Connections 4 Success

Beyond a focus on cost, companies with advanced procurement functions know that supplier collaboration offers opportunities for both parties to boost revenue and profits. As crisis transitions to recovery from the early effects of the pandemic, McKinsey & Company explored how procurement leaders are reimagining their roles as they respond to the uncovered vulnerabilities in supply chains. Because companies which innovate in collaboration with their partners experience up to... 10% higher earnings growth, many procurement leaders are exploring ways to get into joint-innovation programs with suppliers. Partnerships can be a beneficial element to the strategic plans of many organizations. Connections 4 Success can help business leaders look at their organizations holistically and see where there may be benefits to developing partnerships with like-minded organizations. http://ow.ly/oD0750DOSLs

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workforce is imperative to cultivate better workplace culture, communication, and a progression of new ideas and innovation. This recent report from McKinsey & Company shows there is much work to do. The report explores the experience of Black workers in the United States. Black professionals are severely under-represented in high growth sectors such as IT and professional services and less likely to move up into management levels in a...ny industry. According to the report, black professionals are more likely to distrust the organizations they work for, citing insufficient support and unfair advancement policies. DEI policies must carefully consider how to cultivate experience and idea sharing by launching employee resource groups to explore apparent and hidden discrepancies occurring within the organization’s onboarding policies, internal advancement procedures, and equality work practices to ensure a truly diverse and creative workforce. By incorporating purposeful mindsets and awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion into business operations, organizations can create resilient, perseverant, and strong operations, teams, and solutions. Connections 4 Success’s DEI services help business leaders to look at their organizations holistically to ensure all voices are heard and everyone has the opportunity to grow and contribute their skills and talents. http://ow.ly/de1V50DIPnk

Our CEO/President, Vanessa Dodds, is one of the mentors for Pittsburgh Business Times upcoming Mentoring Monday. Vanessa cites transparency, empathy, and passion as must have characteristics for a mentor as the economy and businesses recover from the pandemic. Check out the article to learn more about the event and meet all the mentors for Mentor Monday. https://www.bizjournals.com//mentoring-monday-guidance-dur

Happy Holidays!

Keynote speakers at corporate events can help to inspire, encourage, and enlighten team members. If your organization is considering bringing in a speaker for an event in 2021, visit our website to learn more about the speaking engagements offered by our CEO/President, Vanessa Dodds. We recently updated our offerings for 2021, including a fresh keynote: CHOOSING TO OVERCOME & NOT BREAK: LIVING A LIFE OF RESILIENCY, PERSEVERANCE, & HOPE. https://connections4success.net/speaking-engagements/

Managers frequently struggle to find ways to hold employees accountable, leaving employees feeling insignificant and powerless. By focusing on dignity, fairness, and restoration, business leaders can create accountability measures in the workplace which remove the intimidation and frustration that workers often feel, according to Ron Carucci writing for Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org//how-to-actually-encourage-employee-accoun