Wally Gruenes: Make Wichita synonymous with opportunity
Nearly 1,000 miles separate Wichita native Karen S. Carter from her current home in Michigan. But she’s every bit as passionate about Wichita’s future as anyone who currently resides here. The keynote speaker for the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Chair’s Lunch wants people to think of one word every time they hear the word Wichita — opportunity.
How does Wichita initiate that transformation? It’s all about intentional inclusion and diversity.
Carter speaks around the globe about this topic as the chief human resources officer and chief inclusion officer for Dow. During her recent address to more than 500 Wichita business leaders and elected officials, she shared that the c-suite at Dow understands the symbiotic relationship between a best-in-class employee experience and a best-in-class customer experience. Making the 37,000 employees at Dow feel safe, seen, heard and respected ultimately results in more innovative problem solving and better outcomes for the 123-year-old company.
Just as it does for Dow, intentional inclusion can help Wichita attract and retain talent — the talent we need to drive innovation in existing industries and create new products, services and companies. It can provide the diversity in job options that both new and established professionals in Wichita need to advance their own personal career growth.
Whose job is it to lead us in removing inclusion barriers related to age, ethnicity, gender, social class, education, physical ability/attributes, values, national origin, race and political beliefs? That responsibility falls on all of us. Urging Wichitans to “open the door to real action” on the topic of intentional inclusion and diversity, Carter said: “Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice. Always lead with inclusion.”
Throughout her presentation, Carter talked about how her childhood and early adult experiences with a diverse group of people in Wichita had prepared her for a successful international career. She urged everyone in attendance to look around the tables in their own offices and homes. She reminded the crowd that as change agents we need to assess who is currently around the table and who is missing. Does everyone we invite into our homes and organizations look and think just like us? Or are we welcoming people who can enrich our lives with different ideas and experiences?
A product of Wichita public schools, Carter recalled and shared the names of instructors and adults who made her feel a sense of belonging during her years here and to look forward to her return here. Enhancing that sense of belonging and further extending it is the advantage that Wichita can build upon so the region becomes synonymous with opportunity and being valued for your contributions.