How can you build a more diverse and inclusive team?

Aren’t they ALL important LinkedIn? Regardless of the level of attention each one may need, they ALL need to be considered and form part of your strategy. Whilst a ‘category’ may not yet be visible as an area of focus, who’s to say that a new customer group might not come along one day; or that a new employee may join who is not represented in your DEI framework; or that inadvertently you marginalise particular groups from applying for jobs because of the language you use. I agree you need clear, realistic goals to be successful in what is a complex space, but I don’t think you should pick and choose what ‘you’ think is important. That’s not being INCLUSIVE!

Before you define diversity goals, you need to define what diversity means at your organization. Think of the practice of medicine not taking careful consideration to define the nuances of human identity. Imagine a primary care physician providing an adult dose of medication to a newborn simple because they were both human beings. Lumping diversity into a catch all is a surefire way to fail at your diversity goals. Newborns are not *just* humans. Neither is diversity an all encompassing phrases. Get clear about what diversity means FIRST, set goals LATER ??

If you're trying to tackle the Herculean task of injecting genuine diversity into your team, it's more than just checking boxes. Look, in this hyper-digitized era, merely plastering generic job descriptions won't cut it. Think of your talent pool as the stock market; you want to diversify that portfolio. Start with branding: use language that doesn't alienate and imagery that mirrors the multifaceted world we live in. Share your commitment to diversity, not as a gimmick, but by spotlighting real faces with real stories in your teams. Sync up with organizations and platforms that breathe diversity. And hey, leverage your internal assets – incentivize your team for referrals. It's not just altruism; it's good business.

Working with the Civil service, I would back up their statement of Fair, open and honest. All profiles (CVS) are annoymised by removing all details, name, address, location and any information that could indicate a bias opinion. They also have resonable adjustments from the start. I think this is a fantastic way of doing things because all your making a decision on is just their skills!

I agree that creating an inclusive culture is important. It creates a sense of belonging and psychological safety that helps to attract more diverse talent to an organization. However the journey should start with intentionality to build that environment first, which is critical to driving more equity amongst the entire organization. When you start with this goal at the forefront of your strategy, it should become the norm versus feeling like a “check the box” exercise. This helps diverse talent want to become a part of your organization and current employees want to stay. Your current employees will become your ambassadors due to finding fulfillment and safety which signals authenticity and a genuine commitment to prospective talent.

It's important to ensure everyone feels that their contributions are important and are accepted. People shouldn't be discriminated on the grounds race, nationality, or gender. An inclusive environment must foster equal compensation, reward, accolades, etc.

Curating a culture of inclusive excellence requires first starting with WHY. Too many organizations start with how when it comes to why (DEI goals, action plans, and hiring policies). Without addressing the question of WHY Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are important to an organization, your HOW is destined to fail. It would be like building a house with no foundation. A great way to assess why DEI is important to your org is to do a 360 feedback loop from current employees (not just leadership), to assess overall org sentiment. The insight that is uncovered from this feedback will better help shape your inclusion strategy. Inclusive cultures require careful, intentional action to achieve long-lasting, impactful results.