Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall took an unlikely road to get to her position with that NBA team. A former executive with AT&T in Dallas, Cynt was on the cusp of retiring with Mark Cuban came calling with an urgent need to help clean up a toxic workforce environment in his front office. What he got was better than any superstar draft pick.
In her GUARANTEED standing ovation keynote speeches, Cynt not only talks about her upbringing in the projects of San Francisco with an abusive father and a mother who just wanted a good education for her children–she talks about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion issues that she has lived and breathed for years.
As I spend time behind the scenes and in the audiences of so many of Cynt’s keynote speeches to major organizations around the country, I take decent notes. My memorable notes on DEI from Cynt Marshall include:
*Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice.
*Diversity is the Mix and The Ingredients. Inclusion is what you do with the Ingredients.
*Diversity is Being Invited to the Party. Inclusion is Being Asked to Dance at the Party.
*Every Voice Matters. Everyone Counts.
*In life, Bad things DO happen to good people. It’s not what happens to you, it’s HOW YOU RESPOND.
*The Question is NOT: What Keeps you up at night? The Question IS: What gets you up in the morning?
*Leading with Heart: Cynt’s job AS A LEADER is to LISTEN to the people to help them achieve their goals, LEARN from them, and LOVE THEM as people and not as employees.
