Memorable Messages from Building Inclusive Cultures in Tech Panel
By: Mawulom Nenonene
Tags: Diversity, Inclusion

“Humans are uncertainty intolerant,” says Justin Angsuwat, VP of People at Thumbtack. Highlighting the important role companies are playing in people’s lives today, he continues, “But more and more our employees are turning to us as a place of certainty, an entity they can rely on, a safe space where they can bring their whole selves.”

Justin’s intro was a succinct and powerful kickoff to set the tone for what turned out to be a dynamic and captivating panel discussion. Held at Thumbtack HQ on June 22 in front of an audience of about 100 people, the event was hosted by two of Thumbtack’s ERGs: ¡VAMOS!, whose aim is to developing LatinX communities within Thumbtack to ensure they realize their full potential; and Access, supporting members and improving the broader Thumbtack community through education and advocacy around diverse health issues.

On the panel were seven leaders in the Diversity & Inclusion space, each with a unique perspective on what it means to build an inclusive culture, each with very personal reasons why they care about this topic, and each with a profound vision for how we all can make an impact.

The discussion was filled with real talk, and refreshingly devoid of fluff and redundancy that can so often infect panel discussions like these. Sorry, Reid Hoffman, but this panel decidedly did not suck. And that was wholly attributable to the willingness of each panelist to be vulnerable, share deeply personal stories, and engage with one another and the audience with authenticity and respect. People walked away challenged, inspired, and motivated to take what they learned out into the world.

Included in the panel discussion were the following featured speakers:

Some wise words of wisdom came from the lips of each panelist. Below are some highlights:

Dominique Hollins challenged the audience to reflect on two main questions when doing the work of building inclusive communities: 1) Why are you here?; and 2) What are you doing to make a difference? “Are you making a choice to be part of the solution, or are you just complaining about it?”

Kevin Fickenscher, who shared the experience of how discovering his child is autistic inspired him to lead an ERG at Box focused on mental health, said, “You have to put yourself out there to get support for your ideas and initiatives.” Indeed you do, or else they may not see the light.

Lauren Jackman spoke on the concept of optimal distinctiveness, a social psychological theory seeking to understand ingroup/outgroup differences.

Mariano Simone reminded us to use the phrase “yes, and. . .” to build on what someone else has said, rather than “yes, but. . .”, which automatically negates what came before.

Maria Cuba made the important distinction that “to be together, we don’t need to be the same.” She reminds us that we have a shared collective goal, and that respect and support go a long way in building communities.

There were more enlightened ideas, a lot more to think about, and there is always more work to do. And, with more people like those on the panel doing this work, and more and more people coming to events like this looking to bring actionable ideas back to their workplace, we can say with confidence that we’re heading in the right direction.

Big thank you to the panelists, Lucas Puente for hosting, attendees, and all of the peoples that made this event possible. It’s empowering to know that so many companies are invested in building cultures of inclusion.