Supporting Black Women Through Allyship - Tyronne Stoudemire
February and March are both very important months, as February is Black History Month and March is International Women’s Month. Both of these months are dedicated to highlighting and celebrating individuals and groups of these categories that have made great contributions to history and to society. Black women, in particular, are of the most underrepresented groups of people in America and deserve not only the recognition of both months, but continued support and acknowledgment every day.
Tyronne Stoudemire, mentor and champion to diverse talent emphasizes the great need for more Black women in leadership positions. He diligently works in his role at Hyatt Hotels to create strategies and training to ensure Black women get the opportunities they deserve.
Tyronne was featured in Diversity Women Magazine as one of five male allies. The magazine noted, “If Black women are to advance in the workplace, they will need the assistance of their male allies — such as this outstanding group.”
Tyronne spoke in the article on the best ways to be an active ally to help Black women and specific actions that Hyatt Hotels are taking to make it happen.
“At Hyatt, we focus on the practice of empathy, which involves listening to understand first, and then taking action. This practice of empathy is critical to our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts because it helps leaders pause and listen to what colleagues are expressing about their career paths, goals, and challenges. Once leaders understand better, they can take action to support colleagues’ specific career interests and identify opportunities for improvement in career development programs.
“It’s also critically important that all leaders understand their role in moving DEI efforts forward. In 2019, Hyatt launched its Leading Inclusively training, which provides global leaders with important knowledge, skills, and resources to create truly inclusive environments for our colleagues. This training prepares our leaders to have meaningful conversations and makes clear the expectation that they support ongoing dialogue, which in turn creates a ripple effect on teams by providing the space to learn and share ideas and experiences.
“Alongside specific DEI initiatives, well-being is a significant area of focus for Hyatt, and it’s essential in career growth and development. When our colleagues are well and feeling their best, they can better care for each other and for our guests and customers. Well-being is a priority across the organization, and we have many initiatives in place specifically focused on colleagues.
“In June 2020, Hyatt announced its Change Starts Here commitments to accelerate our DEI efforts with actionable 2025 goals. The commitments focus on three areas where we believe we can have the most impact: who we employ, develop, and advance; who we support; and who we buy from and partner with.
“The first commitment — who we employ, develop, and advance — focuses on Hyatt’s own workforce. We are focused on hiring, promoting, and retaining diverse talent, and our goals for this commitment include specific targets for increasing representation of women and people of color.
“To ensure our leadership better reflects our global workforce and the communities in which we operate, we’re requiring a diverse slate of candidates for all leadership roles and auditing our hiring and promotion processes to ensure diverse candidates in the selection process.”
