Deloitte’s Dan Helfrich: 5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society

Partner with your Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) — Over the past year, there has been a big increase in the number of companies hiring DEI leaders. But in my view, hiring a CDO does not mean a CEO gets to abdicate their responsibility to DEI. Rather, they are expanding it as they partner to co-ideate and co-create equitable programs. This approach empowers the CDO in the eyes of the organization to speak with the authority and backing of the CEO. There’s no one program, person or investment that will change your organization’s culture and embeddedness of DEI, but setting up your CDO in close collaboration with the CEO — and the rest of the C-Suite — can go a long way in ensuring that DEI is fully woven into your organization’s goals, strategies and values.

As part of our series about ‘5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society’ I had the pleasure to interview Dan Helfrich.

Dan Helfrich is chairman and chief executive officer of Deloitte Consulting LLP, where he leads a team of more than 60,000 professionals who help clients solve complex problems. Whether it is identifying new market opportunities or talent models, implementing a new cloud-based application or maximizing an existing one, Dan is focused on helping the team deliver measurable, lasting results. On podcasts, on LinkedIn and through other media, Dan regularly shares his perspectives on leadership, building a purpose-driven and inclusive culture and challenging traditional business orthodoxies. He lives near Washington, D.C. with his wife, Kristie, and their four children.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

I’m the oldest of seven in a dynamic, diverse family, including three adopted siblings from varied backgrounds. There is no greater gift I’ve received than seeing two loving, giving, inclusive parents in action every day. My family also moved a lot during my childhood, so I understand what it’s like to be the new kid — and what a difference it makes when there’s a culture that welcomes new people and new ideas. This background is something I bring to Deloitte as we look to make sure that advancing diversity, equity and inclusion is the number one priority for our business and our people.

From an early age through college, I spent a lot of time playing sports — soccer being the primary one. My sports background shaped a lot of who I am and how a lead. In my soccer career, there were times I was the best player on the team and other times when I didn’t see much playing time, but each team experience taught me a lot about how to connect with and motivate my teammates, how to lead when you aren’t the top player and the importance of diversity to a team’s success.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

One book that has made a significant impact on me during my time as CEO and has helped me understand diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on a deeper level is Coach John Thompson’s autobiography, “I Came As A Shadow.” Coach Thompson was a legendary basketball coach at my alma mater, Georgetown University (#hoyasaxa), and his book takes you through his journey to the NCAA championship — a journey at the intersection of race, sports and leadership in America.

Not only did this help me to better understand America’s current reckoning on race, but to me, it also proved that great team leaders build inclusive, winning cultures and communities on and off the field — and that lesson is just as important in leading teams in business as it is in sports.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

“Fun with Purpose” is a mantra I’ve used for many years now. It’s not necessarily a famous quote, but it’s an expression I always have posted somewhere in my office. These three words are important to me for two reasons. First, sometimes we can take ourselves and our work too seriously. Yes, we are working on big, complicated projects but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun and enjoy what we do and who we do it with. Levity is an essential ingredient for any high-performing team or any organization that puts well-being at the forefront.

Second, we need to recognize that our work matters. A lot. It matters in the lives of our teammates, in the positive impact we help our clients achieve and in the responsibility (and privilege) we have as a leading organization to elevate society on topics like climate, diversity and education/workforce development. We believe so much in the need to shine a spotlight on purpose that we recently appointed Kwasi Mitchell as Deloitte’s first Chief Purpose Officer. He is someone I greatly admire and we have had a lot of “fun with purpose” working with for more than a decade.

How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?

It is clear that no matter what heights we may reach in our careers, there is no such thing as a finished product when it comes to leadership. That is the mentality that guides, inspires and pushes me every day as a leader that is (and will always be) “in training.” Besides the constant pursuit for improvement that often comes with leadership titles, there are three things that I think define a leader: their ability to listen, their willingness to continue learning and their ability to show up as their authentic selves in the workplace. Being authentic and intentionally engaging with your teams by listening and learning builds trust and connection. It’s not about always saying everything perfectly or only listening for agreement, but rather about allowing teams — including yourself — to bring diverse identities and lived experiences into the workplace to advance your organization.

I also see myself as the captain of my team, not the coach. I try to bring a captain’s mentality to my job, which to me is about recognizing that it is a privilege to lead a group of my peers. A captain is respected by his, her or their peers. Their authority and responsibility come from peer respect, not from a position of power. Being a captain is about listening to my teammates, constantly soliciting feedback and getting as much input as possible when it comes to making decisions — like return to office or business travel. An example of this is action was how we are making return office, travel, future of work decisions. We wanted to make sure we were getting that input from peers, democratizing data (meaning sharing and being transparent about our organization to our people) and fostering understanding among our team. To do that, we held small group “debate huddles,” with more than 1,500 teammates. In those sessions, our team members discussed different in-person and virtual work scenarios and debate the trade-offs. These debates have allowed us to learn from each other, democratized the decision-making process and helped us create a future of work that puts people at the center of our decision-making.

This approach demonstrates that leadership isn’t me coming up with our future of work on my own, or with a select, small group of leaders. It is about having debate about the pros and cons, listening to as much feedback as possible and then coming to a decision. Top-down leadership means that you aren’t getting the input you need and those edicts you declare will ring hollow with your team.

In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?

What I’ve learned is that it’s to prepare — to do your research, know your key points, etc. But — and here’s where I see a lot of people struggle — it’s just as important to be flexible to what your client (or key stakeholder) is saying in that meeting. Many times, I’ve seen people be so focused on their prepared remarks and getting to their rehearsed points that they aren’t reading the room and listening to the question _ or thinking about why that particular person is asking it.

How I prepare for a critical meeting is similar to how I prepare for the broadcasting I do for the Georgetown University Men’s Soccer Team. Yes, I study up on the players, but who knows what is going to happen once the game starts. As a sports commenter, you’ve got to bring the audience along, know when to pause and inject player or team facts when it fits the moment. It’s the same for a big meeting. Prepare, know your stuff, but be ready to flex to the feedback in the room. If you don’t have the opportunity to do sports broadcasting, there’s other ways to strengthen that muscle — improv is one. I’ve always admired how improv performers are so in the moment and participating in the scene when the moment calls for it. Reading the room and the situation more purposefully also takes some of the pressure off of you. Trust that you’re prepared, be more attentive to everyone else in the room and focus less on saying everything perfectly.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. The United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to promote Diversity and Inclusion? Can you share a story with us?

The most impactful way that I’ve found to promote DEI is through mentoring and spending time with people that don’t look like me. Many years ago, I made the best leadership decision of my life and decided to only mentor people from underrepresented communities — mainly professionals of color and those with gender identities other than my own. This not only helped their professional growth, but it has also made me a better leader by exposing me to people, cultures, topics and perspectives that I wouldn’t have otherwise heard. That exposure has allowed me to better promote diversity, equity and inclusion in a way that is unique to our people and our culture.

That decision was me being very intentional about DEI. Too often, people think DEI will just happen on its own and that their everyday actions don’t matter — but they do. A lot. It’s not enough to show up and think that you are a good person so DEI will take care of itself. I try to change that mindset with one of my everyday equations: Deliberate DEI > “It will happen naturally” DEI. This equation means that all of us need to be intentional about our own behavior. Look at your teams, who you spend time with, who you mentor, who you sponsor and how you act as an ally. There are many ways to be intentional about DEI.

On a more programmatic level, I’ve been actively engaged in the work we’ve been doing to advance DEI within Deloitte. Over the past 15 months, we’ve issued our first DEI Transparency Report, which shares our US workforce representation data. Our team did an incredible job on the data analysis — and more importantly, they did an incredible job digging into the areas where we need to improve. We’re now doing even more to better understand our workforce, to build stronger communities and create a more inclusive culture. Progress made, but there’s A LOT more to do.

This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

A diverse executive team is about reflecting the type of culture we are striving to build — one that is inclusive and reflects our people and our clients. It is both a privilege and responsibility to build an inclusive executive team. It’s a privilege because I get to learn from, build relationships with and serve alongside an incredible group of people. And it’s a responsibility that we have at all “levels” of our organization to represent a diverse and inclusive culture.

Over the years, Deloitte has studied many different aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion and the reasons for a diverse team is simple: it is the right thing to do for your organization, your team and for society. There are also a lot of different aspects to diversity, including some that aren’t always as visible. For example, ensuring you have a mix of different personality types — extroverts and introverts. There’s also diversity of work experience, meaning people who’ve “grown up” at your organization versus recent hires. Having a leadership team that can bring many dimensions, lived experiences and perspectives to an organization will help it succeed.

And more people expect it. We’ve done a lot of research about the impact of DEI and both job seekers and consumers expect and seek out employers and products or services that have a diverse workforce. Many Gen Zers are particularly passionate about DEI and in the competition for talent, having a clear commitment to DEI — and how that is represented across your organization — is an important factor in their employer of choice.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. You are an influential business leader. Can you please share your “5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society”. Kindly share a story or example for each.

In order to create a truly inclusive, representative and equitable society, we must do more than just theorize ways of changing. We must take action. It’s my belief that the organizations that continue to prioritize DEI initiatives will have the greatest impact on creating more equitable communities. Many organizations are now investing in new roles and teams to advance DEI such as a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) or a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, like we have a Deloitte. I’d argue, however, that creating this type of role and their team is a critical first step, but that a CDO can’t and shouldn’t do it alone. I consider myself co-CDO and work alongside my friend and colleague, our Deloitte Consulting LLP DEI leader, Ayo Odusote.

