my problem.” Acknowledgement (akin to “bargaining”). At this stage, leaders realize there is a problem. They know they are not making enough of an effort to encourage organizational diversity. They recognize they are missing opportunities to benefit from diversity within the organization. But they are overwhelmed. They don’t know what to do about it. Problem/Symptom Orientation (“depression”). Here, the organization is taking fitful steps to address the issue. Leadership may establish affinity groups within the organization for members of various underrepresented minorities (but fail to give them any specific responsibilities or objectives. The organization may make financial contributions to “the right” organizations. It may hire a “chief diversity officer,” with a title and a salary, but no authority, no involvement in strategy, recruitment or retention. The recognition is clear, but efforts to address the problem are superficial. Solution Orientation (akin to “acceptance”). At this point, the organization is clearly taking hold of the problem in a meaningful way. Leadership develops strategies to segment their product markets to appeal to a variety of diverse audiences, customizing marketing approaches or building diversity into its strategy. Recruiting a diverse workforce becomes a priority, and strategies emerge that center on an inclusive recruitment process. The organization may even develop products that target various market segments. Acculturation (here, the analogy breaks down!). The organization reaches an enlightened state, recognizing that diversity includes everyone. Everyone is part of an inclusive, diverse organization, and everyone has a role in nurturing that diversity. The organization has an institutional understanding of the opportunities inclusiveness and diversity have on every facet of its operations. It’s built into the organization’s DNA, its strategic planning, its evaluation process. Everyone recognizes that the organization’s very ability to compete depends on the recognition of diversity inside and outside the organization. Where does your organization fit? How does your organization’s culture and location on this paradigm affect your recruiting efforts? And how can you help move your organization through the paradigm toward acculturation? NEXT: The changing demographics of the United States demand a sense of urgency toward diversity and inclusion. |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Countdown to #CGSMOP2015! Get ready for Phoenix |
Starting today, The Consortium is launching a social media countdown to the 49th annual Orientation Program & Career Forum, which starts in 31 days in Phoenix. The theme this year: “Rise in the Valley of the Sun” (which is a nickname for the Phoenix area). Watch the countdown on The Consortium’s social media accounts: We’re trying to have a little fun with our countdown, so watch our accounts every day, starting today, for one of these tidbits as we count down to Phoenix. ON MONDAYS: Phoenix Phellows. We’re asking you share some trivia about yourself so we can get to know a little about who is coming to Phoenix with us. ON TUESDAYS: Phoenix Phacts. Learn a little trivia about our host city. ON WEDNESDAYS: Phorward Looking. We’ll tease you with some info about something cool that’s coming for this year’s OP. ON THURSDAYS: Throwback Thursday. A look back at OP events from year’s gone by. ON FRIDAYS: Phollow Phriday. We share a few cool Twitter accounts we think would be worth keeping up with while you’re at OP and beyond. ON SATURDAYS: OP Volunteers. Get to know some of the kind souls who will help all of us make the most out of OP this year. ON SUNDAYS: Meet the Staff: A photo and phun phact from someone on The Consortium team. We’re all eager to meet each of you! We hope you’ll follow us on Facebook and Twitter, especially, where we’ll mostly be focusing this countdown. Today is Tuesday, May 5: 31 days to go! ABOVE: Jessie Washington, class of 2016 at Washington University in St. Louis, at the 2014 Orientation Program in Austin, Texas. |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Karim Samra: ‘I’m feeling empowered’ |
The turning point might have been over a heated discussion with the founder of the Hult Prize Foundation. How, wondered Karim Samra, could students realistically create growing, sustainable businesses with only social good as their goal? For Samra, a 2007 alumnus of The Consortium’s orientation program and 2009 graduate of New York University’s MBA program, the notion was ludicrous. As a go-go, driven young business leader, he came out of school like a rocket, with high-powered jobs in the private sector. He had the salary, the expense account, the frequent travel. Just five years out of school, he was part of the COO team at a private-sector firm. “In the private sector, they were all about growth and scale, but they were less interested in social impact,” Samra said. “What was missing was alignment with the community, the creation of shared value. It felt unsatisfying to me, when I’m looking at my daughter and explaining to her what I do.” Samrais now the chief operating officer for the organization he once scoffed at. “I was wrong,” he said. And now, his job is promoting the foundation, which runs an annual venture capital competition for social entrepreneurs — with