66. Prioritizing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Construction Industry with Leon Harden

There has been plenty of news surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) over the past couple of years, and the reality is that we aren't a free nation until everyone is invited to succeed. The question for individual companies and leaders is how can they make it happen?

To answer this question Leon Harden, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy Manager at Burns and McDonnell, a full-service construction and engineering firm, joins our host Mike Merrill to discuss how his company, with over 120 years of experience, embraced DEI initiatives. In this episode, Leon shares the best DEI initiatives to start with, how to embrace failure as part of the process, the impact DEI has on a talent shortage and how DEI isn't just altruistic.