Corporate ERGs are under growing pressure to prove they contribute more than internal engagement and cultural programming. Executive sponsors and business leaders increasingly want measurable outcomes tied to growth, operational performance, customer reach, and organizational effectiveness. The challenge for ERG leaders is no longer simply building community. The challenge is demonstrating business value in ways leadership can clearly recognize and support.
In this episode of ERG PowerTalk, Joe Santana sits down with Greg Jenkins, Founder and Principal of Greg Jenkins Consulting and a former U.S. Army leader with more than 28 years of experience leading teams in one of the most accountability-driven environments in the world. Greg brings a mission-focused perspective to ERGs, executive sponsorship, organizational blind spots, and measurable performance impact.
One of the strongest ideas explored in this conversation is that many organizations already possess the insight they are spending millions of dollars trying to buy. Greg and Joe discuss how ERGs often contain the very perspectives companies need to improve products, avoid costly mistakes, better understand customers, and expand market reach, yet many organizations fail to leverage that intelligence effectively.
The discussion also explores how organizations unintentionally lose revenue and performance because the right voices were not included early enough in product design, policy development, customer experience discussions, or strategic planning. Through real-world examples of product failures, workforce blind spots, and market opportunities, the episode reframes ERGs as practical business assets rather than merely support activities.
Here is what ERG and Inclusion leaders listening to this episode should consider:
- Stop measuring only participation and awareness activities.
- Learn how your organization makes money and measures success.
- Position your ERG as a source of practical business insight.
- Connect ERG work directly to organizational challenges and opportunities.
This episode goes far beyond traditional conversations about ERGs and inclusion. It challenges ERG and inclusion leaders to rethink the role ERGs can play in improving organizational performance, avoiding blind spots, and creating measurable business value. If you want practical insights into how ERGs can strengthen market reach, operational effectiveness, and executive credibility, this conversation is worth hearing in full.
Access it on your favorite podcast platform by clicking here