Morning Keynote: Uniting Employees Around Common Values

(0:00) It was extremely important in reference to how and why I think about this work the way that I do. (0:07) I was at a sales conference once. This was many, many years ago before I was actually doing (0:12) diversity work.

I was at a sales conference with about 300 people. There were about 10 women in the (0:18) room. I was one of the 10 women.

I was one of two African Americans, and I was the only black woman (0:25) in the room that day. And the topic of conversation just happened to be diversity. And I remembered (0:31) sitting in the front row, looking at this white male executive talk about diversity.

And I (0:37) remembered having a really visceral reaction to looking at this person talking to me about (0:42) diversity. And so I’m a very curious person. I walked up to this gentleman.

His name was Mike (0:48) during a break. And I said, Mike, look, I said, I’m really sorry, but I can’t receive your message. (0:52) And he said, well, why not? And I was honest.

I said, well, because of what you look like. (0:57) And he said, I’m gay. And it was the first time that unconscious bias really hit me upside the (1:03) head.

But it really wasn’t until I got home later that evening that I really fully understood the (1:10) impact of that interaction with Mike. I was sitting down, I was about to have dinner, (1:16) and all of a sudden I burst into tears. Because what I realized at that very moment is that (1:23) what I had done to Mike that day, people had been doing to me my entire life.

They had been (1:29) judging me simply by what I look like. And they gave me no credit for my experience, for my (1:36) talent, for my education, for what I had gone through in life. And they just started making (1:42) judgments about me simply based on what I look like.

And I, in turn, had started to do it to (1:48) other people. It is one of the major reasons as to why I think about diversity so broadly, (1:56) and why I want to share what I’m going to share with you today. So next slide, please.

(2:00) So I’m going to talk a little bit about the complexity of the world today. And as you all (2:06) know, DEI is extremely complex. It is in every facet of everything that we are doing.

It is in (2:14) AI, it’s in technology, it’s in entertainment, it’s in sports, it’s in education, it’s in (2:20) politics. And the world of DEI has gotten really, really complex over time. Not only has it gotten (2:27) complex, we’re dealing with a lot of things that we didn’t have to deal with before, or a lot of (2:34) things that are actually changing.

So things like how do we deal with a multi-generational workforce? (2:39) How do we think about things like, is it diversity? Is it equity? Is it inclusion? Is it belonging? (2:45) Is it all of those things? How do we think about the center of a person in reference to (2:52) intersectionality or gender expression? How do we think about how the world is changing in (2:58) reference to things like the future of work and skills and AI, and how is that actually going to (3:04) change? And the interesting thing is diversity is also seen in all of these spaces. And so (3:11) there are multiple perspectives around this world of diversity. And the question is, (3:16) how do we actually deal with it? And how do we live together within the complexity of the DEI (3:23) space? And so as we’re thinking about this complexity, there are a few things and a few (3:28) perspectives that currently exist about this work.

The first perspective that you often hear a lot (3:33) about is diversity is bad. It’s bad for business. It’s polarizing.

We’ve seen a lot of this surface (3:39) over the U.S. election and in our political season over the last probably year or so. So that is one (3:46) perspective on diversity. There’s another perspective on diversity, that diversity is all (3:51) these things, and that your CHROs and your CDOs and your CEOs actually have to solve for all this (3:59) stuff within the workplace.

And then there’s another perspective of, this is all so confusing. (4:06) I actually don’t know what to do, what to believe, or how to move forward. And so I’m often asked the (4:12) question of, with the way that the DEI is being seen today, how do we actually deal with this? And (4:18) how do we bring DEI back to where companies really need to focus? And so there are probably three (4:25) things that I would say that I would encourage companies to actually think about right now.

