Module 7 Final Summary Paper

Before taking this course, my internal dialogue told me I was already an effective leader when

we talked about Diversity Equity and Inclusion. I was part of different ERG’s (Employee

Resource Group’s), I lead and participated in Hispanic Heritage month and Dia De Los Muertos

events, I went by our array of Monthly Table Day’s and learned a fun fact about Black History

Month or Wonder Women Wednesday’s etc. I thought I was doing it all and then some. As we

start to end our course, I have realized I have so much to learn, to understand, and to

experience. Table days and leading events for Hispanic Heritage Month are great, but it’s not

enough to help drive impactful and influential change when it comes to Diversity and Inclusion,

and we see this clearly in the article The Giraffe and the Elephant.

This was my first time reading about the Giraffe and the Elephant and it blew my mind. A simple

story was able to describe the most complex, ugly, and heart wrenching parts of our humanity

society where it’s not me that’s the problem, it’s you. As the story starts, we see a friendly and

genuine encounter between the Giraffe and Elephant. They both enjoy one another’s company

and want to connect and even possibly work on some work project in the future. You even see

hope when the Giraffe decides to remove some of the bolts and panels to allow the elephant

through the door. Quickly, we see the how the story unravels when the Elephant is unable to

make themselves comfortable by simply walking around. “Since you don’t fit in my house, let’s

fix you” (Thomas, 1996, pg. 6) It turned into a “you are the problem” and I am outwardly trying

to help you, since you are the one who needs to change in order to be in the house
comfortably. Talk about queueing in the Anti-Hero song by Taylor Swift, “Hi, it’s me, I am the

problem, it’s me.”

In this story we see how we are quick to point the finger to someone who is different from us

and say, “Hey, you are the one how has to change, not me.” The Elephant knew that this house

was built and designed with one animal in mind, the Giraffe and that no other animal could

enjoy the home without some major changes to the house. This reminded me of the article,

“The Role o the White Men in Diversity Discussions where Mr. Visconti describes how a reader

referred to diversity. “He said, I'm not different than you, I'm different like you.” (2011, NPR)

This was a powerful statement, we are so quick to identify what makes us different versus how

alike we are.

When we look at Diversity Management, we are not looking to create transactional boxes we

can check and say hey, we are good we have enough women or minorities within our

organization. Diversity Management starts with creating and fostering a work environment

where diversity and inclusivity is the foundation, but what develops from this foundation is

where the true impact blooms. Diversity and Inclusivity creates a place where people feel they

belong, where they are seen, where they are valued, and where they can prosper. Diversity

Management starts with us taking accountability for our own beliefs, actions, and reactions. We

must acknowledge or weaknesses and strengths and become a life-long leaner. Without each of

us being allies that will standup even when you are scared, nothing will ever change. We can

have a budget for DEI, we can have ambassadors, training, have a town hall, have senior

leadership shed a light into a cause, but living and breathing DEI is where the true work

becomes party of impactful change.

Impactful and long-lasting change is one of the goals I had when I promoted last year as a CEC

Operations Manager. This was a new position the organization had created as T-Mobile went

through some organizational changes. I had been career pathing to a Business Manager

position and while that did not come to fruition, I was fortunate enough to promote to a role

that provides me the ability to create change and long-lasting impact. The CEC Operations

Manager position is a vital position, I am not only responsible for Operational Excellence, but I

am responsible for the Customer Experience center experience which encompasses the

following:

 Rewards & Recognition

 Internal and External customer escalation resolution
 Process, policy, and procedure changes
 Frontline Readiness
 Executive Visit Planning & Execution
 Be an advocate and a voice at the table for all our lines of business (LOB’s)
T-Mobile is an amazing organization to work for and a diverse organization at that. We are not

only diverse in numbers, but T-Mobile has fostered and environment where inclusivity is part of

our Brand, Values, and Manifesto. The #BEYOU is written across walls within or Customer

Experience Centers. We want everyone to belong and feel accepted for who they are.

