Commercial Integrator February 2021 - 16

AV AS A BUSINESS
Making the Business Case for Diversity
By creating and nurturing a corporate culture that embraces diversity, this AV integration fi rm recruits
from an expanded talent pool and unlocks better solutions to critical problems. by Christina De Bono
COVID-19 HAS PRESENTED our industry
with a threat unprecedented in our
lifetimes, but there's one respect in which
it isn't so diff erent from any other challenge.
Whether you're facing a once-in-a-century
pandemic, a technological revolution
or economic upheaval, diversity will help
protect you. More than that, it will lead you
through the hardship.
Why? Because diversity is strength, and
the more strengths you have, the more
easily you can adapt and come up with
solutions to critical problems. That's why
we hire and mentor brilliant young people
of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
As a small but fast-growing AV integrator,
ClearTech can't aff ord to hire industry
superstars; we have to cultivate them from
within, and we do that by giving people a
chance to show us what they're made of.
The result is a workforce that doesn't
necessarily look like the typical AV integrator,
but is just as capable as the very best
of them because of the uniqueness and
diversity of their skills and perspectives.
The power of diversity
can only be tapped
to the extent that an
organization nurtures it. At
ClearTech, we have made
a conscious and continuous
eff ort to promote diversity.
But here's what we all need to remember:
The power of diversity can only be tapped
to the extent that an organization nurtures
it. At ClearTech, we have made a conscious
and continuous eff ort to promote diversity.
That means looking at more than just a
person's resume. It means taking time to
listen to a new hire's " wild idea " for how to
bring in new business. It means acknowledging
that maybe you alone don't have all
the answers.
On the part of leadership, it takes patience,
humility, and curiosity.
16
ClearTech president Christina
De Bono and CTO Joe Perez take pride
in their diverse, female-led integration
company.
Benefi ts of Recognizing Talent
Today, our staff represents tremendous diversity
with the average age of a ClearTech
employee at about 30. That isn't the norm
in our industry. Nor is the fact that our most
powerful marketing mind was originally
a delivery person with a knack for digital
design and IT.
Our most formidable operational mind?
That belongs to a young woman who came
to us as an account temp fi lling a payroll
clerk position.
ClearTech was fortunate enough to nab
that talent because, from day one, we had a
vision to build an organization that mirrored
the diversity organizations we serve.
Instead of focusing primarily on products
and tech solutions, we focused on our
clients' business and life cycle needs. To
really deliver for our clients, we had to see
the world as it is. The demographics were
changing, and we needed to refl ect that.
But it wasn't enough just to hire people
from diverse backgrounds. We needed to
create a culture that gave all perspectives
a voice and enabled all our people to conCommercial
Integrator FEBRUARY 2021
tribute what they do best. We vowed never
to pigeonhole people.
Does every new hire work out? No, but
most do. We're clear about who we are,
and that makes it easier to attract those who
are going to fi t in.
In return, we become a magnet not only
for smart, technologically savvy people, but
for those who strengthen us with their resilience,
their imagination and their promise.
Culture of Diversity
It was clear to me then, and it remains so
today: Creating a culture that celebrates
diversity not only makes ClearTech a better
place for employees, it makes us more
successful as a business by enabling us to
better serve our clients.
From the ingenuity of our hybrid learning
solutions to the COVID-related upgrades
we've made to our clients' training rooms,
conference rooms and emergency operation
centers, the energy and nimbleness of
our team have enabled remarkable accomplishments
over the last eight months.
Something else that diversity provides: a
heightened awareness of the communities
where we live and do business. When you
have a workforce that refl ects the world
around you, you can't help but want to be
a force for positive change, particularly in
these most challenging times that we are
living through.
So this fall, we decided to participate
in the Western Service Workers Association's
Fall Back-to-School Drive. Our team
raised funds to purchase 200 high-quality
backpacks and various school supplies
to fi ll them up, and volunteers from our
team coordinated with WSWA to provide
contactless delivery. The participation rate
among our staff was 100%.
Unity from diversity. That, too, is a powerful
diff erence maker.
Christina De Bono is president of
ClearTech (cleartechmedia.com) and an
NSCA board member.
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Commercial Integrator February 2021

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