Is is fair to label Diversity and Inclusion as #Fakenews or Virtue Signaling?

Yesterday, I ran across an executive while attempting to do in-person networking as part of my job search. In this conversation, he shared that he held the believe that diversity and inclusion was #fakenews and nothing but virtue signaling. Somehow, many people of all backgrounds feel confrontable with saying the quiet stuff out loud around me for I will always show respect towards all world views.

When people use virtue signaling as a label. What do they Mean? Does this translate into what is perceived as empty displays of moral goodness. Do we dare explore wither companies know how to receive this type of feedback and acknowledge if received, they are well on their way to becoming more effective, welcoming and sustainable for all employees.?

Today, I thought I would analyze this believe and why it exists in hopes that Diversity professionals will seek to address it. The first fact that I think requires acknowledgement is that there does not seem to be any broad leadership commitment to this agenda and that America is a long way from parity or even representation reflective of the population. US Today uncovered that the number of Black Female CEOs is at 1%. Diversity Naysayers may be perceived as racist, which is an inaccurate label but many people holding this viewpoint believe in Dr. Martin Luther Kings statement that a person should be judged by their decency and morals than by the color of their skin but someone have not thought deeply enough on what society needs to move to that perspective and that it cannot be accomplished by believe alone.

One gap I see is that there is no standardized way to measure leadership commitment which likely requires assessing assessing qualitative aspects of leadership and organizational culture. However, there are several objective and subjective indicators that can provide insight into the extent of leadership commitment to diversity and inclusion:

Representation in Leadership Roles: An objective measure of leadership commitment is the presence of diverse individuals in top leadership roles, such as the CEO, executive team, and board of directors. The more diverse these positions are, the stronger the commitment appears. We also need to be deliberate in placing individuals with potential into this roles and assuring that they are successful.

Diversity and Inclusion Policies and Initiatives: Assess the presence and effectiveness of formal diversity and inclusion policies, strategies, and initiatives within the organization. This can include reviewing written statements, programs, and action plans. Imagine how much this could be strengthened if corporations asked their more conservative employees to throw daggers at their approach in an anonymous manner.

Budget Allocation: Examine the financial resources allocated to diversity and inclusion efforts. A commitment to diversity is often reflected in the budget for training, recruitment, mentorship programs, and other related activities. Budgets need to be more than for employee resource groups other awareness level topics.

Diversity Fieldtrips: Many corporations are in urban cities where diversity surrounds their headquarters. What if corporate America and leaders went on a diversity fieldtrip and instead of eating lunch in the office, instead walked the neighborhood and took a few people out to lunch fro the community and engaged in a conversation with them. There is nothing like making it personal.

Metrics and Accountability: The existence of key performance indicators related to diversity and inclusion, such as hiring and promotion rates for underrepresented groups, and the tracking of progress against these metrics, can provide insight into leadership commitment. Having to publish these metrics to the general public might cause a lens to be placed on making this number improve year over year.

Transparency and Reporting: The organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion can be assessed through the publication of diversity and inclusion reports, which should include both successes and challenges. Transparency indicates a willingness to be held accountable.

Stakeholder Perceptions: Conduct surveys or focus groups with employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders to gather feedback on their perceptions of leadership's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Mentorship and Sponsorship: Assess the level of mentorship and sponsorship provided by leaders to employees from underrepresented groups. Leadership involvement in mentorship programs can be indicative of commitment. If you are a CEO and are not currently mentoring someone from a diversity background, message me and I will make a few introductions

Accountability Mechanisms: Evaluate the consequences for leaders who fail to meet diversity and inclusion goals, including their impact on performance evaluations and compensation. In most organizations there is no penalty.

Conclusion

Many Diversity professionals have their own biases and will often ignore feedback that is not representative of inclusionary behavior. When you receive feedback from employees, that feedback was likely carefully thought out and thoughtfully prepared. Honor the time they spent on it and the risk they took in delivering it. Meet their investment with deep thought, conversations, proposed action, invitations for more input, and a sustained investment of effort

It's important to use a combination of these measures to gain a comprehensive understanding of leadership commitment to diversity and inclusion. Additionally, these measures should be regularly reviewed and updated to adapt to evolving organizational goals and the broader social and cultural context. Ultimately, leadership commitment to diversity and inclusion should be reflected not only in written policies but also in tangible actions and outcomes.

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