366. Good Humans of 2022: Kevin Clayton

This episode is part of our special Good Humans series chronicling incredible conversations with some of the most inspiring people. Learn more about Good Humans here.

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Overview

Meet Kevin. Senior Vice President, Head of Social Impact and Equity at the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He believes everyone is part of the diversity and inclusion landscape. Through this approach, he has created results affecting representation and culture in the workplace, revenue from the marketplace, authentic community and fan engagement. It's no wonder he was named as one of the 2022 Good Humans Award winners by GoodWorld, which honors people who create a ripple of positive change in their community, at work, and beyond. He’s breaking down how he gets people on board with this critical work and how recognizing people’s humanity is more important than titles. Grateful for your leadership and passion, Kevin!

Today’s Guest

Kevin Clayton, Senior Vice President, Head of Social Impact and Equity, Cleveland Cavaliers

“If we don’t row in the same direction we will go in a circle. Let’s row in the same direction.”

— Kevin Clayton, Senior Vice President, Head of Social Impact and Equity, Cleveland Cavaliers

Episode Transcript

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Episode Highlights

Kevin’s story and journey to where he is today (4:00)
Cavs programming and the Cleveland community (14:00)
The house on fire analogy (28:00)
Business strategy + diversity and inclusion (32:25)
Building inclusive communities (41:30)
Allyship (52:05)
Kevin’s One Good Thing: Diversity, inclusion, equity is how we come together from a humanity standpoint (54:40)
How to connect with Kevin (53:15)

Powerful quotes

“I am so appreciative of the platform that I have. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I just lived life in a way where my values carried me to a point where I’m at right now.” -Kevin

“If you look behind the scenes and pull back that curtain, our front offices look just like corporations that have been dealing with this for years.” -Kevin

“I had to answer the WIIFM - what’s in it for me?” -Kevin

“Black people have been killed and murdered by law enforcement for years…Because of the pandemic, everyone was watching what happened at home. They saw it over and over and over again, they couldn't escape it…It touched the hearts of the world.” -Kevin

“We adopted a mantra which was for the love, for the land.” -Kevin

“All of us survive, if we put out that fire. None of us survive if we don’t.” -Kevin

“Let's invest in those communities that are in the desperate need so that they can rise all of humanity, not just one.” -Kevin

“How do we grow the pie and at the same time show that everybody wins from this standpoint?” -Kevin

“This is a movement, and I cannot let George Floyd’s death go without me doing everything that I can do.” -Kevin

“This is a movement. If I don't do anything, it'll be a moment, it will just be another moment where a black man got killed. But if we leverage this for movement, and I'm talking about a global movement, where we can help people understand that we can actually come together as as humans, for good.” -Kevin

“We band together, we leverage all of our resources in one direction.” -Kevin

“If we don’t row in the same direction we will go in a circle. Let’s row in the same direction.” -Kevin

“This is something that we have to take and learn, and pass it on to somebody else. It’s the only way it is going to work.” -Becky

“I want allies to get off the riverbank and get in the boat with me. Bail water with me, so that you can understand and feel what I’m dealing with.” -Kevin