Dictionary defines multiculturalism by the view that the various cultures in a society merit equal respect and scholarly interest….the existence, recognition, or preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society. Yet this simple word evokes fear and anger in some, polarizing our society economically, geographically, and politically.

Trust is a universal need. The degree of importance may vary, but we all need trust in our relationships. It is the most cherished need, and it is the bond that holds all other values together. It is the belief that someone or something is reliable, dependable, good, honest, etc. It is our natural state….how we expect things to be.

A new generation, post-millennials, born starting mid-90s to 00’s, called Gen Z….aka iGeneration or iGen (a nod to Apple’s i-products) This is the generation parented by Gen X, going out of their way to be different than Gen Y.  You can almost call them the YouTube generation. Some call them screen addicts. 

2014 marked the first year in the US history where majority of children under 9 were non-white (50.8%).  This is most telling about our nation’s future economically, socially, and politically. It’s nothing to fear but lots to celebrate. If it weren’t for the multicultural growth, US economy will face the same challenges many European countries face with declining population. 

 I coined the phrase The New World Marketplace to address major cultural macro trends as economic imperatives. My background as a CMO afforded me credibility in branding strategies and marketing. But in terms of business decisions, analysis and sample sizes were too small to make a difference. Until now…

In The New World Marketplace, businesses are redefining the new leadership skills and capabilities required for building and sustaining successful and profitable businesses. And Millennial women have a natural advantage in contributing to this new leadership construct.

We are experiencing social and demographic shifts in poverty and can no longer have broad-stroke depictions of race correlation to poverty. Here are some reasons to negate these major stereotypes.

 This study shows that when women and millennials (aka Gen Y) are in charge, big things happen and organizations succeed.  This is not a passing trend.  Having millennials and women in leadership positions directly correlates with the success of a company.

Work/Life balance has been in the forefront of business productivity plans for over a decade as more women entered the work force in management positions and contributed to better company performance. What started out as a gender issue, later became a generational issue, and now it’s a cultural issue. 

Today, we’ve reached a point that we can no longer define race biologically, anthropologically or genetically. Racial identity is a highly nuanced concept, and a very personal one influenced by culture, politics, religion, history and geography. 

Millennials are forging a distinctive path into adulthood and parenting, both culturally and economically.  While this multicultural generation is very slow in getting married, once they do, their social and consumption behaviors change.

Despite gender lags in pay and salary negotiations, American women are feeling increasingly empowered, independent, knowledgeable and successful. Women made up half of all stock-market investors and controlled over 50% of US wealth, and 60% out-earn their husbands and describe themselves as primary breadwinner.  

Many people think poverty is skewed toward racial minorities—primarily Blacks and Hispanics—but this is no longer true. The race disparities in the poverty rate have narrowed substantially.  While Blacks and Hispanics are still three times more likely to live in poverty, by sheer numbers, the predominant face of the poor is white,

Sheryl Sandberg is the first woman who finally spoke up about internal barriers as much as external barriers that hold women back from reaching leadership positions. I nodded my head in agreement most of the time and even laughed out loud.  So why all the controversy, and why are so many women so pissed off? 

We are used to generations of women doing the lioness’ share of child care and housework, even if they have jobs outside the home.  Now we are seeing rise of co-parenting and cultural shifts phasing out “husband and wife” and “father and mother” and replacing them with functional roles of “spouse and parent.” 

Questions we ask are, do we have a vision, do we have a winning strategy, do we have the right team for the right positions, are we getting the best results from our team, are we achieving business & financial objectives, etc.  But I believe there are 3 missing components….

Last night was one of the most important nights in American history. Not just because an African American President with the most global multicultural background in one of the toughest economic climate won for the second term. Because now we have record number of women Senators elected.  Because among them were the first disabled woman, first openly gay woman and first Asian woman.

Financial gain for some is typically a financial loss for others. That is a fact for any free market.  But what makes Sandy unique is that she is expected to slam into the US East Coast tonight, and she hobbles New York, US stocks and options, Wall Street and world’s financial capital.  

I think the negative political attack ads are designed to energize the base and increase campaign interest–and contrary to current articles and blog posts, backlash effect is minimum. The country is already divided and strategic differentiations are clearly defined. 

The recent Aurora massacre and tragedy at this movie made me think through a bifocal lens. I can’t say that I believe in limiting the filmmaker’s artistic vision of a super-hero story, because one psychopath picked this movie to commit a mass murder.  I can’t completely fault good marketers who achieved the second highest midnight opening in history…..