William Delgado Interviewed for Thrive Global Series

William Delgado was recently interviewed by Ben Ari as part of the Thrive Global series “5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society.” The article titled “William Delgado: ‘Seek first to understand’“ highlights Will’s childhood, and lists books and quotes that had an impact on his life. Will then discusses his views on leadership.

“Leadership is an exercise in two things: (1) helping those around you reach the highest possible level of individual success and achievement while (2) simultaneously bringing all of these successful individuals together in such a way that the organization, as a team, is always greater than the sum of its individual parts.”

The article then shifts to a focus on diversity in the world today and, specifically, DTO Law’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“DTO Law is a certified minority-owned law firm that is 100% owned by women or persons of color. Seven out of 12 attorneys are women. Seven out of 12 attorneys are a racial or ethnic minority or LGBTQ…I mention these statistics because they reflect my belief that D&I “initiatives” are fine, but if you really want to have a diverse and inclusive organization, you must bake it into the DNA itself. That is to say ‘diversity and inclusion’ is not just the name of the latest training video or the new company buzzwords. It IS the company.”

Will shares his ideas for “5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society.” He also offers a story or example for each. Here are the five steps he suggests:

1. Engage in discussions — even (and especially) the really hard ones.

2. Seek first to understand.

3. Be careful when engaging in discussions on social media.

4. Admit and address implicit bias.

5. Embrace blind selection.

The full article with all of William’s quotes can be found below.

William Delgado: “Seek first to understand”