Lenora Billings-Harris

In this speech, Lenora Billings-Harris uses the characters from The Wizard of Oz as a metaphor to help you understand how you can use your brain, heart, and courage to make a real difference in today's multicultural world. This fun yet thought-provoking message will inspire you to connect the gifts you have with the gifts of others to increase your organization's options for multicultural success. By realizing the power to make a difference is within each individual, you will discover ways to go beyond stereotypes and bias to create and sustain an environment that supports high productivity while celebrating differences. Billings-Harris uses life-size stand-ups of the characters and music from The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz to create an entertaining yet impactful keynote.

As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Use their knowledge (Oz-brain) to determine ways to learn about and interact effectively with people different than themselves;
• Use their heart to connect to others with compassion instead of stereotypical judgments;
• Use their courage to say and do what is necessary to sustain high performance.

Are you ready to go beyond diversity awareness? Is your organization ready to effectively create and sustain an environment that engages all team members so they can achieve their highest potential without regard to their differences? Are your leaders ready to learn and then implement Transformational Diversity Management Principles (TD&IP) that will support your organization's vision, mission, and business strategy? If so, this program is for you.

Based on Lenora Billings-Harris's latest book, this presentation offers participants an opportunity to learn the best practices of trailblazing companies such as IBM, Coca-Cola, Verizon, Sodexo, American Airlines, Citi, Ford, and many more, as well as see the surprising results of Lenora's D & I research conducted through The Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

As a result of applying the principles and practices presented, you will be able to:

• Focus on ways to engage middle management in D&I initiatives;
• Effectively and fully utilize Employee Resource Groups;
• Identify the critical skills needed for HR professionals to move D & I forward;
• Examine the TD&IP that accelerate diversity's impact on business results.

Are you ready to go beyond diversity awareness? Is your organization ready to effectively create and sustain an environment that enables all contributors to achieve their highest potential without regard to their differences? Are your leaders ready to learn and then implement the Transformational Diversity Management Principles that will support your organization's vision, mission, and business strategy? If so, this program is for you.

This presentation offers participants the opportunity to enhance awareness and understanding of Transformational Diversity Management Principles based on the work of Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP, in her book The Diversity Advantage: A Guide to Making Diversity Work, and her research with the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Join Billings-Harris for this informative session exploring inclusiveness and diversity from a business bottom-line point of view. Determine whether or not diversity is required in your organization in order to achieve high performance. You will be surprised with some of the outcomes.

Your participants will:

• Determine if leveraging diversity is required;
• Explore missed multicultural opportunities;
• Define multicultural leadership competencies;
• Examine the ways diversity impacts an environment of respect in the workplace;
• Identify the next steps needed for your organization’s diversity success.

Lenora Billings-Harris uses personal stories, metaphors, audience interaction, and quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and others to help you discover how you can use your abilities and courage to make a real and sustainable difference in today's multicultural world. This uplifting yet thought-provoking message will inspire you to embrace the unique gifts you have and to value the gifts of others to increase your options for positive change as an agent of One Dream.

By realizing the power to make a difference is within each individual, you will discover ways to go beyond stereotypes and bias to create an environment that supports high success while celebrating differences.

As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to:

Use their knowledge and skills to determine ways to learn about and interact effectively with people different than themselves;

• Engage their heart and soul sense to connect to others with compassion instead of stereotypical judgments;
• Use their courage to lead sustainable changes in positive ways.