(4:31) So if you’re getting questions around, why are you focused on DEI? Why is this important to your (4:37) business? I would say probably three things. The first thing is, how do you become really clear (4:43) on what your company values are? Aside from what your customers and your partners and everyone else (4:49) is telling you, how do you become really clear on what you want your culture to stand for (4:54) and what your values are from your perspective within your organization? (4:59) The second thing is actually helping your organization to understand how will you play (5:07) in the DEI space? What will you cover and what will you be participating in? And bringing that (5:13) clarity around where you will not be playing, where you will actually not be playing. And then (5:20) the third thing that I would say is focus on what you can actually control.

And so if you look at (5:27) this particular slide and you think about the complexity of what exists within the DEI world, (5:33) it’s really almost impossible if you don’t have the experience or if you’re a for-profit company (5:40) to deal with things like how does DEI impact politics or world events like wars? How is your (5:48) organization supposed to solve for that? I actually say that your organization probably shouldn’t be (5:54) trying to solve for that if that’s not your expertise. And what you should be focused on (5:58) is what can you actually control within the walls of your organization, within the four walls of your (6:04) organization? You can control for the experience of your employees. You can control for how you (6:11) want to build a culture and a culture of inclusivity.

And if those things are really (6:16) important to you from a values perspective, then you’ll actually know that you’re doing DEI for the (6:21) right reasons. But you have to bring it back to what is it that you can actually control within (6:26) the four walls of your companies? Because all of the rest of it, it’s going to be really hard for you (6:32) and your particular organization to solve for a lot of these complex issues. And if you think about it (6:38) for those of you who are out there who are senior leaders and you’re leading this work, (6:42) if your employees are focused on and you as an organization are focused on the complexity of (6:48) all the things that you cannot solve for, you are not focused on helping your company bring in the (6:53) profitability that you actually need for your employees to be focused on.

So there is an element (6:59) of DEI that I believe companies should be focused on. And for all of you, you need to understand what (7:04) that means within your organization, what you can control, and then that should help to shape your (7:10) DEI strategy and whether or not or how you actually play in the DEI space. So next slide, (7:18) please.

So I’m going to talk a little bit now, if you can just move. Thank you. I’m going to talk a (7:26) little bit now about what this world of inclusivity really means and how do we think about uniting our (7:33) organizations in the complex world that currently exists today.

So if you go to the next slide, (7:40) one of the things that we know that we are dealing with right now is polarization really as a global (7:48) phenomenon. And we are seeing this notion of polarization in every facet of the world and we (7:54) are seeing it across the world. So you can see the stats here, what’s happening within the United (7:59) States or the UK or Canada, but every single part, every single country is really dealing with this (8:05) notion of polarization.

And so the question is, what do we do about it? And as we think about (8:12) polarization, think now overlay globalization with polarization. Now, what you’re looking at here is (8:20) what’s happening across in different countries. But if you think about the complexity of how we (8:26) work globally, this now becomes a really, this becomes a much bigger problem.

And so really (8:32) thinking about polarization and how do we not let polarization take over is really where we (8:39) want to focus. And so at Workday, we’ve been focusing on something that we call pluralism. (8:44) You can read the definition of pluralism here, but really what it’s about, it’s about how do we (8:50) exist with all these different perspectives and how do we live in harmony really with all the (8:57) different perspectives.

And pluralism, it’s not about agreeing with each other or seeing things (9:03) the same way. It’s actually leveraging the diversity of perspective that people bring to be (9:09) able to live together. And so as we’re thinking about this, not only at Workday, but in the world, (9:14) this notion of pluralism is something that we as an organization and we as a society (9:22) can really focus on.

And so if you go to the next slide, there is a lot of work that we’re actually (9:30) doing internally, but it’s out there and the world is doing it. And it’s this notion of bridge (9:36) building. Bridge building is helping us to get to that notion of pluralism.

