Diversity First

The world is changing — even though the news reminds us daily that it still isn’t equitable or safe for women and people of color. Nonetheless, I’m happy that Corporate America is putting so much effort into changing things for the better.

Now I’m not saying that the challenges of diversity and inclusion have been solved. Far from it. What I’m saying is that efforts are being made in the right places. One area where we see this improvement is in the emergence of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion roles at companies both large and small.

It’s a measure of progress. Not THE measure, but a good one nonetheless. When you have an explicit role dedicated to something so important, it increases the probability that some progress will be made. However, not every role is labeled the same way, and some don’t mention equity at all. I feel all roles should include equity, because equity is actually a key piece of advancing underrepresented minorities in Corporate America. Equity makes sure everything is fair and impartial. It ensures access, opportunity, and advancement for all people who work at an organization. Equity also strives to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.

But what I really find problematic are the roles and initiatives that lead with inclusion ahead of diversity. The fact is, diversity always needs to come first. It deserves top billing. Period. Full Stop.

Now, I’ve heard the argument that without inclusion, diverse candidates will leave. After all, there’s the infamous saying: “Diversity is being invited to the party, and Inclusion is being asked to dance.” But the reality is this: without diversity, there can be no inclusion. We can’t dance if we’re not there. So naturally, the invitation needs to come first.

What many people don’t want to say is that for the majority, inclusion feels a little easier to digest. It’s a bite-size way that includes them specifically, because they too can see themselves as a recipient of that inclusion. The reality is that for DEI initiatives to be truly revolutionary or successful, they must require real action, change, and yes, some discomfort for the majority. Often the focus on inclusion is the only way leaders feel most people will stomach diversity.

Listen, I’m not against inclusion. I think it’s extremely important. But inclusion cannot be achieved until there is measurable progress in increasing diversity.

Don’t forget — people’s livelihoods are at stake. A Latinx engineer being able to move into a $100,000 position is life changing not just for that one engineer, but also for their family who they can now support in a stronger way. Furthermore, they are now role models for their younger siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, and community. That influence is immeasurable because it impacts so many lives. But if an organization chooses to focus on inclusion instead of extending the invitation, that impact cannot be achieved. How many children of color started playing tennis because of Serena Williams? How many little girls think that they could be President because of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Representation matters.

Inclusion isn’t the same as diversity. It doesn’t have the same effect, and we should stop pretending those terms can be used interchangeably. If you have no people of color, how do you expect to create an environment that includes them?

(And yes, I know inclusion consists of more than just racial elements. It can also include someone living a sober life, being a parent, religious beliefs, etc. BUT that’s also why you have to hire people that don’t look and act like the majority to find out what they need.)

Now, I’m not speaking for all underrepresented minorities (URMs), but I’ve been in this position before. At an organization I worked at in the past, I was literally the 1% on the company diversity chart — the ONLY black female in the engineering side of the house, and one of two black engineers entirely. And I wish I can say that it’s been only one place I’ve worked where that was the case, it's actually been all of my past workplaces. And I can tell you, I would have given up a lot of the privileges that I had in order to get more people of color into that department. So as a leader and colleague, you might want to actually ask URMs what they actually want. I would bet that while inclusion is good, their answer would be more diversity. They want more people that look like them in their roles and roles that they aspire to. They just want to be able to do a good job, gain some great experience, get paid fairly and then spend time with their families and friends. We join companies with higher goals in mind, and inclusion generally isn’t one of them.

Again it might seem like I’m bashing inclusion. I’m not. It definitely has its place. It can help keep URMs in your company stay for the long haul, and it can help them succeed and move up. It can help build stronger networks within an organization.

I used the word “can”, specifically because it’s not a conclusive thing. And to be frank, Equity helps more than Inclusion with those measures.

So let’s do something radical.

1. Hire underrepresented minorities. In groups. Not just one and done, but a few at a time, so they have a community coming into your organization. (Oh and don’t just focus on trying to increase gender percentages and end up hiring only white women. You get no points for that.)
2. In parallel, address all the HR complaints and bad behavior that is currently going on in your organization. Honestly, this should be done anyway, regardless of any DEI initiatives. There are too many toxic people allowed to have influence in a culture because of things like seniority or politics.
3. ASK your growing population of underrepresented minorities what would make the organization more inclusive.
4. Implement their ideas, as they have laid them out. Don’t whitewash it. Don’t dumb it down to the easiest digestible piece.

Once you’ve started there, then let’s talk more about being intentional with your actions.

Diversity needs to be the key focus, even in something as simple as title. It conveys importance to the people inside your organization and also to those who are looking to join it. Diversity matters to us. If it matters to you as well, drop us a line to discover how we can work together to make diversity come first in your organization.