DEI Needs More Hustle

Hi from NOLA!!!

I'm here for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE). I very much so enjoying catching up with old colleagues (Hi, Kathleen McLean (she/her/hers) MBA, CSW ) and making new friends (Hey, Alicia C. ). These events always remind me that it's important to stay connected to your circle. We give each other energy to keep doing hard and audacious racial equity work in the workplace.

Which reminds me... I wanted to share a little-known fact about myself with you...

I played on the soccer team in high school.

I would wake up early on Saturdays for practice and the first thing we would always be instructed to do by our coach was to run laps as a warm-up.

I hated running then and I'm not too much of a fan of running now either. Mainly because I seemed to always find myself at the back of the pack.

In a sport like soccer, being fast and quick on your feet make you an asset to your team. Even though we were only in practice my coach would always yell out to us, "Hustle".

Coach told us that the way we played in practice was a good indication of how well we would do in the following game.

Thinking back on how my coach motivated us to hustle in practice so that we could be agile and increase our chances of performing well on the field during our games, I can't help but make a connection to what's happening in the DEI space.

With DEI being under attack, senior leaders are rolling back on their commitments to do racial equity work. We are experiencing what I call, the DEI Officer Dropoff. A mass laying-off of DEI practitioners, DEI C-Suite, and senior-level executives. This is threatening the future of work and many businesses won't be able to sustain themselves after the fallout of lawsuits, financial decline, and poor reputations.

I believe companies who have committed to DEI in the past need to do three things to save it.

1. Consider the Triple Bottom Line. Before DEI was targeted by the state, the hiring of Chief Diversity Officers rose 55% . Companies were hiring for two or three positions at a time to form robust DEI teams. It seemed there was a sense of urgency to turn toxic company cultures around. Following demands for broader racial equity and justice, this was the business response to the murder of George Floyd. Senior leadership at companies started to engage with the community - doing well by doing good. The formal term for this is called Corporate Social Responsibility. It's when companies look at ways to improve their triple bottom line (profits, people, and the planet). If you want to know what ways your company can win in all three areas, book a 1:1 consultation with me. I'd be happy to tell you more about Making Justice: Corporate Social Responsibility for CEOs, my CSR Plan VIP Day, where I help CEOs amplify their companies’ social impact. I’ll spend up to 8 hours with you and your team to develop a strategy, plan, and system for incorporating cultural social responsibility into your business. Book your free 20 min consultation now .
2. Recommit to doing DEI work in an audacious way. Take risks and stand up to those who have had the audacity to push back on the very good work and progress that has been made. Someone once told me that, adversity never comes to those who are doing nothing. It's always in the face of bold change, after tremendous wins in the right direction. Practitioners, keep hustling in your DEI practice. Allies, believe that this work impacts you, too - because it does! When your colleagues understand themselves better and understand you better, they can do better. Education can transform lives. A threat to DEI education is a threat to your future and your freedom in the workplace. Do not lose sight of the wins that have been made because of DEI work and consider what your world could look like in the future if DEI is thriving in the workplace. Need support in building your cultural competency? I'm officially launching my DEI membership program on Patreon. Join at any level you feel comfortable with and you'll have access to my DEI resources inclusive of guides and dialogue prompts, Q&A sessions, small group dialogues, healing circles and 1:1 coaching. Memberships start at only $5/month. Become a Member Now!
3. Support your team in sustainable and innovative ways. The only way we will be able to reverse the DEI Officer Dropoff is to hire or rehire DEI executives to lead this very crucial work. If a full-time traditional Chief Diversity Officer is not a viable option at the moment, consider hiring a Fractional Chief Diversity Officer who can work on your priority project(s). A Fractional Chief Diversity Officer can help you through a hiring season with your onboarding process, manage your team training, and handle day-to-day DEI tasks related to tracking, reporting and measuring your DEI outcomes. Hire me to be your Fractional Chief Diversity Officer Now.

With DEI programs being banned in Florida , Texas and Louisiana , that means that there should be a sense of urgency to save DEI. We need to be hustling to get out from underneath the poor policies that are coming from administration on local and state levels. This is not a scrimmage game... It's time to kick it into high gear and hustle toward our DEI goals. That will be a win for justice to me!

I love a good ICYMI and so I thought it only fitting that this week’s Stack The Deck be dedicated to my favorite moments from the last weeks that you may have missed if you aren’t connected to me personally on LinkedIn. (Let’s connect now! )

I've been asked to Keynote! I'll be speaking at Dusable Black History Museum on June 29th for Beyond the Classroom: Honoring Mamie Till Mobley's Legacy. Please consider making a gift to the Mamie Till-Mobley Scholarship which will support a worthy graduate of a Chicagoland high school who is engaged in the Black community through leadership or service, has a GPA of at least 2.75 and demonstrates financial need.?This event is held by Loyola's School of Education. Register for the event Now!

My God Dad & mentor, Bryant Smith is facilitating a workshop on Friday 6/2/23 at 10:15 am -11:45 am in Fulton called "For" the Institution or "Of" the Institution: Leadership Symposium About CDO's. If you are here at NCORE be sure to come and check him out!!! He also has a vendor booth where he's selling T-Shirts. They are almost all sold out... and you cannot leave NOLA without one!!!

Check out a few of the amazing speakers I'll be catching while I'm here at NCORE.

I am looking for DEI Game Changers to be highlighted in this newsletter and podcast. If you are interested let me know: Fill out the form now .

?? I help my clients meet the global demands of business and address the challenges that come along with changing demographics, differing points of view, and workplace fairness.

???? I’m a Fractional Chief Diversity Officer who is a certified Digital Business Manager and Certified Diversity Executive.

????I am a cousin of Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley. I use my platform to tell my truth and promote racial reconciliation.

?? I’m looking for opportunities to speak about race and racial equity in the workplace this year.

?Run a podcast? Want a guest blog?

?? Give me a shout: [email protected]

Uno Out!

Amberly