leadership
DR. YVETTE BURTON: LESBIAN LEADER, GLOBAL THINKER
BY BARBARA FRANKEL | © 2008 DIVERSITYINC
When you meet Dr. Yvette Burton, the words “
amazing,” “impressive” and (even though it’s not politically
correct) “gorgeous” come to mind. How does one
woman do all this?
She’s a global business-development executive
for IBM, No. 9 on The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50
Companies for Diversity® list, traveling the world and
coaching C-suite and other leading executives in major
companies on issues ranging from cultural competence
to succession planning. The former director of lesbian
health for the city of New York is also co-chair of the
national board of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD).
An expert on issues of interpersonal and executive
communications, she has particular concerns over
how open different corporate cultures globally
are to gays, lesbians and others from traditionally
underrepresented groups.
“Having a workplace environment that makes it
conducive for gay and lesbian people to be out is not
about counting the amount of
gay and lesbian people in the
company,” she says. “If you
have the kind of environment
where people can be authentic
and bring their whole selves
to work, then that’s going to
impact your bottom line. There DR. YVETTE BURTON
is empirical evidence that sup- IBM, No. 9 in the
ports that over and over again.” DiversityInc Top 50
Burton has been with IBM
for almost 10 years because the global company, which
she says is very conservative in many ways—especially
when it comes to shareholder value—is “never afraid to
step out on the issue of human rights.”
Why did this busy executive choose to take on a
leadership role at GLAAD? “I am always hesitant to take
on causes because I’m overextended, and so I always
look for really highly leveraged opportunities that make
an impact,” she says.
DR. JARIK CONRAD: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TO MOVE DIVERSITY
BY YOJI COLE | © 2008 DIVERSITYINC
“Just because you went to
Cornell doesn’t mean those
white folks will give you a job,”
Dr. Jarik Conrad’s brother
said after Jarik was accepted
to Cornell University.
DR. JARIK CONRAD
Conrad Consulting
Group
“I could have caved into
that,” he says.
Conrad was reared in a
housing project in East St.
Louis, Ill., a city commonly
described as distressed, with one of the highest crime
rates in the United States. Growing up in East St.
Louis’ depressed culture dulled Conrad’s brother’s
outlook. Conrad describes his childhood neighborhood as a war zone, but Conrad knew there was more
in store for him and that his ability would guide him
to success.
“Someone who can stay focused in the midst of
crises has high emotional intelligence,” says Conrad,
founder of Conrad Consulting Group and author of
The Fragile Mind: How It Has Produced and Unwittingly
Perpetuated America’s Tragic Disparities.
“Emotional intelligence allows you to take
advantage of your cognitive abilities,” says Conrad.
“Emotional intelligence allowed me to focus.”
Although quality of life is at the center of diversity
efforts, the movement is failing to include everyone,
says Conrad.
“One of the biggest challenges is that everyone is
looking for someone to blame,” he says. “I focus on
that it is not just white people’s fault.”
Conrad says everyone should study and proactively involve themselves with different cultures
before they lay blame. The idea is that if you’re only
complaining, you’re not being a problem solver.
“It’s not good enough to not discriminate,” he
says. “You have to proactively go out and meet
people different from you, read books by authors different from you.”
