Columnist and workplace diversity coach, and author of the thought provoking and complacency disrupting book The Diversity Code: Unlock the Secrets to Making Differences Work in the Real World, Michelle T. Johnson describes how workplace diversity goes far beyond rules and regulations. She points out that companies may be great at compliance and following the rules but be terrible at creating authentic diversity. Michelle Johnson addresses the difficult questions surrounding diversity and cross-cultural employee issues. She shares how to recognize differences in others, how to manage those differences, and in reconciling and valuing those differences. Learn the value of true diversity to any organization and how to understand and share in diversity for the benefit of all.
Michelle T. Johnson is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.
The show airs live on Tuesday, November 30, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.
Columnist and workplace diversity coach, and author of the thought provoking and complacency disrupting book The Diversity Code: Unlock the Secrets to Making Differences Work in the Real World, Michelle T. Johnson describes how workplace diversity goes far beyond rules and regulations. You will learn:
* What workplace diversity really means
* How some common ideas about diversity are no longer valid
* How to introduce diversity effectively beyond a rules and legal approach
* The benefits of a diverse workplace in the globalized economy
Michelle T. Johnson (photo left) is a native of Kansas City, Kansas, and has been working while black since the age of 14. One of her earliest jobs was at a library, where her interest in books flourished into a love of the written word. Michelle attended school in Kansas City, Missouri, and continued to feed her hunger for all things literary by working in libraries while in high school and in college at the University of Kansas.
While at KU, Michelle was bitten by the reporting bug and majored in newspaper journalism. She had summer internships at newspapers in Rochester, New York and Louisville, Kentucky. One of the highlights of her college experience was working as a columnist for the campus newspaper, which gave her the opportunity to interview Gordon Parks, a personal hero whose autobiography “Choice of Weapons” inspired her on her path.
Once she received her journalism degree in 1986, Michelle worked at the Philadelphia Daily News for a short stint before working the duration of her journalism career at the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Austin American-Statesman. Michelle was able to combine her concern for community and civic issues and her love of writing by covering the neighborhoods, and transportation beats at the Louisville Courier- Journal, and the drug and alcohol and county government beats at the Austin American-Statesman.
Upon deciding that the role of mere observer was not her strong suit, Michelle decided to pursue a career in law. Michelle attended the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, where in 1994 she was named, by the Missouri Supreme Court, as the Top Moot Court Oralist of her law school. She received her juris doctorate in 1995. With a strong interest in employment law springing from both her personal experiences and those observed, she focused on the concentration of employment litigation.
Moving back to Kansas City, Missouri to be near her family, Michelle has worked the bulk of her years as an attorney in litigation law firms representing companies whose employees have brought complaints against them. To give herself a well-rounded experience in the field of employment law, Michelle opened her own law firm, and briefly worked as a solo practitioner, primarily representing employees who had complaints against their employers. During this time Michelle also worked as an administrative hearing officer for the city of Kansas City, Missouri, conducting hearings for citizens who have brought complaints regarding violation of the city human rights laws.
Currently, Michelle uses her skills and experience working as a mediator and human resources consultant in Kansas City where she lives with her dogs Hilbert and Henry. In her free time, Michelle knits, walks, reads, is a member of Center for Spiritual Living and writes fiction and non-fiction.
My book review of The Diversity Code: Unlock the Secrets to Making Differences Work in the Real World by Michelle T. Johnson.
Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.
If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.
To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832
Let's talk with columnist and workplace diversity coach, and author of the thought provoking and complacency disrupting book The Diversity Code: Unlock the Secrets to Making Differences Work in the Real World, Michelle T. Johnson, as she describes how workplace diversity goes far beyond rules and regulations. She points out that companies may be great at compliance and following the rules but be terrible at creating authentic diversity. Michelle Johnson addresses the difficult questions surrounding diversity and cross-cultural employee issues. She shares how to recognize differences in others, how to manage those differences, and in reconciling and valuing those differences. Learn the value of true diversity to any organization and how to understand and share in diversity for the benefit of all on Blog Business Success Radio.
