Take A Deep Breath...
You've just landed the Diversity Managers Role...Woohoo! You're elated, there is so much to do, you want to make a huge impact, so where do you start?
As a task-oriented person, you set out to evaluate the landscape and build a to-do list. This is what you came up with: Pandemic, Remote Working, Social Justice Demands, Talent Shortage, Talent Attrition, Lack of Belonging, Zero Talent Development, Disengaged Managers, C-Suite Platitude, Changing Multigenerational Talent Demographics, Diverse Customer Base, Ineffective Recruiting Strategy, and a gaping hole in the Diverse Talent Pipeline! In your mind you’re thinking,“This list, PLUS The Great Resignation...holy s..t!” what did I get myself into?
Whew, with this list, how do you even begin to define success while building inclusion capacity?
I’d start by taking a deep breath! It's time to rethink what's possible for your diversity, equity, and inclusion program – that's not so easy to say given the long to-do list. To move the needle toward success, let's start by answering three critical and actionable questions:
1. At the Organizational Level, What Is The Definition of Inclusion?
Inclusion is the ultimate invitation to the party – who gets the invite, who doesn't, and who will never get the “elite” invitation? We could describe inclusion as the ultimate invitation to the private party – a neat way of wrapping a bow around inclusion. Within every organization, department, and team, there are secret invite-only exclusive networks - the rooms only some people know about and only a few are invited into. How do you knock down these silos to create greater inclusion?
For example, when employees join your organization, the value of inclusion becomes more evident. If I'm the new kid on the block, will I get an invitation to the party and have full acceptance when I arrive? In this instance, who will never get an invitation to the party, and who will get an invitation hoping they won't accept it?
Everything starts with the definition. We cannot get into the work of diversity before we fully understand the organization's psyche around inclusion. Can we be deliberately inclusive in every area of this company? Behind the walls of the organization, what is the definition of diversity, equity, & inclusion? Does everyone agree on the definition? Who is wordsmithing the definition? Without a clear definition of inclusion can you build a successful DEI Program?
I’ll let these questions sit here for you to ponder because this work requires deep introspection.
Lesson: We cannot fix what we cannot define.
2. What (Who) Is Stopping Change?
Within every organization, there’s resistance to change. Change is the hardest thing you'll ever do. As leaders we think, if we invent new policies and roll out our latest initiatives, everyone will drink the proverbial “the iced tea” and quickly do what you want them to do.
The reality, it's never going to happen. One of my favorite books is Managing Transitions, I think everyone doing the work of DEI should be versed in this book. The opening line, “It isn’t the changes that will do you in; it’s the transitions. The movement from where they are physically and mentally to where we want them to be. It’s the ending of one thing, finding the neutral zone, and starting a new beginning. If you do not have a good understanding of change and transitions you cannot be an effective DEI practitioner.
How do you build successful Diversity and Inclusion Programs? One question at a time.
The shifting sands of a post-pandemic world demand that we answer this bold question. What parts of your organization will never be inclusive even if you try? (You know the answer) It's straightforward to answer the question, but we rarely ask it. Most HR leaders are too afraid to tackle the prospect that some managers don't want to be inclusive. Which managers resist change and why? Which managers will never embrace diversity and can we let that happen? Tough questions.
Change must be viewed through the lens of transition. How do we transition individuals who resist, for example, hiring women, or those who find every excuse not to fully embrace diversity initiatives? What is your strategy to help leaders become champions for your diversity, equity, & inclusion program? When we attempt to build inclusive capacity for leaders, we must utilize real examples of how leaders are not inclusive to help them see why inclusion matters. It’s not the job of the excluded to train the included.
If we're inclusive, even the naysayers and resisters are included at the table.
Lesson: understanding the dynamics of change means we must transition our thought process.
Finally, What Is Your Tomorrow Today?
Building inclusion capacity shouldn’t have a long-tail, long-winded blueprint. When we think about capacity, what can you accomplish today that may be on your list for tomorrow? This is not tacking the low-hanging fruit and quick wins. The definition of tomorrow today is, what is the hardest part of implementing your diversity, equity, and inclusion program that you plan to put off until tomorrow? Why not start working on that today.
How do you build inclusive leadership capacity? By challenging what’s expected.
Organizations pick the easy wins, the reality, the easy wins do not make the challenging tasks of building leadership capacity less tenable. Most organizations think building an ERG Program, putting out platitude statements, and connecting with HBCU's will ultimately create the building blocks of inclusive capacity. I'm here to tell you that until you peel the onion and have tears in your eyes, inclusion capacity will never be built.
We attempt to build inclusion capacity for our leaders, the lens of inclusion has to be removed from the textbook and applied based on factual circumstances our leaders will face. For those of us doing this work - we must never underestimate the territorial anxiety of those who've never learned how to be inclusive.
Lesson: We cannot put off the hard work while settling for the quick wins.
Inclusion is hard work. Building inclusion capacity means we tackle the tomorrow today tasks now. Peel the onion and address the underlying systems that distribute the invitation to the party, reshuffle the deck, print new invitations, and invite everyone to the party.
About Margaret Spence:
For twenty-two years, Margaret has led the business-advisory firm, C. Douglas & Associates, as their CEO. The firm specializes in human resources compliance, talent development, diversity and inclusion, and women's leadership development. Diversity and Inclusion is not a policy, it’s how we empower people to feel that they belong in our organization. A transformational keynote speaker, author, business strategist, and visionary. Margaret is the author of three books, and her fourth book, "The Inclusion Archetype," will be published in Early 2022. Her latest book, Leadership Self-Transformation: 52 Career-Defining Questions Every High-Achieving Woman Must Answer, keenly focuses on helping women build proactive careers.
Inclusion Learning Lab:
The Inclusion Learning Lab drives change through advocacy, education, research, community, and action to solve the greatest challenge of our time – creating a more inclusive work environment. We help organizations create deliberately inclusive workplaces because diversity wins when inclusion is elevated. Visit our website – www.InclusionLearningLab.com