How can leaders make sure their teammates feel included and part of their organization’s culture? “You have to be a fantastic listener, work hard to make sure that people are heard, and you have to try to engage people in a way that everybody recognizes that everyone has something to contribute in the team environment and the success of the organization,” says KPMG US CEO Paul Knopp.
“In my 39 years at KPMG, I’ve been part of many different teams,” Paul said. “Inclusion is really hard work because you have to do something as a leader to ensure the culture is built around inclusion. You have to get inclusivity right to succeed in a diversity, equity, and inclusion journey.”
Paul has carried this out by asking intentional questions of his Black and Hispanic employees that address issues of inclusion. “Do you feel like you belong here?” “Do you feel like your experience in our organization is the same as what our white colleagues are experiencing?” By asking these questions, KPMG is learning whether employees feel safe and comfortable. Initiatives can be, and have been, built based on the answers.
Under Paul’s leadership, for example, KPMG has been consistently recognized on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and DiversityInc’s top 50 companies for diversity lists. He was also named to Glassdoor’s list of Top CEOs determined by employee approval ratings.
Listeners to the podcast will learn how KPMG uses DEI principles and practices in its strategic planning, especially with talent acquisition. Paul says that the leader’s job is not only to foster positive change in an organization but to model the kind of confident, trusting mindset that makes change possible. “Worrying is not a productive way to bring about change,” he noted. “The leader’s role is to be calm in the middle of adversity.”
You will learn:
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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