Whether in our professional or personal lives, many of us are reflecting on diversity and inclusion these days. Within the Gain, Grow, Retain community about 10 of us have signed on to drive a Diversity and Inclusion initiative to foster a community of CS leaders where every member feels welcomed, respected, and equally able to contribute and benefit.
Bennie Leonard, a seasoned tech professional joined Office Hours recently to learn more about Customer Success as a profession, and he left with the impression, "Maybe this is not the kind of place that will welcome someone like me."
There's a lot of work to do to achieve AND maintain diversity and inclusivity.
Here's what Bennie shared with me about his experience:
The diversity of the Office Hours attendees indicates the GGR CS group is either:
- A tight knit group of young White people with a sprinkling of people from other backgrounds.
- The profession of being a Customer Success resource is exclusive to young White people.
- Customer Success is a relatively new discipline and not a lot of people from diverse groups are aware of this Customer Success and the GGR group weekly forum.
- Other
Draw your own conclusions. But the first step is solving what seems obvious.
The group should take immediate action to diversify the membership and attendance of the weekly CS GGR group and continue to grow the group quickly and effectively.
The presentations, discussions and networking at the weekly forums are rich! Customer Success is a relatively new and emerging discipline compared to other professional areas like project management. A lot of people like me who have been incorporating Customer Success into their everyday business life are just discovering the profession.
Customer Success professionals have the unique opportunity to work closely at every level of business. The profession would no doubt benefit from the infusion of people with different ideas, experiences and backgrounds. Action to make change is needed now!
Bennie is of course not alone in his experience. And we all have work to do. One amazing thing about this community is we have an opportunity to promote our profession to future CSMs, future CS leaders and maybe even future members of our own teams. Let's all take action that ensures a positive, welcoming experience for all.
