In this Region of Choice learning session, a panel of talent development experts shared their experiences and strategies for increasing equitable development for all employees. The session explored common barriers for diverse talent and case studies of programs that are working.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Employee-At-Large Vs. Specialized Programs

• What kinds of training/development does your company offer employees-at-large?  How does the talent gain access to these development opportunities (mandatory, referral, lottery, application, etc.)?
• Assuming that companies create leadership and development programs for everyone, what are some of the reasons that underrepresented talent needs something more than the programs mentioned in the question above?
• Is there a large-scale need for leadership development programs that have specifically been designed for people of color (or women and other underrepresented professionals)?  Why or why not?
• In your experience, where do underrepresented people generally fall off the leadership and development track?  Do people just get stuck?  Do they retreat? Are they just being overlooked?
• Thinking about the skills needed to develop into leaders, do people of color tend to be less developed in these skills (communication, persuasion, vision, decisiveness, etc.) If yes, which ones tend to be major development areas?

Examples from Your Company/Program

• What programs are your organization developing for underrepresented groups and what data or experiences contributed to the development of these programs?
• What identity-groups does your company focus on in developing special leadership or career development programs?
• How is your organization using mentorship, outside leadership programs, internal programming (and similar) to support your POC talent’s development needs?
• What’s the difference between these more specialized programs and programs that are designed for employees-at-large?