Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is big business – $8B annually; there are over 220,000 DEI jobs on LinkedIn and yet we still haven’t seen much traction. What’s going on? When appointing leaders, are we thinking about all that creating an inclusive environment entails? In today’s corporate environment, many CEO’s, HR and Business leaders are thinking more and more about their own Diversity & Inclusion strategy. I can’t tell you how many meetings I have attended where no one looked like me – not the leaders and not the team – I am not a rare breed, I am a woman of color over 30.
Let’s talk about what a CEO needs to think about as they either start or improve the journey towards inclusion and belonging:
Some companies are hiring senior leaders to drive the initiative. That is a great start, but it is more than just hiring a person of color to lead the charge…much more:
1. What is the strategy? Are there resources allocated to truly retain and attract people of different color, gender and LGBTQ and drive diversity?
2. Is there an appetite to bring more diversity into the talent pool – are they actually hiring more diverse people – not just women, but people of color and promoting people of color into more senior roles. What does the executive leadership team look like? How many senior leaders are men vs women? How many are of color? How many represent LGBTQ?
3. What metrics are they using to measure success in Diversity & Inclusion? How will the new head of D&I be measured?
4. Does the D&I strategy go beyond talent acquisition? Does it include succession planning, career growth strategies, internal incentives?
5. Is it part of a company’s growth, change management or transformation strategy?
6. Does it include the various segments within D&I? The female segment can be dissected into women of color, women with children, women with no children, etc.
7. Is there any exit data to understand why women are leaving the company? Career growth, salary growth, starting own business?
8. Is there a training curriculum in place to help current talent leaders embrace and manage the diversity? Does the Leadership development curriculum include hiring for more diversity? Situational Leadership?
9. What levels does the D&I strategy apply to? Does it include the board? The executive leadership team? Senior levels?
10. Are they really ready to break the glass ceiling, break down the silos and embrace cultural diversity? Gender equality?
As you can see there is a lot to think about when it comes to a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy. If there is an appetite for change, senior level sponsorship and allocation of budget, it can be done.
If you need support in driving the change, reach out and we can chat further about your problems and together create the solutions that will increase your employee engagement, employer brand and cultural values. Like I said – I am a woman of color over the age of 30…I live and breath diversity every day.
