The Executive Leadership Council Unveils White Paper on 21 st Century Global Leadership
-- Fortune 500 CEOs and C-Suite Executives Discuss Best Practices for Leveraging Diversity in Today’s Global Marketplace –
Alexandria, VA (Sept. 15, 2015) – The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) today unveils a new white paper examining the opportunities and challenges related to diversity and inclusion at the C-suite and boardroom levels. The report, entitled “21st Century Global Leadership: Global Black Leaders Speak,” features insights from some of the highest ranking leaders in today’s global business world and is intended to guide organizations in leveraging diversity as a valuable asset in today’s global economy.
The Executive Leadership Council is the pre-eminent membership organization comprised of C-Suite and senior level Black executives and board directors of Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies, and entrepreneurs from top-tier firms, committed to increasing the number of global black executives in C-Suites, on corporate boards and in global enterprises.
With demographic shifts, advances in technology and communications, and globalization, diversity has become an increasingly important factor for companies to succeed in today’s transformative business environment. The white paper suggests the old ways of viewing and governing business, and recruiting and developing effective leaders, will not continue to be an effective formula in today’s world. “We believe that the conversation about diversity has shifted from ‘nice to have’ and ‘the right thing to do’ to a strategic imperative of creating value – the diversity imperative,” the report states.
The ELC conducted its own proprietary, in-depth research with 18 CEOs or C-suite executives of Fortune 500 companies, from a wide range of industries. The report solicited views on the prerequisites for effective global leadership today and asked them to describe the opportunities and detours they encountered in their climb to the senior-most levels of management. As an organization committed to the development of global black leaders, The ELC naturally brings a black perspective to addressing these issues.
“With only six black CEOs currently heading the nation’s largest corporations [Fortune 500], and only 15 total to have ever held those positions, there’s still a long way to go before corporations reap the full value of diversity at the top,” says Ronald C. Parker, President & CEO, The Executive Leadership Council. “We hope the findings from this report will help to identify tangible solutions for closing the gap for black executive leadership and ensure the diversity representation needed for companies to compete in today’s global marketplace.”
The white paper showcases how businesses can benefit from the leadership of Black executives due to their experiences, insight and adaptability as minorities in their current work environments. These characteristics position Black executives to provide great oversight and insights into global positions. It also reveals how unconscious bias is a key factor in inhibiting Black leaders from receiving global opportunities. The report offers insights for how to prepare, best leverage and successfully navigate a global assignment, and culminates with The ELC’s Top 12 Tips to Accelerate Change – going from good intentions to lasting impact.
Those who were interviewed weighed in on a host of issues relevant to ramping up enterprise leadership diversity. To read the full 19-page report, please click here or visit www.elcinfo.com.
CONTACT: Gena Gatewood, The Executive Leadership Council, (703) 706-5281 or ggatewood@elcinfo.com
About The Executive Leadership Council:
The Executive Leadership Council, an independent non-profit 501(c)(6) corporation founded in 1986, is the pre-eminent membership organization committed to increasing the number of global black executives in C-Suites, on corporate boards and in global enterprises. Comprised of more than 600 current and former black CEOs, board members and senior executives at Fortune 1000 companies and equivalents, and entrepreneurs at top-tier firms, its members work to build an inclusive business leadership pipeline that empowers global black leaders to make impactful contributions to the marketplace and the global communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.elcinfo.com.