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I was working at the headquarters of the world’s largest company. I’d spent what felt like a lifetime overcoming the “disability” label my 3rd-grade teacher had given me, but suddenly I was facing another form of categorization: lack of inclusion and resistance to diversity.
It pained me deeply to see many others being treated the same.
Good people, future Super Achievers such as Rosalind Brewer, who today is the CEO of Walgreens, Reggie Miller, today the Chief Diversity Officer
of McDonald’s, Amber Lee Williams, today the SVP and Deputy General Counsel of Bed Bath & Beyond, and many others, all of us told we were less than, told what we couldn’t do, and what we couldn’t become.
I grew up in predominantly black Southwest Atlanta, feeling less than those around me. In third grade, Ms. Weinberg told my parents I couldn’t read and said I needed to be held back.
In an era before homeschooling existed, my mother responded by quitting her job and homeschooling me, but the damage was done. I believed the label of unable.
I grew up in predominantly black Southwest Atlanta, feeling less than those around me. In third grade, Ms. Weinberg told my parents I couldn’t read and said I needed to be held back.
In an era before homeschooling existed, my mother responded by quitting her job and homeschooling me, but the damage was done. I believed the label of unable.
I struggled through high school, and because I couldn’t score high enough on the ACT, I spent my freshman year of college taking remedial math classes. This exaggerated my feeling of select and sort, that “Others have IT, and I don’t.”
But then something happened at the start of my sophomore year.
My internal grit and growth mindset activated.
I had a hunch that my abilities were not fixed. I audaciously pledged Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity because they had the highest GPA on the yard. They made an exception for my 2.68 GPA and let me in.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by what I call Super Achievers.
Guys destined to get their law degrees and be Assistant District Attorneys by the time they were 25. I knew it was swim or sink.
This is when I discovered the three most important words
in psychology:
I realized I’m not disabled, I’m differently-abled. And I could do anything I set my mind to. I could become a Super Achiever.
This realization unlocked the audacity to get a specialist from Mercer, followed by the audacity to knock on the number seven business school in the world, Emory, and get an MBA, and then I called the number one business school in the world, Wharton, to get my doctorate.
I realized I’m not disabled, I’m differently-abled. And I could do anything I set my mind to. I could become a
Super Achiever.
This realization unlocked the audacity to get a specialist from Mercer, followed by the audacity to knock on the number seven business school in the world, Emory, and get an MBA, and then I called the number one business school in the world, Wharton, to get my doctorate.
During my doctorial work, I took over a classroom in Atlanta, in the poorest school district in the county. I was entrusted with 200 students as a test case, from their sophomore year till their graduation.
“There’s nothing more powerful than a made-up mind. Show me what your mind is made up for and I’ll show you what you can do,” is the quote I hung over the classroom door.
I created a safe environment where inclusivity reigned, and everyone was expected to rise to a high level of academic rigor. Administrators were baffled as to why the leader of the Bloods and the leader of the Crips cut every
teacher’s class except mine. Inclusion is why.
In my first year, a young lady confided in me that she was looking at websites on how to kill herself. She graduated with a 3.4 GPA and a scholarship and hand-wrote me a heartfelt letter about how I changed her life and saved it two years later at her graduation.
My experience with those students steeled my resolve to help the disenfranchised, to bring a solution to those who feel like “They don’t got it,” and to bring an end to marginalization.
I have spent over ten years in research to become one of the nation’s foremost experts and leaders on Human Capital and Talent Development among students, athletes, and business people.
Leaders must go first and lead by example. Not from a position of authority, but rather from a position of influence. Because “influence”
is the new currency that propels organizations forward today.
Leaders must go first and lead by example. Not from a position of authority, but rather from a position of influence. Because “influence” is the new currency that propels organizations forward today.
Today, I am the founder of The Inclusion Genius Factory, and I am also the Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Dollar General. At D.G., I help our leadership team become transformational inclusive leaders. We have 165,000 plus employees. The Inclusion Genius Factory is the missing piece in the growth mindset and grit world, the blueprint, the specific executable path for Super achievers. Because super achievers are made.
has been recognized by the LA Times as a Top 100 DEIA Leader, and three consecutive years by the National Diversity & Leadership Council has been one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers for 2021, 2022, and 2023. He has been featured in Fortune Magazine, and has graced the cover Diversity Women, Diversity Professional magazine, and was inducted into Inclusion Hall of Fame. He is renowned as a global Business Executive and thought leader who brings the powerful combination of skillful talent development and human capital expertise. His deep understanding of human relations, personal branding, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and organizational performance have led to a successful track record of business transformation and human capital counseling.
