Tag Archive for: Men Who Get It

Men Who Get It: John Covington, CISSP; Infrastructure Manager, Production Services; TIAA-CREF

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John Covington

“My main message is that people who feel more comfortable at work are more productive. I want to show people that my career has not been limited because I am gay.”

With 30 years of IT experience, initially as a technician, Covington currently manages two teams – the Service Now infrastructure team and the Identity and Access Management team. Having molded both teams, a total of 13 members strong, into a cohesive, collaborative unit, he is proud of how they work together to share information. “I encourage all of them to work hard and understand the value of attitude, cooperation and teamwork.”

Being a diversity champion is important to Covington because of how much the work environment has changed since he started. “When I entered the workforce, it was not the norm for someone to be out at work,” he said; in fact, he personally didn’t come out at work until he came to TIAA-CREF in 2006. “I feel like my goal is to provide a role model for others to help create the environment where people can be more comfortable at work,” he said.

Creating a Culture of Compassion

As the current co-chair of the Charlotte LGBT employee resource group (ERG), Covington helps plan and promote the monthly meetings, lunches and speakers. In addition, the group participates in community events like Charlotte Pride and the Human Rights Campaign. He is also a member of the IT Diversity Council, which is focused on attracting and retaining a diverse IT workforce.

He sees that even though he works for a very diversity-conscious company which has superior support from the senior leadership team, there is still room to improve the culture through social awareness and acceptance.

“I think a lot of young people still don’t feel comfortable at work. They don’t want to be on the LGBT ERG mailing list because they are concerned that if people see their names on that list, then it might hurt their careers.” He notes that the group only has 40 members in Charlotte, out of 5,000 employees. “If you do the math, that doesn’t add up.”

He urges LGBT individuals to be more active and visible and create the environment where people feel and offer acceptance.

Importance of Mentors and Allies

One plan in place to help move the needle is a mentor program that they are in the process of forming for LGBT associates. While the ERG requires attending meetings, having a mentor will provide someone the opportunity to meet privately, until they are ready to be more open.

He says that he wishes he had understood earlier the value of a mentor, and that he’d felt more comfortable, but most of all that the time had been different. “I worried that people wouldn’t want to work for a gay manager,” he said, adding that he believes that LGBT youth who are not yet comfortable would be well advised to have an LGBT mentor; not just for social reasons but to help navigate the workplace.

In addition, the ERG is also working to introduce a new Ally program in June to help promote a “Safe Place” at work.This would increase the number of people at ERG events and perhaps “provide cover” for those who might not yet be comfortable. “They can have a sticker in their office or wear a pin and it can be an ice breaker. It might be an easier entrée for those who are not yet ready to say, ‘This is what my partner and I did this weekend’.”

He also believes that if leaders get involved in the Ally program, it will send a very positive message, and help bring the issue to where it should be – just an everyday thing, and one that supports the core values of TIAA-CREF.

Covington is a native of North Carolina and has lived in the Charlotte area most of his adult life.He is an active cyclist, hits the gym regularly and participates in charity cycling events. He lives in Charlotte with his 92 lb. Doberman; Scarlette.

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Men Who Get It: Dave Meisel, Senior Director of Transportation and Aviation, PG&E

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Dave MeiselIt’s all about giving good people chances—not about whether they’re a man or a woman.

That’s the philosophy of Dave Meisel, who manages the full lifecycle of transportation needs at PG&E, from vehicle specification to maintenance to disposal. Starting his career as a mechanic, Meisel has worked in corporate America with a series of national utility fleets including Roadway Express, Frito-Lay and Consumers Energy before joining PG&E.

Breaking His Own Notions

He admits his career has been honed in a male-dominated industry, where for many years, he primarily worked with men—aside from a woman or two in administration roles. And yet, even with that background, diversity has always been important to Meisel from a personal and professional standpoint.

“I grew up in a house full of boys in the 1960s, and you learn a certain set of rules that are different than today,” Meisel says, adding he now has a house full of girls. “I quickly realized I didn’t know much about girls.”

He believes even more passionately that just because they’re girls, they shouldn’t have to work harder or be denied the same opportunities as boys, even though he grew up in a time when gender roles were more defined.

In fact, he says he has been surprised to find his girls had different interests than he had expected.

“My girls are good at lots of things that aren’t traditional,” he says, citing his youngest daughter who loves to hunt. “After seeing their interests, I figured out there wasn’t as big of a difference between boys and girls as I thought or had been taught, and that changed my view.”

