Here's A Top Tech Exec's Solution To Having Tough Convos At Work

Both of these values certainly took center stage during her keynote at Fairygodboss’ first-ever summit, “Galvanize: Making Employee Resource Groups Powerful,” on Thursday (November 2) morning. Quintos spoke to not only her commitment to promoting diversity, but also her belief that innovation is fueled by it. And, as a mover and shaker, that holds appeal in and of itself.

“I’m committed to changing the game in technology,” Quintos explained before going into detail about her mission and what started this venture for her.

Along with two of her peers, she created the first Women in Action ERG group at Dell. Since its creation, other groups have sprouted up at Dell workplaces across the world, with more than a 200% increase in women involved in these Women in Action resource groups.

And with this growth, the conversation about diversity and inclusion has opened up exponentially.

“We’ve moved past ‘do we have to prove diversity matters?’ to being more in the ‘how’ phase now,” she explained.

To further this point, she shared a story about a time she asked customers what they wanted to see more of in the company’s structure. The answer? An overwhelming call for more diversity in thought leadership opportunities.

This drove Quintos to invest even more heavily in Dell’s initiatives and programs for diversity, corporate responsibility, and inclusion. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but because – as their customers proved — doing so also drove business growth.

Relatedly, Quintos urged attendees to approach their employee resource groups in a similar fashion.

“How do we use these groups to deliver business value?” she asked. “I find our resource groups to be invaluable sources for focus groups. Used the right way, these groups can be an invaluable business resource.”