How To Get Serious About Diversity In The Workplace
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When it comes to tackling systemic racism and bias in all its forms, change CANNOT come fast enough in organizations and patience to wait on corporations to get it right has run out. We are at a tipping point. Companies that don’t do the REAL work to address racial injustice and take concrete steps to dismantle systemic racism in their company will appear backwards intolerant and out of touch and will no longer be able to attract and retain the best talent out there. This includes not just high potential black professionals but also top talent of all races and backgrounds.
Leaders who are ready to do the hard work in their organizations are not satisfied with performative actions. So let’s be clear:
Unconscious bias training isn't enough
Celebrating Martin Luther King Day isn't enough
Taking the day off for Juneteenth isn't enough
Having employee resource groups that only emerge during black history month isn’t enough
Having a chief diversity officer isn’t enough, we know that most CDOs are not the final decision makers , periodT (the T added at the end is intentional!).
These are cute gestures, but here are the real questions:
*When a high exposure role opens up in the organization, who is the first person leaders call?
*When it's time to put in a good word to get that high impact project, who is it? The leader’s buddy or a diverse candidate?
*Who are leaders pulling aside to give the REAL feedback on their reputation in the org beyond what is written on the performance appraisal?
*Who are leaders discussing business with on the golf course ... and is that the ONLY place that the real deals are happening?
I have been part of organizations that HAVE significantly improved their diversity metrics & sense of belonging for all employees & part of ones who have failed miserably, and there are themes regarding what works and what doesn’t.
So let’s dive some NO HYPE diversity & inclusion strategies that actually work!
1. CEO Must Drive & Champion Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy
Diversity Equity & Inclusion Strategies Are Only Effective If It Is Driven From The Top. We may wish it wasn’t so, but most people are motivated to do things to support the vision and goals of the leader, if diversity isn’t a priority for the leader, change will NOT happen.
There are things that can be done at the grass roots level to influence the leaders to get on board HOWEVER if they don’t eventually get on board any change will be temporary at best. Also, this is worth pointing out because so many companies when they are ready to check the box on their diversity efforts, they hire a lead diversity manager. So, let’s be clear having a Chief Diversity Officer is simply not enough to drive long term structural and systematic change. Why? Let me explain, most of the time CDOs don’t even report into the CEO directly, that role instead reports into HR and ends up being just one more check the box action taken to fill a role, that is not empowered to drive actual cultural and structural change in the company. In the meantime, the CEO typically forgets about this important “initiative” and then goes on to focus on their TRUE priorities, i.e. the things they really care about.
WARNING: This may have worked in 2005, but in the current era employees are becoming more savvy and will see through the “performative actions” at what is now being called WOKE Olympics. If the CEO isn’t championing and driving the efforts by holding leaders at all levels of the organization accountable for change then the organization is simply not serious about real transformation. Here’s a principle on human behavior. People don’t model what is said, they model what is done and they do what is rewarded. If the leader isn’t modeling and rewarding these actions, the rest of the organization will follow suit.
2. Decision Makers At The Executive Level & Below Must Sponsor Opportunities For Black Employees
Leaders have social capital, meaning they have a network, and they have influence. Leaders are in a position to make introductions, and do so on a regular basis for the people they have a vested interest in advancing their careers. Those people typically look like them and are similar to them, since the majority of leadership in corporations are white, we know that this automatically excludes diverse candidates from the “inner circle.” So decision makers must make a conscious effort to diversify the candidates that they are willing to sponsor, and open doors for them through promotion, introductions, and a list of opportunities. These conversations are ALREADY happening, so make sure it is happening for more than just the white neighbors or the non-diverse university alma mater network.
3. Tie compensation to moving the needle on diversity metrics
I worked in an organization a number of years ago that was having difficulties in improving their diversity metrics and for many years they could not improve the numbers, some how those numbers were miraculously improved within a couple of years when the entire leadership team had a metric on diversity directly linked to their pay. Lesson: whatever gets rewarded get done period and it gets repeated. Tying pay to compensation is one of the biggest ways to drive accountability in this area. It takes diversity from the nice thing to do to a real business metric that is measured, tracked and paid for!
4. “SHOW ME THE MONEY” Put your money where your mouth is
Organizations must be willing to invest time and MONEY into diversity and inclusion. This may include training, working with consulting firms to help develop a diversity strategy and learn best practices. It may also include partnering with organizations such as Management Leadership For Tomorrow to get Access to Highly Talented and Qualified diverse talent. Other activities that require a financial investment are recruiting at diverse universities, funding development of employees, hiring roles that will help drive the transformation, the list goes on and on. If an organization is not willing to pay money for the change they want to see, they are just not that serious.
5. GIVE HONEST ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK
Since people of color and women don’t tend to be part of the BOYS club they get honest feedback less frequently. What many employees don’t realize is that the REAL feedback, the one usually not on the performance appraisal, aka, the unofficial one, is the true thing that will hold a person back from advancing. This ends up being a detrimental blindspot to their career progression. The reason they don’t get it while the white men will is that people tend to be more honest and direct with their friends, and then will sugar coat information for people that they are not close with in order to remain “politically correct” or appear nice. This results in DISPARATE impact because these employees are not aware of the true action that they need to take to give them a running shot at succeeding. They have blindspots and nobody is giving them clarity on what they can do to improve.
Leaders are doing a disservice by holding the truth back from these employees.
This is the first of a 3 part series that addresses diversity actions driven from various levels of the organization in support of making these actions integrated and holistic.
Part 1 - This first part talked about what leaders can do
Part 2 - I will discuss what everyone can do at all levels and allyship from both diverse and non diverse populations. Grass roots efforts normally lead revolutions anyway and it’s time for us to stop being silent and get into some GOOD TROUBLE by forming a united front to challenge leaders to take proper action.
Part 3 - Focuses on how black employees can specifically take care of their mental health, self care etc and not taking on the sole responsibility of educating everyone because it can be traumatic. See how you can follow me on social media to be notified of when each video & blog is released (Wednesdays at 12 noon).
Remember, Black lives matters at work too!!
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