He was able to take what he learned with his own girls, and apply it to interacting with the women with whom he works. “And along the way, I’m sure I learned more from them than they learned from me,” Meisel says.

He has increasingly seen smart women coming out of college and conquering the workplace in what has typically been a male-dominated industry.

“Even though they weren’t familiar with our industry, they exhibited a legitimate desire to learn it,” Meisel says. “With that, they brought a different perspective on what “good” looks like—they raise the bar.”

Sponsoring Talent

Over the years, Meisel has mentored lots of men and women, helping them learn about other parts of the company and acting as a sounding board.

But he knows the difference between being a mentor and sponsor, where you invest yourself more completely in their success. Meisel says he has helped many women over the years rise from clerical positions into technical or management roles when others hadn’t bothered to see their potential.

“I really believe most people just need a chance. I’ve tried to be vigilant about not stereotyping,” Meisel says. “When I know this person is smart and they can do well in a certain role, I develop a plan to help them reach that goal. And along the way, I make sure to give them support. I would never leave them to sink or swim.”

He says the women he works with perform as well or better than the men, describing them as smart, bright, articulate, and thirsty to learn. “They don’t take anything for granted, whereas some men might believe that since they’re in a men’s business they deserve the growth opportunity.”

PG&E attracts lots of diverse candidates—men and women, different ages and different cultures. And since there are so many different types of jobs at the company, they can start in one area and be moved around. “We’re fortunate in the quality of people we attract and how hard they work when they’re put in those roles,” he says.

Choosing Teams

Meisel knows the prevailing viewpoint in the company is to be collaborative. “We try to actively engage people other than those we traditionally work with. When we put a diverse group on a project, we get so many views that are different than we would otherwise get and ultimately, a better result. The bottom line is if you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got.”

Meisel says it’s easy to tell if a team is suitably diverse: Look at the people you’re working with to solve problems. If they all look like you, then that’s the problem.

“As a leader, you have to stand up and say, ’I want more opinions. I want more diversity.’ We’re more successful when we have a broader based view than when we don’t. The ultimate goal is to run the business well, and a diverse view of the world helps us run the business better. You can’t keep perpetuating the same old team if you want different opinions.”

Taking Chances

Meisel thinks many companies worry too much about “taking a chance” when they promote someone. “Smart people are smart people, and they don’t have any boundaries. Good people get to where they are because they’re hard workers, so moving them one level higher isn’t really taking a chance. They are where they are because they performed and there’s no reason to expect they won’t continue to perform.”

Meisel has also found it’s in everyone’s interest to mix up roles. If there’s something they traditionally thought men could or would do better, leaders might be surprised when they find women are every bit as willing and successful in the tasks. “If no one gives them a chance,” he says, “how do you expect them to grow?”

And Meisel finds diversity extends to age, and how impressive he finds the electronic savvy of young people. “I don’t consider myself technically illiterate and yet their skill set is so far beyond mine,” he says. “You have to look at that skill set and say it doesn’t matter how old they are. If they can do the task, give them the chance.”

Ultimately, Meisel says there’s truth in the adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover, even though many people still do. “Often the book is so much better than the cover.”

By Cathie Ericson

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Men Who Get It: Mike Jones, CEO, Core Consulting

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Mike Jones“As a country, we are 80 years away from gender equality.” That statistic, which was shared during the World Economic Forum, caught Mike Jones’ attention, because as he says, “If that’s true, I won’t live to see it.”

Jones is CEO of Core Consulting, a technology and management consulting firm. His personal mission is reflected in the company motto: “Have a positive impact on the lives of others – do that and you’ll be ok.”

Jones’ varied career spans from his early years in banking to a stint in IT for an international insurance company to eight years with a large consumer electronics retailer. Along the way, he has had numerous career-defining moments that have underscored the importance of increasing gender equality.

He recalls an incident in the early 1980s when the bank president took a female loan officer to a customer lunch. The customer later called and said “If you replace my current loan officer with the woman you introduced me to, I am leaving the bank.” In Jones’ eyes, the customer was wrong, but the bank president wouldn’t stand up for his female loan officer. Jones recalls that he said that it was the customer’s choice, and the male colleague remained as the loan officer, even though the female had excellent credentials.

“Life might not be fair, but I realized that some of us could play referee and arrange the game so it’s a better playing field,” Jones said.

