Nedra Dickson on Supplier Diversity and Personal Branding - Chief Influencer - Episode # 005

Nedra Dickson is the Managing Director and Global Supplier Inclusion & Sustainability Lead at Accenture. Nedra is also the Chair of the Board of Directors for WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council). Nedra shares what supplier diversity really means for a Fortune 500 company, how to use your shoes to kickstart connections, and why LinkedIn can be a great channel for communicating with coworkers.
Takeaways: Supplier diversity requires companies to look at who they are purchasing goods and services from and ensure that those providers include diverse-owned businesses that are at least 51% owned by members of an under-represented or under-served community. By emphasizing supplier diversity, large corporations engage with small businesses they would not have otherwise. Big companies need to find opportunities to integrate businesses from underrepresented groups into their supply chains. Increasing supplier diversity makes an outsized impact on the economy, especially within traditionally marginalized communities. While it might seem small in comparison to a project’s overall budget, every $1,000,000 with a small, diverse supplier creates around ten jobs. By expressing her genuine personality through her love of shoes, Nedra created an easy jumping-off point for connecting with other people authentically. Others want to connect with people that embrace who they are. Social media can be used to share the right information with the right people, both inside and outside of your company. For example, Nedra used social media to highlight success stories from her work to showcase the positive outcomes of supplier diversity. Include as many voices as possible in the discussions you have about your field on social media by tagging the right people. For example, Nedra tags fellow members of professional organizations when relevant to get spark a richer conversation. Adapt your message and formatting to include the right “language” for each platform because different platforms serve your message differently. For example, you need to utilize the right hashtags for each platform to reach your target audience.
Quote of the Show:“If there's not a seat for you at the table, grab a chair” - Nedra Dickson
Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedra-dickson-051b361/  Accenture website: https://www.accenture.com/us-en  WBENC website: https://www.wbenc.org/  Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DjyDgAnBZ1Pgy4Lyojgs1  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-influencer/id1688769403  Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/27c24d98-1121-465a-bd8f-d7314a9a4482  Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podc....asts/chief-influence YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefinfluencer