Ep. 28 Election Special: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Tracy J Edmonds | 10.30.20

Episode five of our special 5-part election series.  In this episode, we’re examining the topic of diversity and inclusion. What do those words really mean?  How can each one of us help our organizations achieve this goal?  And what benefits will success on this front provide?  Our special guest: Tracy J Edmonds.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_02 0:07

Welcome back to the final Facts About PACs podcast before the 2020 election. This show is brought to you by NABPAC, the National Association of Business Political Action Committees. And I'm your host, Michaela Isler, NABPAC's Executive Director. Today, episode five of our special five-part election series. In this episode, we're examining the topic of diversity and inclusion. What do those words really mean? And how can each one of us help our organizations achieve this goal? And what benefits will success on this front provide? Our special guest, Tracy J. Edmonds, is here to share her amazing experience with how to create diverse and inclusive cultures that thrive and get results.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

This is the exact right topic for our final election special episode, Michaela. This is a conversation that you cannot have just once.

SPEAKER_02 0:55

Agreed, Abigail. All the policy priorities that our members focus on are one way or another on the ballot on Tuesday. But this issue and how we move forward on it is paramount as we step beyond the campaigns and elections.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Right. Answering the question, what comes next is something that associations, corporations, and employee-funded PACs all have to answer. And doing that successfully requires authentic leadership. And we're going to get into that a little bit later. But first, some honest to God news on the campaign finance front this week, Michaela.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Yeah, that's right, Adam. According to one of my favorite reporters, Kate Ackley of Rocall, the Trump administration said on Wednesday that it planned to nominate a bipartisan pair to fill vacancies at the Federal Election Commission. The FEC briefly had a quorum over the summer when Trey Traynor was confirmed as chairman. But as we all know, that ended in July when FEC Commissioner Caroline Hunter stepped down.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Yes, if President Trump's nominees receive Senate confirmation, the Commission will still not be at full strength.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Right. Full strength means the FEC has six commissioners, three Republicans and three Democrats.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

But four is the magic number for a quorum, and it would allow much needed guidance in the form of advisory opinions to start moving again. This is a story we will keep a close eye on, and what I'm sure we'll hear more about on Wednesday, December 2nd, when FEC Chairman Trey Trainer joins us at 10 a.m. for the morning session of our post-election conference. We're thrilled to have him with us.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

I can't wait. All right, Belmar, here comes my best Star Trek, Jean-Luc Picard. Engage.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

The Facts About PACs podcast is produced especially for the members of the National Association of Business Political Action Committees. In every episode, we recap this week's NAPAC activities, share actionable intelligence and best practices, all while connecting the PAC community.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

Thanks so much, Adam. And now for our special guest, Tracy J. Edmonds, an African-American woman who climbed the corporate ladder from entry level to executive at a Fortune 30 company. She is the former chief diversity officer at Anthem and is now a sought-after consultant and coach. Tracy, welcome to the Facts About PACs podcast. Thank you. It's my pleasure to be here. The words diversity and inclusion are spoken often these days. So I want to start right at the beginning today. What do these words mean to you in the context of corporate and organizational culture?

SPEAKER_03 3:22

That's a great question. You know, and a lot of times people even throw the word equity into the conversation. I always like to keep this as simple as possible. Diversity simply means difference. It means when we look around the table, when we look to our left, when we look to our right, we see someone that is different than we are. And sometimes we can't always see that on the surface. Sometimes it's deeper. You know, where we come from, our experiences, our cultural journeys that we've had make us unique and different. Inclusion is how do we connect those pieces of diversity together in order to create better results, better experiences. How do we engage a little differently by recognizing that we have this difference around the table? And I want to throw equity in there as well, because the reality is that in a diverse world, and we've been seeing this more than ever with the issues with racial and social injustice that are so prevalent right now, equity is a big, big issue. So when we have diversity, we have that difference around the table, many times we're not in an equitable world or in an equitable experience within our organizations. And so to me, it's those three component parts that we really need to talk about. And so when we talk about in the context of corporate and organizational culture, we're talking about, first of all, making sure you have diversity in the house, in the building. And you almost always do, even when you can't see it on the surface. But are you including that diversity in ways that make a difference? So if we're doing a big project, are we pulling from a broad range of perspectives to work on that project? Or are we always reaching out to Adam and Abigail because we know they knock it out the park? Well, what about Michaela and Tracy who have different experiences and they can be a part of solutioning as well? And then when we talk about the equity piece of that, are we giving all of the aspects of diversity an equal opportunity, maybe to lead a project in an organization? So really reflect back on when you've seen projects led. And don't you usually see the same person or type of people leading them? And many times we have to challenge our executives and the folks that are making those decisions to say, hey, we need a different type of leader in this situation, and we're going to try to bring something different to the table. So I said a lot there, but it's really straightforward. It's difference, it's difference coming together to be included, and it's creating situations where everyone has an equal opportunity. And that's the equity piece.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

You had written recently about authenticity and leadership and vulnerability. Tell our listeners how these three things, taken in combination, are critical to the mission of diversity and inclusion.

SPEAKER_03 6:09

Absolutely. You know, when it comes down to driving change through diversity and inclusion, all executives, they're very focused. And all leaders of all organizations want results, right? We want to see growth in that organization. We want to see the organization accomplish its goals. And when we think about that, what we do now know for sure, and there's data to back this up, is diversity drives better results. When you have diversity on your board, when you have diversity in leadership, tons of data. I won't unpack all that, but if folks are interested, take a look at the work that McKenzie has done in this space. There's years of it that really demonstrate that. So what we really need is leadership that pulls that forward, that really engages that diversity, really creates that inclusive environment. And the way that you do that is through authenticity, I believe. And what I mean by that is being very real about where you are in your diversity journey. And that can require vulnerability. So let's talk about the environment we're in right now. You know, we saw some really interesting things right in front of our face. I mean, I often refer to the situation, the brutal situation we saw with George Floyd. That was a wake-up call for a lot of organizations. And many of them turned to very visible ways of engaging on this topic, making donations to organizations that support social and racial injustice, support solving those issues. That's a great thing. But the reality is there's many challenges when it comes to social and racial injustice within the four walls of organizations, where we don't see the type of diversity in leadership that we would like to see. And that's where authentic leadership comes in. That's where leaders need to be vulnerable, be willing to say that this is my story, and I may not have gotten it completely right when it comes to diversity and inclusion, but I'm willing to be vulnerable. And here's where vulnerability is so powerful. And I call this the vulnerability power line in my book because when we're vulnerable, that really demonstrates our humanity. When we demonstrate our humanity, that creates connection. When we have connection, we feel included. We feel like we belong to something. When we feel included, we're going to give our ideas, we're going to engage, we're going to want to be a part of the solution. And like I referred to in the beginning, the data shows when we get diversity around the table to include and engage, we get better results. And what leader doesn't want that, you know? But they have to be willing to be a little vulnerable. And I've seen that in action, you know, um, where that actually happens. I saw this one time with the CEO of Anthem, the former CEO of Anthem. And he was going to be engaging in an activity we were doing with our African American resource group. I had prepped him so he could go down, say some opening words about this event. He could stay on topic, he would know who was in the room. I wanted him to hit a couple of facts. Um, but again, I wanted him to make it real for the people there. Well, when he showed up, he went off script. And you know, that can be a little dangerous sometimes, um, and especially in the DI space. I didn't know what this man was gonna say, but I really appreciated it because what he did, he was well over 60 at the time, white male. He shared that he could remember as a child seeing places where it was whites only and colors only, and that stood out in his mind. He never forgot it. And so, in his leadership and why he supported the work that we were doing, was because he never ever understood why it had to be that way. Now he wasn't perfect, he didn't always get it right. Were there things he could have done differently? Absolutely. But that moment, he created connection with the other leaders in that room. And as the CEO, I can tell you, as a chief diversity officer, I used to hear frequently from people who would say, Hey, you know what, you guys are not doing enough. Or your CEO is not stepping forward in a way we want to see. At that moment in time, they connected with him and they said, You know what, this guy gets it. He may not be getting everything right, but he's got his DNI connection to this. And that was extremely powerful for that group. So, long story short, it it doesn't always feel good to be vulnerable, but it's an extremely powerful move for leaders when they can lead from authenticity.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

Tracy, what was your experience at Anthem when it came to interacting with the employee-funded PAC?

