In episode 137 Kerel and Erik discuss DEI with the founder at The Courage Collective, Daniel Oppong. Coming from immigrant parents from Ghana, West Africa, Daniel has always been an adventurer, achievement-oriented, and overall determined person, which has helped him tremendously in his career. He found himself working at a company out of college for over 5 years, felt unfulfilled, and totally rethought his priorities and what he really valued. That was when he jumped in the tech space working for only $10/hour, even with having a lot of experience and a master’s degree, but it didn’t matter because it was a great fit as they aligned with his values.
In the discussion, Daniel talks about The Courage Collective and how they are helping transform the employee experience, all the way from recruiting to post work, the holistic approach they bring to companies and making sure they are only partnering with companies who are truly invested in DEI and not just wanting to check off boxes.
“The companies that have been great partners for us, they're allocating resources, they have a committee that's focused on the work or they have someone who's leading the work. It's not just one person's responsibility, but it's now a value of the organization. And not just in words, but in action.”
The Courage Collective: https://thecouragecollective.co/
Boundless: https://boundlessfellows.co/
Daniel Oppong on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-oppong/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_danielo5/
Timestamps:
0:28: Daniel Oppong talks about his upbringing, education, career path and one very special and meaningful part of his life, his parents
1:57: Why Daniel felt more comfortable at a particular startup just because he saw someone who worked there who looked like him and he could relate to
3:42: How Daniel has developed his adventurousness and courage throughout his life
5:57: What The Courage Collective is, how special it is to Daniel, and what they’re doing to set standards for DEI
8:01: How companies transform using DEI, what that looks like, and how companies do it successfully
9:45: The timeline for companies making changes and how to tell which companies are in it for the long haul or just for good PR
13:05: Using measurement in DEI, what to measure, how to measure, and why it’s so important
16:26: The difference between culture fit and culture add
19:06: The importance of inclusion as it fits into DEI
20:42: How Daniel has dealt with discrimination in the past and what thoughts and questions have come up in his head as a result
24:39: The mentors Daniel has connected and collaborated with over the years and how they helped him build his superpowers and get to where he is today
28:11: The top 3 apps Daniel Oppong uses everyday that keeps him entertained and educated in efficient ways
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