Charlene A. Wheeless Q&A
Charlene A. Wheeless is the Chairman of Page.
Thank you for your engagement with the Diversity Action Alliance. Could you let our readers know what about our commitment resonated the most with you and inspired your engagement?
I’ve often felt that our industry should be leading on diversity, inclusion, and everything that comes with it. But, to be honest, it wasn’t until I looked up after leaving Bechtel that I fully understood the magnitude of the problem and our responsibility to stop talking and start doing. The DAA has been a strong convener of professionals and companies in our industry and, perhaps more importantly, track our progress and build in accountability. It’s not perfect – yet—but I strongly believe in the mission of the DAA and the genuine desire and commitment of its leaders and signatories to do the right thing and to push our companies to lead.
What top three pieces of advice would you like to share with the communications industry around embracing and activating better DE&I initiatives?
My answer may be a little controversial, but:
Stop focusing solely on diversity numbers and pay attention to systemic injustice and bias that exists in your organization. D&I focuses on the symptom, not the problem. Let’s pay attention to the problem.
Recognize the power that communicators have to be the agitators and the problem solvers. I’ve said it before, but I’ll repeat it: this is our time.
You can make a difference. So, let’s get moving.
Out of recruitment, retention and representation, where do we lack the most as an industry and how can we correct that?
I can’t answer that question because most of the industry is abysmal in all of these areas. We either don’t recruit in the right places, or we do, but only so that we can say we had a diverse pipeline of talent for consideration and then hire the same people over and over again. I’ve seen so many companies make sure they have that “one Black hire” or the “one Black leader” and think they’ve solved the representation problem. It’s a ridiculous notion. Retention, or rather lack of retention, is the price companies pay for not doing the hard work. By now, we all know that there is no easy fix, and retention and representation are essential. You can’t just hire minorities and then ignore them. It’s not enough to get people in the door; you also have to create a culture where they feel valued and feel free to be authentic. It’s different for every company, but sometimes I think if leaders would just ask the question of the people who feel marginalized, they’d be able to solve half the problem quickly.
Have you/ someone you know made any conscious attempts to inspire change around DE&I among your circle or colleagues? Alternatively, are there any notable recent attempts made by an organization around DE&I that has inspired you? Please provide an example.
My go-to answer to this question is always Procter & Gamble. Many other companies are doing great things, and for me, P&G started before it was fashionable. I have great respect for what they have done and what they continue to do in this space.
What is the one actionable message that you want to leave your readers with today?
One of my favorite quotes is Maya Angelou’s, so I’ll excerpt a part of that quote that I think says it all. “…when you know better, you do better.” We now know better, so what happens next is up to all of us.