He sees gender inequality heightened by the lack of role models. At the electronics retailer, Jones said that only one of the 16 decision makers were women. “When she left, we became an all-male society, and we all knew we needed more balance.” He knows that the problem can be self-fulfilling. “How do we give our female middle managers someone to aspire to be and learn from? Who will they turn to for mentoring opportunities and to discuss the issues with which they are wrestling?”

A Strong Commitment to Giving Back

As a seasoned volunteer, Jones has spent ample time in the non-profit world, which he finds to be more balanced with women in key positions.

As part of his work on the board for the United Way, their Women’s Leadership Initiative held a breakfast attended by 600 women leaders. He said it was empowering to see how people will flock to support something when you establish the support mechanism.

He has also been supportive of Women in Technology, a subgroup within RichTech (Richmond Technology), which regularly meets to tackle relevant issues facing women in leadership. His company also organizes a dinner every other month that helps support and encourage women executives in technology.

Diversity in all areas is important to Jones. As he says, he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In 1990, he began working with Partnership for the Future, a non-profit that pairs CEOS with potential interns from the inner city. “We work with them to help them rise above the hand they were dealt, and give them a lift. We provide interviewing skills; match what they save dollar for dollar; help them get scholarships and essentially give them the tools they need. Many in this group would be lost if we didn’t lend a helping hand.”

Jones says he was inspired by his boss at the time to become involved. “He taught me you have to stand up for things that aren’t fair and give people a chance they otherwise wouldn’t have.”

Promoting the Best Person

At the boutique firm he leads, he tries not to draw a distinction between men and women, but always hires the best person for the job. The controller and the vice president of recruiting and staffing are women, but he says that he can only draw from the pool that he is offered, which is why he knows that women need to be reached earlier.

He sees that the problem starts young, noting that there’s a point in middle schools where boys continue to pursue STEM endeavors and girls drop out. “I believe we have to reach young women earlier in their school career if they want to be ready for the boardroom,” he says. We are seeing that young girls are lacking confidence and don’t have seat at the table. We have to start earlier, to find ways to increase and maintain their interest at a young age and in the tech and science industries and then help they see how they can be leaders like Carly Fiorina.”

A Lifelong Mentor

Mentoring is part of the fabric of Jones’ life. He is part of an organized group at the

Virginia Commonwealth University’s graduate school, where he mentors one or two students a year.

He also lends a hand to anyone who asks or with whom he interacts, particularly helping those who need an injection of confidence. “My goal is to ‘encourage greatness,’ he says, adding that he mentors anyone who transitions through his life who needs encouragement. He even compiled his advice into a book, called “Hello Old Friend,” designed as a resource for career development.

“My mentoring is mostly not part of a formal program; I just live it. People have to care,” he says.

His mantra is to exceed the Golden Rule with what he calls the “Platinum Rule,” which focuses on paying it forward.

“I have never turned away someone who wanted to network or needed a hand, because we’re all one step away from needing that help.”

Advice for other Leaders

He firmly believes that promoting diversity is everyone’s job, and that you can’t be caught up in your own myopic world. “You have to engage and listen and recognize the need and then do something about it. Be the change agenda, and have the courage to stand up for what you believe in.”

In his view, a career is composed of two halves – the first half, which is when you’re taking and learning and building, and the second, when you find out what you’re called to do.

“Everyone should have their own personal ‘why,’ and mine is to inspire others to find what inspires them. We can be both a student and a teacher at every level of our career.”

By Cathie Ericson

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Men Who Get It: Justin Gmelich, Global Head of Credit Trading, Management Committee Member; Goldman Sachs

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Gmelich Justin“Embracing diversity is like a subway car — it should run underneath everything you do.” Justin Gmelich, who has been with Goldman Sachs for 17 years and was named partner in 2004, practices what he preaches bringing his devotion to diversity to both the workplace and to his family and life experiences.

The father of six, including four daughters, Gmelich is intimately familiar with the dynamics of diversity. He understands the opportunities and challenges ahead for his own daughters in the workplace, drawing from his personal experience and the insight from his wife, a former mortgage bond trader, and sister, who also works on Wall Street.

“This awareness definitely weighs on how I think about the world and what I’d like to see happen on Wall Street in general, and at Goldman Sachs in particular,” Gmelich says.

“Building a better framework to get the most out of the organization requires a different viewpoint around diversity. I’m keenly aware of the dynamics at Goldman and committed to working to bolster our culture and atmosphere to allow all our people to succeed.”

Starting Them Young

As part of Gmelich’s passion for education, he and his wife have invested both time and energy in creating the next generation of leaders.

They developed a scholarship program in their son’s name to fund private education for at-risk kids through high school. The program has resulted in more than three dozen graduates around the country.
These philanthropic endeavors migrated into the development of a need-blind STEM high school, Trinity Hall in Monmouth, N.J. Their oldest daughter, a sophomore, is part of the inaugural class.

Gmelich says that the goal of the high school is to change the way our society teaches girls about their job opportunities. “There’s some cultural bias that steers young women away from rigorous quantitative career paths,” he says, adding that Trinity Hall focuses on coding, physics, math and other skills needed to succeed in STEM careers.

Mentoring at Work

This allegiance to raising up the next generation of successful women is complemented by his current work at Goldman Sachs. “I wear the hat at work and at home,” he says.

To that end, he is active in a program at Goldman Sachs called the Women’s Trader Initiative, which he says is meant to demystify the trading function, as well as provide support and sponsorship for women traders in a department where there are fewer female role models.

He says that his goal as a mentor is to be involved in people’s careers by acting as a sounding board. “The best traders are those who can learn from other people — if you’re an effective mentor, you’re trying to prevent your mentees from making the same mistakes you might have made. I think it creates empathy when you share your own war stories of how best to navigate the job.”

Over the years Gmelich has found that one secret to career success is to embrace the tough conversations and seek appropriate feedback. “Many of the most successful people in the organization are the ones who want to spend 55 minutes of a 60 minute feedback session knowing what they can do better. That’s what makes people grow and develop.”

He says that it’s the obligation of mentors to offer that feedback through the lens of constructive criticism. “We can disagree but we don’t have to be disagreeable.”

Gmelich knows that the best way for leaders to advance those conversations is to underscore the importance of communication and accessibility “You have to use the type of mitigating language that lets people know they can speak their mind, by setting up a communication system where people are comfortable coming to you early and often.”

One way to nurture that feeling of trust is for leaders to show vulnerability and empathy, so that colleagues can see that even if he has a senior role, he’s overcome challenges in his career like anyone else.

“There’s a lot of humanity around that,” he says. “Empathy really matters and whether the recipient agrees with your perception or not, they appreciate that you are trying to give visibility to their career – someone is thinking about how to help them succeed.”

Diversity Must Be Omnipresent

Gmelich doesn’t believe in the common perception that the benefit of diversity advocacy goes to those who receive it. “We mistake the beneficiary,” he says. “With socioeconomic leveling I believe those who benefit equally are those who are getting the exposure to different viewpoints when we open the door.”

He says that when you look around Goldman Sachs, the decision-making process is strengthened when diverse groups actively participate and bring new approaches and perspectives to solving traditional problems. “It’s critical for any organization to realize that.”

As Gmelich demonstrates through his personal and professional life, diversity isn’t a switch you can flip on and off. “You have to practice what you preach in every aspect of your life.”

He advocates that those who want to expand their world spend time volunteering, whether at a high school or another non-profit that speaks to them.

“The more you do it, the better you get,” he says. “When I think about the interplay between my diversity work at Goldman Sachs and my philanthropic endeavors, you could say I’m a believer, both on and off the job.”

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Men Who Get It: Larry Hughes, CEO BNY Mellon Wealth Management

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By Cathie EricsonLarry Hughes

Larry Hughes “gets it” for many reasons: he knows what it’s like to come from a “diverse” background, since he himself comes from a blue-collar upbringing – not what one might expect from the CEO of a wealth management business. Additionally, he has an ambitious 29-year-old daughter who is much like the up-and-coming women he works with around the globe. But most of all, he “gets it” because a diverse and inclusive workforce makes good business sense.

Hughes has been at BNY Mellon Wealth Management for almost 24 years, holding eight different roles over the years.

And throughout his tenure he has actively championed the business case for diversity. As committee chair of BNY Mellon’s Wealth Management diversity and inclusion committee, he saw the diversity agenda as more than just gender, race, age or religion – he believes it also encompasses social status diversity, a viewpoint he holds due to his background growing up in inner city Boston. The son of a truck driver father and waitress mother, Hughes knows what it’s like to forge his own path. He has held a job every day of his life since he was 10, including working his way through college and his MBA program.

“I value people who are self-made and come from all walks of life; in fact, I consider it an advantage that I didn’t have a privileged upbringing. I had the opportunity to learn so much working my way through school, earning practical expertise that some others may not have.”

