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.