Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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International Men’s Day is an occasion to celebrate men’s achievements and contributions, in particular their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care while highlighting the discrimination against them. It is also a great opportunity to honor our male role models and the growing number of men that are helping make Dell a truly inclusive environment. Our male leaders have an important role to play in encouraging diversity and supporting a truly inclusive workplace and society which does not discriminate against anyone regardless of race, nationality, culture or gender.

Through continued sponsorship of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and support for initiatives like Global Pride Month and World Autism Day, men are raising awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion, both internally and externally.Aongus Hegarty, our EMEA President, recently spoke at Dell World on #DiversityinTech: Changing Mindsets, Doug Schmitt, VP, Dell Global Support Services spoke at Out and Equal.

To achieve a truly inclusive work culture probably the most powerful thing we can do is change our mindsets, so that ‘difference’ is a quality that is explored and acknowledged, not suppressed or feared. As the first IT company to implement Men Advocating Real Change (MARC), Dell is empowering men to lead the charge toward a more inclusive environment.

"The real impact on getting diversity ‘right’ is on inclusion”, explained Dave Brooke, Executive Director, Client Solutions, EMEA Emerging Markets. “It’s about having every team member, regardless of race, culture, gender or grade, believe they are an integral part of this company, and how small changes have the ability to make big differences in team performance."

MARC is all about engaging men and changing mind-sets and the program helps identify unconscious bias and promotes a more collaborative and inclusive leadership style.

“MARC started a rather personal journey for me, as it brought the more rational aspects of diversity to a much more personal level of awareness, both at work and in my private life,” Mark Moebius, executive MARC sponsor for our Europe, Middle East and Africa region shared, “It has altered my diversity perspective, so I now evaluate situations with my heart as well as my head.”

From Michael Dell to our leadership teams across the globe, more than 200 executives and senior leaders have participated in MARC. Already 250 team members have joined MARC ambassador-led awareness sessions, with more to come.

“MARC makes you aware of things you do that may seem right at the time but might not to others,” noted Richard Lee, Vice President, China Regions and Commercial Channels. “I practice even more to seek to understand before asking to be understood. To be constantly aware and respectful even in casual circumstances and not assume that it is alright.”

And, by taking an active role in initiatives dedicated to promoting inclusion and equality in the workplace, these leaders are walking their talk.

"MARC made me realize I unconsciously favored team members without family commitments. I now limit early morning calls, which benefits all working parents,” revealed Doug Hillary, Vice President of Sales Operations in North America. “I have also joined Wise, take an active role in mentoring women and encourage my male colleagues to do the same."

Actions speak louder than words and, at Dell, we are making change happen. Learn more about what we are doing at dell.com/diversity and please share your thoughts below.

About the Author: Marie Moynihan

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