Cultivating a Culture of Belonging: Lessons in DE&I with Cynthia Daniel

HOST: We are back for the 18th episode of Talking Talent.

In this episode, I am joined by Cynthia Daniel, the Diversity and Culture Leader at Cherry Bekaert.

Cynthia has an amazing background and shares insights on what Cherry Bekaert is doing internally with DEIB. She also discusses the broader DEIB space and common misconceptions.

Thank you for joining us for the 18th episode of Talking Talent. I cannot believe we have done 18 of these.

Fall is officially here. When my guest and I were originally scheduled to talk, it was still summer, but we had to push this back slightly.

Now that fall is here, we have seen some devastating weather in the South as a result of the hurricane. We hope everyone is doing as well as possible, and our thoughts are with those whose lives have been turned upside down.

If you enjoy this episode, we would love for you to tell your friends and coworkers about it. It is for anyone who appreciates good conversations about people, talent, and the HR space.

You can subscribe on Spotify or Apple. You can also find this on the Cordia Resources or Cherry Bekaert websites.

Today, I am happy to have a special guest join me. She is a coworker of mine, though we only recently connected.

Cynthia Daniel is the Diversity and Culture Leader at Cherry Bekaert. Cynthia, thank you for joining me today.

CYNTHIA DANIEL: Absolutely. I am excited and glad to be here.

HOST: Cynthia has been with Cherry Bekaert since 2021. She has been directly connected to the DEI space since 2012.

Earlier in her career, she spent time as an HR generalist and is also a faculty member in higher education. She is certified through SHRM and HRCI, and is also a Certified Diversity Professional.

That is a long list of accolades. Cynthia, how did I do with that description? Is there anything else you would like to add?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: That was great. It pretty much sums it up.

I have been in HR for a long time. Hopefully, I can shed some light specifically on DEIB.

HOST: This is the first time we have really talked about this. We have touched on it in other episodes, but we haven't had an expert like yourself to discuss it.

I know a lot has changed over the past few years. I like to ask all my guests to tell me about a job they had growing up.

Did an early job in high school or college have an impact or correlation to what you are doing today?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: Like most people, I spent time through high school working in retail and medical practices.

I worked in one restaurant, Pizza Hut, for two days before realizing that was not for me. During my senior year in college, I really got into HR while working for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

I worked closely with the HR department there and fell in love with the field. I had a great mentor who encouraged me to explore Human Resources.

I wanted to be a generalist so I could explore different areas. Interestingly, I was getting a degree in health education at the time, which was not close to business or HR.

However, I stayed focused on pursuing HR. Eventually, I started working in the field, and that led me to where I am now.

HOST: Thank you for sharing that. Human Resources has changed so much over the years in terms of what it means to people and companies.

Some companies are better than others at valuing people's input. It is important to share how company decisions impact people.

You joined Cherry Bekaert in 2021, which was about a year into the pandemic. What was the firm doing in the DEIB space then, and how have things changed over the past three years?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: It definitely seems like a long time ago. I am coming up on my three-year anniversary in October.

We have accomplished a lot in the last three years. When I first started, the firm was early in its D&I journey.

There were foundational things in place, but I spent the first few months assessing where we were and mapping out a strategy. I knew there would be many opportunities for growth.

While we still have a way to go, I am happy with where we are. One of the first things I tackled was our employee resource groups, or ERGs.

When I started, we had one large group, which is not how a true ERG functions. ERGs are meant to create opportunities for people with similar backgrounds and experiences.

I broke that large group into smaller, meaningful affinity groups. Currently, we have five ERGs.

We have Mosaic for our people of color, Working Parents and Caregivers, Pride Alliance, and ADAPT, which stands for Able and Disabled Allies Partnering Together. Finally, we have Women of Cherry Bekaert.

These ERGs provide a space for members to learn, engage with colleagues, and share individual experiences. Our chairs do a phenomenal job making sure people have an inclusive space to grow.

All of our ERGs are open to allies. You do not have to be a member of a specific community to participate.

It was also important to provide inclusive spaces for everyone, even those who may not have the capacity to join an ERG. We created Green Table Talk to address this.

Green Table Talk provides an opportunity to bring critical discussions to the table firmwide. These are virtual sessions so anyone across the firm can participate.

The Diversity and Culture department does much more than these spaces, including diversity recruiting strategies. We are always thinking about how to create inclusive spaces for our culture.

HOST: You are working in a firm that is continually growing with people spread across the country. I imagine you are learning about different parts of the country and different service lines through this work.

