7 Keys 2 Success: Unlocking the Passion for Diversity

I have seen it all – the good and truly ugly sides of inclusion and exclusion. I’ve been privy to conversations that demonstrated the great heart and most despicable and dishonest behaviors of some of the most powerful men and women in business. I am still here because I’ve been involved with six or seven powerful individuals who committed to do whatever it took to make their workplace humane and benevolent. Those rare few are the reason I continue to lead and live this work. This book is for those who follow in their footsteps. It is written to honor the brave ones who drove their companies to become better before it was trendy and correct. It is for them that I present this simple and helpful notion: There are seven keys that lead to successful initiatives, hence the title 7 Keys 2 Success (7K2S).

Key 1 – The Strongest Link: Tying Business Success to the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative
Key 2 – The Leadership Commitment: Five steps to long-term systemic change
Key 3 – Use it or Lose it: Strategic and operational support mechanisms
Key 4 – Buy, Build & Borrow: Continuous learning and educational opportunities
Key 5 – Getting It Done: Measurements and deliverables that work
Key 6 – Leadership at All Levels: Everyone participates/Everyone contributes
Key 7 – Have Faith & Know Your Facts: Learn the three stages of long-term success

The Who, What, When, Where & Why
Who - This book is for:
• Those who are chartered with driving their organization’s diversity and inclusion initiative; human resources, learning & development, community relations, supplier diversity and le-gal.
• CEOs who wish to increase the return on the dollars they are spending on their diversity and inclusion initiative.
• Leaders and managers in any size organization, producing any product or service anywhere.
• People who want their organization to soar!

What - You will find:
A structured approach to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Seven ideas that I know can take any organization from confusion to success – guaranteed!

When - This guide is helpful at any stage of your organization’s development.
• Use it to get started.
• Use it to determine where you are.
• Use it to plan for the next steps.
• Use it when the effort has slowed or stopped.
• Use it to maintain momentum.

Where - Any province, town or city in any country, on any continent. Some of you may be skeptical, but the ideas presented here have been successfully implemented in major companies in Europe, Asia, North & South America, Australia and Africa.

Why - There are hundreds of books on diversity and inclusion. Many are written by academics who are intelligent but who may not be grounded in the challenges you face everyday. Often books are written by someone selling you something – it’s the American way, but the questions and answers lead back to the product. This book is the result of a quarter of a century of work on the inside and the outside. I’ve struggled, been driven to distraction, had moments of elation and despair and continued on this journey. This one is written for you.

It contains:
— The 7Keys 2Success: The Foundation for Winning
— Getting It Done: Measurements and deliverables that work
— The Leadership Commitment: Ten Tips for Leaders
— Looking Ahead: 5 Common Roadblocks
— The Three Stages in the Journey
— Using the 7Keys 2Success Scorecard

Great Ideas For:
- Executive Diversity Councils
- Regional & Local Diversity Teams
- Leaders and Managers
- Networks and Affinity Groups
- Corporate Libraries
- Reading Clubs
- Anyone Who Wants To Make A Difference

In the beginning I wrote this book so I would become famous. I knew that after reading the first chapter Dr. Phil would call and ask if I would join him to discuss the impact of diversity on teenagers. This would be followed by a call from Oprah, who would ask me to help her change an entire town from a racist or homophobic mess into a warm, loving, open and welcoming village – the epitome of goodness.
This vision was followed by an equally silly fantasy: I was writing a book with all of the answers to all of the dilemmas the journey toward inclusion will bring to you and your organization. I envisioned that contained in this fat pamphlet would be every answer to every question out there and that every answer would be complete, quirky and amazing – but as the Executive Diversity Leader class of 2004 reminded me, "There are no answers, only interesting dialogues" (my words, which I'm chewing slowly for better digestion).
So I decided to write something simple and readable, with ideas you can recall like the words to a song or a nursery rhyme. I wanted to write a book that didn’t have a lot of pages more than the Five Minute Manager and fewer than the latest book about Donald Trump.

First Things First

Steven Covey’s 3rd Habit is "Put First Things First." The most important "first" is that I have been blessed, lucky and watched over for 54 years. Every-thing in this book is tied to that fundamental truth. I’m more amazed than anyone else at my great fortune: doing work I love and I believe contributes to making this planet a better place.

The Keys are not epiphanies, thoughts worthy of stone etching, but rather straightforward processes that increase the likelihood you will be successful at creating diverse and inclusive organizations.

My goal is to ensure you understand what the seven elements are, how to use them, their relationship to one another – and most importantly you can see how they can be integrated into the daily life of the organization and can be applied to any venture.

Lastly, I sought to write a book that touches read-ers as often as it teaches. I want this book to provide guidance to pioneers and tourists as they set off on this journey. I hope you will find a story or a question that resonates with your experiences.

I have in my thirty-plus years of consulting and teaching been blessed to hear that my words have moved people. I hope will touch you or maybe even cause the chain reaction that changes your life. You don't have to read every page. If you skim through and ask for guidance, I believe that what you’re looking for, what's missing or important will appear.

Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale, accomplished consultant, speaker, and author has spent 30 years helping organizations navigate through the labyrinth of diversity and inclusion management education. The result of Rosalyn’s rich experiences, observations and interactions with executives from numerous Fortune 500 organizations is now presented in The 7Keys 2Success: Unlocking the Passion for Diversity. The book, written in a lucid and easy-to-follow style, provides a valuable road map for those who seek to create winning inclusive organizations.

Ms. O’Neale who recently returned from a prestigious 2-year appointment as the Executive Vice President of Diversity Initiatives for MTV Networks, has resumed her role as CEO and Fearless Leader of Barnes, O'Neale & Associates, an education and consulting firm. based in Long Beach, California.

Ms. O’Neale, long considered one of the leading U.S. experts on diversity and inclusion management, has become a much sought-after international consultant and speaker as well. Over the past 15 years, Rosalyn has taught the principles of the 7Keys 2Success to executives in more than twenty-five countries, throughout North and South America, Africa, Europe, Australia and Asia.

Ms O’Neale, named by the American Management Association as one of their Blue Ribbon Speakers, was recently awarded the Diversity Best Practices CEO/CDO Team with Thomas E. Freston for her groundbreaking work at MTV Networks.