a $1 million prize at the end of the line. “We’re already the largest social venture competition in the world,” Samra said. “My objective when I was hired was to take this to the next level.” Karim Samra Samra spends a lot of time talking about The Hult Foundationand its mission, helping to organize local chapters on college campuses and working on fundraising — with a goal of creating secondary prizes for finalists that make it through the rigorous early rounds in the annual competition. He notes that MBA students are all familiar with Michael Porter and his “five forces framework” for analyzing industry competition and developing corporate strategy. Fewer, Samra said, know enough about Porter’s notions of “shared value”: “The purpose of the corporation must be redefined as creating shared value, not just profit per se,” Porter has said. “This will drive the next wave of innovation and productivity growth in the global economy.” These are the notions that have driven Samra to change the trajectory of his career, which he documented in a post published by the Huffington Post in January, and another on his LinkedIn profile in March. “I’m feeling very fulfilled,” Samra told us. “It’s not just my weekends that fill me with purpose. That sense of purpose, for me, I can feel it every day. And that for me is unusual. I’m feeling empowered.” |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Corporate need for diversity demands urgency |
Companies that do not value a diverse and inclusive approach to business will soon find themselves struggling to stay in business at all. The need is urgent — not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s economically pragmatic. I’ll explain why in a moment. Today’s topic follows from my last post, in which I outlined a paradigm to view the various approaches organizations take to diversity. I outlined six components in that paradigm, ranging from denial — the organization doesn’t believe there’s a problem — to acculturation, when the organization fully embraces diversity in strategy, operations and recruiting. The urgency in addressing this issue is apparent in the changing demographics of the United States, which, increasingly, is not at the global center of innovation and economic might. As a nation, we could and should strive to be, but that cannot happen without embracing the demographic forces changing the face of our economy. Consumers who do not see themselves reflected in a business’s goods and services; its marketing; or its workforce will quickly find alternatives. We can start to see the trend in the graph below. These 1960 numbers, from the U.S. Census Bureau, reflect the “Mad Men” era of yesteryear. On a base of about 180 million people, 80 percent of the U.S. population was Caucasian. Few organizations cared about diversity because there was little to no economic incentive to do so. Contrast 1960’s numbers with this year, in the graph above. The U.S. population is about 320 million. There are about 18 million more Caucasians in the population than there were 55 years ago. But they make up only 62 percent of the total. So in 55 years, the percentage of African Americans increased 50 percent, while the Hispanic American population more than doubled. And there’s more, based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
NEXT: What do these trends mean for enrollment in the top 50 MBA programs around the country? |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: ‘Indebted to The Consortium for this Opportunity’ |
Consortium President and CEO Peter J. Aranda received the following email on Sunday, June 7, in the midst of our 49th annual Orientation Program & Career Forum. We share it here, with permission: My name is Maurice Stanfer from the (Indiana University) Kelley School of Business (“Go Hoosiers!”). I felt compelled to email you about your speech at the Kick-Off Meeting. There was a part of your speech when you gave an analogy about a child learning to walk that really resonated with me. As I mentioned in one of my application essays, in November of 2013, I had to have emergency brain surgery. Literally, my world was turned completely upside down. Contrary to what the doctors believed, I fully recovered, and I’m here today. I had to learn how to walk again and speak again, but I was DETERMINED to get my life back together. Much like that brave child, I took steps and fell down, but I had the courage to get back up. I say all this to say that I feel soooooo indebted to The Consortium for this opportunity. It is an opportunity that I hold with the highest regard. I am PROUD, GRACIOUS, HUMBLE and READY to not only represent this brand, but to further the mission of The Consortium! If I can ever be of service in any capacity, PLEASE do not hesitate to contact me. |
FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Ongoing benefits of The Consortium partnership with National Black MBA Assocation |
