Diversity and Inclusion Consulting

Let's bring everyone to the table

Let’s bring everyone to the table

FountainBlue leverages its two decades of experience coaching and managing leaders at all levels to provide strategic Diversity and Inclusion consulting to tech companies across Silicon Valley and beyond. Generally our clients:

  • Are committed in vision, strategy and execution to D&I objectives and understand the business imperatives behind this commitment;
  • Have committed executive sponsors, driven participants, dedicated HR and program staff invested in the success of ongoing programs;
  • Need an external partner to drive initiatives and programs, to bring original and diverse thinking, planning and facilitation into play; and
  • Interested in a People-First Mindset, and willing to invest in that to produce outstanding business outcomes.

FountainBlue’s Diversity Consulting practice generally focuses on the ‘What, Why, How’ of Diversity, as described in the chart below, to be profiled in a blog scheduled for release in November 2020.

In October 2020, we interviewed dozens of HR professionals in the FountainBlue network and beyond in the month of October, and have compiled the matrix above to summarize the Whys, the Whats and the Hows around diversity. Below is a summary of our findings and our conclusions following these interviews, supplementing our why/what/how chart above, as presented in our November 2020 blog.

Build credibility, momentum and funding by making a business case and collaborating with business leaders.

  • Attaching diversity to a business cause and a business result will exponentially increase the likelihood of adoption, funding and momentum.
  • Engagement across executives, business units, and geographies also increases the likelihood of short-term and long-term support and success.
  • Although the passion behind the diversity cause brings attention, the focus on the business imperatives brings resources and results.

Rise above the do-right, and speak to the do-well.

  • Passionate and emotional commitment is essential for success, but that passion must also focus on the business imperatives.

How you think must align with how you speak and how you act.

  • Token thoughts and words are noise. Actions without thoughts and words are random acts which can’t bring lasting change. Align how you think with how you speak with how you act.
  • Choose a culture that consistently aligns thoughts, words and actions.
  • Don’t expect perfection every time, all the time, but do commit to always learning and growing and standing by core values.

It’s always about how you make people feel.

  • Make people feel important and valued.
  • Ensure that their experiences as staff consistently reflect how important they are to the organization.
  • Sincerely invite feedback and input, but only if you intend to follow through.
  • Challenge everyone to rise above what they’re doing now, and think to what they can do in the future, how they are grow in position and value within the organization.
  • Invite open-minded thinking out of the box.
  • Invite, celebrate and reward people to be enthusiastic and engaged, performing far beyond expectations. 
  • Be supportive, transparent and clear, especially when you need to communicate tough news.

It’s a journey, not a destination.

  • Be vulnerable, authentic and sincere in communicating how the team, the company can work together to build a cohesive, empowered, engaged culture, a rewarding user experience, an effective organization and brand.

We welcome your insights and input on diversity best practices you’ve successfully implemented for your company. Meanwhile, our corporate partners will share their best practices in our upcoming programs.

Measuring DEEII Outcomes –

Qualitative Intent, Quantitative Results

The Ying meets the Yang when you connect the ‘Qualitative Intent’ for leadership and diversity programs with the measurable ‘Quantitative Results’ expected of all business professionals. FountainBlue has worked with dozens of corporate engagements and hundreds of participants on leadership and innovation initiatives over the past two decades. 

E-mail us to receive a summary of FountainBlue’s findings to date, based on our decades of research, on how companies and leaders are measuring Qualitative Results through Quantitative Data, as evidenced by surveys, anecdotes and charts. We are continuing to gather insights and input and look forward to including your perspective as well.

Our Diversity Consulting Practice may include any of the practices below, plus other requested activities:

  • Works with the executive leadership and teams within and outside the organization build a culture of inclusion and empowerment, fueled by engaged and empowered leaders at all levels;
  • Incorporates trainings, workshops, events, mentorship, sponsorship initiatives, in support of client organizations;
  • Facilitates partnerships with external organizations and initiatives, providing community, nonprofit support, volunteer opportunities, etc.,
  • Supports the recruitment, retention, development and promotion of all staff at all levels, but specializing in talent with diverse backgrounds;
  • Shares resources, information and metrics for diversity and inclusion and empowerment progress, as compared to industry standards; and
  • Makes the business case for how diversity, inclusion and empowerment drives measurable business results.

DiverseExecutivesWe work with our client companies by:

  • providing access to semi-monthly and monthly programs;
  • providing coaching and program consulting services for client companies;
  • designing and delivering custom programs, per client requirements;
  • structuring and supporting Mentorship programs;
  • facilitating and running Innovation programs and workshops;
  • supporting high-performing teams in raising the bar for themselves; and
  • facilitating/empowering/advising other leadership and innovation-related activities.

Based on our experience and our results, we work with client companies to facilitate the interconnection between mentorship, sponsorship and coaching. InterconnectednessE-mail us if you would like to find out how we work with our client companies to get successful mentors sponsored into stretch assignments, and coached to increase the likelihood of success.

 

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Testimonials:

FountainBlue’s employee engagement & development initiatives have been well received by hundreds of people at all levels for 15 years. I am proud to be a sponsor and supporter, and grateful for all the support the organization has brought to myself and my teams through the years.

FountainBlue is *the* gold standard for event facilitation and production.

FountainBlue just ‘gets it’ – it’s about our people, and how our people drive our business. It’s amazing how they are translate back and forth from the business drivers to the people executing that drive.! And they do so with grace and humor. I highly recommend them for your diversity consulting needs.

Whether they are producing programs or coaching and consulting our executives, FountainBlue has consistently raised the bar for our organization and team.

I’ve been relying on FountainBlue to build and support our DEI agenda for more than a decade. It has made an immense difference for our leaders, for our teams, and for our culture.

Count on Linda Holroyd and the team at FountainBlue to provide inspirational content and practical advice on a wide range of leadership and innovation topics. Keep up the great work.

The positive energy I get from each coaching conversation is infectious. The proactive consulting FountainBlue does for our team helps us generates new ideas and solutions.

I credit FountainBlue for helping us focus on our innovation and leadership agenda.

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