And bridge building is (9:44) really thinking about, again, how do we come together in harmony and live? How do we navigate (9:49) and how do we have honest and truthful conversations so that we can engage and we can (9:55) deal with the things that may be blocking us and getting us in the way? So one example of (10:00) how we think about this is a really easy example of bridge building is bringing people to have (10:06) conversations about things that they may have different perspectives on. An example of that (10:12) could be, do you allow the dog to sleep in the bed or not, right? You and your partner may have (10:18) very different perspectives on that. Or should you be able to wear shoes in the house? You can (10:23) have very different perspectives on those.

And bridge building is about being able to understand (10:29) and hear those conversations and then just appreciate and respect that someone else comes (10:34) from a different perspective or point of view. It is not about convincing someone to see your (10:40) point of view. It is simply about understanding that we all have different points of views (10:45) and understanding how you do this both individually within your families, within your communities, (10:50) as well as within your companies can actually add huge value.

So if you go to the next slide, please. (10:59) One of the things that we also talk about is how do people actually step into this work and how (11:05) do they step into this work with a certain frame of mind? And so this is just a notion that most of us (11:12) will step into a DEI conversation really kind of with three perspectives. Either you’re coming at (11:19) it from the head, from the heart, or from the hand.

And what that really means is head thinkers are (11:25) really logical thinkers. And head thinkers are just give me the data, just give me the information. I (11:30) don’t need to be able to emotionally connect to this topic to be able to have a really good (11:35) conversation with you.

And that’s kind of how head thinkers think. Just give me the information so (11:40) that I can move on. Heart people actually think a little bit differently.

And heart people actually (11:47) need a little bit more of the why and a little bit more of the connection to what it is trying to, (11:54) to what it is you’re trying to solve. Heart people need to feel an emotional connection to whatever (11:59) that particular topic is. And then hand people, they’re already sold.

They’re the people, they’re (12:05) your activators, the people who are already off and doing things. The reason that I wanted to share (12:10) this framework, however, is because we as individuals step in from a head, a heart, or hand perspective, (12:18) but so does the person that we are talking to. And it’s important, and it’s important to also (12:24) understand where is that person entering the conversation.

And so if I’m a head person, (12:30) and I’m talking to a hands person or a heart person, I may need to approach that conversation (12:37) slightly differently so that if I’m talking about something like DEI as an example, and I need people (12:44) to connect with that topic, then I’m going to need to adjust my language and how I interact with that (12:50) person so that they can receive my message in a little bit of a different way. And so as you’re (12:56) engaging with people, also take a step back and look to see is this person I am engaging with, (13:03) are they a head, a hand, or a heart person, and how might I need to tweak my language (13:09) just a little bit differently so that I can actually resonate with that person and meet them (13:14) where they are, not necessarily where I’m coming from. So I wanted to share that perspective as (13:20) well.

If you go to the next slide, one of the things that we also think about is we are thinking (13:28) about how do we come together in commonality. It’s also important that we think about the (13:36) skills that are needed for us to engage and how we come together and engage in a really respectful (13:42) way. Just five quick things before I move on that I just wanted to share with you in reference to (13:48) how do you develop these crucial skills so that culturally you can engage with people in the right (13:55) way.

The first one is really being open and honest in reference to communication, letting people be (14:01) their authentic selves when they lead with the conversation, letting them actually come in and (14:07) share their perspectives with the level of innovation that they want to bring. Active (14:12) listening and empathy. Really, and I’ll talk about this on a future slide, but really thinking (14:19) about how you step into conversations with empathy and listening is really crucial.

And also (14:25) understanding that we’re all coming into the workplace and dealing with the things that we’re (14:29) dealing with in very different places. And so just be conscious of needing to step in with some (14:35) empathy. Conflict resolution.

With everything that’s going on in the world, and some of us (14:41) feeling like it’s polarized, and some of us feeling like it’s divisive. How do we really think about (14:46) conflict resolution? And bridge building is actually a way for you to think about conflict (14:52) resolution. Adaptability and resilience.

