WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:02.069 --> 00:00:05.005 At Goddard, we believe that the combination of diversity and inclusion 2 00:00:05.005 --> 00:00:08.709 are key contributors to our success and being 3 00:00:08.709 --> 00:00:12.379 spotlighted as one of the best places to work in government. 4 00:00:12.379 --> 00:00:15.048 D&I is also critical to maintaining our leadership and 5 00:00:15.048 --> 00:00:18.552 to achieving our future goals and objectives. Research has 6 00:00:18.552 --> 00:00:21.555 shown that organizations committed to D&I reap enormous benefits 7 00:00:21.555 --> 00:00:25.292 including enhanced productivity through increased 8 00:00:25.292 --> 00:00:29.096 creativity, innovation, employee engagement and team collaboration. 9 00:00:29.096 --> 00:00:30.731 creativity, innovation, employee engagement and team collaboration. 10 00:00:30.731 --> 00:00:33.934 I want to leverage the diversity that exists in our workplace 11 00:00:33.934 --> 00:00:37.537 including both visible and invisible characteristics that 12 00:00:37.537 --> 00:00:42.042 make each of us unique, such as education and veteran status as 13 00:00:42.042 --> 00:00:46.546 well as sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, gender, and 14 00:00:46.546 --> 00:00:47.447 disability status. 15 00:00:47.447 --> 00:00:52.319 Practicing inclusion skills such as conflict resolution, 16 00:00:52.319 --> 00:00:56.189 inviting people to the table, respecting differences, and working 17 00:00:56.189 --> 00:00:59.059 together cooperatively and collaboratively will lead to 18 00:00:59.059 --> 00:01:03.397 better decision making and increased overall performance. 19 00:01:03.397 --> 00:01:06.500 We operate in a complex and dynamic environment 20 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:09.369 where the pace of change has increased exponentially. 21 00:01:09.369 --> 00:01:13.106 Demographic shifts have made it imperative to focus on D&I for 22 00:01:13.106 --> 00:01:15.342 strategic competitive advantage. 23 00:01:15.342 --> 00:01:19.446 As Baby Boomers age and retire we must find talent from new 24 00:01:19.446 --> 00:01:23.116 sources and create an inclusive environment to attract folks and 25 00:01:23.116 --> 00:01:24.484 to retain them. 26 00:01:24.484 --> 00:01:27.821 I see inclusion skills as a critical leadership competency 27 00:01:27.821 --> 00:01:31.191 for our future and want to ensure that our managers and 28 00:01:31.191 --> 00:01:34.761 supervisors have the skills to effectively manage broadly 29 00:01:34.761 --> 00:01:35.996 diverse teams. 30 00:01:35.996 --> 00:01:38.932 In the coming years I want to focus on developing 31 00:01:38.932 --> 00:01:42.936 managers and leaders with enhanced team facilitation, 32 00:01:42.936 --> 00:01:46.406 communication, cultural competency and conflict 33 00:01:46.406 --> 00:01:50.277 resolution skills in order to effectively manage the evolved workforce. 34 00:01:50.277 --> 00:01:51.979 resolution skills in order to effectively manage the evolved workforce. 35 00:01:51.979 --> 00:01:55.182 There is an expanding body of research that shows how focusing 36 00:01:55.182 --> 00:01:58.385 on D&I brings bottom line business and performance results. 37 00:01:58.385 --> 00:01:59.519 on D&I brings bottom line business and performance results. 38 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:02.990 For example, in an article titled Making the Business Case 39 00:02:02.990 --> 00:02:06.793 by Marjorie Derven the author showed that during a 10-year period, 40 00:02:06.793 --> 00:02:10.664 the index of publicly traded companies in Diversity 41 00:02:10.664 --> 00:02:14.735 Incorporated's Top 50 Companies for Diversity outperformed the 42 00:02:14.735 --> 00:02:20.440 NASDAQ by 28 percent, the S&P 500 by 25 percent. and the Dow 43 00:02:20.440 --> 00:02:24.811 Jones Industrial Average by 22 percent. 44 00:02:24.811 --> 00:02:28.081 In his book The Difference, researcher Scott Page showed 45 00:02:28.081 --> 00:02:31.618 that leveraging diversity of thought within organizations 46 00:02:31.618 --> 00:02:34.621 leads to breakthrough innovation and ideas. 47 00:02:34.621 --> 00:02:37.691 Our diverse experiences and backgrounds increase the 48 00:02:37.691 --> 00:02:40.794 knowledge capital of work groups which can improve outcomes. 49 00:02:40.794 --> 00:02:44.498 It's like having different tools in a tool box vs. 50 00:02:44.498 --> 00:02:46.833 all hammers to build a house. 51 00:02:46.833 --> 00:02:49.970 Inclusion is the other half of the equation and a necessary 52 00:02:49.970 --> 00:02:54.107 factor to unleash the potential of diversity, and that is why I'm 53 00:02:54.107 --> 00:02:57.310 very excited about our upcoming efforts to move D&I at 54 00:02:57.310 --> 00:03:00.914 Goddard to the next level through our focus on Inclusion. 55 00:03:00.914 --> 00:03:04.818 In closing, I think that the Center's D&I efforts are vitally 56 00:03:04.818 --> 00:03:07.754 important and I encourage all of you to pay attention to what's 57 00:03:07.754 --> 00:03:11.458 going on, to contribute ideas, and, to the extent your 58 00:03:11.458 --> 00:03:14.628 situation allows, to get involved in D&I activities at 59 00:03:14.628 --> 00:03:15.595 Goddard in some way. 60 00:03:15.595 --> 00:03:19.199 Thanks for all of the great work that you do and I look forward 61 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:21.635 to working with you as we continue our collective and 62 00:03:21.635 --> 00:03:25.005 individual journeys of diversity and inclusion, learning and discovery. 63 00:03:25.005 --> 00:03:25.338 individual journeys of diversity and inclusion, learning and discovery.