“When you are more diverse and inclusive in your organization, you are going to be more profitable; you are going to have higher staff morale,” explains Maria Brennan, President and CEO of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) in the above video. She goes on to say that this becomes a competitive advantage in an economy with a tight labor market.

A workforce reflective of the community it serves is also more likely to create products and provide services that its customers want. WICT, which is 10,000 member, non-profit association, is a data-driven organization and Brennan points out that research suggests that women make 83% of the purchasing decisions associated with the home. Further, women now make up more than 50% of the workforce and the majority of undergraduate and graduate degrees are awarded to women.

And WICT has its own education program, as Brennan talks about the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, named for the cable luminary. Brennan indicates that the 1,000th leader will soon pass-through this academy some 25 years after its founding and coinciding with the 40th anniversary of WICT.

ACA Connects Summit coverage brought to you by the ACA Connects and ViodiTV.