Grand Rapids ATHENA Organizational Leadership Award 2022 Video Featuring MillerKnoll, Motherland Cultural Connections, and Warner Norcross + Judd

[00:00] - My name is Mirabelle Foneye Omene. [00:02] - Hi, my name is Lauren Morris. [00:04] - I'm Cheryl Kern, vice president, diversity, equity, [00:06] and inclusion from Miller Knoll. [00:08] - I'm a partner and an attorney at Warner Knoll across [00:10] in Judd, I've had the privilege of working at Warner [00:13] for 16 years. [00:14] - And I am the CEO and founder [00:16] of Motherland Cultural Connections. [00:19] - We are social beings. [00:20] And the way you thrive or you create a thriving community [00:24] for everybody is by learning how to get along [00:28] with people who come from a different background than yours. [00:31] - Really looking at people first, doing right by people, [00:34] honoring people's authenticity and celebrating that. [00:37] - How people feel, do they feel a sense of belonging [00:40] when they come to work today more than ever? [00:42] The human center focus is so important. [00:45] - 63% of Warner's workforce is women. [00:52] And in my time at the firm, [00:54] I've watched women progress into various leadership roles, [00:57] including myself. [00:58] I'm in the chair of our summer associate committee [01:01] in that way I'm helping shape the future of the firm. [01:04] So it's been an exciting opportunity and an honor [01:06] that the firm looked to me and other women [01:08] to find leadership roles so we can thrive. [01:11] We have hired more minorities and women for some roles [01:15] because we've been intentional about interviewing more people. [01:18] If you don't make it intentional to interview more women [01:20] and minorities, you might miss an amazing candidate [01:24] that's qualified that also happens to be [01:26] from an underrepresented group. [01:27] They have been left out of the equation for so long. [01:30] They haven't been around the decision making table. [01:34] All of these things end up leaving out [01:36] some of the best brain power that exists [01:39] around making effective decisions. [01:41] And so when you leave women out, [01:43] are you really getting the full extent [01:46] of the potential best impact that you could have as a company? [01:50] The answer is no. [01:53] My wish is to especially help immigrant women. [01:57] We come from cultures where if you go somewhere [02:02] or move to another country and you have a partner [02:05] who is a man, for example, the man steps out first. [02:09] And if you already have children, [02:12] it becomes a problem. [02:13] You are stuck at home. [02:15] At Motherland, we equip, empower immigrant [02:19] and refugee women to once deliberate their heritage, [02:23] share that heritage with the community, [02:26] earn income while sharing that heritage, [02:29] but also build self-confidence. [02:31] Our chief strategy officer is now a woman. [02:34] Joined the company a few years ago. [02:36] Our president of our global retail division, [02:39] the fastest growing last year is a woman. [02:42] Only been there two or three years. [02:44] And so there's proof that when women are at the table [02:46] and in key leadership roles, [02:48] they bring results. [02:49] I don't have to fight to be paid [02:51] for the same work and quality of work. [02:53] I know what all of my peers make [02:55] that are at the same level as me. [02:57] So what I don't have to worry about is my male colleague [02:59] that's doing the same level of working paid more than me. [03:02] We've worked with a lot of artists, musicians, [03:05] and these are some people who completely had given up [03:08] on ever becoming a musician, [03:11] just encouraging them to be true to who they are. [03:14] They have what it takes to be a part of this community. [03:18] And when we see this happening, it just warms my heart. [03:21] This is the kind of thing that I would love [03:23] to see happen more. [03:25] We are an open place for women where they can grow, [03:30] they can evolve and they can create impact. [03:32] We're seeing it in our results every single day. [03:35] And it is what we call Ubuntu. [03:37] I am because you are. [03:39] I can go far without you. [03:42] And the best growth is when we are growing together. [03:45] It might be slow, but we're growing together. [03:47] It happens because of strategic decision making, [03:52] intentional planning, and follow through. [03:54] I think it happens so regularly now in our culture [03:59] that women are finding their voice [04:02] and that women are leading more efforts. [04:04] And women are never making me feel like I had to be [04:07] in the office at all times during business hours [04:09] has allowed me to enjoy my work and my family [04:12] and not feel like I had to choose one. [04:14] And I just respect that taking care of your people, [04:17] mentality that treat people like family mentality. [04:20] And so any time we are stress tested, [04:22] I'm just proud once again to be part of a firm [04:24] that really values its people. [04:27] And to me, that's why I've stayed there my whole career [04:30] and I plan to retire at Warner.