As part of the leadership team, my number one priority is being an advocate for our Frontline

and Frontline leaders. Whether it’s a new policy change, a new product, sunset of a system, or

identifying pain points across the different lines of business and getting them resolved I am

their voice. This is an enormous responsibility and one that cannot be taken lightly.

For me to be effective at my job I must understand and be open to different perspectives. Even

after taking this course my CQ Intelligence test went from an 87 to 102. Being aware of my own
opportunities has allowed me to be aware of others around, push me to learn more about

people that are different than me. It even has pushed me to put myself in situations where I

didn’t dare before, like having lunch with our Irian employees.

These experiences helped me to ask more questions like how will these changes affect our

Frontline, what will their new experience be like? I cannot depend on my own assumptions and

experience to help build a plan. I must dive in and understand and think through a new hire’s

mindset or someone who this is their first job. I must think through the diverse levels of

knowledge and skill, what tools and resources do they have, is that enough? What training will

be provided? As it was stated in the article, What an Inclusive Workplace Actually Looks Like,

And Seven Ways to Achieve It, “Employees need to feel they have a say in decisions that impact

their work. And leaders and managers should proactively find ways to give employees a voice”

(Hamill, 2019).

Thinking back to the Pie Chart I created in Module 1 I identify myself as a woman, Latina, a

Christian, some college experience, and as bilingual. My values, beliefs, attitudes, and my

behavior are all a reflection of who I am, what I have experienced, and my experience is vastly

different than others. If I am to be an advocate, I must not rely on my own experiences to build

strategies and plans for a Diverse Experience Center that encompass more than who I am and

what I know.

In the podcast Daring to Lead, Creating Transformative Cultures Brené Brown interviews Aiko

Bethea regarding an article Aiko wrote for Medium where she calls upon Corporate America,

Philanthropy, Academia, to act. She provides actual steps and action items we can take to start
making impactful changes within DEI. As I read and listened to the podcast there are some

approaches, I would take from Aiko to help push the challenges and opportunities I face in my

role and be a better more inclusive leader and advocate.

 Learning and development opportunities on biases, aggressions, and other matters that have

been categorized as “DEI matters” should be labeled as leadership training and development, as

this is precisely what this type of development is.

 Build in accountability measures for aggressions and discriminatory behavior- and completely do

away with the excuses like: They didn’t intend that. They didn’t know.

 Avoid limiting metrics to demographic representation and counting the number of ethnic groups,

gender, abilities, sexual orientation, etc. Expand metrics to include:

o What does retention look like for underrepresented groups?

o What does the promotion rate (and bonuses) look like?

o What does compensation look like amongst groups? (Bethea, 2021)

Being an advocate and allies means building strong strategies and action items we can

implement to help further inclusivity and break down the barriers that still stand strong in

society and in our organizations. Senior leaders must be part of the changes and the

vulnerability that comes with having these kinds of conversations. As research shows, “Inclusive

workplaces are six times more likely to be innovative and twice as likely to meet or surpass

financial goals” (Hamill, 2019). DEI shouldn’t be a check box, there is value in employees feeling

like they belong, that they are seen, and heard and it starts with us. Making that change can

impact and influence those around you and like a ripple effect it can change not only your

organization, but the world.

 References

Bethea, A. (2021, December 14). An Open Letter to Corporate America, Philanthropy,

Academia, etc.: What Now? Medium. https://aikobethea.medium.com/an-open-letter-to-

corporate-america-philanthropy-academia-etc-what-now-8b2d3a310f22

Hamill, L. (2019, February 4). What An Inclusive Workplace Actually Looks Like, And Seven

Ways to Achieve It. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2019/02/04/what-an-

inclusive-workplace-actually-looks-like-and-seven-ways-to-achieve-it/?

sh=4eeb32a4316b

N. (2011b, April 6). The Role of White Men in Diversity Discussions. NPR.

https://www.npr.org/2011/04/06/135181565/the-role-of-white-men-in-diversity-

discussions

Thomas, R. R. (1996). Redefining Diversity. Amacom Books.