The critical mindset shift to measure your diversity progress

Welcome to Simply Diversity. This bimonthly letter breaks down key diversity concepts and explains how you can apply them... simply. There are plenty of terms heard ‘round the Internet as we prioritize diversity, inclusion and belonging in everything we do. This newsletter explains what these concepts are, why they’re important, and how to practice them. 

You’ve heard that you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable if you’re going to really do this “diversity thing” right. And while it’s a cheesy phrase, it’s the absolute truth. We discussed two reasons why diversity makes us uncomfortable in Simply Diversity 03, and today I’m adding one more uncomfortable truth: if you’re committed to diversity, you have to count people. It’s awkward, but only because you don’t know how to count people or why.

Break it down:

Well-meaning folx who care about diversity get twitchy when it comes to counting people. They balk, are we doing quotas now? It’s dehumanizing to treat people like a number!

I get it: of course people are more than numbers. But numbers are how we measure progress. 

Think about all the ways we measure progress with numbers: GDP for economic progress. Carbon emissions for environmental protection progress. Customer conversions for your sales team’s progress.

I know it’s different — you’re not counting people in those instances. But that’s where a perspective problem lies: the goal of counting people to measure diversity is not about measuring the people, but measuring your progress.

How effective are your new hiring policies? Are your efforts to diversify your company’s board working? Is there something in your company’s culture, recruiting process, or structure that is repelling diverse candidates?

You can’t answer those questions if you're not counting. If you don’t measure to see where you stand now, how will you know what to change for the future, and when you’ve made a difference?

Do Something Different:

Do some counting experiments today. What’s the racial breakdown of your leadership team compared to your entry-level staff? Have you talked to someone in the queer community this week? When was the last time you spoke with someone for whom English is their second language?

If you’re a high-achiever, you’ll write what you count in your calendar, and make a note to repeat this exercise every month until this time next year you can measure real progress.

It’s not a competition, nor are certain “counts” better or worse than others. This is about what you notice. Be curious — what do your counts demonstrate to you? I’ve shared some of mine in the comments, and I’d love to hear about your steps toward counting. 

Last but not least: Happy New Year. Give yourself a pat on the back today — you made it!

- Stacey

I have something big to share with you soon! Keep your eyes out for another email from me in a week or so, in which I'll share an exciting announcement and free resources I'm giving away!