SPEAKER_03 10:41

Oh, you know, this is um, I'm gonna keep it completely 100 on this conversation. When I rose to the executive ranks, you know, you're you're bombarded with a lot of things that, as leaders, you really do need to show up and support. And the PAC was one of them. And I had not participated in the PAC until that point. And my main reason for that is my perception of the PAC. My main perception was twofold. One, I could not identify another African-American leader who engaged in the PAC that I was aware of. Now, they did exist, but it was on the down low. And it was treated like something that you had to do. You didn't want to be on the wrong side of not supporting your part of what you need to do as an executive leader. But I wasn't aware as I was climbing the ranks. The second thing is what I didn't know is how they were supporting issues that mattered to me. I was very aware of the issues that they were supporting that were very visible. And as a healthcare company, many of those issues seemed to align in more of a Republican perspective. Now, I had a different perspective on some of the issues. Some of the issues I agreed with, some of them I didn't, but the things that were very, very visible, I couldn't connect them to my experience and to my community. And so when I was approached to be in the pack, I'm like, no, that's okay. You know, I probably was one of the executive leaders who was like, I don't care if I'm on the wrong side of this one because I needed to stand in my principles. And what I appreciated was this was a vulnerability moment. Our PAC leader, and I got to give a shout out to Tracy Wynn, who is a part of the NAB PAC organization. I want to give her a shout-out because we had a very real conversation about why I didn't want to do it. And we unpacked that together, and she talked to me about how the PAC works, what it supports, how decisions are made behind what issues we get behind. Um, and that helped, and I signed up. But that connection to diversity, inclusion, vulnerability. So, first of all, we had a very authentic and vulnerable conversation. Now, Tracy and I knew each other, so that helped a little bit. But what is really critical here is that the conversation, the dialogue, the willing to sit down and say, this is my perspective on this issue, and this is your perspective on this issue. And through conversation, we got to a really great place. And I think actually in this environment we're in, we need so much more of that, you know, so much more open dialogue, real conversation about differences and differences of perspective.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

That's really interesting to hear. I hadn't thought about a lot of it like that. What would you talk to PAC managers who are in a similar position that Tracy Wynne was in, but who don't have maybe the opportunity, especially in this digital era that we're in right now, to talk face to face, to have that vulnerable conversation with people?

SPEAKER_03 13:37

You know, um, the first thing, what I want to say most importantly, that I appreciated about Tracy is Tracy had a perspective of why I might not be on board. So what that comes from is a perspective where you understand not only where you sit, but where others sit. And so she came to the table with a more well-rounded perspective. And then secondly, she came to the table with a willingness to be vulnerable about that and say, hey, I know we don't always hit home runs on the issues you want, but here's what we're about, and here's what we're doing for our organization, for Anthem. So when she could connect those dots between, you know, what I might be feeling and what the greater good was, and create a path to that through dialogue, that was super, super powerful. So what I would say is, you know, we can still have conversation. It might be on Zoom, it might be on the phone, we may not be face to face. But the reality of it is, even before you get to the point of conversation, recognize that the world is not your backyard, right? So where you grow up and what you see out your window is very different than where I grew up and what I see out my window. And just acknowledging that, that Tracy J might have a different point of view than Tracy Wynn, that enabled us to problem solve. But if she had come to the table and saying, no, you an executive, you need to join the pack, it would have been like, hold up, hold up, that ain't happening, you know, because I was already rooted in that, but she met me where I was.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

I uh am thinking back over the last four episodes of this election special. And a lot of it has been geared towards folks in the pack space who are either themselves communicators or manage communication. And we've heard frequently that you've got to meet people in the right place with the right message at the right time, with the right messenger.

