Andrea Hendricks

The BIG Journey Andrea Hendricks

For decades across America, leaders at all levels are sharing their concerns about the current state of diversity and inclusion. Professionals in the field have diverse backgrounds, managing diversity and inclusion from within human resources, as consultants, as standalone diversity departments/units--in all industries---although this has allowed for advancement in the practice, it has contributed to the perception that the professionals lack an approach to seamlessly and systemically embed diversity and inclusion throughout all industries as a standard of practice. Over the years, diversity leaders have discovered some of today's familiar/ongoing questions about the impact of diversity and inclusion in the workplace that have been asked for decades. How do you define diversity? How do you define inclusion? What is the purpose of diversity and inclusion? How do you advance diversity and inclusion for future state success? The responses to such questions have provided the fuel for debate over the past 50 years as to what should diversity look like. The B. I. G. idea is that you can have the super power to re-capture the true notions from past civil rights leaders and present diversity thought leaders. Today, there is outpouring need for new B. I. G. diverse perspectives and the willingness to stand strong to address those big opportunities. We are now more blended, multicultural, and multiethnic as individuals, as communities, and as a global society. So, the more multicultural and multiethnic we become as organizations, leaders cannot lose the power to be B. I. G. in this work that will lead to diversity and inclusion greatness.