Every week with the current American government is a new crisis, a new set of challenges for a nation whose people have grown accustomed to government solving its problems.  And we certainly are facing a slew of economic and social problems.  But compounding problems is that this recession is much different than any other.  This time, the solution is dependent more on the individual, not government.   But is the individual ready to step up?

The balance of power has shifted to the individual.  The requirements to successfully reinvent has moved away from the corporation and its brand(s) to being more dependent upon the skills sets and capabilities of its employees who must be more entrepreneurial than ever just to survive.  And one thing is certain:  entrepreneurship just isn’t a business term anymore, it’s a way of life.  You don’t need to be in a start up to be entrepreneurial.  You must simply make the decision to cultivate the entrepreneurial attitude.

The C-suite may have influence in the workplace, but it doesn’t have all the answers.  In working with corporate executives, I’ve been struck again and again at how hollow the C-suite has become.  Executives are not in touch with the realities of the marketplace.  Many have forgotten how to speak to clients and cultivate relationships.  Many of them have lost their own relevancy and should be filing for early retirement.  

The traditional business school approach driven by analytics, forecasting and spreadsheet business modeling has lost its momentum.    Executives must stop being the gate-keepers to their board members and start taking on a new level of responsibility that forces them to be transparent, and to re-engage with their employees and the marketplace with determination and passion.

In today's marketplace, those people that touch the business have the real pulse on what the marketplace requires and therefore must be allowed to exercise their entrepreneurial spirit, regardless of hierarchy or rank.  We are living in the middle of one of the most uncertain times since the Depression.  Since corporations can no longer predict the future based on the past, uncertainty is high.   Everyone must be on the lookout for new opportunities and new types of innovations for America’s corporations to regain their competitive advantage.

When my father lost his mother country to Castro’s revolution in Cuba, he had to reinvent himself many times before calling the United States his home.   He told me often that if he hadn’t taken action during times of adversity that he would have been an incomplete person.

How many times has your gut told you during times of adversity to take action, but you didn’t?  Instead you wait for those around you to take the calculated risks you were hesitant to take yourself?  Leadership today requires a "get it done" attitude; one that reconnects to the front lines and reengages with customers, business partners, end users, and so on.  If your boss is spending time creating Excel spreadsheets and fancy PowerPoint presentations to inspire the team, tell her to get in the game. 

It's time for corporations to start rewiring their leaders, focusing them externally, allowing their employees to broaden their skills sets.  They must unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that lies within every one of their greatest innovation and growth assets:  their people.

There is a severe identity crisis in the workplace that is reducing productivity, minimizing trust and setting people back in their careers.  Employees are confused, stuck and anxious to be recognized during a time when most are doing more for less. They don't know how to fit in a workplace that is fueled with false promises and unexpected outcomes without preparation.  

America’s employees are losing their identity and their skill-sets are becoming outdated while their employers try to figure out their future.  If employers continue to hold their employees hostage to the problem, workplace performance will be strained and dissatisfaction will continue to rise with no real solutions in sight.

Recently, I met with an executive from a Fortune 50 company who shared his workplace frustration and his own identity crisis. “My company brand defines me.  My job title is my credential.  My quarterly evaluation binds me.   I am told that I am next to being promoted only to find my boss is leaving the organization.  My boss controls my future.    I am forced to start over by proving that I am still worthy of the "next in line status."

Does this sound familiar?  Do you ever feel that your identity has become marginalized because your self-worth as an employee has become define by an employer that only views you as head-count liability rather than a valuable asset? 

In today’s new normal, people want to be part of a workplace culture that allows them to be their natural, authentic self.  An identity that supports their own personal reinvention efforts to be more purposeful, responsible and accountable in the workplace.   Following are 4 ways to regain control of your identity in the workplace and help your employer reinvent itself and reestablish its own identity in the global market at the same time.

#1: Adopt a new mindset.

You have to shift your thinking from the organization as provider to the organization as enabler. The good news: It’s now a place for you to bring your whole self, rather than just fulfilling a job function. In a more profound sense, you need to start thinking of yourself as a participant in a larger whole, rather than merely a worker at a particular company. You’re part of a greater community, one defined by those areas of expertise and interest that you share with people well beyond the limits of the organization itself. So while your new position may feel riskier in some senses, in other ways you will begin to feel greater security as you explore, develop, and inhabit that community.

Too many people in the workplace have stopped being thinkers because they have become conditioned to being doers. As employee brands, we must become thought leaders and help others do the same. We must view ourselves as social entrepreneurs in the workplace, constantly enabling new opportunities for the betterment of a healthier whole.

#2: Invest in yourself continuously.

Large organizations in the past could support you with an impressive array of resources and professional development. In the new normal, post-recession, economically constrained landscape, many of those resources have now been limited or lost entirely. You’re going to have to get by with less in the new workplace. You’re going to have to work smarter. You’re going to have to be more resourceful in ways you never had to before. You must think like an entrepreneur in how you navigate, survive and thrive in the new economy. You must think like an immigrant.

Invest in your skill-sets independently of what your employer does for you.  In today’s competitive talent landscape, your identity will be shaped over a longer period of time.   You must fully develop your assets in order for your employer to discover them.  This only happens with your continuous investment in yourself.   How much money did you invest in yourself?  Like an entrepreneur, you must put skin in the game in order to reap the rewards of your investment.   If you haven’t started, create an investment plan for your own individual employee brand and start becoming more influential in your workplace today!

#3: Adjust your vision; shift your focus.

The linear thinking that was possible when you worked in a large corporation with many other work groups to complete the project you started, the process you moved along, the sale you initiated – is no longer possible. You need to see with wide-angle vision. Like the immigrant leader who sees around corners and ahead in time to anticipate both troubles and opportunities, you must let go of your one dimensional existence and become fully three-dimensional.

With this wide-angle vision comes the responsibility to manage your personal employee brand with proper focus. Today, our vision is clouded with distractions, data overload and the uncertainty of the economy. You must stay focused on your personal employee brand to create momentum.

Several years ago, Donald Trump hired a famous business consultant to understand why he was able to build his fortune but then later was forced to file for bankruptcy. After months of research and discovery, the consultant concluded that Mr. Trump had trouble staying focused and thus lost his momentum. What did he do? He applied Step 3.

Stop getting trapped in all of the noise of the new economy. Your responsibility is to create and participate in activities that will keep you focused to sustain momentum. Remember this: winners focus, losers spray.

#4: Get to know the real hierarchy in your organization.

Every organization has a formal hierarchy and an informal one. The formal one is defined by what is noted on the organizational chart. In the traditional corporate org chart, this is a political diagram that defines accountability and authority. The informal hierarchy represents those employees that actually get the work done. Don’t follow the traditional org chart. In the new workplace you must identify where trust and transparency exist. You must discover the people who can help you make things happen, not just the people who have the titles. Find the real influencers – those people that seek to create initiative and innovation.

Surround yourself with people who help make you more relevant, more knowledgeable and more meaningful. You must constantly take the pulse of your organization to be active in the real hierarchy. You must make your real identity more noticeable and make your contributions count in the organization. And that’s the way to contribute both to your own advancement as well as the advancement of the company.

Do you have control of your identity in the workplace?  

I would like to hear your stories and perspectives.  It’s a hot topic and your peers want to know how others are handling this time-sensitive matter.

 

Is your company’s leadership motivated by external deadlines – what other people request from them? Or are they motivated by their own internal deadlines – expectations and demands they place on themselves?

Unfortunately, we have all witnessed too many leaders who are externally motivated.   They require demands from their boss and reminders from their colleagues in order to get things done.  At a time where we need leaders in the workplace to touch the business just as much as they lead it, external motivation is unacceptable in today’s new business climate.   Leaders are spending too much time playing it safe, when they should be taking calculated risks to be more innovative, decisive and forward-thinking in their actions.

Think about what the workplace and its people would be like if leaders where internally motivated. 

1.     A More Innovative Workplace Culture. 

Internally motivated leaders inspire their employees and colleagues to match their internal fire, bringing out the innovators in everyone.  Employees become more critical in their thinking.  People become more aware of their own “employee brand” and how its relevance can best support leadership and align with the organizations goals and objectives.  An innovative culture would help the high performance employees stand out from those that just play it safe. 

2. More Critical Thinking; Adaptive Teamwork. 

People become more critical in their thinking, approach and style to their leadership. Do you adapt your thinking to your leadership?  I am shocked by those who are constantly complaining about their boss.   First of all, there is no such thing as a perfect boss.  Second, tough luck!   Your responsibility is not to always agree with your boss, but rather exceed her expectations.  Therefore, if your boss is internally motivated; learn how to stay a few steps ahead.  Perhaps you can become the employee that fuels your boss’s internally driven motivations and ultimate success.  Be a lifter.  Help others become better all the time, even if you are not always getting the direct credit.  Your time will come.  Helping others must fuel your internal motivations.