SPEAKER_03 15:41

You know, I've shared a story with you that was, you know, high-ranking CEO. And then I've shared a story that was individual pack manager, couldn't be more different where they came from. What they had in common was this ability to get vulnerable, you know, not necessarily get it right. She didn't come with like message and talking points. She came with a willingness to say, I understand that you might see this differently. Just like Joe Swedish, the CEO at the time, came with a message of, I didn't understand why it was this way. And so a willingness to come into a place and say, I don't have all the answers. I'm not going to force this down your throat, but this is my story, and I want to hear where you're coming from. And maybe together we'll come up with a great solution. So I think you can craft out talking points. I certainly had for the CEO, but nothing was more powerful than when he was authentic. Nothing was more powerful than when Tracy sat across from me and said, I get it. You don't think we're addressing your issues. Let's talk about that.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

There is an old adage that crisis equals opportunity. And we are clearly in a moment of change here in America. And levels of civic engagement are on the rise. And that is wonderful. But I wonder what advice you have for all of us in this moment when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

SPEAKER_03 17:07

Yeah, I, you know, I firmly believe in that adage. I I've often said, and I probably said it, I'm going to exaggerate, a million times in the past 10 years of my career because there's been so much change. Um, but change breeds opportunity. It absolutely does. Because when we find ourselves in this place where there's the friction of two different paths or more rubbing against each other, we have an opportunity to find a better solution. So change puts us on the lookout, right, for solutioning and different ways of coming at problems. And my advice is, you know, we are in this moment, and I think we probably can all think about the past four years and that, you know, 2016 election to now, and so much has happened and things that we would undo, but we can't take it back. It's done. We can't unsee it. We're not going to unsee George Floyd. You know, we're not going to forget about so many opportunities that we've had to be a better country, you know. And this moment in time, like you said, Adam, has created higher levels of civic engagement. So when I think about like NATPAC and their journey in the DNI space, this is a huge opportunity. Huge, because they have the resources and they have the connections to be able to build a path to civic engagement for underrepresented people. So those who want to learn more about voting, want to learn why it matters, want to learn about the government affairs industry and profession. This is a huge opportunity. So let's take this moment in time, even though it may be painful. The door is open. We're going to run through. We're going to take this opportunity to create really, really powerful change and keep moving forward. Not always easy, but this is a perfect DNI moment. You know, it's almost counterintuitive to people to say, you know, we've got so much going on, and so many things have been politicized. You know, so many things have been politicized. DNI is about humankind. And the last time I checked, Republicans and Democrats were both human and we care about people no matter what side of the aisle we sit on, right? So this is an opportunity to find great solutions to drive civic engagement. It's it's just perfect. So yeah, stay in it, fight through it, slide through it, because change breeds opportunity.

SPEAKER_02 19:39

Tracy, we are uh honored to be able to walk this journey with you as our partner in the DEI space. And you've just been a fabulous consultant to us and helping guide us through uh what we do see as an opportunity, and that comes from the top-down in our leadership here. And I know you know that. But I just want to thank you so much for being a part of our election special today. We we so value your insights and look forward to continuing to work with you in 2021. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 20:08

It's a pleasure. And kudos to you and your team, Michaela, um, because not everyone is stepping into this conversation right now. Like I mentioned, a lot of organizations are writing the check and then going back to business. And you, through your leadership and your team, are taking this head on and are looking for places where you can make a difference. And so that's huge. It's not easy work. It's not the work that everybody wants to take on. Um, and I'm appreciative of the opportunity to be there and see what you guys are going to do.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

To all our listeners, go make it count. Make sure your voice is heard. It's time to go vote. I hope everyone found this five-part election special valuable and provocative. It's all of you who have made us the number one pack podcast in America. Until next week, stay safe, stay engaged, and go vote.