Championing Women Formally and Informally

Although he holds an inclusive view of diversity and inclusion, Hughes nonetheless has been a tireless advocate specifically for women’s advancement across the enterprise. He is a keen supporter of a variety of development programs that cover mentoring, rotational development, engagement, internships, career development and career advancement training through an initiative called “Career Talk,” where business leads hold national conference calls that address a wide range of topics focused on skills and capabilities development.

Hughes has mentored talented women over the years both through formal programs and also through informal interactions. “Just today I met with a Wealth Management colleague who worked her way up in the organization from when I hired her as an analyst years ago. I have taken an interest in her development and offer advice whenever I can,” he says. He stresses that each mentorship opportunity teaches him as well.

In fact, that is the goal behind the firm’s Reverse Mentoring program, where he recently spent a day experiencing the challenges of an associate level employee whom he recently spent the day shadowing.

He also holds periodic lunches with a group of a dozen or so relatively entry to mid-level employees, including many women, where he offers career advice, similar to that which he has given his own daughter over the years. “It’s common-sense advice, but, people love it when I share.”

Among the tips are: “Do anything it takes to get the job done; don’t let ego get in the way; working hard still matters – work a little harder than anyone else; and try to understand other people’s objectives and find common ground.”

“One of the most rewarding parts of my job is spending time with employees who are at an early stage in their career, and are so energizing and enthusiastic in a different way than others.”

He also has been a strong advocate for flexible work arrangements. “I am always considering how we can accommodate employees and provide for an inclusive environment,” he says, noting that the issue is important for both men and women, and extends beyond child care to other family care and any case where flexibility might be needed. This is particularly important within Hughes’ business, where the competitive Wealth Management landscape keeps him keenly focused on retaining talent.

Looking Past the Surface

Hughes acknowledges that he has many opportunities to act as a sponsor in his role, because he has the luxury and obligation to step out of the day-to-day viewpoint and look at the big picture. In addition to his role as CEO for Wealth Management, he is also the Chairman for BNY Mellon New England and this provides him the opportunity to influence and help set the tone across business lines and into the broader organization.

“My role is to consider factors like ‘What are we trying to achieve?’ ‘Why is it important?’ I can take the more strategic role as I look at promoting the people who will position our business for success.”

Many times that manifests itself as identifying a candidate who might lack one particular skill but offers leadership potential for the future. Hughes then can figure out how the company can provide resources to coach them around the skill they need to develop. And, at an enterprise level, it also manifests itself in the types of programs and initiatives he supports on behalf of BNY Mellon such as diversity forums and external networking events focused on the advancement of women in the workplace.

Leading by Example

Hughes knows that having a diverse team as direct reports is also crucial. The leaders attend a training program on overcoming unconscious bias and being open-minded about candidates and opportunities. He expects his management team to own and drive the diversity and inclusion agenda throughout their businesses in support of a workplace that attracts and retains diverse talent at every level of the enterprise to support clients globally as a great place to work.

“I make sure I have people on my management team who challenge me, every day,” he says, pointing to his own team which, for example, includes a CFO who is a female African American and is also among other senior women on his management team who bring diverse viewpoints and challenge him differently.

As he considers his leadership team, he notes that across all their regions, there are more women leading markets than men. “If we don’t have a strong and capable group of women in key positions, we can’t be successful in the business,” he says. “Promoting diversity will feed on itself, as more senior women and people with diverse backgrounds become mentors to others who can then see the path ahead.”

Hughes seizes the opportunity to consider diverse candidates when considering internal mobility or external hiring. He sees it as his job to challenge his team to think differently. It’s not always about the perceived easy answer; it’s important to take the extra time and extra step to get it right. Hughes knows that thinking long-term on decisions being made today is critical.

He mentions a specific search for a leader for the largest market, the New York region. Though Hughes didn’t have a predetermined outlook, he said he needed to see a diverse set of candidates, which took time. Without this established focus at the start of the recruiting process they may not have found the senior leader whom they ultimately ended up hiring.

“That’s the kind of thinking we have to put into practice, insisting on being able to consider candidates who are women, LGBT or ethnic minorities,” he says.

Part of his role is to explain to employees why diversity and inclusion matters.

Every business is different but wealth management is very diverse,” he says. “Clients want to know the organization they are dealing with is inclusive, and that people like them are welcome and can succeed. There are communities where you need to have people who can fit in and socialize, or you’ll never be able to connect with them. Without diversity, you’ll only be successful in certain niches.”

“People readily grasp social justice, but I need them to understand the diversity business case as well.”

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