Page 59 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Winter 2020 Digital Interactive Issue.

for a variety of reasons, with those from the varying backgrounds. It was In my community, we are attempting to tackle diversity, equity and inclusion
a great learning environment. head on. Early in the pandemic I was on a webinar with John Maxwell
and Simon Sinek. It was shortly after the George Floyd shooting. Simon
One of my next career moves involved basketball again and there were was relating how he was reaching out to his friends, one-on-one, to
more lessons for me. The world of sports is a breeding ground for people have uncomfortable conversations about the issue. I gathered a group of
coming together to learn from differences. While an associate head coach community leaders representing K-12, law enforcement, university, United
at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, one of my key assignments Way, community foundation, arts, and our county diversity committee.
was recruiting student-athletes to get an education and play basketball.
Relationships gave me the opportunity to recruit in high schools that a The challenge, as we all know, is how to reach the people in our community
university located where Platteville was couldn’t typically. You see, Platteville that need to hear the message about equity and inclusion. Following Martin
was even more rural than Verona. Luther King’s words is a start. Our university has done an excellent job
of recruiting a diverse population, especially in our environment. We all
One of our in-roads into the talent of Chicago was the fact that the are committed to the fact that differences make us better. Now how do
Chicago Bears (National Football League) had their pre-season camp in we make that real and invoke positive change. Certainly, communication
our community. That helped open some doors in the city of Chicago. So is critical. We also all realize it is a process and not a moment in time
did the relationships I developed during my career. The student-athletes where we flip a switch.
I recruited alongside the head coach, Bo Ryan, represented themselves
exceptionally well while at Platteville. Besides earning their degrees, they Now as I speak to groups about core values, harmony in life, inner circle
also won the first ever national championship. Our differences made us and the comfort zone, I share these experiences and lessons. Growth
better. Our relationships grew out of respect and a strong work-ethic. can only come through experiencing failure, fighting through fear and
meeting the process head on. Regardless of your background, you can
Relationships are important in the world of economic and talent make a difference and make sure differences make YOU better.
development. The sale will not happen without the relationship. You
must put on your own oxygen mask first and make sure the relationship
within yourself is right. Then, you can develop those relationships with
site selectors and communities to develop a sale. This leads to a better
understanding of differences, the differences that make us better.

When I stepped into the non-profit world at United Way of Dane County
in Madison, I got another lesson in diversity, equity and inclusion. I was
blessed to be promoted from the position I was originally hired to Vice
President. I then had the pportunity to hire my replacement. During the
process and reflecting on it later, I first went to a safe, comfortable place.
That place initially was not focusing on those differences that make us better.
My top candidate was someone who looked and acted much like me.
When I shared the candidates with the President, someone who I would
consider part of my inner circle, she challenged me to look again at my
ACHIEVING DIVERSITY choices. I thought about whether or not I wanted to hire somebody who TODD KUCKKAHN
would have my same strengths or someone who would help me grow
Todd Kuckkahn is an independent speaker, coach,
my weaknesses and strengths and, more importantly, get me out of my teacher, and trainer with The John Maxwell Team
comfort zone, through fear and into learning and growth. I’m proud that (JMT). He has done numerous presentations,
she challenged me, and I made the right decision. The person I hired not workshops, and seminars at local, state, national
only helped me better understand equity and inclusion, but also helped and international conferences. Todd is also JMT
Achieving diversity, equity and inclusion is a process. Leadership is a Equity is promoting justice within the processes and distribution of resources the entire team. Her differences made us better. certified as a DISC trainer and consultant.
process. Anything involving learning and growth is a process. Simon Sinek by institutions. Inclusion is an outcome to ensure those who are diverse
talks about process in his video, “Love, Relationship and Leadership”. It are welcomed and are able to participate fully in the decision-making Recently I had the chance to speak at the Leadership Forum of the BUCKYBUCKETS@CHARTER.NET
is not flipping a switch or a point in time you can touch. The process for processes.” International Economic Development Council. It was in the same city 715-498-4979
achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion is brought to our attention in where that hire now lived. We were able to re-connect and we spent three
a negative way far too often, yet we must be diligent in continuing the There are nearly eight billion different people in the world. Many of them hours reminiscing about our experiences and how they help developed TODDKUCKKAHN.COM
process to make opportunity more possible for everyone. read this publication (right Courtney!). Differences make us better! I believe who we are. It didn’t matter what we are.
someone who truly believes in diversity, equity and inclusion should seek
I want to be totally transparent. I once suggested to someone very much out those with different viewpoints and experiences. It is only through
like me, who is a leader in his business, that I should write an article on understanding those who are different from us that we can respect them
“diversity” for his publication. He basically said I could not do that based and their thoughts and further shape our own thoughts.
on what I look like rather than who I am. I am a white, middle-class,
heterosexual, married, Christian, male. That, however, is only a small I grew up in Verona, WI. It is in rural Dane County and had not yet been
piece of who I am. consumed by Madison. My true “life” experiences related to the topic
didn’t begin until I entered the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a
So how does this connect to FDI International? For any form of economic very “green” freshman. I was selected to be a student manager for the
development to be successful, more than demographics, data and metrics men’s basketball team. That meant I worked in all areas of a collegiate
must be considered. It’s not only about “what” a community is but also basketball program.
“who” a community is. We know that talent attraction and retention has
become even more critical, even in the middle of a pandemic. In order The first black coach in the Big Ten Conference was hired at Wisconsin
to attract and retain talent, our workforce diversity is important, as long the same time I started in my role. When I talk about differences making
as the focus goes beyond that to equity and inclusion. us better, that was truly the case here. I worked alongside players and
coaches with similar backgrounds to me and those from cities where
Let’s look at these dei.extension.org definitions: “Diversity is the presence differences were very prominent. I learned that while those differences
of differences across many population factors, often times marginalized. impact people, they do not define them. I had good and bad relationships,

59. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL