Part I: What does buy-in at the top look like — and what can you do if you don’t have it?
This is the first of a three-part series recapping our February panel. Read our introduction here.
“Tone at the top is very important because what matters to the leader is what matters to the people.” — Jennifer Andrews
Many senior leaders may say that they support diversity and inclusion, but how does this compare to them actually being bought in? Jennifer painted a picture of what true leadership buy-in looks like (and it’s pretty different from what is often the case). According to Jennifer, such a leader gets it, lives it, shares it, communicates it, and is unafraid to share that this is who they are.
She emphasized that, if the leader says an objective is of utmost importance to them, then their direct reports are going to be completely prioritizing it. This importance and prioritization in turn percolates throughout the entire organization. If you don’t have complete buy-in at the most senior levels, Jennifer cautioned, it is very difficult to move the needle on diversity and inclusion. (See more on how C-Suite participation is key in the takeaways from our July 2018 panel.)
Middle Management
“It’s an uphill battle if you don’t have leadership buy-in regarding diversity and inclusion.” — Singleton Beato
But how do we address the reality that this picture of true leadership buy-in is rarer than many think, and that D&I is not necessarily a top priority for many senior leaders? One option is to turn to the rest of the organization and find out where support for D&I lies. Singleton advised that, if you connect with senior managers as opposed to the top leaders, for example, you can work with them to move your D&I agenda forward. Singleton warned, however, that this is a very challenging route, as it requires galvanizing various people to adopt small pieces of your agenda.
Given how critical leadership buy-in is, Singleton instead encouraged taking the steps necessary to educate leaders to understand why diversity and inclusion will help them sustain their business in the future. She advised finding those “clear connection points,” that is, the clear correlations between an inclusive culture and business outcomes.
Social / Customer Pressure
If leadership nevertheless remains uncertain or skeptical, you can also mobilize and leverage internal and external pressure. Singleton reflected on the increase in grassroots activity around D&I issues over the last decade, which creates internal pressure by employees who expect to see change. The evolving social discourse is also creating external pressure for senior leaders to address these issues, which can be as explicit as clients demanding to see change at the companies they work with.
For example, earlier this year, more than 170 general counsel and corporate legal officers signed an open letter addressed to law firms, saying that they will direct their legal spend on firms that show results with respect to diversity and inclusion. Various corporate clients had already issued policies demanding diversity at the firms, including HP, who provided for withholding up to 10% of invoiced amounts by law firms who did not meet HP’s diverse staffing requirements.
Leadership Pledges
A great way to further tap into this social discourse is to engage senior leadership in value-alignment commitments and pledges, especially ones that demand action. Ken explained, for example, the benefits of encouraging Plinio Ayala, the Per Scholas CEO, to sign onto the CEO Action Pledge. This pledge encompasses three initial goals of (1) continuing to make workplaces trusting places to have complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about D&I; (2) implementing and expanding unconscious bias education; and (3) sharing best — and unsuccessful — practices.
Ken noted that Plinio taking the pledge not only demonstrates a commitment to have the conversations around D&I, but also materially impacts the day-to-day operations at Per Scholas as Plinio proactively comes to those driving such conversations to make sure D&I initiatives are in place for the next quarter.
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We continued the conversation on concrete tips for D&I practitioners on our April panel (recap forthcoming). In the meantime, sign up here to receive more information about our upcoming July panel.
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