What is an Inclusion Champion and what do they do? Marty Smith talks with us about her role her at Consumers Energy and why she chose to be an Inclusion Champion.
What is an Inclusion Champion and what do they do? Marty Smith talks with us about her role her at Consumers Energy and why she chose to be an Inclusion Champion.
Hello everyone and welcome to mi u us a wellbeing podcast. It's another wellbeing Wednesday here Consumers Energy, and I'm your host bill Krieger. Today, my guest is Marty Smith, or better known as DJ Marty McFly to her friends. She is a unit control operator, a local union Vice President, and an inclusion champion here at Consumers Energy. That's a lot of hats to wear. So Marty, if you'd Introduce yourself, we'll get the conversation started. I'm Mari Smith, and I've actually been with the company for 20 years, started out as a meter reader. I did that for a couple years, then transferred over to the Campbell plant, where I was in maintenance for a year and then operations to the rest of my time. And now I got chosen to be an inclusion champion. So let's talk a little bit about working in the plant. Is this something you always wanted to do? Do you have a background in, you know, mechanics, you have an engineering degree? How did you end up being a unit control operator? No, actually, before I came to consumers, I was in the restaurant business, I was usually a sous chef, which was second in charge. So I've always boiled water, just going to the plant, I boil more water. So the concepts are essentially the same. Yeah, just different equipment. I'm assuming you don't have to bring knives to this job. No, no, they prefer I don't. Well, that's good. I, you know, I like that, because I was trying to make that connection between chef in unit control operators. So it just has to do with boiling a larger amount of water. So thank you for that clarification problem. So you did mention being an inclusion champion? And for the audience, what what, what does an inclusion champion do? What's your job? We're trying to get to the people closest to the work, and just trying to explain what the DNI strategy is, and hopefully educating some people on what D and AI is, and, you know, trying to make, I guess, essentially make people more comfortable with the DNI and having those difficult discussions. So I know before I sat in on some of the work that your team does, and now we do a lot of stuff together, especially around new employee orientation. You know, I think one of the things that I thought of when I heard diversity, I always think of black and white. And that's not necessarily a case. So you, can you talk to me a little bit about what that means. When people hear the word diversity, a lot of people go to either race, and, or gender, and it kind of stops there. But it's, it's so much more than that. Everybody is diverse in their own way. It could be I'm diverse, because I have blue eyes, and I'm left handed. You know, I could be diverse in my education level. And even what I do for a living, you know, all those things make me diverse, you know, my marital status, what I like to do outside of work, all those things, factor into your own diversity. Everybody is diverse in their own way. It's not just race, it's not just gender. Well, and when we talk about diversity and bringing diversity to decision making, or bringing diversity to teams, I think if I'm hearing you, right, it's all of those things that make decision making different right even the diversity that I bring to the table, as I'm blue eyed and left handed, like you alluded to, that changes how I see and do things, which may change how that decision gets made in that committee or on that team. So I can see where having true diversity on a team and within the company can really help us be a better company. I mean, are there benefits to having you know, real diversity? Oh, yeah. See, you and I were looking at the same problem. You know, we're looking at the same exact problem, but we're coming at it from completely different perspectives. So I'm think some people call it like thinking outside of the box, you know, but to have those different viewpoints. I think this helps you get a better answer to your problem. So diversity is almost like not even having a box to be outside of, right. You know, you have a you have a diverse background, if you think about it, because you were a shop and then you were a meter reader, and then you came into the plant and did some other things there, eventually ending up as unit control operator. What drew you to inclusion champion, because I can see where chef and working on the plants is very different, but somewhat the same, and it seems like maybe being an inclusion champ. bn is really different from working in the plant. So what drew you to that particular job? D and I think I kind of live it every day. I've always wanted things to be fair for people being female, you sometimes have some hurdles, being gay, I have some hurdles with that. But it's about people understand that different isn't bad. That different is okay, you know, and the inclusion part is, is important. Because the more you feel you belong, the more you're going to speak up for things, the more you're going to enjoy coming to work. You know, and I know what it feels like to not feel like you belong sometimes. Well, and that's interesting to me, because, you know, I look back on my 27 years here now, well, I've been here a little while, I never felt excluded. But if I look back, I can think of times where I know that other people were excluded for many of the reasons that you just mentioned. And I have to imagine that things have changed because of the because of your efforts. But I think we may have a long way to go. Because I think I envision a time where we talk about people as our friends but not people as our black friends or gay friends. Or are we have that added name that we put to somebody that describes them, they're just our friends, because we appreciate their company or like being around them. You know? How? So? How was it for you as a gay woman to grow up? And what was that like for you as a as a kid, and then, you know, coming into into work and all that, I'd love to hear about it. As a kid, you know, I always knew I was different. But I didn't necessarily have a word for it. Until I was like, 1718. And then I realized, Oh, I'm gay. So then that was a realization, and then people telling you Well, you know, you don't want people to know that because you can get fired for that. And so I kind of started living in the proverbial closet. But then I had an incident happened, where I get chased by some people that, you know, wanted to do me some severe bodily harm. And that incident actually made me angry. And so at that point, I was kind of like, Well, you know, what, I don't care if people know. And if you want to try and fire me for it, go ahead. Because I think I can stand on my work ethic alone anyway. So out of this incident, so I want to talk about this for just a second. Because, you know, I've had people want to do me bodily harm, but it had nothing to do with the fact that I'm a straight white male. I'll just tell you that right now. It sounds to me like this incident that you're talking about had to do with the fact that you're a gay woman. And that's why they wanted to harm you. And I understand getting mad. I really do. But it sounds to me like you turn that into something