Understand, Educate and Allow Personal Connections

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I)

These three words are very easy to identify and define separately. However, for some reason, there seems to be a mystique surrounding the use of these words in conjunction with one another. What are diversity, equity, and inclusion? How is it measured inside my organization? How do I begin integrating it into our culture?

I remember vividly when it happened for me. When those three words took on a very real meaning, personally and professionally, I was on a company conference call where my company’s leadership had brought us together to discuss our public and internal response to the racial tension surrounding the recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmad Aubrey, and Breanna Taylor. During the Q and A portion of the conference call, one of our field operators asked a question about handling microaggressions from our guests. The response was de-escalation! My immediate thought was, “How do you de-escalate racism?” How could we expect operators to navigate hateful actions directed at our people? After the call, I spoke up. I expressed my frustration with the call and pointed out that our employees (and the world) were watching. The company responded in a way that only great companies could. Not only was my feedback welcomed at the highest levels, but they also partnered with me as we began building a framework around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Let’s take a deeper dive into the three questions above.

What are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

I believe it’s many things. Some responses are compassion, caring, understanding, and advocacy. However, what I find to be the true essence of the phrase is the commitment to progressing. The commitment to tackling you and your company’s (conscious or unconscious) biases, the commitment to evaluating your processes and systems, the willingness to be open and vulnerable—commit to the journey regardless of where you’re beginning. Sustain your commitment to all your people individually. I’ve yet to find a destination. a point where time, effort, and energy will not be allocated to strengthening DE&I.

How is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Measured?

Certainly, there are specific metrics that you can put to help chart your progress. Equal employment opportunity commission (EEOC) reporting is a good place to start. However, I find it extremely important to measure the impact where it matters most. Not in a monthly key performance indicator (KPI) report but through conversations with the very people we hope to positively impact, your employees. How do they feel about the culture inside your organization? Do they feel represented in the leadership? Do they feel equity in promotions and advancement?

How do I Begin to Integrate Diversity and Inclusion?

Understanding that people’s belief systems are formed largely in part by their life experiences has been a fundamental piece of how I navigate diversity, equity, and inclusion. Giving your people the green light to communicate about how they feel and what’s impacted their lives is very important. Regardless of your position, you can have a drastic impact on bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to life inside your organization. Cultural celebration calendars are a great tool to help guide this process. For example, during Black History Month, you can organize a conversation with your employees and leadership to understand the importance of black history in their lives. Keep the focus on understanding versus educating, and always allow for personal connections.