The business of doing good is good business - and it starts with each and every one of us.
F5 President & CEO François Locoh-Donou gave an inspiring keynote address at the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting.
The theme of the event was "The Business of Doing Good".
His insightful talk focused on inclusion and business for good.
Further high profile speakers ate the event included:
- Marilyn Strickland, President & CEO, Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce
- Jaebadiah Gardner, Founder & CEO, GardnerGlobal, Inc.
- Robyn Corr, Vice President, Human Resources, Nintendo
- Taylor Hoang, Executive Director, Ethnic Business Coalition
- Markam McIntyre, Executive Director, Case
- John Wenstrup, Boston Consulting Group
- Frank Foti, President & CEO, Vigor
- Heather Redman, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Flying Fish VC
- Andy Wappler, Vice President, Customer Operations & Communications Puget Sound Energy
Celebrating people's worth
"I believe every human being has stories to tell, value to add and a well of potential to be realized. For us to thrive as human beings, we need to exercise our worth. We need to feel valued and capable of achievement," commented F5's CEO François Locoh-Donou.
"For many people I work with, I have seen their worth be diminished or destroyed by bias, lack of opportunity or lack of support, robbing these individuals of their potential," he continued. "Many of the people we work with everyday...operate in groups where they are always the minority, where they have to accept biases that marginalize them every single day."
François discussed how leaders like himself can unleash the power of worth for people on a large scale to achieve both results and lasting impact. "When a person's worth is valued and celebrated, they become the best they can be," added François.
François believes that creating an inclusive environment is one of the ways leaders can make their employees feel valued. He describes an inclusive environment as a place where people, regardless of their background, can be themselves and where they don't have to suppress a part of their identity to be successful. "It's about the policies you put in place, it's about the cultural standards you set, it's about what you tolerate and what you don't tolerate. It's about how you characterize your company."
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.