else. I mean, you could have just turned into an angry lesbian and been mad at everyone. Instead, what I heard you say was that you actually use that as a platform to tell people to let people know who you are. Yeah, it was like, okay, yes, this is who I am. You can either accept it or not. You know, that's totally up to you. You know, I prefer if you don't like me, you don't like me because of my personality, because you actually got to know me. And not just because you heard I was gay. I guess I want to challenge rules sometimes. And that's a good thing. Because without that challenge, we don't get the change, maybe sometimes that we are, are looking for in the world around us at work and wherever. So when you finally kind of took your stand and said, This is who I am. What was your experience? Like? I mean, did you have friends that supported you? Did you have friends that didn't support you, a lot of people kind of supported me in their own way it was, I didn't come up to my parents right away. I did kind of hide it from them for a little bit. And till I kind of, in a way adopted myself another family because I figured once my parents found out, I would be disowned. Once I kind of had that family. I kind of I say kind of pulled them because my parents have been divorced since I was a little so I had to kind of come out twice. And so well, first time was to my dad. And he was kind of he would kept pestering me where I was going where I was going. And finally I just want if you really want to know where I'm going, I'm going to a gay bar. I'm gay. And he's like, okay, like, great. I gotta go. So you sort of just kind of kept it like this wasn't a planned event it came out to him, and then said, deal with it and then and then left. Did you get back together at some point though, and have a conversation Work Yeah. Like the next night, we sat down and talked and it for a few nights after that when I would come home from work because I was living in his house at the time. I would come home from work TV calm, and let's talk a little bit. And you know, he asked me questions like, was it something your mother did know, this is something I did know, I was born this way, this is how I came out. But once I did kind of, you know, come out to him, then I realized I have to come out to my mom, too. So I did that a couple days later. That was an interesting experience. Because I don't know if you remember the show Northern Exposure? Oh, yes. With the booze walking down the street. Right? You remember the episode of how the town was founded? Honestly, I don't remember that refresh my memory on that. The town was founded by a lesbian couple. Guess what episode was playing the night I was over at my mom's house. So this was destiny. You were like, tell her that we were watching TV because I figured Okay, we'd watch the show. And then I tell her afterwards. And then I'm watching the show. And I'm like, this cannot be real when we get done. And I told my mom and I said, Well, guess what? Natalia and I'm gay. And she's like, Oh, no, not for years. I'm like, okay, it's not the response I was expecting. So it kind of surprised you, then it made me a little angry because my mom and I didn't get along very well, while I was growing up. And it was mainly because of how I looked and how I dressed. So it was kind of like, well, if you knew this about me, then why weren't you more compassionate towards? Why didn't she ask you questions or say something other than I don't like the way you're dressing or I like the way you cut your hair, or whatever. So that's, that's, that's interesting. I want to go back to your to your dad, though. Because you said something that I haven't heard before. And that was, was it something I did? Was it something your mother did? Because if you listen to the podcast, I've said this before, if I came home at 18, or 14, or whatever age, and said, Hey, Mom, Dad, you know, I'm a cisgendered, straight white male, they would have been like, okay, let's have dinner, you know, like, let's watch TV or whatever. There wouldn't even be questions or anything. Not once would they have ever said to me? Was it something I did? Yeah. Like, like, somehow I dropped you on your head, or I caused this to happen. I mean, how did that make you feel? I mean, I know your response was, but how they make you feel inside? i? Honestly, I was kind of expecting the question, because just how the LGBT community was seen at the time, you know, in everyone thinking that being gay was a choice. You know, I think that's kind of where that came from. And to explain to a novice, this is how I came out. I've always been like this. So you know, the only choice I had to make was whether or not I wanted to live in that proverbial closet. He said something very important there as well, is this whole question of choice, right? Because I remember using terms like lifestyle, like, Oh, you know, my friend, Marty, she chooses to live the gay lifestyle. And, you know, time and time again, I'm reminded that you being gay isn't like putting out a pair of shoes, or like picking out a new skirt or picking out a pair of pants. It's something that you're born with, just like everything else. Like, I didn't wake up one day and say, Oh, I'm gonna be white today. No, that's how I was. Right? Yeah. And so do you see that attitude changing over the years? I do. I've seen, you know, change. Just even in our eo e statement, you know, it never used to have sexual orientation. And then it did. Two years after I started working with the company. I was like, Okay, cool. We'll make it progress here. You know, and then, a few years back, before gay marriage was legal throughout the United States, consumer of energy did come out with a policy saying that if you are legally married, because gay couples could get married, like in Canada, in certain places, if, if you are legally married and had a marriage certificate, that Consumers Energy, he was going to view you as a married individual, and extend you all those benefits. And I thought that was really cool. Because he didn't seek that. No, it was a big step at the time. But I think looking back, it's just kind of a baby step to where we're getting to and where we're at today. But yes, there's a lot of progress being made. I think, you know, step by step. We have to meet people where they're at sometimes it's sometimes I know that can be very frustrating. So, you know, as an inclusion champion, and you know, with your 20 years experience here at Consumers Energy, is there anything that you would like to tell the audience, as we close out the podcast, anything that you would like to leave them with, I guess just basically know, listen to each other and listen to understand each other. And we have not be listening just to react to each other. We want to be able to understand each other. And that's going to lead to, you know, the sense of belonging as well. I love that listening to understand, which is one of the things that we look at in our tail boards today, right is listening to understand not to formulate our next sentence. So I appreciate that. I appreciate you taking the time out to be on the podcast today and being completely transparent in answering all of my questions, even some of the questions I asked before we got on the podcast. But again, Marty, I appreciate it. And I appreciate you. Thank you for coming on. Thank you. 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