Quang M. Le, MBA

In 2007, I had the unique opportunity to be one of four Verizon employees featured in its Diversity Council’s “Talk 2 Me” campaign.  The platform revolved around the ability to get past everyday tasks and functions and get to know the person behind the title.  Although many people may know me as a network/sales engineer, college graduate, colleague, or Vietnamese, it’s only after they take some time and effort that they figure I am more than that.  I am a son, husband, brother, refugee, etc.  Our experience shapes us into the person we are today.  People are scared or get frustrated if work styles or personality traits do not resemble their own, but isn’t that what makes us diverse?  Too often the majority of us characterize diversity as simply race, gender, and age…or cultural diversity as just religion or ethnicity.  I agree that physical appearances plays a role in what makes us diverse; it’s the primary basis for demographic studies.   What I contend is that studying psychographics can more accurately predict buyer behavior and that same concept can be applied to diversity.  My personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyle are strong attributes of my diversity.    And this is the essence of what the “Talk 2 Me” initiative captured.  I starred in my own video highlighting what makes me unique and what diversity means to me.  Here is my five minutes of fame from three years ago:

Most of the still images are of me but was edited with wedding footage obtained elsewhere.

I hope the video gives you some insight to what makes me me.  For more about how my experiences have shaped me to become the person I am today, click here to read the autobiography that I wrote for my emotional intelligence class.