I’m reminded of my early corporate years, when my boss would always surprise the team with new expectations for the business and challenge our approach to growth.  Over time, I began to realize that my thought processes started to change.  I was being challenged to express my entrepreneurial spirit in a manner that forced me to out-think my boss.  Not in a competitive sense, but in a holistic sense that pushed me to better understand her patterns of thought and how I could become her secret weapon without anyone knowing.  Overtime, we both understood my role and I began to share what I learned with others on the team to do the same, encouraging their own style and approach.  Our team became the highest performing division in the organization.

Innovation is the by-product of internal motivation.   The greatest leaders are the ones that can take their internal motivations and cultivate innovation from within their communities.

The best leadership team I was a part of was the most unorganized.   The organization was not measured by structures, but rather driven by continuous innovation to keep our competitors honest.  While the lack of structure challenged our ability to be efficient, every leader was internally motivated to produce new marketable ideas.  Not small ideas, but big ideas that could leverage the existing infrastructure of the organization to extend itself beyond its own boundaries.   It’s amazing how much more people can do when their future was based on their ability to convert inventions into innovations.  This begins with leadership that is motivated from within.

If you looked at your company’s organizational chart, could you easily detect the leaders that are internally versus externally motivated?  If you are one of the externally motivated leaders, would this be obvious to others?  How about your colleagues?  What drives them?  Are you an asset or a liability to your organization?

I welcome your viewpoints and stories about the leaders in your workplace.

Diversity management is the key to growth in today’s fiercely competitive global marketplace.  No longer can America’s corporations hide behind their lack of cultural intelligence.  Organizations that seek global market relevancy must embrace diversity – in how they think, act and innovate.  Diversity can no longer just be about making the numbers, but rather how an organization treats its people authentically down to the roots of its business model.   In today’s new workplace, diversity management is a time-sensitive business imperative.

To better understand this fast-changing terrain, I reached out to three notable diversity executives -- pioneers within their respective industries – to share their insights and perspectives regarding the future of diversity and some of the new best practices that will allow diversity to play a more strategic role in cultivating sustainable business growth:

• Dr. Rohini Anand, Chief Diversity Officer, Sodexo
• Ron Glover, Chief Diversity Officer, IBM
• Kathy Hannan, National Managing Partner, Diversity & Corporate Responsibility, KPMG LLP

 Make it Real or Lose Your Authenticity

Corporate leaders pay lip service to diversity, but they don’t really live it.   Diversity is more than employee demographics and support for a few non-profits.  You can’t buy diversity, and organizations that continue to embrace this approach will tarnish their brand.  America is changing, and the new population carefully evaluates how organizations relate to it. If you are not authentic, consumers and employees will begin to question the authenticity and leadership of your organization. 

As Rohini Anand says, “The traditional representation perspective originated from the Civil Right era.  This will never go away entirely.  However, diversity must go beyond this mentality.  At Sodexo, diversity is embedded in our brand.  The Sodexo brand is synonymous with diversity.  Though the Sodexo brand is not a known consumer brand, diversity leadership defines our brand – it’s all about talent.  Diversity is about responding to the needs of our clients in a holistic way.”

And Kathy Hannan adds, “Companies must take a long term strategic approach to engage diverse talent.  Companies must define their role in the global marketplace.  The train has left the station.  You may not be where you want to be with your diversity strategy, but you need to get started!”

How would you grade the authenticity of your diversity business strategy?

Executives are Still Short-Sided

I’m reminded of a pre-recession discussion I had with a consumer goods executive who said: “Diversity is another way of saying affirmative action and we are forced to support it in order to protect our brand in the trade and amongst our consumer audience.  Diversity has no real value tangible to the growth of our business.”   Unfortunately, many executives still share this opinion today.

As Rohini Anand says, “Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies have been particularly effective with diversity from a marketing initiative standpoint.  However, this is different from embracing diversity holistically.  Companies must think about diversity beyond addressing niche needs.  Diversity is not just about accessing multicultural markets.  Companies must look more broadly to reinvent the way we think about how business is done.  How can diversity be pulled out of this commoditized mentality?  Diversity leadership must drive innovative perspectives.  Companies have not yet figured out how to unlock the potential within markets and processes that must be enabled globally.”

Do your top executives still adhere to the traditional rules of the workplace?  Has their approach lost its relevancy?

Diversity is much more than just a multicultural issue.  Diversity is about embracing many different types of people, who stand for different things and represent different cultures, generations, ideas, and thinking.  As Ron Glover says, “Innovation is about looking at complex problems and bringing new views to the table.  Diversity has allowed IBM to be innovative and successful for 100 years and to work across lines of differences in 172 countries, amongst 427,000 employees.”

For example, are you paying attention to the Internet and how online communities continue to grow and represent different voices and points of view?

As a result of this virtual diversity, innovation continues to thrive in the online world. 

