Andrea Grant, a Certified Diversity Search Professional (CDSP), has worked for over 25 years for major corporations and as a serial entrepreneur with a love for human resources. However, she says that DEI and all the other acronyms applied to diversity today doesn’t mean we’re being equitable and creating a culture of belonging, and that lack of belonging is keeping women from coming back to work. They’re tired of having to pick up the pieces, to switch codes to fit into cultures that don’t support them and to always be there for everyone else, no matter how they’re discriminated against with not-so-hidden biases. In her work as Senior Vice President in Business Development for Human Resources Standards Institute SM (HRSI) with Dr. Denise Caleb, Andrea pushes “for people to go from aspiration to action.” She says, “Anybody can say anything, Dr. Nancy, but I need them to put action behind that…meaning money, resources, tools, people and so on. And that’s even most critical for women.”
She points out what is necessary – within a company and outside – for equity and belonging to exist. One is a representation of diversity, and actually seeing diverse people on the website, among the employees and leadership and among the people they call customers. She calls it “mirroring” and points out that those people might be in wheelchairs, hearing impaired, wearing a hijab, be Black or white, but diversity must truly be visible in appearance and point of view for the company to prosper and for everyone connected with the company to feel that they belong.
Andrea also details processes that she has designed to educate and implement an equitable hiring system. She says that we don’t think of the biases that exist when we screen for new employees, like passing over someone whose name sounds too ethnic. In fact, she points out that women are hired for their experience and men are hired for their potential and the questions that are typically asked reflect that bias. She designed a series of questions that were the same for women and men with a scorecard for the interviewer to assess the degree that they followed it to achieve an equitable outcome. She says that the process was non-negotiable, so everybody had a fair chance.
The GROE System
In her consulting business, Andrea has developed a system for self-analysis and action for underrepresented groups, especially women. She says that women aren’t taught their own value or to negotiate based on it, so the GROE System is a guide to help them advance in their career, whether they’re going to work for someone else or start their own business:
G = Gauge your options and opportunities. Ask the 5 w’s of yourself– Who needs your skills? What are those skills?
R = Review your knowledge skills and abilities honestly and proudly.
O = Outline your game plan; keep your CV and LinkedIn up to date; don’t neglect your network.
E = Execute! Andrea says, “Get out of the imposter syndrome.” And “It’s important to stay visible.”
Check out Grant Consulting Group for more information about the GROE System and finding the career that you love.
Free E-book, “Unlock Your LinkedIn.com” and more
Did you know that three people are hired every minute from LinkedIn? Andrea is a sought-after expert on leveraging LinkedIn for maximum outcomes. This free e-book will give you tips for overcoming common mistakes and misconceptions, and ways to enhance your profile and create a powerful job-acquisition tool in LinkedIn.
Andrea also offers the audience of this podcast a 15-minute free consultation. Read her credentials on either unlockyourlinkedin.com or grantconsultingroup.com to find out why you must take advantage of this opportunity even if you don’t commit to more. It could be the most valuable 15 minutes you experience for your career in 2023.
Listen to or watch Andrea’s conversation with Dr. Nancy to find out more about her personal story and her insights into how much things change when equity and belonging intersect with your workplace and the work you do to make your contribution to the world.
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