Every so often, I read or hear the provocative take that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) efforts are dead, dying, or should be allowed to expire. Such sentiment is premature and generally self-serving, particularly for those not fully invested in or adequately versed in leading culture change efforts. For the hundreds of global organizations that have shown true fidelity to DEIB, the idea that it should die is ignoble, especially when data consistently shows that companies that honor DEIB are more profitable.
And yet, for those organizations that have rejected a DEIB mindset, I would offer the following perspective: DEI shouldn’t be allowed to die if it was never really born. In other words, DEIB shouldn’t be a casualty if your organization has never tried to cultivate a sound DEIB strategy. Its success is a direct result of the level of commitment, practical application, strategic thinking, and creativity shown by senior leaders and their respective enterprises. It’s not too late to breathe life into your DEIB efforts.
Make it a personal commitment
Committing to DEIB is not just about recycling buzzwords and catchphrases. Each leader should be personally invested in the outcome and recognize the personal and organizational imperative behind supporting DEIB.
I once met with a CEO to discuss her strategic vision for DEIB. After a cursory introduction, I asked her, “Why is DEIB personally important to you?” After falling silent, she stammered before responding in an irritated tone, “Why are you asking me this?” I replied that if she couldn’t articulate why DEIB was important to her, any efforts to steer the organization through a DEIB initiative would feel half-hearted, superficial, and performative. I counseled her that it was important for her to speak to her intrinsic motivation and to identify why DEIB was important to her personally. Eventually, she identified how DEIB had been figural in her own leadership journey. As a result, her employees saw her passion and zeal and believed she was a true ambassador for building a more inclusive organization.
Leaders cannot just adopt a transactional stance when supporting DEIB. They must speak to their core values, highest aspirations, and deepest convictions if they want to generate collective support for their DEIB vision.
Make it matter to the day-to-day
Successful DEI thinking must have a practical element that tangibly impacts the workday experience. I met a very genuine CEO who shared his heartfelt commitment to supporting DEIB. Yet, when I asked him what his DEIB leadership efforts consisted of, he mentioned that his leadership team was visiting the Civil Rights Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. When I inquired further about tangible goals he had set for his leadership team, he unfortunately had no answer.
The measures that the CEO had taken were not concrete and practical. Though it is essential to understand the historical context for systemic barriers in this world, the trip provided little workable insight as to how his leaders could support equitable leadership on a daily basis. Once we identified tangible goals and practical skill sets that each person could incorporate into their leadership practice, the organization started making measurable progress in building a more culturally intelligent organization. Any successful DEIB initiative must have an applied component that touches the day-to-day realities of the working environment.
If it’s not strategic, don’t do it
A sound DEIB strategy must also incorporate strategic thinking and go beyond the programmatic efforts of yesteryear. In the early days of DEIB, several organizations commemorated History Month celebrations where employees were treated to “ethnic cuisine.” However, those efforts did little to integrate DEIB values into the organization’s strategic pillars.
In other contexts, DEIB has been managed by HR professionals whose sole aim is to recruit strong talent from underrepresented communities. Yet, such myopic thinking reflects a lack of “diversity maturity.” For DEIB initiatives to live beyond a calendar season or news cycle, DEIB objectives must be embedded into every aspect of an organization’s strategic vision. For example, DEIB thinking should be reflected in one’s marketing strategy and philanthropic efforts, not just in recruitment or corporate training initiatives. DEIB should be integrated into one’s mission and vision and constitute one of the sturdy threads interwoven throughout the organization’s culture, leadership structure, and operational apparatus.
Leverage your creativity
Finally, creativity is one of the most important aspects of creating impactful and substantive DEIB campaigns. It requires an adaptive approach, which means using imagination, design thinking, and ingenuity to solve issues without obvious or exclusive answers.
Recently, we administered an employee engagement survey for a client, which highlighted the disillusionment and disconnectedness throughout the organization. One day, as I brainstormed with the company president on what to do next, I offered the following suggestion: “What if we sponsored a season for healing and transformation, highlighted by a series of facilitated 1-on-1 conversations around exclusionary behaviors and creating a greater sense of belonging in the organization?” To her credit, the president offered, “We don’t need a season per se. I’d be in favor of the organization taking a full day to make this happen.” It was a bold and innovative approach that helped the organization facilitate interpersonal healing, build the capacity for more candid dialogue, and support a higher form of leadership.
Sometimes, leaders may equate creativity with loose or reckless experimentation, especially with DEIB initiatives where the stakes are incredibly high, and the risks are often intolerable. But when creativity allows people to bring their best thinking forward, it can help leaders generate DEIB solutions that transform the working environment.
Signaling a new wave of leadership
DEIB can serve as a lifeline for your organization when it is given the attention, support, and deference it deserves. When leaders show true commitment, understand the practical implications, employ strategic thinking, and engage in creative design, today’s organizations can enjoy a wave of success that doesn’t portend the end of DEIB but signals a new wave of organizational leadership.
Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown is an organizational development consultant, professor, and author of the recently published bestselling book The Souls of Queer Folk: How Understanding LGBTQ+ Can Transform Your Leadership Practice.