On the latest episode of TheEdge, our host, Leslie Vickrey, ClearEdge Marketing CEO and Founder, is joined by Eric Gregg CEO & Founder of ClearlyRated. Eric shares about his allyship journey and the belief that you never really arrive at allyship, the pair recount stories of shared experiences they have had during industry events and the important roles allies played, and discuss ClearlyRated’s DEI initiatives and the impact they have had on the industry.
While Eric jokes that he started to view himself as an ally when Leslie asked him to be on podcast, he and ClearlyRated are known to shine a light on various areas and opportunities where the industry can improve for employees of all different backgrounds. He shares that in regards to his allyship journey, it’s just that, a journey. He believes you should constantly be trying to improve how you support people who haven’t been afforded the same opportunities as you. His path toward allyship has really been about self awareness and taking action, which is showcased throughout this episode.
Talking about Allyship in Action, Eric shares a lightbulb moment he recalls from a conference he was attending with Leslie. She simply asked Eric to watch her drink as she stepped away from the table, in that moment he realized that was something he never needed to think about in that setting. They discuss the differences of how men and women may approach event attendance and preparing for them, and how we can narrow the gap. They also discuss the importance and share stories of having allies in the room with you during those times.
Eric started ClearlyRated to build off of his passion for data and telling it’s story, he wanted to translate data in a way that leadership teams could easily take action on, even if they were not a highly analytical team. Eric shares the way that ClearlyRated lives it’s DEI values with its team members and talks about pivot points on the company’s journey. George Floyd’s murder was one of those, as it was for many. One of their employees wrote a letter to leadership challenging them to do more, the letter highlighted the unique place in the industry that the company held, and that was another lightbulb moment for Eric. He realized that while they were living what they believed inside their walls, they could build greater impact by shifting that externally. Since then they have worked to do exactly that, and have more coming on those efforts in this year.
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