ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
WHAT DOES “THE GIFT OF INCLUSION” MEAN TO YOU? For me, diversity and inclusion go hand-in-hand; without one, the other necessarily fails. Accordingly, for the “gift of inclusion” to be meaningful, there must also be a “gift of diversity.” Those organizations that demonstrate equal efforts in diversity and inclusion can position themselves to rise to the top of their field. And those organizations that focus on either gift in isolation are likely to suffer shortcomings in the attraction/retention of talent, cultivation of creative thinking, and overall prosperity of the business.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR BUILDING AND DRIVING INCLUSION? Know your audience. People may support diversity and inclusion efforts for a variety of reasons – fairness/equality, positive impact to the bottom line, measurement stick used by others, etc. Identify why diversity and inclusion matters to your group and use the appropriate language to get their buy-in. If you don’t speak to the group in their language(s), you risk losing potential supporters, who may even turn into detractors. Conversely, if you can get the group to buy in, then you’ve created additional advocates to promote your cause.
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Treat others as you would like others to treat you.
CHRISTOPHER TUCKER CORPORATE COUNSEL, CUMMINS, INC. BARNES & THORNBURG ATTORNEY (2011-2016)
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