There’s five things organizations can do that require both a mindset shift and specific actions that CEOs and other leaders can take to advance DEI.

1. Be Intersectional — Diversity cannot be a zero-sum game. In other words, there has to be space for ALL — and a recognition that people carry many identities that are important to their lived experience. Those identities and lived experiences impact people’s ability to bring their authentic selves to work and to advance and grow professionally. We must also recognize that the playing field is not level. To better address the inequality that exists, we must create a rich texture of conversations that recognize the dimensions of gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, immigration, socioeconomic class and more. I firmly believe that there absolutely can be the time and space for all of these dimensions so long as the intensity of the focus is not diluted. The cost of not embracing all is significant: a feeling of demotivation and disenfranchisement. In the end, taking specific actions to create equity across all identities is the key to how we move forward.
2. Permanently Prioritize a Culture of Equity — While the connection between changes to your organization and representation in society at large are not always apparent, it is important to remember that the culture we create in the workplace can also be reflected in how our employees behave outside of work as well. Business leaders — both CEOs and team leaders — need to prioritize the creation of a workplace where it is safe to share ideas, and everyone can show up as their authentic selves. Leading with purpose and prioritizing equity is an imperative for any great organization and can be a galvanizing force that unites the team. For the full buy-in of teams, it is important that an organization’s culture is rooted in ideas for change and core values rather than temporary solutions.
3. Partner with your Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) — Over the past year, there has been a big increase in the number of companies hiring DEI leaders. But in my view, hiring a CDO does not mean a CEO gets to abdicate their responsibility to DEI. Rather, they are expanding it as they partner to co-ideate and co-create equitable programs. This approach empowers the CDO in the eyes of the organization to speak with the authority and backing of the CEO. There’s no one program, person or investment that will change your organization’s culture and embeddedness of DEI, but setting up your CDO in close collaboration with the CEO — and the rest of the C-Suite — can go a long way in ensuring that DEI is fully woven into your organization’s goals, strategies and values.
4. Support DEI with Resources to Reach Goals — The success of executing a strategic DEI program hinges upon leadership’s buy-in and support. Ask your CDO what they need to reach their goals — and then give them what they ask for. This might mean a meaningful budget or adequate staffing. To be successful and to be supported, CDOs shouldn’t have to find and ask for funding within their organizations or be given budgets that no real impact can be made. This not only causes real barriers to getting things done, but also signals to the company that DEI isn’t a real priority for leadership. Decisions like this might seem unrelated (“It’s just a numbers thing!”) but goes a long way in making sure your DEI initiatives are successful in creating inclusivity.
5. Build a Coalition of Equity — To support and elevate your DEI initiatives, the CEO and CDO should strive to build a coalition of supporters to help ensure your equity initiatives have a path to success. Even though the CDO may have the skills and ability to have tough conversations themselves, they still need support from a thoughtful group of leaders who are willing to take these conversations forward throughout the organization. Without that coalition, an organization risks losing their CDO to burnout. An important part of this coalition is other executive leaders. It is important that DEI leaders give space to other executives to be vulnerable and not be judged if they are uncomfortable or share personal reflections about their own of DEI journey. When executives are given that space to ask questions and learn about DEI in an approachable way, you can narrow the distance between those leaders and the CEO and CDO, building trust and broadening that coalition of support.

We are going through a rough period now. Are you optimistic that this issue can eventually be resolved? Can you explain?

I am an optimist by nature, but I am also realistic and understand that building an inclusive culture takes time. If my team and I can take action every day that steadily improves DEI in our organization then we are on the right track. I fully recognize there is a lot of critical work to do now and well into the future. But in looking back on the amount of change we have achieved these last 18 months, I am optimistic that we can continue to make progress.

I also believe that DEI is not an issue that will ever be fully resolved — there will always be work and improvement needed as our society is constantly changing and evolving. There will always be new challenges and old orthodoxies to detonate. To address today and tomorrow’s challenges, we as leaders need to be agile and our organizations need to be agile to quickly adjust, change, or respond. But it takes intention and awareness, courage and dedication over the long-term to continuously listen, learn, and improve.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

One person who I never get enough time with is my dad. He’s just a great person and I always learn something from him, so he’s top of the list. I’m also interested in learning from leaders such as Liberian President George Weah to better understand how DEI manifests itself differently in other parts of the world. He’s also a former professional soccer player, one of the all-time greats, so I’d also want to talk with him about how the sport has impacted his leadership style and philosophy.

How can our readers follow you online?

Follow me on LinkedIn for my latest take on business, leadership and innovation trends, as well as some of my personal reflections about on journey as CEO of Deloitte Consulting. You can also follow me on Twitter at @DHelfrich21 for leadership advice and the latest on Georgetown soccer.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!