Detroit Regional Chamber > Detroit Policy Conference > Wright Lassiter and Amity Millhiser: Civility Equals Good Business

Wright Lassiter and Amity Millhiser: Civility Equals Good Business

March 2, 2018

As major corporate and community leaders, PwC Chief Clients Officer Amity Millhiser and Henry Ford Health System CEO Wright Lassiter III play a significant role in shaping and guiding the culture of their respective workplaces. But, in an age where the dividing line between personal and professional is quickly dissolving and where societal issues are touching the facets of everyday business, that job has become increasingly difficult, yet even more crucial.

From digging into unconscious bias or striving to create a model for better work-life balance, Milhiser and Lassiter used their discussion at the 2018 Detroit Policy Conference to share the initiatives and conversations PwC and Henry Ford Health System are driving forward to create more civil workplaces.

Above all, they stressed that success in business means that organizations must create environments where both clients and employees feel the ability to be authentically open, where culture is inclusive and diverse, and where decisions are driven by purpose and the well-being of others.

Key takeaways:

  • Last June, PwC joined more than 150 CEOs from global companies who signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
  • Lassiter helped lead conversations with his board and leadership around unconscious bias that led to approximately 1,000 staff from across the health system taking an assessment to better confront and tackle this issue in the workplace.
  • Organizations must look ahead to address the future needs of their workforce and clients. For instance, PwC recently launched a digital fitness app to help its employees and other companies gain the digital skills necessary to innovate and compete.
  • Civility, inclusiveness and transparency cannot just be buzzwords. Deeply embedding these values into corporate culture can drive better results and success.

The session was sponsored by the Michigan Talent Investment Agency.