Transforming Corporate Culture in a Race Conscious World

As a white Jewish guy growing up in middle class America, I always thought I was born on second base. I had the opportunity to go to college where my parents paid half of the tuition and I was able to borrow the rest. With an elite education, opportunities were presented to me in the business world that most people don’t get. So how do we redefine American capitalism when it is built from the start on a system of inequity, and everyone doesn’t start in the same place?

On The Small Business Radio Show this week, James D. White, the former CEO of Jamba Juice and now chair of the board of Honest Company.  He and his daughter Krista White have a new book called “Anti- Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World”.

James emphasized in the interview:

• How to re-define capitalism to correct a system built on inequality.
• How building anti-racist leadership is more than just “the right thing to do” – it contributes positively to successful operations and a strong bottom line for every company.
• How “cultural fit” – this common phrase is often misunderstood and misused to allow perpetuation of an elite, privileged in-group and leave out minorities who may be equally qualified
• Why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is not a zero-sum game. The biggest fear of the privileged few is that hiring from an equity perspective will result in lost jobs for themselves. James makes the argument that this is not the case.
• How to grow a “corporate culture of true meritocracy”. Empowering everyone in the company to bring their talents and problem-solving skills to the table, the results are better than when only some people can.

Listen to the entire interview on The Small Business Show of this ground breaking book.

Image: James D. White

This article, "Transforming Corporate Culture in a Race Conscious World" was first published on Small Business Trends