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Listen to this articleBy Andre LaFontant
Greensboro, NC — As Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity (D&I) at VF Corporation, Reginald Miller is helping to foster an inclusive culture that values the diversity of people and perspectives that affect over 50,000 associates in 130 countries.
“To lead, you must bring people along with you,” begins Miller. “This is the servant leader approach I take; I am focused on how best to develop and support the people who report to me. Servant leadership is a different play on the position of leadership because it centers on humility and empathy.”
Reginald Miller’s passion for streamlining inclusive cultures at VF Corporation grew from a culmination of career stints in the U.S. Army Reserve and Walmart. “My first foray into diversity work was leading the African American employee resource group at Walmart,” explains Miller. “I’ve done diversity work in every position I’ve had. No one had to tell me to hire a diverse slate of candidates or to advocate for equal rights; I just did it. I’ve been lucky to take on roles of increasing responsibility that have allowed me to showcase my tendencies toward inclusion.”
Miller focuses his team’s agenda on embracing inclusion, as a means of empowering a globally diverse network. “In terms of strategy, I make sure we are globally consistent, yet locally relevant,” he says. “If we framed our D&I strictly around a U.S. perspective, we would lose half of our workforce. Sometimes, when the focus is solely on diversity, people do feel left out. Building a culture of inclusion and tying it to our company’s purpose is key to VF’s future growth. Whether we consider a person in the majority or minority is secondary because what is most important is that everyone has a seat at the table and feels like they can work at their highest level.”
In leading the D&I team, Miller helps others to achieve their best. “Here is a way for me to provide insight and guidance to a person who may be new in their career,” he explains. “I have a son and twin girls who are going to join the workforce over the next 20 years. If I don’t do my part to make the workplace better for them, then I haven’t fulfilled my duties as a father.”
Join the conversation about the future of D&I on July 25th with Executive Panel Speaker Reginald Miller at The 2019 Chief Diversity Officer Summit hosted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Register Today!
(Photo description: Reginald J. Miller, Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity, a VF Corp, parent company of brands Vans®, Timberland®, and The North Face®.)