For the second consecutive year, The Consortium presented a merit-based, full-tuition fellowship in partnership with the National Black MBA Association at our annual Orientation Program & Career Forum, this year in Phoenix. This year, the scholarship went to Marissa Smith, an Atlanta native who graduated in 2011 from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Marissa was a mentor and case competition coach with NBMBAA’s Twin Cities chapter of its Leaders of Tomorrow program and the NBMBAA Collegiate Chapter at Washington University. She will attend the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business to pursue her MBA. The joint scholarship is only one element of a five-year partnership between our two organizations, which are both dedicated to seeing broader diversity and inclusiveness among students in top MBA programs and the halls of corporate America. Chanelle Gandy presents at The Consortium’s 2015 Orientation Program “We’re so well-aligned; the partnership makes so much sense,” said Chanelle Gandy, NBMBAA’s associate director of chapter, member, and university relations, who presented the fellowship award to Marissa Smith. Gandy lauded The Consortium’s general approach to encouraging diversity, paired with NBMBAA’s particular focus on African American students. “There’s very much a need for organizations that are committed to developing black talent.” In recognition of NBMBAA’s annual contribution to The Consortium’s Annual Fund, one student who is judged to be particularly aligned with National Black MBA’s mission receives a full-tuition fellowship in the name of both organizations. It is awarded to an African American student who is an active member of NBMBAA and has demonstrated leadership and community commitment. Applicants submit a resume, transcripts and letters of recommendation. They must also be enrolled in an MBA program with one of The Consortium’s partner schools. “We’re privileged to work with National Black MBA on this partnership,” said Janice Wells-White, vice president for program administration at The Consortium. “The partnership makes a powerful statement about the need to drive diversity in education and business.” NBMBAA has 10,000 members nationwide, half of whom are studying business as undergraduates or MBA prospects; the other half are business professionals who share a dedication to diversity in business. That network dovetails with The Consortium’s annual class of 400-plus new fellows, 800-plus current students, 8,000-plus alumni worldwide and representatives from our 18 partner MBA programs and more than 75 corporate partners. While Gandy appeared at The Consortium’s annual orientation program to award the scholarship, the organizations’ partnership extends into NBMBAA’s annual conference as well, which attracts some 10,000 people annually. The two organizations pair up on a diversity networking reception that gives partner companies early access to top-tier students at the top 30 MBA programs. Last year, 230 participants took part in the networking event. This year’s NBMBAA conference is Sept. 22-26 in Orlando. “The reception is an intimate venue for quality contact between our corporate partners and a select group of top-tier MBA students,” Gandy said. “It’s really a great chance for them to interact and learn more about their career interests.” |
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FROM The Consortium Admissions Blog: Fight off Facebook cat memes with Angel Davis’ startup |
Basically, Angel Davis and business partner Lauren Washington got tired of all the cats on Facebook. The friends were musing aloud about the clutter on their social networks. But they were unwilling to delete their accounts, for fear of missing the important stuff: Birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations of new jobs and other milestones in their friends’ lives. “People take hiatuses from Facebook, but then they miss out on these events,” said Davis, a Consortium fellow who attended OP in 2010 and graduated from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 2012. “It’s about getting to the heart of what is important about social media.” That conversation gave rise to KeepUp, a startup company and fledging smartphone app designed to weed out the social media clutter and signal users about the important stuff. That idea won $250,000 in seed funding for Davis and Washington, who graduated from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. from KeepUp on Vimeo. They were among 11 winners in the 43 North business idea competition in Buffalo, N.Y., designed to draw startup talent and ideas to the Queen City. Davis told The Consortium her app just had its beta release in the Apple App Store and she’s eager to invite everyone (CGSM family included) to put it through its paces and send feedback. She’s expecting a hard launch for the app sometime this year. A tech startup wasn’t necessarily on her mind when she started her MBA program, but, Davis said, “business school gives you that entrepreneurial experience. It gives you the ability to turn ideas into action.” Accenture hired Davis as a management consultant straight out of Stern, but winning the seed funding empowered her and Washington to commit themselves full-time to their startup. She left Accenture in late 2014. The business model for the app is three-pronged: Up-sell opportunities for users to send cards and gifts to friends on their social networks (of which KeepUp gets a cut); premium features within the app itself; and a plan (yet to be developed) for using the collected data. “It just really started with conversation,” Davis said. “We asked, ‘How would we solve this problem?'” |
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