Ep 173: Keesha Jean-Baptiste - In 15

Edited highlights of our full conversation.

Keesha Jean-Baptiste is the Senior Vice President, Chief Talent Officer at Hearst Magazines.

During her career, she’s also been the Senior Vice President of Talent, Engagement and Inclusion at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) and the Director of Talent and Human Resources at Wieden and Kennedy.

Keesha is brilliant. She is brave. And she is black. And all three of those attributes make her an extraordinarily insightful and powerful advocate for the work that companies need to undertake if their workforces are truly going to reflect society.

Today, that work falls under the heading of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or DEI - and there are many businesses that are filled with good intentions and meaningful efforts to improve their DEI performance.

In some cases these efforts lead to tangible and lasting results. In others the work has little impact on the hiring practices or culture of the business.

The difference in whether the work works, frequently comes down to one variable. The leader.

I don’t think it’s ever been harder to be a leader. Less is certain and more is expected. There is less to rely on and more to invent. There are fewer shadows to disappear into and many more bright lights to bring the truth into sharp relief.

One of the truths is that it’s still disproportionately harder to be a minority in America.

And if that fact is going to change, actually change, we need leaders who are willing to step forward and who know what to do when they find themselves standing in that light.

My conversation with Keesha covers a lot of ground. She talks openly about her own upbringing, about childhood events that shaped her, and about how she sees the challenges and opportunities that leaders face today, as they struggle to come to terms with what’s needed in DEI committed companies.

It’s a conversation that’s filled with practical advice about a sensitive and complex topic.

It’s a conversation that will make you a better leader.