NCFA Fintech Confidential December 2020 (Issue 3)

and develop skills and abilities, otherwise it
won’t work.
The second D is for Daily: This is something
that we have to do daily. So I think the only
way to really bridge that gap is to follow this
process of L-E-A-D-D. Really start to listen to
these different groups of people, the different
cultural backgrounds. Let’s encourage the
things that are positive there. Let’s advise them
on ways we can do things a little bit better, and
then let’s commit to developing a long-term
relationship so that we can ultimately make
long term change.
Fatima Zaidi: Beautifully said, so on that
note, would you say that or have you ever
encountered a pervasive belief that diversity
and excellence are somehow in conflict?
And John Maxwell was like, it doesn’t make
any sense. Why would cutting the end off
the roast make it better? So, she said, that’s
the way my mom does it. So, he went to her
mom and was like, hey, why do you cut the
end off the roast? Her mom said it makes it
juicier and gives it more flavor, and that’s the
way my mom does it. And so Maxwell was like
this still doesn’t make any sense. So, he went
to his wife’s mom’s mom and asked, ‘why do
you cut the end off the roast. Why do you do
that?’ And she was like, John, back where we
used to live, we had a small stove, and so I had
to cut the end of the roast to get it to fit in the
stove. So, it wasn’t anything to do with flavor or
seasoning and just had to do with the condition
in the environment that they were in at that
particular time. And now it’s been passed down
to generation to generation to generation.
CULTURE
Glenn Lundy: I don’t think it’s necessarily a
conflict, diversity and excellence. There’s a
different kind of definition of what excellence
looks like. For example, if I am an African-
American and I grew up on the streets and in
the hood, my definition of excellence might
mean that I make thirty thousand dollars a year,
and can actually pay my bills on time. Whereas
someone else who maybe grew up in a different
environment with a different upbringing, that
definition of excellence can be so much higher.
It’s just a cultural misunderstanding of the
different levels of excellence and something
that we need to communicate and understand.
What’s considered successful for one person
is not necessarily the definition of success on
the other side.
Fatima Zaidi: And so what advice would you
provide to CEOs, founders, leaders in their
respective areas, who are trying to build a
more inclusive and diverse workplace How
should they be supporting people of color and
otherwise?
Glenn Lundy: It has to be a drastic cultural
shift. I’ll use an example by John Maxwell, one
of the greatest authors of leadership books in
history. He was at a Thanksgiving dinner and
his wife was cutting the end off the roast, and
he said, why are you cutting the end off the
roast? And she said, it makes the roast juicier.
It gives it more flavor. It just makes it so much
better.
Ultimately, as leaders today, we have to
understand that this cultural impact has been
put in place over decades and so there isn’t a
quick fix. We have to put education systems
in place that over time can start to reprogram
some of these cultural thoughts, biases,
and limitations that were passed down and
accepted over decades. With long term,
consistent education that breaks that cultural
mindset that currently exists, and over time, we
can shift it.
Fatima Zaidi
CEO and Co-founder
Quill Inc.
Glenn Lundy
Author, Speaker
Host #RiseAndGrind
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