Need Diversity In Your Workplace?
The Numbers Say Role Models Are Lacking
It might feel more comfortable to work with people who are – more or less – just like you, but study after study has shown that’s not the best way to do business.
Research finds that diverse workforces are more effective workforces, which is why many large companies now have diversity programs for the recruitment and development of women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ individuals.
“And that’s a good thing, but having a diverse workforce doesn’t go far enough,” says Jeremy Greenberg, founder of Avenue Group (www.AveGroup.com), a firm that advises private equity firms, Fortune 500 executives, and mid-market companies.
“It’s also important to have diversity represented in leadership and role model positions, and America’s institutions – from large corporations to universities to the music world – are lacking on that front.”
Avenue Group recently conducted a study to determine the level of diversity among role models in today’s America. The study looked at the top 100 leaders in nine categories: Fortune 100 CEOs, U.S. senators, presidents of top-ranked universities, best-selling authors, top-selling musicians, directors of the highest-grossing films, producers of the highest-rated TV shows, stars of the most-popular YouTube channels, and hosts of the most-popular podcasts.
For the most part, Greenberg says, white men dominate in percentages far beyond their representation in the overall population.
“There’s a stark difference in diversity between the leadership role models and the general population,” Greenberg says. “White males account for 69 percent of the role models, even though they make up just 31 percent of the U.S. population.”
Greenberg says a few things worth knowing about diversity include:
“There is certainly a long way to go to improve diversity across all categories,” Greenberg says. “As our role models become more diverse, those who aspire to emulate them will be more inspired and provide tangible examples of success to help them move through their career journeys.”
You can review the findings from the Avenue Group role model diversity study here.
About Jeremy Greenberg
Jeremy Greenberg (www.AveGroup.com) is the founder of Avenue Group, which advises Fortune 500 executives and mid-market companies. He is also the co-founder and CEO of Flyte Fitness, an exercise equipment and education company. Jeremy built multi-million-dollar businesses for two Fortune 500 companies (Capital One and Avon Products) and is an Entrepreneur in Residence at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he holds an MBA.
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Celebrates Successful
Benefit Party and Beach Fest
14th Annual Event Raised Over $250,000 for
Local Youth Organizations
July 5th, 2018 - San Diego, CA - On Saturday, June 30th, Grammy-winning rock band SWITCHFOOT celebrated the 14th annual SWITCHFOOT BRO-AM at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, CA. The annual community celebration and charity event gathered over 15,000people for the free Beach Fest and Surf Contest, which raised over $250,000 to benefit local youth initiatives through VH1 Save the Music Foundation, Feeding San Diego, Challenged Athletes Foundation, A Step Beyond, StandUp for Kids, and Rob Machado Foundation. Since the inaugural BRO-AM in 2005, the event has raised over 1.8 million dollars for San Diego youth programs impacting homeless, at-risk and disadvantaged kids.
The beachfront concert included performances from SWITCHFOOT, Colony House, Sure Sure, 91X Battle for the BRO-AM winner Inspired And The Sleep, and a very special appearance by local youth musicians from VH1 Save The Music Foundation who performed on stage with SWITCHFOOT.
In addition to charitable giving and musical performances, the diverse and exciting event included a variety of surf contests. Team Surfin Fire, which included professional surfer Damien Hobgood, took the win for the BRO-AM Team Surf Contest, where a four person team competes riding one wave regular and one wave switch (keeping it more "bro" than pro). Other competitors included three time world champion Tom Curren, world renowned local surf legend Rob Machado and other professional surfers such as Josh Kerr, Timmy Curran, Yadin Nicol, Brett Simpson along with numerous up and coming young surf stars. The CAF Elite Surf Team took third place showcasing that their physical challenges don't hold them back from competing with the best. The winner of the Rob Machado Bro Junior Surf Contest, a contest that judges kids on who has the most fun, was Toby Dussalt. One of the most inspirational moments of the day is the Challenged Athletes Foundation Kids' Adaptive Surf Series where kids with physical challenges are given the opportunity to compete with surfers from the team contest supporting them in the water and thousands of spectators cheering them on. First place went to Landis Sims. BRO-AM's surf events wrapped with the hilarious Surf Joust Expression Session, complete with battle armor and nerf weapons on soft surfboards, with Kieran Anderson taking home the top prize.
Over 200 volunteers supported the event with many of them participating in waste diversion efforts to educate attendees on proper sorting of compost, recycle and landfill in partnership with the City of Encinitas and the Solana Center (a local environmental innovation organization). BRO-AM uses solar energy to power their stage and sound avoiding approximately 1400 lbs of CO2. And partnering with the Rob Machado Foundation, free refills of cold filtered water were provided to all attendees to host an event free of single-use plastic water bottles.
The BRO-AM kicked off with the BRO-AM Benefit Party hosted by Viasat on Thursday, June 28th, gathering philanthropists and friends for an evening of local food and drinks, silent/live auctions and live performances.
"The BRO-AM is bigger than a rock band trying to do some good. It's a community of givers and doers who know that collaboration produces exponential impact. It's the idea that giving can be fun and meaningful. It's incredible to see our dream become bigger than we could've imagined. Surfing, music, raising funds for the next generation." - Jon Foreman
In 2005, after traveling the world, SWITCHFOOT dreamed up an idea to give back to their hometown that supported them as both surfers and musicians, to rally their great community and to invest in kids who might need a hand up. Fourteen years later, the BRO-AM has grown in impact and size gathering over 17,000 people to the beach for surf contests, free beach concert and numerous vendor booths. The SWITCHFOOT BRO-AM Foundation grants focus on initiatives that create a thriving future - Physical and community well being along with opportunity and empowerment through music, art, surfing and education.
Beyond their career achievements and creation of BRO-AM, SWITCHFOOT has also maintained a deep commitment to a variety of humanitarian causes, lending their support to such worthy organizations as Food for the Hungry, CURE International, DATA, the ONE Campaign, Habitat for Humanity, and To Write Love on Her Arms.
For More Information on SWITCHFOOT and BRO-AM, Please Visit:
Website: http://www.switchfoot.com/ - http://broam.org/
https://www.facebook.com/SwitchfootBroAm/
https://twitter.com/switchfootbroam
https://www.instagram.com/broam_official/
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Formed in San Diego in 1996, SWITCHFOOT is Jon Foreman (vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Jerome Fontamillas (keyboard, guitar), Drew Shirley (guitar), and Chad Butler (drums). Since their start, the band has sold over 5.7 million copies worldwide of their first nine studio albums (including their 2003 double-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown and 2009's Grammy Award-winning Hello Hurricane), racked up a string of Alternative radio hit singles, and performed sold-out world tours with over 4 million concert tickets worldwide.
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Lots of people love their pets. Time magazine found that Millennials Are Buying Homes Because of Their Dogs - Not Their Children or Marriages. Unfortunately, some states are less pet-friendly than others. SafeWise’s new report, “The Most Pet-Friendly States in America,” shows which states have the safest environment for pets and their owners. Utah is ranked #49.
Here’s a link to the full report: https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-states-pets/
Key Findings:
