Sin anunciarse ni permitir prepararse por ello, ya comienza el nuevo año. Feliz 2016. Ready or not, I have a proposal for a new year’s resolution: not the usual “exercise more” or “eat fewer carbs” (always good, though), but a challenge to all of us: to bring our beliefs into the work that we do.
Me explico. Thaddeus Arroyo, after exactly a year as CEO of AT&T Mexico, is making waves in more ways than one. The company strategy to apply its 4G LTE wave frequencies to build a more connected world is formed in large part by his deep belief that it is the technological wave of the future to make people’s lives better.
His convictions are part and parcel of AT&T’s strategy to establish industry leadership in Mexico. “We are transforming the underlying infrastructure that will help advance Mexico’s mobile and digital capabilities,” Arroyo explains. He is an iconic example that it isn’t just talent, but also passion that placed him into one of the highest levels of responsibility for the telecommunications giant.
Speaking of passion, this brings me to the theme of this issue: diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I’d like to introduce you to this issue’s guest editor, Andrés Tapia. The phrase “diversity and inclusion”, unless actually put into practice, has come to sound like empty jargon out of some corporate manual. So much so, that often when I would hear it, my eyes would begin to glaze over.
Tapia has made me do a complete 180. He is the authoritative voice on how to not only understand it, but how to apply it to the workplace. This is his passion. The way he describes D&I is not just as a “hot” topic in the corporate world, but personal, raw, real, and really beautiful. For him, we as employees and leaders must leverage our identity and apply it the work that we do.
Equally, companies must foster an environment in which their employees feel free to bring their true selves and unique strengths to the table. Tapia opens minds to not only the reality of diversity, but also to how it is directly tied to business benefits—in short, why and how, to do it right.
So, my new year’s resolution is really a dare: to bring our authentic selves and our beliefs into the workplace, and, for those who form corporate policy, allow them to flourish. It might mean speaking up, joining an organization, or taking the lead on a specific and focused initiative. My belief is that trying it will pay off in more ways than we can predict.