So why can’t these same attitudes, ownership and principals apply to the workplace at a time when America needs innovation to reinvent itself to remain relevant in the global marketplace?

Kathy Hannan notes, “Diversity has moved away from a nice-to-have, to a must-have for companies as a strategic business imperative.  KPMG has a multinational client base.  We must understand their protocols, their ways of doing business.  Diversity must move from just a value, to being operational.”

Anand adds, “Diversity must drive the formation of new business models.  Leaders must think about the changing landscape:  the economy is changing, how business is being done is changing, so the question is how can diversity be utilized as a strategic enabler in today’s changing landscape.” 

And Glover says, “Diversity is a core belief of IBM in how we succeed in business. In order for IBM to successfully expand globally, we need a workforce that understands the local market.  Our clients are as diverse as our employees.  And there are now 5 generations in the workplace.  We must focus on building communities inside of IBM to embrace differences to drive innovation globally.”

Diversity needs a Refresh

Diversity clearly needs a refresh.  The misinterpretations of what diversity means and what it truly represents have limited its ability to have the real impact and influence it warrants in America’s corporations.     In fact, the executives who get it today will tell you how concerned they are for their business, because their people, products, and services do not connect naturally with the new faces of America.   As one executive told me, “Our business demands diversity and we are more uncomfortable with our lack of diversity preparedness than ever before.  We are in trouble if we don’t fix it!”  As a result, most companies have been forced to react not only to the changing face of America and but the mindsets of the global marketplace.    Consequently, executives have started to confront the inevitable: a new business model that fully integrates diversity as a business growth enabler.  

Kathy Hannan says, “No homogeneous talent pool can be innovative.  Diversity is essential.  And, there are broader implications across the whole supply chain.  Diversity is about how you do business across the board.”

Has your organization experienced this awakening moment yet?   Is America too one-dimensional in its approach to diversity?

In my most recent blog, I discussed how the lack of cultural intelligence in business and society is damaging our enterprises and our economy.  Hundreds of reactions from people focused on encouraging their leaders to embrace diversity more strategically in order to be more culturally intelligent – to help their companies grow.  While their reactions were genuine, what concerns me is that many of these organizations are still in the early stages of integrating the basic functional and leadership requirements of diversity.  

Kathy Hannan notes, “KPMG took diversity and integrated it with corporate responsibility.  We purposely took the word “social” out.  This made us look at ourselves as an organization at the highest level of integrity.  Today, KPMG views its sustainability strategy across four areas: Ethics, Citizenship, Environmental and Diversity (talent sustainability).  You need to start with who you are.  It’s about making a long-term investment -- to have long-term sustainable impact.”

At what stage of diversity management is your organization?

The Future of Diversity

To better understand the future of diversity management and its role as a business growth enabler, think back to when Information Technology (IT) was viewed as just a cost center.   IT was not associated with driving business growth 20 years ago, but rather as a required cost of doing business.  Just like diversity today, many people then thought IT got in the way of business.   Today, IT is considered a profit center by many and a high priority for organizations as a business growth enabler.   In fact, many CIOs (Chief Information Officers) are next in line for the CEO role.   As a result, to be an influential CIO; you must be a business strategist with an MBA (not just a computer science degree). 

CDOs (Chief Diversity Officers) will experience many of the same functional role and responsibility shifts as have CIOs.  They will not only be required to assume their practitioner responsibilities, but they must also learn to play a more integral strategic role in the design of new business models.  Glover notes, “Diversity is a critical leadership success factor at IBM. Globally diverse leaders are maximizing the effectiveness of our teams.  IBM has recognized the importance of building teams across the company from different countries.    It’s not just about leadership, but capability.  Diversity is fundamentally focused on talent!  Those differences create real opportunities for those who learn to master them and a disaster for those who do not.”

Diversity management will begin to develop rapidly, out from under the traditional human resources and talent acquisition roles, to assume more dotted-line responsibilities that will touch corporate strategy, corporate social responsibility, organizational design & effectiveness, corporate marketing and even sales.  Therefore, the requirements to be an effective CDO will mean that they must include operating more holistically in a general management and operational capacity to ensure that diversity becomes an embedded mindset with common threads that touch all functional areas (internally) and the supply chain (externally).  

Hannan notes, “Good intentions are not a substitute for accountability.  Everyone must be accountable for advancing diversity.” 

Is your organization being proactive to reinvent the role of diversity management as a strategic business growth enabler?   Is your CDO prepared to assume these new leadership and competency requirements?

How you manage diversity in your organization from today forward will determine your long-term success or failure in the global marketplace.