Early in her career, Elena Gambon missed out on a promotion due to an oversight. “They turned me down the first time because I neglected to let them know that I speak Spanish,” she said. Not accepting an automatic rejection for something she was qualified for, Elena, the chief growth officer and chief strategy officer for First Stop Health, took a proactive approach to secure the role. This experience not only shaped her commitment to creating an inclusive workplace but also influenced her approach to patient care.

“It was a really formative moment in my career and helped me shape not only how I think about creating an inclusive workplace for my employees, but also how I think about crafting a patient care engine that's clinically competent and focused on the needs of the individual,” said Gambon.

Elena Gambon and a panel of other leaders spoke in a From Day One Dallas panel session titled “Personalizing Support to Create an Inclusive Culture” moderated by D CEO Magazine’s editor, Christine Perez. The session covered the transformative power of inclusion and support in both personal and professional growth. The leaders shared narratives about moments that could have gone very differently without the use of inclusive hiring practices, mentorship, advocacy, or sponsorship.

Dr. Harpreet Nagra, the senior director of clinical oversight at Supportiv, was the first in her family to go to graduate school. A doctorate degree felt daunting enough and being a first-generation person of color made everything feel even more overwhelming. “I was not sure exactly what the academic path looked like, if I was going to become a doctor or not.” 

At a crossroads, she shared her concerns with her professor who was also a person of color. Understanding what she was feeling, he guided her to find her passion and to go for it one step at a time. Dr. Nagra was encouraged to aim higher and believe in her potential. This moment between a student and professor instilled a confidence that motivated her to pursue her ambitions.

Shenece Johns, the head of inclusion and diversity at JCPenney was once denied a mid-level promotion due to the hiring team’s lack of familiarity with her work. She was advised to wait a year and try again after working at the company for more time.

Behind the scenes and unbeknownst to Johns, a colleague believed in Johns so much that he was willing to go out on a limb for her because he knew her work ethic and performance. “The partner went into the room [and said,] ‘Shenece deserves a promotion; I think she should get promoted. And here's why’” “It’s an important point for women and people of color, particularly black women, to have someone, a white man, to go in the room and say she deserved this promotion, I'm going to take a risk on her,” said Johns.

Rudy Rodriguez the executive vice president and chief legal and human resources officer for CEC Entertainment credits the trajectory of his career to the long-standing mentorship of a respected peer. This mentor encouraged him to step way outside of his comfort zone and apply for a significant position at American Airlines. He felt that the position was a stretch and doubted himself.

With the support of his mentor, Rudy applied and the experience shaped his professional path going forward. “Laura told me I could do the job before I knew I could do the job. And that gave me the confidence to apply and to feel confident in suggesting that I should be taken on for that position. It really turned my life around when I had somebody who believed in me like that,” he said.

During the winter of 2022, Southwest Airlines experienced an unprecedented number of grounded flights due to a freeze affecting much of the Southeast and East coasts. Juan Suarez, Southwest’s vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion, was featured on a national news channel story, being personally blamed for all that was happening. The attitude of many was that sometimes that is just the job.

Over the weekend, people reached out to Suarez offering empathy and support. “I did have some colleagues reach out to me on the weekend. Just to say, ‘Hey, how are you? Are you okay? What can I do for you?’” Juan said. Small gestures add up to big support.  “I’ve not been in this situation before, but exhibiting empathy, just in that little moment gives me a feeling of inclusion, which is so very important when we're talking about this topic. And so, it's a little thing. And I think it's important because sometimes the little things really do matter” he said.

The panelists agreed that these stand-out moments helped drive the work they do today. Each of these moments shaped their perspectives and fueled their commitment to creating inclusive environments. These leaders have embraced the transformative power of inclusion and support, and they now strive to empower others, whether through inclusive hiring practices, mentorship, advocacy, or sponsorship.

Sybil Fitzpatrick is a Dallas-based freelance writer, passionate about storytelling, evangelizing products and ideas, and leadership principles.