Key Points: ERG Advocacy Strategy: Executive Engagement
Written by: Ramon Tran Tang and Mable Huang
Haven’t seen it yet?
If you missed the live stream, you can now view it on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVAOWt2ED68&t=2722s&ab_channel=Gateway
Executive engagement plays a vital role for ERGs to advocate for their communities in an organization. From seeking acknowledgement from leaders to securing more resources for our ERG programs, understanding how to engage our executives and ‘make the right ask(s)’ is critical for our success as ERG leaders. How can we most effectively engage our execs? What are some ‘asks’ we could make? When is the right opportunity to do so?
Key Points
1. Emerging ERG and DEI partners working with old and new economy
While more established companies may have ERGs that have been operating for a while now, they are still facing similar challenges of more recently formed ERGs, In contrast, new companies are still evolving and won’t have as many resources as old companies to invest in ERGs, but may be more open to start one . We see now a recalibration focus on DEI in light of an uptick of anti-Asian hate crimes.
Regardless of old and new companies, DEI is responded uniquely based on the company size, structure and hierarchy, and executive sponsor history.
2. What does it mean to be a successful ERG leaders
Strategic
- Role modeling and succession planning and sustainability
- Understand and connect importance, value, of ERG leadership to daily work and career
Organizational
- Build and acknowledge community inside and outside
- Have a lead for every ERG program
- Understand and connect importance, value, of ERG leadership to daily work and career
- Rethink ERG Model
— — — Progress from 10–15 years
Tactical
- Acknowledge different cultural upbringing — which informs the programs offered to API workforce and importance in securing programming tailored to APIs — not just lump into cookie cutter trainings
- Acknowledge APIs are not monolithic — diverse ethnically
- ID API nonprofits who are aligned and engage in hand in hand partnerships
Shifting to advocacy
- What is an advocacy approach to leading ERGs?
- Shifting away from celebrations and what others want to what do the members need and can benefit from that is not being provided by the company already
— — — What does it mean to be advocacy focused?
Engaging Your Executives + Examples
- Securing resources (not just for celebrations, but for building and sustaining community)
- Advocating for further support unique to your organization
- Understanding the API community before speaking on their behalf
— — — Hold multiple listening sessions/open space/safe space conversations
— — — Send membership surveys to collect stories
- Have your company community speak up: allies, API leaders, and empowered members
- Being told to be specific about asks
— — — Opportunistic donations-Donations to AAPI community
— — — Professional Development asks (bamboo ceiling challenge)
— — — Insights
— — — What should be the ask? Coaching, mentoring, programming?
— — — HR & Talent Development need to recognize the important and need to invest in API colleagues
— — — Understand needs and make appropriate asks for different levels.
- What are some specific asks to executive sponsors/advisory council members?
— — — Help cascade information / simply sending email to encourage attendance to an educational event or donation campaign is helpful- help build attendance
— — — Playing a speaking role at a high visibility event (opennote)
— — — Being accessible to ERG leadership as a thought partner through a regular meeting cadence
— — — Pairing advisory council members with a pillar
— — — Help escalate requests to higher leadership
