DR. JOSEPHINE BENNETT

POWERHOUSE GLOBAL MAGAZINE (PGMAG) INTERVIEW WITH:

DR. JOSEPHINE BENNETT (DJB)

PGMAG: Dr. Josephine, so good to have you on today’s interview with Lady Anita.

DJB: It is definitely my pleasure to be here with you today Lady Anita. I’m grateful to be able to share a little about myself with the Powerhouse Global community of readers and leaders.

PGMAG: Please briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

DJB: I am Dr. Josephine Bennett. I live in the United States, more precisely in the state of Alabama. I wear many hats but two that bring great joy to my life are wife and mother. I have a wonderful husband, Aldric and a beautiful daughter, Alaina. I am an independent HR data consultant, a government adjudicator and I also work with a management consulting firm, Everett Advisory Partners.

I obtained a Doctor of Business Administration degree in Human Resources from Liberty University. I also possess an MBA and a B.S. in business management. I enjoy researching and analyzing data and helping others analyze data as well. My research interests include workplace behavior and psychology, generational paradigms and the various aspects of human resources.

PGMAG: As a leader, what are some of the keys to promoting diversity and equality in the workplace?

DJB:

To achieve diversity and equality requires one to first understand what these terms are and what they are not. They are not a training session or training objective. They are not a program to be implemented and achieved.

They are not a social media graphic or status that is shared due to social pressures. In actuality, when we create these mental parameters to diversity and equality, we undermine the very ethos of achieving them. So rather than using “training,” “program” or “social media campaign” as a means to define these terms, these concepts should be seen as mechanisms that are utilized to embrace and achieve diversity and equality.

I would like to add that I believe that in order for organizations to be truly transformative and impactful, diversity and equality is necessary. To achieve this, there does have to be a place of acknowledgement of the current standing of the business. By standing I don’t mean what has been said about diversity and equality, I mean what has been done. I’m a data person and I always advocate for data-based decision making, for me that helps to alleviate bias. So, to understand the current standing requires a comprehensive assessment of the numbers. You cannot promote what you do not see. By measuring or assessing diversity and equality, this gives a great visual of not only where you are but also those areas where growth may be necessary.

Of course, once current standing has been identified and a plan drafted, a key process is engrafting diversity and equality into the very fiber of the business. Broadly, this means that all organizational stakeholders understand the organization’s commitment to diversity and equality. The workforce reflects diversity and equity. It means it’s visible in the data and the daily operation of the business.

PGMAG: Please tell us more about your business.

DJB: In conversation with various business leaders as well as through observation, realized that a lot of organizations and organizational leaders don’t understand their workforce. Whether they are faced with an unengaged, unmotivated and unproductive workforce or being plagued with very high rates of turnover, there just seemed to be a disconnect between these issues and organizational understanding and action. I also noticed that sometimes organizations are collecting information about these issues but have difficulty when it comes to understanding how to analyze the data or draw insights from the data. Seeing this, I wanted to be able to fill that gap. I wanted to be able to offer myself as a resource to help resolve these issues that are often overlooked and unaddressed. As a result, I began work as an independent consultant. As a consultant I assist organizations with metrics and analyses that include, ROI, turnover, employee satisfaction and engagement, training effectiveness and workforce analysis. In a sense I work as data specialist to aid organizations in not only understanding these metrics, but I also provide strategic, organization specific solutions that are designed to help with the bottom line. Depending on the organizational needs these solutions may include writing a plan to collect data, designing employee surveys, analyzing existing data or surveys or sometimes it’s simply reviewing and streamlining existing HR analytics processes.

The second aspect of my business is dissertation coaching. Again, with a solution focus, I realized that a lot of doctoral students encountered difficulty when it came to numerous aspects of the dissertation process. A frequent area is data analysis. I encountered numerous candidates who needed assistance with identifying the best statistical methods for their study. Sometimes these students just needed someone to simplify the complex terms of quantitative analysis. That’s where I come in as a coach. I answer questions, help to navigate, guide and motivate doctoral candidates to successful dissertation defense.

PGMAG: Considering the impact of covid-19 on a global scale, what are some of the measures needed to aid economic recovery?

DJB: I believe that through Covid-19 a lot or employees and individuals lost their faith is businesses. There were numerous programs that were designed to keep people at working and with a suitable income, but there were still massive layoffs. Employees were left feeling expendable, and unsecure and many have been unable to rebound from the financial impact of being off work. Now as the outlook brightens for return to work and business returning to normal operations, employees seem less willing to return to companies who left them without health insurance, income and stability. With this hesitancy to return to work, we see a significant amount of staffing shortages, business operations are negatively impacted, and employees seem to require more from organization before they return to the workforce. Employment numbers have an impact on economic standing, so I believe that companies have to make a conscientious effort to restore society’s faith in their social responsibility commitment.

PGMAG: What were the top three books that changed your life?

DJB: The most important and impactful book that changed and continues to guide my life is the Bible. This book has helped to guide me through some of the most successful points in my life and also some of the most challenging. The second book is The Shack and the third is, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. This book was a message to me that there are some things that I can plan and calculate but there are some things that require faith. Things that require operating in a manner that defies logic and having faith in the word of God alone.

PGMAG: What is your message for world leaders?

DJB: My message to world leaders is simple, be a leader worth following. Be kind, be considerate, make decisions that are ethically sound and be accountable to those that you lead.

PGMAG: What would you say to your younger self?

DJB: I would tell my younger self all of the things that I tell my daughter to affirm who she is and who she will become. I will tell my younger self that she is beautiful, she is smart and with God she can do anything that she sets her mind to do.

PGMAG: Finally, what makes you laugh?

DJB: I really try to find laughter in most things, but one thing that really makes me laugh is my daughter. She is a child with a lot of character, and she is just really funny.

PGMAG: Thank you for your time – much appreciated.

DJB: I’m glad to contribute to a magazine that seeks to positively impact the global community at large. The stories and experiences that you share are beneficial to so many. So again, I say, the pleasure is mine.

PGMAG: Please share your links with us.

DJB: My website is www. DrJosephineBennett.com LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/ josephinelbennett