New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
KORDA LEADS LPGA; SORENSTAM FALTERS
ORLANDO, Fla.— Nelly Korda surged into the lead in the Gainbridge LPGA with a 4-under 68 that left her in position to make it consecutive wins for the Korda family to start the season.
Annika Sorenstam sank to the bottom.
Korda, whose older sister Jessica won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions last month to start the new LPGA Tour season, dropped only one shot on a breezy day at Lake Nona to lead by one over Patty Tavatanakit.
Sorenstam, playing for the first time in more than 12 years after retiring, had no expectations and no excuses. She kept leaving herself in bad spots around the green and finished with a 79. That put her in last place by four shots, 22 shots behind Korda.
For some management teams, the conversation of diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — provides an opportunity to brag about the positive impact that their team’s diversity has had on their organization. For other management teams, their eyes glaze over because they believe the benefits of DEI are out of their reach.
As management teams
continue their planning activities, DEI should be a critical component of their
marketing, personnel and talent optimization strategy. Every organization needs to have the best combination of team members, skills, motivation and cultural contribution.
Most of us have been in organizations where we did not have the opportunity for full engagement. That lack of full engagement resulted in less-than-optimal performance for the individual and the organization. Among highest aspirations for a DEI strategy is to provide full engagement opportunities for every team member.
Full engagement is a recognition that broader opportunities, policies and talent management by the organization will bring different perspectives and approaches. Additionally,
over time, enhanced awareness can lead to more robust engagement with the organization’s customers, suppliers and regulators.
Just to be clear, a DEI strategy is more than a one-day educational immersion. That one day can be a starting point of a more comprehensive organizational cultural change initiative.
I have a friend who is a fire captain. He told the story of the positive impact of diversity in his organization. His fire team was composed of all males, 6 feet tall and muscled. When the team encountered a closed door, their first instinct was to kick the door in. He mentioned he had been a victim of this groupthink and kicked in a door. His foot and boot became lodged in the door. Embarrassing, expensive and dangerous. He went on to say that diversity allowed new members to join the team without the same physical profile. When the new team members encountered a closed door, they tried the doorknob before they kicked in the door. Diversity of thought is a benefit.
The anecdotal and statistical benefits of
DEI have been with us a long time. However, DEI benefits are undeniable, based upon objective documentation from the boardroom to the laboratory to the shipping dock.
Perhaps the most visual examples of the benefits of DEI is presented in team sports. According to Blake McMorris, DEI senior consultant, “Sports are supposed to be a meritocracy. The best in practice are those who make the team and compete for the championship.”
Using basketball as a model, diversity is desired because all of one body type or skill set rarely will result in a winning team.
The DEI journey for an organization can appear to be long and tedious. However, as with any organizational change, the continued practice will yield a stronger organization better prepared to take on the challenges of the marketplace.
Cornell Wright is the author of “31 Coffee Breaks to a Better Organization,” a trainer and consultant at The Parker Wright Group Inc. in Stratford. The firm strengthens clients’ team development in pursuit of customer service strategies and processes. He is a Certified Partner of Predictive Index. He can be reached at 203-377-4226 or cornell@parkerwrightgroup.com.