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In
a recent interview for an
article to appear on the
official website of Major
League Baseball (MLB), I was
asked to identify the most
significant benefit to accrue
from my ten year relationship
with the League. I thought
about it for a while, and
concluded that of the many
benefits to accrue from the
relationship, the most
significant is exposure to
committed leadership.
I
cite as one such example the
leadership of the
Commissioner of Baseball, Bud
Selig, who in 1997 directed
MLB to establish a supplier
diversity program. The
Commissioner felt it was
important to not only
commemorate the integration of
the Major Leagues in 1947 with
the hiring of Jackie Robinson,
but to expand Baseball’s role
and influence as an agent of
positive social change.
Commissioner Selig directed the
League to establish a supplier
diversity program that would
ensure minority- and women-owned
businesses greater opportunity
to contribute to and share in
the prosperity of the sport.
Last month, this publication
exhibited one of the many
by-products of the
Commissioner’s decision by
debuting six suppliers
recognized as America’s Best
Diverse Suppliers® by the
2007 World Series Champions, the
Boston Red Sox. The
recognition came as part of the
America’s Best Diverse
Suppliers® (ABDS) Program, an
initiative developed by this
publication to acknowledge
diverse suppliers that meet or
exceed the expectations of major
organizations.
The ABDS Program is open to any
organization that wishes to
recognize and promote
exceptional businesses owned by
minorities, women, veterans,
individuals with disabilities,
as well as businesses designated
as Small Disadvantaged
Businesses (SDBs) or business
that operate in HUB Zones – in
other words, diverse businesses
that contribute to the economic
growth and viability of
historically disadvantaged
communities.
MLB agreed to support the
development of the ABDS Program
because Wendy Lewis,
senior vice president for
diversity and strategic
alliances, saw the program as a
way to broaden awareness of the
League’s Diverse Business
Partners (DBP) Program.
From 1998 through 2003, I
contributed to the development
of the DBP Program as an
associate of RGMA, Inc.,
a consulting firm specializing
in the development of supplier
diversity initiatives. Lewis
regarded the ABDS Program as one
more opportunity for MLB to
recognize and promote the
utilization of its most
successful diverse suppliers by
organizations throughout the
League and beyond.
For the first two years of the
ABDS Program, the only suppliers
featured were selected by the
World Series Champions through
an initiative called
Champions FIRST. This
month,
diversityinbusiness.com is
pleased to add ten more diverse
suppliers under a new feature of
the ABDS Program called
League’s BEST.
This publication’s commitment to
providing major organizations
with a platform to honor
exceptional suppliers flows from
a belief that recognition of
excellence helps ensure
continuation of the measures
taken to achieve that
excellence.
And speaking of committed
leadership, and measures that
lead to excellence, I must draw
attention to an important
anniversary that was observed
last month with little fanfare
from mainstream media. On July
26, 2008, the Department of
Defense commemorated the 60th
anniversary of President
Harry S. Truman signing
Executive Order 9981, which
established the President’s
Committee on Equality of
Treatment and Opportunity in the
Armed Services. That Order
accompanied Executive Order
9980, which created the
Fair Employment Board to
eliminate racial discrimination
in federal employment.
Together, the two Orders
led the nation along a path that
resulted in the integration of
the federal civil services and
the armed forces.
The path created by the two
Orders yielded the eventual
appointments of Colin Powell
as chairman of the joint chiefs
of staff and then secretary of
state, as well as the
appointment of Condoleezza
Rice as the first woman of
color to serve as secretary of
state. While both Powell and
Rice constitute compelling
evidence of social progress,
integration of the armed forces
and federal agencies did not
occur overnight. There were
many formal and informal
roadblocks that helped maintain
discriminatory practices for
several decades after
Executive Orders 9980 and 9981
were signed. Without visionary
and committed leadership from
the top (and from multiple
tops), minorities and women
would not have had opportunities
to offer leadership in a broad
array of positions throughout
the federal government and the
military in recent decades.
Yes, recognition is an important
step to institutionalizing
progressive change. I am
grateful to Commissioner Selig
for his executive leadership in
creating a program that fosters
significant opportunities for
minorities and women in the
operations and procurement
activities of Major League
Baseball. I look forward to
other organizations following
his lead so that one day,
excellence in opportunity and
performance will be the hallmark
of diverse business practices
throughout the United States and
beyond.
The End
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