Q&A with Intercultural Relations Institute President Tessa Sutton
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As the world of work continues to evolve, Tessa Sutton, president of the Intercultural Relations Institute (IRI), believes that leadership must evolve with it—becoming more intentional, more human-centered and more holistic.
That’s the driving force behind this year’s Thought Leadership Conference. Hosted by IRI, the two-day conference is designed to help leaders and changemakers grow personally and professionally while addressing the real challenges of today’s workplace.
The event will take place May 7-8 at the Century Center in downtown South Bend.
Inside INdiana Business spoke with Sutton about the inspiration behind the theme, the purpose of the conference and how it’s cultivating a new generation of inclusive, connected and culturally competent leaders.
What inspired the theme, “Holistic Leadership – Mind, Body, Connection”?
When we think about leadership in our workplaces, we have to think about the whole person, and how we lead from the inside out. As leaders, we often have to take care of or support people who are experiencing many different things in life. So we need to think about it from the mind, the body and connection because it’s really important to increase the flow and leadership impact in that way. That inspired me. Focusing on the human side of who we are because we are all humans. If we understand humans, we understand business.
And how does the conference aim to address the evolving needs of today’s workforce?
This conference brings together dynamic speakers and innovators who offer both inspiration and actionable strategies to help attendees grow professionally and personally. They walk away with tools on how to be innovative and build connected communities within their own workplaces. This conference also provides a powerful space for connection between educators, businesses, professionals and community leaders. It’s a unique opportunity to build these partnerships, share ideas and collaborate around real world solutions that make a lasting impact.
Who will be speaking at this year’s event?
We have two featured speakers for the Thought Leadership Conference this year, Mark Hardy and Tammy Davis. Our two, free and open to the community speakers are Lex Gillette, a Paralympian, and Stephanie Humphrey speaking on how to use the social media platform for the good and for their careers.
And why is intercultural competence a central focus of the conference?
Well, intercultural competence really helps us to think about what happens when we have to lead from various different world views. It teaches empathy, respect, understanding and adaptability.
Talk to me about the Collective Giving Circle and how people can be a part of that?
This is an opportunity for people to unite and support nonprofits, so that we can make a greater impact and uplift other organizations that are doing the work in our communities. People can nominate a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that reflects our shared goals. We’ll have a poll to select who gets the funds and we’ll announce the winners at the conference. So their participation really amplifies our community impact.
Who should attend this conference? How can they register? And is there a cost to register?
Anyone who wants to collaborate across the business, education and community sectors. Those who want to strategize to attract and retain their talent. Folks who want to generate ideas on how to build these infrastructures needed in their organization. This includes school administrators, business leaders, teachers, clergy, nonprofit groups, human resource professionals etc. We can help these thought leaders apply strategies, grow professionally and contribute to building that connected culture.
The cost for the conference is $167 for two days of great leadership development, networking and engagement in the community.
What’s the Intercultural Relations Institute all about?
We provide three things. Intercultural education, leadership development and community engagement. We are intentional about ensuring that we drive social innovation through education, conversational leadership, youth collaboratives and glocal solutions.