Jason Daniels:
Kelli and I were really pleased with everything from the
attendance as well as what the speakers were able to deliver
in terms of not just a conversation about diversity and
inclusion, but a conversation about how African Americans
can build upon their professional journeys. And how allies,
people who are not African American but other races can
assist us in moving forward professionally within our
careers and our companies.
We are most excited about the support that we received from
companies by way of sponsorships. We had well over 20
companies though out the region as well as throughout the
state of Ohio who participated in this conference. I think
those companies stand at the forefront of what it means to
partner with the L.I.F.T. Conference and with JAYRAMON and
at the end of the day we believe those companies support the
idea that African Americans should be supported in moving
forward professionally in their careers and those are
companies to me that stand out as Leaders in the community
and also serve as Allies.
We have a number of companies like O-I and The Blade, as
well as, Marco’s Pizza, the Toledo City Paper, organizations
whom I would call our anchor institutions in the community.
They have been around for a long period of time and they
have seen a lot and for them to partner with us is a
tremendous opportunity for us and also a tremendous
opportunity for the participants.
All of our speakers, who joined us, had a different message
but a similar one. I think those messages were to keep
investing in yourself professionally. Also making sure, for
the people that were there, they [the speakers] were very
real in sharing not only research and data, but they were
also real in sharing their experiences about what it takes
to be a solid standout professional at work and in the
community.
We are really excited about is what we are going to do next.
We are in the process, with the help of some of our current
sponsors, of moving this conversation forward. This
conversation about professionalism, professional etiquette
and also leveraging data. Leveraging the research to create
a solid career roadmap that is advantageous for anyone who
wants to apply this work that we are moving forward in.
Professional development for anyone, the tools that we
shared at this conference and that the speakers and the
panelist shared, were tools for everyone. The ability for
everybody to come to the table, a highly diverse crowd or
group of attendees and participants. All of them, because it
was not about race, but all of them coming to the table to
say we learned something. Many people walked out and showed
me multiple pages of notes that they had taken from various
sectors both sponsors, as well as, individual attendees. I
believe that they [ sponsor and attendees] learn a lot. I
believe that we had a vision to create a conference that was
heavy on really good content and we believe that we
delivered on those results.
Z: From what I took away, it was not just the
conversation, but it was the cohesiveness of the
conversation across all of the panels. I know that this
presenter probably did not speak with this other presenter,
but they filled in the blanks for each other so seamlessly.
Then on top of that the participation of the sponsors that
were there. The sponsors were not just there to say, we are
here, they were active and participants in the conversation.
I think that was really awesome for us, the young
professionals that were in the building, that also we were
able to sit down and have these conversation with people and
feel a validation that our voice actually matters because
they are listening as well.
Jason:
We were highly intentional about the type of conversation
that would take place. When we chose speakers, we chose
speakers who were A+ in their professions and we chose
individuals who have a heart for advocacy and for being
allies for people of color and other groups that function
within organizations. Part of why you witness some of that
seamlessness, I call it the thread or line that kept running
through every conversation, is because those are
professional that understand the importance of what it means
to make sure that we have a diverse and inclusive workforce.
We created a conference that even though it says that it is
for African-American professionals, the allies part is
really the anchor to the conversations that took place and
the heart of why the conference was successful and will be
successful.
When you have an African-American conference yet a third of
your speakers are not African American that says something.
We wanted to create a conference that reflected what the
workplace looks like today. It would not have been fair to
bring just African Americans to the table to have a
conversation, almost behind closed doors, about how we
strategize to move forward. We know that it takes
partnerships to do that and it takes our other allies at the
table, that can learn alongside of us and then when we get
back to the office recognize, after having been given even
more tools, how they can help advance a workplace culture
that is, as you said, seamlessly diverse and inclusive and
gives all of us the ability to work together and work toward
an end result that is –We are all professionals in the
workplace and we are all advancing and leveraging our gifts
and our talents to do so.
Z:
Can you give us a glimpse of what happens next,
how do we advance this conversation?
Jason:
The conversation will continue, we created the conference as
a platform to move this conversation forward, not just in
this area or this regional. But throughout multiple states
throughout the United States. So conference is the beginning
of a conversation that happens not just with the LIFT
conference but with other leadership series opportunities.
The biggest thing that I can say in terms of what’s next
here is I invite organizations, people and corporations to
contact us if they are willing to bring this type of
dialogue to their workplaces. Our company has trained
facilitators and presenters who can facilitate these
conversations and create these dialogues in various
workplaces for organizations. We welcome those
opportunities.
We also want to be intentional about working with and
alongside of leaders who are both leading organizations as
well as those who are in the diversity/inclusion space, who
want to have more of a dialogue where we can come together
and share resources and figure out how we collectively drive
this conversation in our [workplace] communities and also in
communities or organizations where their sole purpose is to
help advance African American, Latino American or LGBT
groups throughout the community. Ultimately as those
community groups grow and build, as we’re working together,
we can help them have a voice, build coalitions within their
work place and many companies are already wanting to do
this, they just don’t know who to go about doing it. We
would not say we are the end result to whatever their goal
is, to create a diverse and inclusive workforce. We want to
be the group that brings the conversation and brings other
experts and folks who are willing to have the conversation,
like we did at the L. I. F. T. Conference, to those places
of work to begin the conversation, so they can do the real
work.
JAYRAMONLLC
leaders and conference hosts Jason and Kelli Daniels,
president and chief operating
officer and vice president of operations, have a defined
record of leadership excellence, consulting with people and
organizations to grow leadership effectiveness, scale
impact, grow local and national partnerships and advance
philanthropic effectiveness. JAYRAMON.COM @jayramonllc
@LIFT2017Midwest
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