Effecting ‘Magical’ Change
Not too long ago, I sat across the table from Magic Johnson. But what was even more exciting and inspiring to me than being in the presence of one of the most widely recognized sports legends was the message he and his new business partner — Leonard McLaughlin, president of Aon Cornerstone Innovative Solutions — were propagating.
I don’t want to give everything away here because we have an exciting upcoming Diversity Executive e-newsletter article outlining this news, but what I can divulge is their combined passion and drive for effecting change in ethnically diverse communities across the country.
A large piece of that puzzle is to open the eyes of large corporations and urge them to tap into the rich professional services capabilities that minority business enterprises (MBEs) have to offer, which — as Magic put it — can result not only in the creation of sustainable jobs, but also in overall economic growth.
The other is to ensure the steady influx of qualified MBE players by providing training and mentoring programs and the like.
One remark that really struck me and stuck with me is when Magic said, “[MBEs] have got to overdeliver. I’ve built my company on overdelivering [to my clients]” — essentially indicating that they’ve got to make good on their promises and do whatever it takes to deliver the best product or service if they want to continue to do good business.
That’s probably true of all companies and businesses, regardless of whether they’re minority owned, but it does seem particularly relevant in this case. Do you agree that historically underrepresented businesspeople must work harder to prove they’re just as good as the next guy — in much the same way some studies show that women have to work twice as hard as their male counterparts to earn the same degree of respect and recognition?
I don’t want to give everything away here because we have an exciting upcoming Diversity Executive e-newsletter article outlining this news, but what I can divulge is their combined passion and drive for effecting change in ethnically diverse communities across the country.
A large piece of that puzzle is to open the eyes of large corporations and urge them to tap into the rich professional services capabilities that minority business enterprises (MBEs) have to offer, which — as Magic put it — can result not only in the creation of sustainable jobs, but also in overall economic growth.
The other is to ensure the steady influx of qualified MBE players by providing training and mentoring programs and the like.
One remark that really struck me and stuck with me is when Magic said, “[MBEs] have got to overdeliver. I’ve built my company on overdelivering [to my clients]” — essentially indicating that they’ve got to make good on their promises and do whatever it takes to deliver the best product or service if they want to continue to do good business.
That’s probably true of all companies and businesses, regardless of whether they’re minority owned, but it does seem particularly relevant in this case. Do you agree that historically underrepresented businesspeople must work harder to prove they’re just as good as the next guy — in much the same way some studies show that women have to work twice as hard as their male counterparts to earn the same degree of respect and recognition?
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