He currently is the founding partner and CEO of The Inclusion Genius Factory, LLC, and the Senior Vice-President and Chief Diversity Officer for Dollar General Corporation, a $38+ billion-plus retailer with more than 19,500 convenient, easy-to-shop stores in 47 states. Dr. Battle owns the strategy for diversity, equity, and inclusion for over 170,000 employees; working across the organization using belonging indexes, talent-flow analysis, inclusive leader assessments and other data to make data-based decisions. Prior to joining Dollar General, Dr. Battle was a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry where he led clients through large-scale cultural transformation and assisted with holistic DEI leadership development, employee engagement and employee branding efforts that enabled clients to attract, develop and retain their talent while meeting their business goals.
As the Global Director of Talent Development for Johnson Controls, a $30 billion-plus global diversified technology and multi-industrial leader, Dr. Battle was responsible for the development of global strategy related to career development; culture and employee engagement, including diversity and inclusion solutions; an external executive coaching program; performance management; and components of onboarding. He established the tools and approach to help employees navigate their careers successfully, ensuring leaders understand and fulfill their roles in the career development of their teams. As Senior Partner of J.E. Battle & Associates, LLC. Dr. Battle headed up talent development, leadership development and change management interventions for MTV Networks, SAIC and Clayton County Public Schools – Leadership Academy.
Earlier, Dr. Battle was with Walmart Stores, holding concurrent roles of Senior Human Resources Director, Merchandising and Distribution, and Co-Chairman of Talent Development, UNITY Associate Resource Group. He was recruited to be the strategic business partner and executive coach for three senior vice presidents and one vice president in the merchandising business unit, with a combined 30,000 associates and more than $100 billion in annual revenue. He partnered with executives to develop talent management strategies that are still in operation today.
At J Rushman Group, a boutique consulting firm operating exclusively in the retail sector, Dr. Battle was Senior Director of Strategic Processes and a Human Capital Consultant. His primary client was TJX, a multinational off-price retailer that owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods brands. He was leader of a team working closely with senior leadership on the Corporate University Global Strategy for Leadership Development.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Battle was Senior Vice President of Operations for Gridiron Technologies LLC. This was the first company to leverage the EA Sports John Madden video game technology to create virtual reality simulators to improve player/coach communication. The technology was launched with Louisiana State, Vanderbilt, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Colorado, and the University of Maryland. After early success, the NFL adopted the technology with the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints. Dr. Battle was recruited to oversee all operations in the U.S. and held P&L and budget responsibilities for $16 million and 17 direct reports. This position followed Dr. Battle’s time with MSL Combines LLC, a company that created on-demand talent management technology to allow major colleges and universities to source for student-athletes to provide scholarships.
Prior to this, Dr. Battle was Director of Human Resources for L3 Technologies LLC, a professional technology firm. He began his career as Director of Artist Repertoire and Marketing with Warner Bros. Records, where he established artists such as Prince, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Eric Benet, and oversaw the soundtrack for “A Thin Line Between Love & Hate.” Dr. Battle’s community involvement is extensive, including being a Student Athlete Mentor for Georgia Institute of Technology,
a Guide Right Program Coordinator for Kappa Alpha Psi, a Leader with Taskforce for Alignment at Goizueta Business School, and a member of OCA Atlanta Chapter. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the UPENN CLO for Executives, Webster University Business School, and Mercer University Penfield College. He is also a guest lecturer, keynote speaker, master facilitator, and a sought-after speaker and thought leader at industry conferences on the topic of Intentionally Building Inclusive Leaders!
Dr. Battle received his doctorate in Work-Base Learning Leadership from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned a Master of Education in Learning Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, a Master of Business Administration in Organizational Behavior from Emory University Goizueta Business School, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership from Mercer University. He holds several education and leadership certificates through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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The Inclusion Genius Factory is committed to helping leaders in all industries, build intentional inclusive engagement, grow the collective genius of their teams, and enhance their lives through personal development. The company’s success is defined by the number of people whose lives are changed by a message of inclusion.
Through a variety of mediums including live events, zone of genius assessments, publishing, syndicated columns, internal and external media campaigns, podcasts, and digital products, The Inclusion Genius Factory uses real world application to empower leaders to win at life and their chosen profession.
Thousands of leaders in Fortune 500 companies and coaches and athletes in the world of professional and collegiate sports across the country have benefitted from the Inclusion Genius Factory solutions, and Dr. J.E. Battle’s world-class interventions have brought vision, inspiration, and encouragement to more than a million leaders.
Voted among the Top 50 DEIA leaders multiple times, Dr. J.E. Battle and the
Inclusion Genius Factory bring solutions focused and dedicated to doing work that matters.
