WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.210 --> 00:00:01.710 You know, many people would look at me 2 00:00:01.710 --> 00:00:04.710 and see a handful of demographic identities. 3 00:00:04.710 --> 00:00:08.250 I'm a woman, I'm a member of the LGBTQ community. 4 00:00:08.250 --> 00:00:11.200 I'm even an immigrant to the United States. 5 00:00:11.200 --> 00:00:14.050 But the identity that matters most to me right now 6 00:00:14.050 --> 00:00:15.313 is that of caregiver. 7 00:00:16.770 --> 00:00:21.770 On March 7th, 2018, I was coming home from client travel. 8 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:25.460 And my wife had been at the hospital that day 9 00:00:25.460 --> 00:00:27.600 for a colonoscopy. 10 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:28.960 While she was there, 11 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:33.123 the testing had uncovered stage four colorectal cancer. 12 00:00:34.090 --> 00:00:36.000 Her prognosis was grim. 13 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.590 And as you can probably imagine, 14 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:41.540 our lives were turned upside down in a heartbeat. 15 00:00:41.540 --> 00:00:43.730 And part of what I had to sort out 16 00:00:43.730 --> 00:00:48.730 was, How would I be a caregiver in the context of my job? 17 00:00:50.760 --> 00:00:53.850 You know, consulting is not exactly known as an industry 18 00:00:53.850 --> 00:00:58.000 that is all that easy to manage with home life. 19 00:00:58.000 --> 00:00:59.490 You know, the practical reality is 20 00:00:59.490 --> 00:01:02.530 it is a very demanding job with very high expectations 21 00:01:02.530 --> 00:01:05.090 in terms of the hours we need to be available, 22 00:01:05.090 --> 00:01:07.440 how flexible we need to be, 23 00:01:07.440 --> 00:01:10.260 the travel that we need to undertake. 24 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:13.543 And all of that was going to be really, really hard to do. 25 00:01:14.470 --> 00:01:16.990 And it was really in that moment that I stepped back 26 00:01:16.990 --> 00:01:19.730 and I recognized what a powerful 27 00:01:19.730 --> 00:01:23.570 and profound opportunity for us to really rethink 28 00:01:23.570 --> 00:01:27.250 how we approach diversity, equity, and inclusion. 29 00:01:27.250 --> 00:01:30.560 Because as I began to solve for that role of caregiver, 30 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:33.660 I saw two really powerful sets of needs. 31 00:01:33.660 --> 00:01:35.430 You know, one of those was functional. 32 00:01:35.430 --> 00:01:37.570 I had to figure out how I was going to manage 33 00:01:37.570 --> 00:01:39.330 and balance this job. 34 00:01:39.330 --> 00:01:42.950 And it was working with an incredible set of BCG leaders 35 00:01:42.950 --> 00:01:47.070 and mentors that I was able to recraft my job. 36 00:01:47.070 --> 00:01:49.360 I formally went to part-time. 37 00:01:49.360 --> 00:01:51.530 I took a look at leadership roles that I held 38 00:01:51.530 --> 00:01:55.130 and said some of these have to go away so I can make space. 39 00:01:55.130 --> 00:01:56.830 But I found tremendous support 40 00:01:56.830 --> 00:02:01.060 from a functional standpoint to really rebuild a model 41 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:04.870 that I could balance with the demands of needs at home. 42 00:02:04.870 --> 00:02:07.600 But the other piece of it was profoundly emotional. 43 00:02:07.600 --> 00:02:11.020 You know, after almost 15 years of building a career 44 00:02:11.020 --> 00:02:12.920 and striving to be successful 45 00:02:12.920 --> 00:02:15.280 and continuously reach that next step, 46 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:16.920 I had to take a step back 47 00:02:16.920 --> 00:02:19.710 and rethink where I was spending my energy 48 00:02:19.710 --> 00:02:21.560 and what my priorities were. 49 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:23.080 And it was really through 50 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:25.340 just absolutely tremendous engagement 51 00:02:25.340 --> 00:02:27.700 with my leadership and my mentors, 52 00:02:27.700 --> 00:02:30.280 that I was able to find those emotional unlocks 53 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:34.520 to say it was okay, it was going to be fine. 54 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:38.630 I didn't have to be anxious about being the breadwinner, 55 00:02:38.630 --> 00:02:41.460 the source of medical security for our family, 56 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:43.940 that I could do both, and that I had a firm 57 00:02:43.940 --> 00:02:46.340 that was going to support me along that journey. 58 00:02:47.410 --> 00:02:50.840 You know, as we entered the early months of the pandemic, 59 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:52.860 we took a look inside BCG, 60 00:02:52.860 --> 00:02:54.770 and we said you know, we've done a really great job 61 00:02:54.770 --> 00:02:58.320 supporting our women and advancing a host of initiatives 62 00:02:58.320 --> 00:03:00.310 to support women who are struggling 63 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:03.040 to also be moms in the workplace. 64 00:03:03.040 --> 00:03:04.837 But as COVID unfolded, we recognized 65 00:03:04.837 --> 00:03:07.950 Gosh, there is a much broader universe 66 00:03:07.950 --> 00:03:10.070 of families, of caregivers. 67 00:03:10.070 --> 00:03:11.780 Whether they be men, women, 68 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:13.910 whether they're caring for children, 69 00:03:13.910 --> 00:03:16.440 for elderly, for spouses. 70 00:03:16.440 --> 00:03:19.330 I mean there is a tremendously broad range 71 00:03:19.330 --> 00:03:21.620 of definitions of what being a caregiver means. 72 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:24.150 It just became so amplified during COVID. 73 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:28.697 And we stepped back, and we created Families@BCG. 74 00:03:28.697 --> 00:03:31.327 The intent behind it was to open that aperture and say, 75 00:03:31.327 --> 00:03:34.390 We can have so much bigger-picture thinking 76 00:03:34.390 --> 00:03:36.260 around what it means to be a family 77 00:03:36.260 --> 00:03:39.070 in BCG and how we can support our families 78 00:03:39.070 --> 00:03:41.720 as they manage the impossible. 79 00:03:41.720 --> 00:03:45.820 This is the unlock of what a progressive diversity, equity, 80 00:03:45.820 --> 00:03:48.830 and inclusion strategy can really look like. 81 00:03:48.830 --> 00:03:51.710 It means stepping back and really understanding 82 00:03:51.710 --> 00:03:54.500 all of those critical contextual factors 83 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:57.730 and identities that make up who our employees are. 84 00:03:57.730 --> 00:03:59.800 It means really trying to understand 85 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:02.490 where we have communities of people who might have 86 00:04:02.490 --> 00:04:05.750 different practical things that they're trying to solve for 87 00:04:05.750 --> 00:04:09.130 but those needs that underlie it, they share in common. 88 00:04:09.130 --> 00:04:11.020 And it means really getting after 89 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:13.170 not just those functional solves, 90 00:04:13.170 --> 00:04:15.310 but also helping people emotionally 91 00:04:15.310 --> 00:04:18.200 as they move along their personal journeys. 92 00:04:18.200 --> 00:04:21.163 This is what success can really look like.