Dan Strouhal Q&A
Daniel Strouhal is the Chief Operating Officer 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?
The DAA’s commitment focuses on action and industry-wide accountability. The specific focus on benchmarking and tracking data is important, and not something we’ve been able to accomplish industry-wide in the past.
What top three pieces of advice would you like to share with the communications industry around embracing and activating better DE&I initiatives?
I’m not an expert in the DE&I space, but from the conversations I’ve been in, a few ideas have resonated with me:
Creating an environment of inclusion through changes to culture and process are as important as getting people in the door, if not more so.
Action is key. We’re not going to change everyone’s worldview, and we shouldn’t focus all our attention on changing views. Let’s take the steps that we can when we can to drive change in behaviors and outcomes.
There are a lot of efforts, tools and resources that already exist. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel to make meaningful progress. However, the risk of duplication is real. Collaboration and coordination of efforts are important. We can make a difference by working together, rather than working in silos. That will require pooling resources and prioritization.
Out of recruitment, retention and representation, where do we lack the most as an industry and how can we correct that?
We’re less diverse at senior levels. I believe that speaks to retention and/or the need to more deliberately support and develop leaders.
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.
As a member of the Page staff, I’m proud of the work our organization is doing on its own and in conjunction with the DAA. I won’t cite specific examples, but some of our members are taking what seem to me to be good steps forward.
What is the one actionable message that you want to leave your readers with today?
Please sign the DAA Commitment and make sure to send in your data. The benchmark data reported out will, I believe, help us build momentum and push our industry to make greater progress on DE&I.