At some point, most corporations invest in their employees, whether they are entry-level or executives. They want the best from staffers, and the most effective way to attain it is through training. Employees who receive the necessary training have a greater understanding of their responsibilities within their roles, which builds confidence. And confidence enhances their overall performance.

Also, according to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), corporations that offer comprehensive training programs have 218 percent higher income per employee than corporations that don’t have formalized training. These corporations also enjoy, on average, 24 percent higher profit margins than those who spend less on training.

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I am passionate about increasing the number of women and people of color in the tech industry. To that end, I am a national spokesperson for the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and speak all over the world advocating for diversity and inclusion in the tech workforce. I was bestowed a White House Champion of Change in STEM award from President Barack Obama in 2011, and in 2017, published the book, ‘Necessary Inclusion: Embracing the Changing Faces of Technology to address the need for more women and people of color in the STEM field.

I want to go in another direction and discuss a “shocking” fact: According to a survey from the Founders Club, “Women-led tech startups hire more women.” Their teams average 38 percent women, more than double the average of companies without a female founder.

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Last November, 30 women business owners met at Shell’s Robert, Louisiana facility to get an in-depth view of what it takes to succeed in the complicated oil and gas supply chain. Shell joined with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as the founding sponsor of the inaugural WBENC Executive Energy Program (WEEP). According to Shell Sr. Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, Fred Whipple, “It is a part Shell’s expanded effort to increase the amount of spending we do with minority and woman-owned businesses.”

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I’ve worked in the multicultural and diversity and inclusion (D&I) space for over 20 years. On two occasions I’ve served as the diversity leader for organizations who were still in the very early stages of establishing the function or did not previously have a dedicated resource. As a result of those experiences, I arrived at an astounding conclusion: Diversity leaders have the hardest jobs in any organization. Now, you may want to argue that should only be said of the CEO given the vast amount of critical responsibilities that they direct on a daily basis.

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One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to supplier diversity. That is probably no truer than in the case of ethnic minorities, considering what constitutes an “ethnic minority” in different countries. As corporations look to expand their supplier diversity programs globally, it’s not just a matter of rolling out what works in the U.S. to other parts of the world. It is important to understand the various definitions of the term and their contexts so that initiatives can be designed to meet each country’s needs.

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