Creating a Culture of Understanding Through Representation
Business
Arthur Smith believes we can be better allies when we consider the intersectionality of underrepresented groups. The Director of Strategic Alliances joined Esko from Harvard Business School because of the opportunities for career progression and the chance to help shape Esko’s—and Danaher’s—diversity and inclusion initiatives. As part of our series celebrating Pride, and in the midst of countrywide protests demanding equality, Arthur shares how being black and gay inspires him to approach inclusion conversations from multiple perspectives, and how Danaher leaders can work to meet this moment with real action.
What is Esko, and what’s your role on the team?
Esko is an operating company within Danaher’s Product Identification platform. When a company is preparing to launch or modify an existing product—Pepsi might be preparing to launch a new beverage, for example—we help our brand customers develop every aspect of the packaging, from the artwork to the structural CAD files to printing the lot numbers and expiration dates.
I lead strategic alliances and partner with our L1 leaders to inform our product strategy. I’m largely focused on partnering with other technology providers to enhance our core set of software solutions for creating, storing, and syndicating packaging artwork—so we can make sure the graphic artists and other creatives at brands have the tools they need to bring product packaging to life.
Why did you join the team?
I’m originally from Milwaukee, and I was really keen on coming back to the Midwest after business school, specifically to Chicago. I’d always wanted to learn how to run a business. I’d worked at a smaller, privately held company prior to coming to Danaher, and that was a phenomenal experience in building some critical core competencies. But because it was family-owned and -operated, I knew I could only advance so far. Danaher was very focused on providing the fail-fast learning environment and development opportunities required to build true general manager muscle. And their emphasis on continuous improvement, in terms of people and process, really struck me. Not only did Danaher offer the opportunity to advance my thinking in marketing, commercial strategy, and operations, it was also a place where I could roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty—particularly in accelerating our learning curve around diversity and inclusion.
I remember the first person I met at Danaher, four years ago now, was the head of university recruiting; he eventually became our Chief Diversity Officer. And one of the first things he said to me was, “We’re not where we need to be in terms of inclusion, but we’re on our way.” I really appreciated that transparency, and I loved that there was this large Fortune 500 company that had the wherewithal and humility to acknowledge that it wasn’t perfect. They dared to be aspirational, and that was exciting to me.
How did you get involved with Danaher’s associate resource groups, or ARGs?
When I first started working on projects related to diversity and inclusion, it was through the lens of being black—as such, I helped stand up the Black + Friends ARG. But it’s tough to have one conversation without the other; I’m black and gay, and intersectionality is such an important part of making sure underrepresented groups have visibility and a voice. So when the LGBTQ + Friends ARG was in its infancy, I wanted to ensure that representation was an anchor point in its founding. We so often put too much weight on the white, gay, male archetype as a representation of the LGBTQ community, but there’s so much more to it.
Working with multiple ARGs can be like a second full-time job sometimes, but every hour has been worth it. At a company the size of Danaher, moving the needle on a sales target might mean a fraction of a fraction of a percentage point; in D&I, we can make much bigger swings. And I think this work has helped me get in touch with the humanity of our company. At our annual Leadership Summits, we do some work to uncover the experiences of what it means to be black or LGBTQ at Danaher. Importantly, we invite senior leaders to participate—and they’re suddenly experiencing what it’s like to be the minority in the room. They start to understand what it must be like to go through all those toll gates and hurdles just to be mentally present in a setting where your peers don’t look like you, nor might they have the same orientation. People are showing up with empathy to some pretty difficult conversations, and I’ve been able to witness that firsthand.
I have to say, though, in our current national dialogue around race and police brutality, those conversations must translate into action. I recently saw someone say, “If you’ve ever wondered how you’d respond during a civil rights movement, you are in the midst of one right now.” And that means, for starters, that the standard for allyship is one that has to be raised from, “I’m your ally, and I’m not against you,” to “I’m your ally, and I am for you.” It’s about leveraging the privilege you do have to be a voice for others when they aren’t in the room or in the circles where you work and live.
Can you say more about allyship? How can allies be agents for change?
It starts with people moving toward non-optical forms of allyship. So often we think of allyship as a title and not a practice, but it has to be a set of behaviors—and it requires constant work. That work might start with introspection around people’s own biases. Allies also have to understand not only what they’re advocating for but how to move from thought to action.
And we can no longer put the onus on disenfranchised folks, particularly those who sit at multiple intersections, to do the educating. So much knowledge on the history of racism, homophobia, the oppression of marginalized people in this country—and what we can do to fight back—is only a keystroke away. Ultimately, those who consider themselves allies should ask themselves: Are you willing to be on the front lines of breaking down systems of oppression in every corner of your life—casually, professionally, interpersonally? Because lives, including mine, depend on it.
What progress do you think Danaher has made toward equality—and what work still needs to be done?
I think LGBTQ + Friends ARG has started the work to ensure that Pride isn’t something we just touch on in June. We’ve seen an evolution in the conversations we’re having, namely around the emotional and psychological safety—and even physical safety in some of our locations around the world—of our LGBTQ associates. We’re also continuing to reconstruct how Danaher thinks about delivering value. Our lexicon has shifted from a monolithic focus on financial results and metrics to expanding our leadership archetypes with a focus on driving more inclusive behaviors.
Over the course of the last several weeks, I’ve also been challenging our leaders to think about representation. We need to create space at the table. We need to provide permanent seats for those many and diverse voices to inform how we shape culture—and how we respond to the very moments like the one we’re in now—without mandating those voices to call out from the sidelines. Well-intended statements about diversity cannot be the baseline for our business leaders. They may not have all the answers, but they must commit to increasing representation across the board. It’s a competency that we can no longer deprioritize. A way forward is possible when we choose to make representation an imperative.
Interested in joining Arthur in shaping the future of Danaher? Browse open roles or join our talent community today.