Moving forward on diversity requires both
“Microinteractions are what shift culture.” Those words, from one of this week’s participants at the TED Women conference I attended, hit the nail right on the head when she stated that truth, and to be honest, I’ve been thinking about those words ever since. The TED roundtable I hosted brought together a remarkable group of business leaders in San Francisco to discuss issues I believe need to be top of mind for all of us in the private sector: diversity and inclusion.
As she so succinctly explained, it’s the everyday, constant flow of conversations, attitudes, and, yes, silences that shape culture. This means that we, as colleagues who share a workplace, each have numerous opportunities to act and to listen. She called it “creating a safe space” within a corporate environment — a place where people from diverse backgrounds can share experiences and also be heard.
Since taking over the PwC chairman’s position in July and our firmwide, open dialogue around race on July 21st, I am committed to making diversity part of my daily conversations at the firm and with our clients. My colleagues at PwC continue to share thoughts and experiences with me via email or in person and I read them all and remember those stories. And when I meet with CEOs or with corporate boards, I bring those stories with me. I don’t leave those meetings without discussing the importance of talking about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Is it always comfortable? No. Is it crucial? Absolutely.
To that end, I wanted to share four items that I think every business leader — or frankly, every person in the workforce — should consider as a foundation for diversity and inclusion:
- First, do you cast a wide net? Most of us would say that we want our workplaces to be inclusive environments where all sorts of people feel comfortable. But how many meetings have you attended where many stayed silent? How often did those unheard voices belong to women or minorities? If not everyone is being heard, we have to do more than simply state that all views are welcome. We need to make that extra effort to solicit diverse points of view so that everyone with a seat at the table is also part of the discussion.
- Second, have you thrown off your potential blinders? They are called “blind spots” for a reason. If you don’t even know you have potential blind spots, they are awfully hard to eliminate. At PwC, we provide training about unconscious biases. As one participant yesterday explained, “Unconscious bias needs to become conscious inclusion.” These are not easy conversations. Speaking for myself, those training sessions were eye opening — it was surprising to realize how deeply ingrained many of our assumptions are, and gratifying to learn that we can take steps to ensure that any potential blind spots do not impact our thinking. What you don’t know can hurt you, your colleagues, and your organization’s bottom line, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
- Third, is everyone part of the effort? For example, men have a big role to play in creating a more inclusive workplace for women. I’m very proud that PwC is partnering with the United Nations on its HeForShe initiative — it’s a fantastic way to get everyone thinking about these issues and committing to do better.
- Finally, talking the talk is only the beginning. Walking the walk is the next step — and those steps can be macro or micro. As one of this week’s participants pointed out, changing the culture means changing our day-to-day micro-interactions. We undoubtedly need some macro-interventions — like leadership, training, and a track record of promoting diverse voices — to get people started, but each of us has untold opportunities to step up on diversity and inclusion. By pushing people to think bigger — beyond themselves — to their workplace, or industry, we can cultivate meaningful change.
