Diversity should not be your first or only metric of success
I have to admit that I tend to avoid consuming mainstream corporate content about DEI. Although awareness about where these conversations are at any given moment can be helpful, it usually gets me on a soapbox… and I have enough things already in my work and life that get me on a soapbox!
I appreciate when colleagues have their eye on things though, and this morning Danae sent me a recent HBR article on Research: The Most Common DEI Practices Actually Undermine Diversity (there’s a paywall but you can read one article for free) and… well here I am on my soapbox.
Diversity should not be your first or only metric of success.
We’ve been talking about this for years actually. In fact, one of our running “jokes” is that organizations often come to us thinking we are “D consultants” and forgetting the “E” and the “I” or any of the other letters that might be included like “J” or “B.”
The fact is, this field did start out with “diversity consultants” so it is not entirely surprising those expectations linger.
We now make it a practice of being very explicit up front that this is NOT who we are.
Is diversity and representation important?
Absolutely!
I was reflecting on this recently after watching The Brothers Sun, which I absolutely LOVED. Michelle Yeoh as Mama Sun is my new role model… but let’s face it, I’ve never actually had anyone that felt like a role model that looked like me in mainstream media. It’s kind of embarrassing how meaningful this is to me, and of course I love that she is older than me and her character has two sons older than mine - that made her even more relatable.
It would have made such a difference to me having this kind of mainstream western media representation growing up. I didn’t have Crazy Rich Asians, or Shang-Chi, or Kung Fu (the remake) to name a few of my recent favorites with majority Asian casts speaking Asian languages as well as Asian American and Asian British characters.
Am I excited to see organizations with more diverse leadership teams and Boards?
Absolutely!
I love that all of our clients currently have Black women leaders.
Is one of our goals that our client organizations become more diverse?
Yes for sure!
However, that is only one of many many things that we work with clients on.
As a colleague said to me many years ago:
You don’t put out a forest fire by planting trees.
Focusing on diversity too early on can actually cause more harm than not, despite whatever good intentions may be driving this focus.
If your workplace culture is toxic, as most are, or, if you don’t want to go so far as labelling it as toxic, lacking in psychological safety for your current employees… bringing in more “diversity” is not going to fix it by itself, and will likely only cause more harm to the “diversity” you bring in.
This is not to say you should deliberately avoid trying to be more diverse, but bringing in diverse talent, especially racially diverse talent, primarily to meet arbitrary diversity goals and make your organization “look good” is not the move.
And no, this is not because there isn’t enough “good diverse talent.”
The truth is, any BIPOC talent that makes it to the interview stage at any professional organization is likely more skilled than “equivalent” talent, just by dint of the systemic obstacles they have had to overcome to even get to where they are. No, I don’t think BIPOC talent is inherently better any more than I think white talent is, but our systems being what they are, with what is essentially a centuries old default affirmative action program for white people, white mediocrity IS a thing.
However, good BIPOC talent isn’t going to stick around, not because they are deficient but because the environment is. Either they will make the self-affirming decision to move on, or the lack of support and the abundance of microaggressions will end up looking like a “performance issue” and they’ll be let go (see also the “problem” woman of color in the workplace).
Good BIPOC talent isn’t going to stick around unless you put in serious resources and work to shift the culture of the organization so it is a place where BIPOC folks can succeed without becoming exhausted, harmed and burned out.
Because pretty much every BIPOC leader we’ve seen is exhausted, harmed and burned out.
And/or they have assimilated so much and sacrificed so much of themselves in order to survive that they don’t realize how much they have internalized their own oppression (I say this as someone who experienced both these things in the workplace).
In fact, we’ve been told by many BIPOC leaders that they only reason they are still at their organization is because of us - because their organization is working with us, and because of their access to us.
I’m proud and glad that we can provide that relief and support… AND this shouldn’t have to be the case. It’s certainly not our long term goal and it’s a lot for our team to hold.
What IS effective then?
I don’t disagree with the conclusion of the HBR article about employing the most effective strategies such as hiring a Chief Diversity Officer, creating diversity task forces and implementing formal mentoring programs.
However, this doesn’t go nearly far enough (um, perhaps because the data is from 1971 to 2015 - although I get the purpose of the study was to look at long term impacts).
If you want diversity, and more importantly, if you want the benefits of diversity, you need equity and you need inclusion.
What we’ve found works is for organizations, even before they’re ready to hire for internal DEI roles or for mentoring programs to be effective, is to engage in the deep and transformative work of shifting culture towards equity and inclusion.
It means looking at every aspect of how you do business and being willing to do it differently.
It means being willing to question and adjust everything you assumed about what “good leadership” looks like.
It means being willing to dismantle and rebuild systems, policies and practices.
It means being willing to, not eliminate them altogether but to flatten hierarchies where possible, and to adjust for power imbalances at the systemic and organizational levels.
The clients that have the most success with us are:
Willing to be in a collaborative partnership with us based on mutual learning, feedback and trust
Willing to disrupt of traditional client/consultant power dynamics - not treating us as “the help”
Willing to model consistent and transparent communication in all directions
Willing to cultivate an aptitude and appetite for change
Willing to be uncomfortable, look within, answer questions they may not want to answer, and hear truths they may not want to hear but that have the potential to transform their organization in service of its mission and goals
Willing to tolerate some uncertainty and the fact that, as we uncover things, our scope will likely need to be adjusted in response
Willing to slow things down where necessary and take a measured, intentional, strategic and holistic approach
It means providing BIPOC leaders with support, relief and the resources they need to be successful, while working with everyone across the organization, and especially with white leaders, to create a culture where everyone has what they need to do their best and most fulfilling work.
A note to BIPOC leaders - make sure you negotiate for the support and resources you need! Reach out to us if you need help.
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