We really have to give people that opportunity and that space (14:59) to breathe and adapt to all the change that’s actually going on. And how do we give people the (15:05) skills to actually be much more resilient in today’s world as they’re dealing with a lot of (15:11) the challenges that they’re dealing with? And then lastly, a lot of this, and data becomes (15:17) really important as a part of this conversation too, but how do you make informed decisions? How do (15:24) you think about what information you have? What information you don’t have? What perspectives (15:29) you currently have, and what perspectives you don’t? And then how do you think about making (15:35) those decisions in the best way that you can, but how do you ensure that you are doing that (15:40) from an informed perspective as opposed to just making the decision without enough information? (15:49) So I’m going to ask you to go to the next slide, and I’m going to switch gears just a little bit (15:54) here and talk about what we call, and you can jump to the next slide as well, something that (16:02) we actually call VIBE. So Workday’s Belonging and Diversity Strategy is VIBE, Value, Inclusion, (16:10) Belonging, and Equity for All.

I’ll repeat that, Value, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity for All. (16:17) It is what we stand for. It is how we drive diversity within our organization.

It is how (16:23) we talk about it, and when we talk about it, what’s really most important is that we put (16:28) the for all at the end of VIBE in everything that we do. So VIBE isn’t just for a portion of our (16:35) workforce. We really want everyone to be thinking about VIBE in a way in which it impacts everyone (16:41) within our entire organization.

You can go to the next slide, and these are simply how the (16:49) definitions that we use at Workday for VIBE for inclusion, belonging, and equity, and you can read (16:54) the definitions, but the one thing that I’ll say here is it’s important for organizations to define (17:01) the meanings of these words within your organization. These are the words that resonated (17:07) with us, but they may not resonate with you, and so it’s important that whether or not you are using (17:12) the same words, it’s important for you to help your organization understand the intent behind (17:18) what the words mean, and so my encouragement here is to simply think about as you were thinking about (17:25) DEI, you’re thinking about something like VIBE or inclusion, belonging, and equity. How do you ensure (17:30) that you are defining each one of those words for whatever they mean within your organization, and (17:36) this is just an example of how we look at it here at Workday.

So if you go to the next slide, (17:43) one of the other things that we talk about in VIBE is having a VIBE (17:50) mindset, and this is really important because this is how we get everyone on the same page with (17:56) how we’re going to move through what we call being good people at our organization and being good (18:02) people to each other, to our customers, to our partners, to the communities that we serve, and so we look (18:07) at something called the VIBE mindset, and the VIBE mindset is set on these three things, curiosity, (18:14) compassion, and courage. Curiosity is really about are you asking the questions and the right (18:20) questions? Are you willing to go a little bit further deeper on the data or the experience that (18:26) people are having? Do you have enough information to make all the decisions that you’re making as a (18:32) leader? Curiosity really helps you to explore more of where you may either have blind spots or where you (18:40) just may be lacking information, and so we lean in with curiosity. Compassion, look, I think that (18:47) if we, if we haven’t learned anything over the last probably three or four years, compassion (18:53) and empathy are the new leadership skills that we all must carry along with us, and so how are we (19:00) treating each other? How are we thinking about the person on the other side of the table? Are we coming (19:05) in with only our perspective on what’s going on within our world, or are we giving some consideration (19:11) to how the other person is stepping in as well? This notion of compassion and empathy is really (19:17) big in the workplace right now and something that we need to pay attention to, and then the last one (19:22) is around courage.

How are we being courageous around a lot of the decisions that we need to make, (19:28) and that’s where courage really comes in for us. So are you questioning the data? Are you pausing (19:34) and saying, hey, wait a minute, you just talked over Mary over there. Let’s take a pause and hear (19:40) Mary’s, the rest of Mary’s perspective if someone is is interrupting her, and so how you think about (19:46) how you lead with courage and think about how are you challenging status quo, or are you just kind (19:53) of sitting back and letting some of the either bad behaviors or things go on, things going on (19:57) that shouldn’t go on in the organization? How are you stepping up to be a more courageous leader? (20:02) So for us, the vibe mindset is really ingrained in how do we think about the engagement that we (20:09) want to have with each other, and how do we do it in a way that drives us to being good people (20:15) for and to one another.

