Culture at Work: Porter Braswell
A discussion with the groundbreaking CEO of Jopwell on diversity in the workplace and the power of perspective.
For our final Culture at Work discussion, we heard from Porter Braswell, the CEO and founder of Jopwell, a career advancement platform that aims to level the playing field for underrepresented groups by helping connect brands and recent graduates.
In his conversation with our co-founder Shane Snow, Porter talked about his upbringing, how to make diversity initiatives more efficient, and some of the challenges that well-meaning companies and people often encounter. The highlights of the Q&A are below, but you can also watch a recording of the full talk here:
Diversity and us
One of the more salient points about diversity at work is how we combat our tendency to homogenize. A few of our speakers have talked about how essential it is to be deliberate about disrupting homogeneity, which is easier said than done. Take startups, for example. “Let’s be honest,” Porter said. “You have nothing but a wacky idea and you want people around you who you trust and who will go on this journey with you. They have to be introduced at some time, but diversity initiatives might not be the best at day one.”
Regardless of when the initiative kicks off, the core idea of it stays the same: “Get to know your co-workers and develop a genuine interest in your colleagues,” Porter said. “The companies that have been most successful encourage their employees to get to know each other and create opportunities for that to happen.”
And while companies play a major role in ensuring the success of diversity initiatives, change can easily trickle throughout the organization and it starts with listening. Reaching out in regards to a touchy subject can be as easy as a simple email, saying that you’re willing to listen and acknowledge differences: “There’s a balance between making a big deal out of it and not making a deal about it at all, but you have to acknowledge it; you can’t ignore it.”
In spite of the challenges, Porter is optimistic about the future. “If nothing else,” he said, “this country is now talking about differences. We’ll see what the outcome is, but I’m hopeful.”
Jopwell: “Job opportunities done well”
Though their ad-libbed explanation has since been updated, it’s not a bad way to think about what Jopwell does. Porter’s “if I had unlimited funding” dream is for Jopwell to start at childhood. “We’re all about leveling the playing field, [and] we’re straight forward on representing black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native Americans … because we feel that they’re the most underrepresented groups.”
Part of leveling the playing field happens by helping clients navigate the job market, but it’s also about helping companies navigate the candidate pool. “Companies say they can’t find black engineers,” Porter explained. “Well, one, you probably can, but two, what about black salespeople?” In a similar vein, part of leveling the playing field comes in the form of talking about what options are available. Echoing what Keenan and Kalani said in our first culture talk, Porter “only knew of legal and finance opportunities growing up, so a big part of this is making sure people understand that the [career] is an option.”
Another huge component of Jopwell is its community. Along with recruiting services, Jopwell boasts communities at over 700 colleges, 300 of which have at least 20 members. “We’re fortunate that a lot of our community growth comes from word-of-mouth,” Porter said. Jopwell provides a ton of opportunities for people to get involved through meetings, events, and their blog, The Well.
Companies and diversity
As a career advancement platform, Jopwell has a vested interest in seeing more diverse companies, but Porter asserts that having a diverse workforce doesn’t solely matter for your bottom line. “How can you make products that’ll change the world if you don’t understand the world?” he asked.
Shane echoed the sentiment by pointing out that anything that affects how we see, think about, and interact with the world is a value-add and leads to more interesting outcomes. “It’s not a should-do for businesses,” Porter said. “It’s a must for business, absolutely.”
Still, Porter noted: “You can’t expand your diversity goals over night; you can’t go from 1 percent to 30 percent in a year.” Porter also talked about how one company’s journey to becoming more diverse will look different than another’s, and that successful companies understand where they’re at in that journey. In Jopwell’s experience, companies are most successful when someone is internally in charge of owning the initiatives.
