To become strategic business partners for their organizations, talent development professionals must stay well-versed in something that all leaders care about: business. One resource for doing so is the podcast Leadership & Business, created by the College of William and Mary's Center for Corporate Education. Hosted by Ken White, the school's associate dean of MBA and executive programs, the podcast's mission is to "share the strategies, tactics, and information that can make you a more effective leader, communicator, and professional."
Published about every two weeks and around 20 minutes long, each podcast episode typically takes a deep dive into one trending subject. White nearly always brings on an expert, and the topics he covers range from the changing world of investing to creating a customer experience.
One episode that may stand out to talent development leaders is "Winning Through Inclusiveness." The show's guest is Ken Bouyer, Americas director of inclusiveness recruiting at EY, a multinational professional services firm.
In this episode, White and Bouyer discuss the difference between talking about inclusiveness and doing it effectively, why EY makes the investment, and what other organizations can learn from it. Some highlights in the episode include learning about Bouyer's path from joining EY as an accountant 27 years ago to helping lead its talent strategy, hearing about how the organization uses cross-generation conversations to improve its culture, and the importance of having a "planting-trees" mentality when it comes to building a diverse talent pipeline.