If you go to the next slide, please. I’m going to talk just before I (20:25) wrap it up here, and you can go to the very next slide. Just what I would leave you all with (20:33) in thinking about not just what you’re going to learn today through this conference, but as you (20:39) are going through just kind of your day-to-day interactions, how do you think about the things (20:44) that are really going to make a difference in the workplace in reference to how you’re engaging (20:49) with one another? And for us, it’s a couple of these things, continuous learning and commitment (20:54) around what you are trying to drive.

So are you building an inclusive and equitable organization (21:00) in which you have the commitment behind you in which you’re thinking about continuous learning (21:06) in reference to how you’re doing DEI? One of the things I like to remind us about is remember that (21:12) we all have learned and lived experiences. Our lived experiences are the things that we experience (21:18) through our life and the things that we actually do on our own. And then you have all of these (21:24) learned experiences that you actually get from other people.

We talk to other people. We learn (21:30) from other people. You have more learned experiences than you have lived experiences, (21:36) because you talk to many more people than just yourself.

But how do you think about that (21:40) continuous learning and a commitment to always do better? That’s the first thing. (21:46) The second thing is how do you value every single individual? For me, as I think about, you know, (21:53) as I think about the crux of DEI, for me, it’s about belonging. How do we make every single (21:59) person feel as if they belong? Because when everyone can belong, everyone actually does (22:05) give their best.

And they come with giving not just their authentic self, but their best self (22:11) as well. But we have to create environments in which we can value every single individual. (22:17) And then the last one is around how do we take collective action and how do we take collective (22:23) accountability? How do we ensure that when we’re coming together workday under the guise of vibe, (22:30) how do we do that in concert with one another? How do we do that as we’re bridge building? How (22:35) are we doing that as we’re respecting each other’s perspectives and opinions around how we’re stepping (22:40) into the workplace? And then how do we ensure there’s accountability all the way from the top, (22:46) all the way down? So is our CEO talking about diversity? Are people leaders and our people (22:52) managers talking about it? And then are our workmates talking about it as well? It’s got to (22:57) be a collective effort.

And so I will just simply leave you with some final thoughts around as we (23:05) go through the world, we are at a point where we have a choice and we have an opportunity. (23:12) And that choice is to whether or not we are going to stand up and be good people to one another. (23:18) And are we going to think about the role of humanity and the role that each of us plays (23:23) and how we actually drive cultures where we actually can create the opportunity for people (23:31) to feel like they belong, to feel like they’re included, and to feel like there is equity in (23:37) all that we do.

And so with that, I’m going to turn it back over, but I thank you for listening (23:42) and I hope you have a wonderful day today. Thanks a lot. All right, everybody, this is Karen Taylor, (23:53) Chief Diversity Officer at Workday.

Karen, thanks so much for joining us. That was a fantastic talk, (23:59) gave us so much to think about. I will say goodbye to you and I will take over from here.

Thanks, (24:05) Karen. Thank you. Have a great day.

All right, everybody. Next up, we have Upholding a Culture (24:12) of Integrity and Ethics with Mary Yama from Entrata. It’s going to be a fantastic talk (24:18) that will start in about five minutes.

To join the next talk, you have to head over back to the (24:23) lobby or the homepage of the event, which you navigated to to get here. And yeah, (24:32) there are also some interesting features in that homepage. You’re able to connect with your peers (24:40) and we will have a couple of networking sessions in the community area.

So go ahead and explore (24:47) in the time between sessions and yep, have a fantastic day. We’ve got a lot of great (24:52) talks ahead of us. Thanks.