Nedra Dickson

Today, we’re featuring some of the most inspiring guests we’ve had on the show - and it just so happens they are all women. You’ll hear from Oscar winner turned Trevor Project Founder Peggy Rajski, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker,  CNN Hero Yasmine Arrington, White House Cyber Czar Camille Stewart Gloster, ad agency legend Cary Hatch, Points of Light CEO Jennifer Sirangelo, healthcare innovator Silvia Taylor, Science luminary Maya Ajmera, Substack influencer Lia Haberman, and Accenture diversity champion Nedra Dickson. This powerful episode dives into authentic leadership and the art of influencing both within large organizations and in the wider community. The conversation covers a range of impactful topics, from translating marketing and finance to engaging younger audiences, combating misinformation, and building personal brands. The guests share their personal journeys and invaluable insights on overcoming challenges, embracing failure, fostering inclusivity, and championing supplier diversity. Takeaways:Translate Across Disciplines: Understand different terminologies, such as finance and corporate speak. As a leader or influencer, being fluent in the languages relevant to your stakeholders is essential to gaining credibility and a seat at the table.Prioritize Listening and Learning: Authentic listening is key. Leaders should intentionally create opportunities to hear from their audience, staying connected and responsive to their needs.Address Misinformation Proactively: Focus on spreading credible, fact-based information rather than chasing down every piece of misinformation. Tailor your message to highlight benefits and facts that resonate with your audience.Commit to Solving Problems: Recognize critical moments and take decisive action when challenges arise. Whether it's creating new solutions or improving existing ones, proactive problem-solving is essential for leadership.Be a Good Listener: Effective influence begins with listening. Understanding your audience's needs and perspectives allows for more impactful communication and decision-making.Embrace Failure as a Learning Tool: Use setbacks as opportunities to learn. Embracing failure and applying those lessons can sharpen your approach and enhance your influence.Build and Maintain a Personal Brand: Actively define and promote your personal brand. Whether within an organization or externally, a strong personal brand helps you connect with your audience and drive impact.Links:Cary Hatch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryhatch/ Jennifer SirangeloLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sirangelo-62a8723/ Silvia Taylor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silviabtaylor/ Peggy Rajski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyrajski/ Annise Parker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annise-parker-7956bb6/ Maya Ajmera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayaajmera/ Yasmine Arrington Brooks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmine-arrington-brooks-66451220/ Camille Stewart GlosterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillestewartesq/ Lia Haberman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liahaberman/ Nedra Dickson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedra-dickson-051b361/ 

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 DicksonLinks: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/podcasts/chief-influencer-podcast-5328948YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefinfluencer