Recently, our Founder & CEO Ron Doney was a featured speaker at the Living Color 2022 DEI Conference and Business Expo. He shared about Think Up’s experiences with Communication Strategies to Foster a DEI-Driven Culture and other Thinkers in attendance had the opportunity to learn from so many thought-provoking speakers. Here are a few key takeaways from Brandon, Jaime, Michael, and Kelseigh.
BRANDON: INSPIRATION
“My biggest takeaway from the conference was inspiration. Inspiration to keep learning. To keep growing myself in this field and to help Think Up and our clients grow as well. It was great to hear how others in our area are doing on this journey.”
KELSEIGH: INFLUENCE
“The concept that struck me the most was the ‘sphere of influence’. While you may not be able to solve all the problems in your organization at once, you can always, always, always make a difference by understanding what you have control over and making it align with DEIB. As I am new to this field, this lesson taught me that I am never helpless. If I understand my sphere of influence, there is always something I can do to have an impact.”
MICHAEL: ACCESSIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, & AGREEMENT
“Here are a few snippets I made note of: First, while 1 in 3 people have a disability, accessibility is often overlooked in the DEIB space. Second, DEIB can only work in an organization if it starts at the top – the Milliken CEO Action Pledge was a great model of this. Finally, dysfunctional disagreement can look like a lack of trust and an ‘us vs. them’ mentality, while dysfunctional agreement looks like always agreeing and keeping true opinions hidden. I am always grateful for the opportunity to learn something new and I am certainly excited to take this newfound knowledge back to Think Up!”
JAIME: MINDSET
“There is much work to be done in DEI in the world, our state, and our own backyard here in the Upstate. This event was a testament and a step toward building connections, fostering meaningful conversations with each other and within our organizations, and continuing our own personal journeys. Rene Vaughn, Director of Marketing and Sales, Milliken & Company talked about a “Shepherd Mindset.” As a DEIB practitioner this resonated with me deeply; sometimes we walk in front, other times we walk behind, and most importantly, we walk alongside the ones we serve.”
Thank you to Integrated Media Publishing for hosting such a necessary event. We look forward to more opportunities to bring awareness to DEI.
