Pomegranate Principle (eBook)

RORY E. VERRETT is the Founder and Managing Partner of Protégé Search, the leading global executive search firm focused on diverse talent. He is the host of Protégé Podcast, a career show highlighting the success stories of diverse executives, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders. Rory is an independent board member of Bolster, the on-demand executive talent marketplace, and serves as a diversity advisor to Mercury Fund, a $750 million early stage venture capital fund. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Howard University, Rory is the former president of the Harvard Law Black Alumni Network and a former trustee of Howard University. He splits his time between Potomac, Maryland and Lisbon, Portugal serving Protégé's global client base.

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xv

About the Authors xix

Introduction: Growing Up as a Pomegranate xxi

Who This Book Is For xxvi

Protégé Search: Our Mission and Methodology as a Diversity Recruiting Firm xxix

Part I The Structure of the Talent Market 1

Finding Pomegranates 1

What You Are Up Against in Your Diversity Recruiting Efforts 4

Chapter One The Labor Market 5

The Lure of Entrepreneurship 8

Your Company's Brand or Reputation 12

First- Generation Big- Time 16

Part II What to Do About It 37

Chapter Two Stop Doing This: Not Recognizing the Phase of DEI Adoption Your Organization Is In 39

Phase One: You Need a DEI Strategy, but Don't Have Anything in Place 42

Phase Two: You Have a DEI Strategy, but It Is Not Sustainable 44

Phase Three: You Have Some Momentum and Success with DEI, but Risks Remain 48

Phase Four: You Have a Sustainable and Integrated DEI Strategy 50

Chapter Three Stop Doing This: Relying on the Chief Diversity Officer Role to Solve Every DEI Problem 55

The Chief Diversity Officer Role 57

The Evolution of the Chief Diversity Officer Role: 1970s to Today 58

Stop Having the CDO Report to the Head of HR 62

Searching for Your Next Chief Diversity Officer 67

The Future of the Chief Diversity Officer Role 70

Chapter Four Stop Doing This: Having a Static DEI Strategy (or How the Murder of George Floyd Changed DEI Forever) 73

Black Trauma, White Discomfort, and the Civil Rights Case for DEI 76

Chapter Five Stop Doing This: Focusing Too Much on Culture Fit in Recruiting 85

The Culture of the Corporate Tournament 98

Chapter Six Stop Doing This: Allowing the Fake Failed Search to Thwart Your DEI Recruiting Strategy 103

Chapter Seven Stop Doing This: Believing Your Organization Is a True Meritocracy 109

Part III Solutions 117

Pomegranate Principles 117

Chapter Eight Principle 1: Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline in Advance of Hiring Needs 119

Chapter Nine Principle 2: Expanding the Archetype of the Ideal Candidate 131

Chapter Ten Principle 3: Diversifying the Recruiting Process 137

Chapter Eleven Principle 4: Recruiting the Whole Person 155

Chapter Twelve Principle 5: Onboarding Diverse Talent 163

Conclusion: What else Can You Do? 171

Notes 173

Index 175