First-generation professionals—often from underrepresented backgrounds—are more self-motivated, loyal, and driven than their peers whose parents were professionals. However, they often face hidden barriers that limit their impact, which I summarize as – they don’t know how to be the valuable contributors they are committed to being. This session explores how organizations can help first-gen (and all) employees shift from dependable contributors to high-value performers. Drawing on Liz Wiseman’s Impact Players research, we will share behaviors and mindsets that drive high performance. Participants will: Recognize the unique value that first-generation professionals bring to the workplace Name the unique challenges first-generation professionals face Identify the "impact player" mindset Learn five behaviors and two essential skills of high-value contributors Brainstorm ways to embed insights into onboarding, ERGs, development programs, and other organizational vehicles *First-gen professionals are the first in their family to work in a professional role. An indicator of the population size is that 42% of 2016 college grads were first in their family to earn a degree. Black and Hispanic students were nearly twice as likely as White students to be first-gen professionals. About our speaker: Dr. Ana Bedard is a visionary leader and the founder of ThriveOn Talent and the President of ATD Chicagoland Chapter. She enables people and organizations to do extraordinary things together. With over 25 years of experience in leadership and inclusion, Dr. Ana has helped dozens of companies drive change and achieve higher performance by developing leaders and inclusive organizations. In addition to her extensive consulting experience, she led executive development initiatives at AbbVie, a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company. ThriveOn Talent specializes in the life sciences and manufacturing fields. One of her notable achievements is expanding the diversity of AbbVie’s leadership pipeline by designing and piloting an enterprise-wide leadership program for underrepresented talent. The program continues to enhance leadership behaviors and accelerate career progress for participants, enabling the organization to expand the diversity of the leadership pipeline from within. The program was recognized by AbbVie’s CEO in the shareholder report. Dr. Ana writes about leadership and inclusion on her blog. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. in theology from Loyola University Chicago, where she wrote her dissertation on undocumented immigration and the common good.
First-generation professionals—often from underrepresented backgrounds—are more self-motivated, loyal, and driven than their peers whose parents were professionals. However, they often face hidden barriers that limit their impact, which I summarize as – they don’t know how to be the valuable contributors they are committed to being.
This session explores how organizations can help first-gen (and all) employees shift from dependable contributors to high-value performers. Drawing on Liz Wiseman’s Impact Players research, we will share behaviors and mindsets that drive high performance.
Participants will:
*First-gen professionals are the first in their family to work in a professional role. An indicator of the population size is that 42% of 2016 college grads were first in their family to earn a degree. Black and Hispanic students were nearly twice as likely as White students to be first-gen professionals.
About our speaker:
Dr. Ana Bedard is a visionary leader and the founder of ThriveOn Talent and the President of ATD Chicagoland Chapter. She enables people and organizations to do extraordinary things together. With over 25 years of experience in leadership and inclusion, Dr. Ana has helped dozens of companies drive change and achieve higher performance by developing leaders and inclusive organizations. In addition to her extensive consulting experience, she led executive development initiatives at AbbVie, a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company. ThriveOn Talent specializes in the life sciences and manufacturing fields. One of her notable achievements is expanding the diversity of AbbVie’s leadership pipeline by designing and piloting an enterprise-wide leadership program for underrepresented talent. The program continues to enhance leadership behaviors and accelerate career progress for participants, enabling the organization to expand the diversity of the leadership pipeline from within. The program was recognized by AbbVie’s CEO in the shareholder report. Dr. Ana writes about leadership and inclusion on her blog. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. in theology from Loyola University Chicago, where she wrote her dissertation on undocumented immigration and the common good.
