“The recent tragedies involving Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmaud Arbery in South Georgia, George Floyd in Minneapolis, Tony McDade in Tallahassee and Christian Cooper in Central Park New York are painful examples of the discrimination and racism inherent in our society.  The cost of these events and the devastation COVID-19 has had on the Black Community is too much.  Statements and platitudes are not enough.  As a firm, Clarkston is committed to taking the time to identify concrete actions we can take and will continuously do the hard work to support the change that must come.” – Tom Finegan, CEO of Clarkston Consulting

Speaking Out Against Racial Injustice

Six months ago, Brandon Miller was our first guest on this podcast, where we talked about the strategic imperative of diversity and inclusion in today’s workplace and our role as leaders to shape our organizations.  As Clarkston’s Diversity Council Chair, Brandon talked about how true diversity of thought, backed by differing backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, is critical to bring out the best of your organization and enable more effective decision-making.

Looking back, sadly, perhaps that conversation missed the mark.  We talked about why organizations should embrace diversity through the lens of business benefit.  However, as Tom highlighted above, the challenge at hand is monumentally greater and more important than simply ‘connecting with your consumers’ or ‘realizing competitive advantage’.  We have serious issues that need to be addressed.  Now and in the future around racial injustice.

This week on Taking Stock, I am pleased to welcome back Brandon, where we dive deeper into some of the fundamental issues around racial injustice that our society is facing and how we all need to impact change; as leaders in our organizations and as leaders in our communities.

You can download and listen to the Racial Injustice: Taking Stock with Brandon Miller podcast episode here.

Taking Stock

In this podcast series, Clarkston Consulting Partner Steve Rosenstock sits down with experts and thought leaders from both within Clarkston and throughout its consumer products and life sciences client-base, covering a range of topics from industry trends and consumer dynamics, to organizational governance and business strategy. Steve provides you access into the passions of its guests and allows you to benefit from their stories, knowledge, and deep expertise.

Podcast production by Zach McClughen.