Since Cordia Resources was acquired about a year ago, I have been impressed by the opportunities the firm provides to ask questions. Leadership is very accessible.

We have town halls and other opportunities for open conversation. As someone coming from a smaller company, I was cautiously optimistic, but I have been impressed.

What has the response been to the ERGs? How has the comfort level with joining and sharing changed over the last three years?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: We have over 350 members in our ERGs, and that number continues to grow. Members have expressed that participating is a great opportunity to learn about different experiences.

Our biggest goal is creating a space where people feel they can be themselves and be vulnerable. Many ERG meetings involve vulnerability as people try to learn how to ask certain questions without making others feel bad.

Our ERGs are listed on our intranet, and people can join at any time. We encourage participation during our town halls to let people know these groups are open.

If someone is unsure about joining, I encourage them to reach out and attend a meeting just to see if it is a fit.

HOST: That is great. Some listeners may be in smaller organizations with fewer resources.

They might be HR generalists who don't have the bandwidth to spend more than 10% or 15% of their time on DEIB. What advice do you have for someone trying to communicate a starting point to leadership in a smaller company?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: I used to be a D&I consultant before joining the firm. I would suggest being very heavy on the research.

Leadership often wants to know the "what is in it for me" concept for any strategy. It is important to understand what the data tells us and why this is important.

While it is simply the right thing to do, you must approach leadership by showing why diversity and inclusivity are important. SHRM is a great resource for this.

A big piece is also talking to your employees to get a pulse on what they want to see. I spend a lot time talking to employees and ERG members to get ideas that might otherwise stay off my radar.

Pull all that information into a quick one-pager explaining what diversity, inclusion, and belonging mean for your specific organization. People don't always realize that this helps with productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction.

HOST: If you go into it without data to back you up, it is a much tougher conversation.

Broadly speaking, how has the DEIB landscape evolved, and what are some common misconceptions people have?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: I will start with misconceptions. People often hear "D&I" and automatically think only of people of color.

Diversity is much larger than that. It includes gender, people with disabilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, different generations, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Another misconception is that D&I favors one group over another. That is not the case.

I believe a workplace with different types of people makes us unique and advances the organization. We want a place where people can be themselves regardless of how they identify.

People also tend to forget the "inclusion" and "belonging" parts. People want to work where their voice is heard and where they feel they belong.

At Cherry Bekaert, we want people to feel welcome so they want to stay here.

HOST: I think many people have a specific reaction when they hear "DEI" in the news or media. You explained the different pieces very well.

I saw you shared something on LinkedIn regarding people with disabilities, which is a population people don't always think of first. Regarding organizational structure, should DEI always fall under Human Resources or the "people" function?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: I have seen it both ways. Regardless of whether D&I is a separate department, it must work very closely with Human Resources.

At Cherry Bekaert, we are the People and Culture department. D&I fits well here because we are focused on the employee experience, engagement, and culture.

I work closely with our leaders in talent acquisition, total rewards, and talent development. Everything connects.

Whether it is separate or integrated, the D&I leader and the HR leader must work together.

HOST: There has been a lot of news regarding DEIB legislation in different states. How is the firm navigating that landscape?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: Many states are looking at things differently, though much of that currently affects the university and college side.

It often goes back to the misconception that D&I is meant to exclude people, when the purpose is actually inclusion. At the firm, we are intentional about our approach.

We want a diverse firm across all elements. We want employees who are happy and included, so we remain committed to the DEIB space.

We are focused on our diversity recruiting strategy and our belonging efforts. Our intentions have not changed; DEIB remains a major part of our strategy as a firm.

HOST: It is hard to keep up with the media negativity and specific viewpoints from certain states.

If you were the CEO of a startup with 20 employees, and you weren't an HR professional, what advice would you have for learning more about DEIB?

CYNTHIA DANIEL: You don't always need a membership to access certain resources on SHRM. Beyond that, there is so much information available through reputable research.

Chances are, someone in your organization has a passion for this. You don't necessarily have to hire someone new; you could expand a current employee's role to explore opportunities.

Ask your employees for their interest. As a leader, tap into your network.

Someone in your network is likely going through the same thing or has a strategy in place. When I first started in D&I, I reached out to people on LinkedIn to ask questions and see what other places were doing.

Someone out there can definitely help you get on the right track.

HOST: Thank you, Cynthia. I really appreciate your time today and the important work you are doing.

Once this is posted, you can connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn. We will make her contact information available if you have questions.

Cynthia, thank you again for your time.

CYNTHIA DANIEL: Thank you.

HOST: Take care, everyone. Talk to you soon.