Ruiz’s role recently expanded to include strategic direction and execution of sales, revenue growth and customer acquisition, retention and satisfaction in the residential and small-medium size business markets. Not only does he ensure sales strategies are in place to generate incremental cash flow and subscriber growth, but he also always keeps customer recruitment, satisfaction and retention in mind. Doing that requires similar open communication. “To encourage open and honest feedback, we launched a program that enabled employees to submit their questions directly to me—either under their name or anonymously. I reviewed the questions and provided all employees with the questions that were asked and my responses. The program was well-received and it enabled me to understand the topics that are top of mind among our Sales and Retention workforce, address business issues and provide valuable information in my responses.”
Best initiative to come out of one of your company’s Employee Resource Groups?
The Charter Inclusion Talks, an internal speaker series serves to educate employees about topics that support diversity and inclusion. The series provides valuable opportunities for all employees to learn from internal and external leaders and to celebrate the diversity among Charter’s employees and the communities we serve. In an Inclusion Talk sponsored by the Spectrum Multicultural Business Resource Group, Cid Wilson, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility joined us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and discuss cultural intelligence. The Spectrum Women Business Resource Group sponsored a talk featuring Dr. Camille Alleyne, Deputy Manager for Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development at NASA. Dr. Alleyne joined Jodi Robinson, Charter Executive Vice President, Digital Platforms, in honor of Women’s History Month to discuss breaking barriers in tech. The Spectrum LGBTQ Business Resource Group hosted a Charter Inclusion Talk in honor of Pride Month featuring Justin Nelson, President and Co-Founder of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. In this Inclusion Talk the discussion included tips for LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace.
My best advice for fostering open, honest communication…
Be respectful of differences, check-in with team members often, seek feedback and be prepared to act on it. To encourage open and honest feedback, we launched a program that enabled employees to submit their questions directly to me – either under their name or anonymously. I reviewed the questions and provided all employees with the questions that were asked and my responses. The program was well received and it enabled me to understand the topics that are top of mind among our Sales and Retention workforce, address business issues and provide valuable information in my responses.
Favorite current show that you feel embraces D&I?
In general, I think television is making tremendous progress in embracing diversity and moving toward more inclusive casting. Consumers have more choices available now than ever when it comes to programming depicting diverse identities and ethnicities – we’re moving in the right direction.
