With my corporate and human capital lens, I tried to analyze the reasons for such “diversity success.” They didn’t use a sophisticated recruiting system with algorithms tweaked to maximize diversity. The curriculum was the same for everyone. The setting was a barn on a small farm. Yet, the diversity success was evident with race, ethnicity, creed, preferences, identities, age, careers, education, and social-economic levels all in one room, ready to learn.

1. Discovering Diversity Success: 10
Questions to Ask Yourself
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
By Jessica Alvarez, Chief Management Officer
A few years back, I was yearning for a community
to embrace me, a tribe that would understand and
respect that I’m not just a few general categories of
a person, including female, Latina, mother. I needed
a community outside of my corporate life that
understands that the indigenous roots in me are
not only from the Americas but can be traced back
to slave trafficking from Africa to the coasts of the
Caribbean, central and south America. My
grandmother’s knowledge of the use of roots,
herbs, and plant medicine has been passed down
the generations through song and story.
In my search for such an embracing community, I
found Centro Ashe, now the Wild Ginger Center in
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2. Washington D.C., which shares, protects, respects,
and promotes the connections between plants,
earth, and people. I enrolled in their training
program to spark and renew the love and
knowledge of plants I had in me.
Yes, it sounds very urban hippy, right? The first day
I was amazed to be surrounded by an astonishingly
diverse group of people, all coming together to
learn and share experiences. Here, I didn’t need the
emotional and mental protective walls I habitually
built around me.
With my corporate and human capital lens, I tried
to analyze the reasons for such “diversity success.”
They didn’t use a sophisticated recruiting system
with algorithms tweaked to maximize diversity. The
curriculum was the same for everyone. The setting
was a barn on a small farm. Yet, the diversity
success was evident with race, ethnicity, creed,
preferences, identities, age, careers, education, and
social‐economic levels all in one room, ready to
learn. Everyone showed up with a smile and open
to an embrace. Cell phone connection was awful,
the conversation was great, and we all had meals
together where we learned about each other’s
families, interests, and even dreams. It struck me
how different this was from work and school
settings. Although there was a lot to learn and do,
there was ample room for each person’s personality
and voice to shine equally. They organically met the
diversity and customer loyalty aspirations of the
corporate world.
After months of enjoying the camaraderie, I
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3. concluded that the Wild Ginger Center’s secret
ingredient for their diversity success is the kindness
and respect that runs through its core. Empathy
and respect not only for the plants and the earth
but for people. Each person that walks into the
center is unique, respected, acknowledged,
encouraged, and celebrated for showing up as who
they are.
By the time the workshops concluded, I had
acquired lifelong friends, carpool mates,
herb/veggie exchange buddies, but most
importantly, I found the tribe I yearned for. I
belonged.
Can we translate this success to the corporate
world? Yes! Below are my top 10 questions to ask
yourself.
1. Is your mission clear?
2. What is the human connection to your work
﴾the back story of why we do what we do﴿?
3. Are people working with a purpose?
4. Is everyone’s uniqueness equally celebrated
and acknowledged beyond the basic
categories?
5. As employers, are we creating safe spaces
for team members to connect beyond
transactional tasks?
6. Does each employee feel encouraged to
grow, to say, to be?
7. Does every employee feel free to show up as
who they are ﴾i.e., my big curly hair vs.
straightened hair, my ethnic wear vs.
pantsuits and heels﴿?
8. Is respect and compassion part of your
Recent Posts
Discovering Diversity Success:
10 Questions to Ask Yourself
DEI is Personal: My Story of
Family, Kenya, and a Career
Diversity as a Revenue Engine:
What 16+ Studies Reveal
Making Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion faster, easier, and
actionable
How to Harness
Organizational Creativity

4. ← Previous Post
corporate vocabulary?
9. Is diversity even valuable to your corporate
goals?
10. Are you aware of your company’s diversity
standing?
I can help you start diversity conversations too. I’m
pleased to announce DEI360, an organization’s
starting point for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion ﴾DEI﴿.
It’s an easy, customizable, online assessment that
quickly allows organizational leadership to see how
they’re doing from the employee’s perspective.
Once an organization takes the assessment,﴾ our
team walks through the final report giving clear DEI
data, a snapshot of the internal DEI landscape, and
actionable next steps. Have questions? Check out
our FAQ or contact us directly.
Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below,
send me an email, or find me on Twitter.
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