Diversity is just the beginning; Inclusion makes us better

I am humbled to be included on this year’s Fortune Most Powerful Women List alongside inspiring trailblazers, industry leaders and change-makers. This recognition is meaningful, especially in this year of significant challenge and change across our society. My inclusion among these remarkable leaders is a reflection of our incredible team at Boeing. I draw my strength from them – their perseverance, their resilience and their unwavering commitment to our customers' mission. It’s because of them that I’m motivated to drive positive change within Boeing and the world around us – particularly on diversity and inclusion.

We know that diversity makes us stronger.  We have also come to learn that creating a diverse workforce doesn’t happen by chance. It requires conscious decisions and sustained actions in recruiting, retaining, developing and promoting people to ensure we are building a team that is diverse in every dimension.

But what we don’t talk about enough is inclusion. And inclusion is critical to establishing and maintaining diversity.

Inclusion must be tangible. It must be seen. It must be heard. It must be felt. Without inclusion, no one will speak up. Without inclusion, great, diverse talent is squandered and lost. 

For me, inclusion is also about acknowledging that I don’t know what it feels like to walk in another person’s shoes, but I do know that the journey they are on – and the unique perspectives they bring – are valuable. I need to play an active role in welcoming those perspectives.

I hope you’ll join me by thinking about how you can be an active change-maker in your organization. Consider:

• reaching out and visiting with teammates you don’t often work with;
• pulling up a chair for the teammate who should be sitting at the table, but isn’t; or,
• asking the opinion of a teammate who often seems hesitant to speak up.  

These might sound straightforward, but they’re not simple. Inclusion requires self-awareness, empathy, situational awareness, and – most importantly – courage to recognize and stand up when those around us might feel excluded.

Diversity is an essential step on the journey to a more fair and equitable society. To drive lasting and meaningful change in our companies and our communities, we must also have inclusion. And inclusion starts with each of us.