Nib shots: Sparsity to diversity

June 2023 summer hallmarks two decades of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) association; the expedition started in my year one under graduation at Bangalore University. Besides my studies, leading 160 talented National Cadet Corps (NCC) Army wing cadets for two consecutive years was a great honor. The phenomenal occurrence of the time was, incorporating the senior wing women’s division at the college for the first time; out of 160 cadets, ~30 were women. It was a great start!

Welcoming the first generation of women into the NCC company was necessary; however, managing an environment loaded with deflection and unconscious bias was the wider complication among diminutive operational challenges. The modus operandi of thought leadership was to address inequity with equity and consistently make the correct choice. (In Qualcomm terms, always do the right thing). The environment always has multiple options, but for leaders, it’s the only choice, i.e., “Doing the right thing.” Indisputably, it mounts pressure on a leader, but dealing with such situations turns out to be eustress and not distress.

The National Cadet Corps taught the “3 fundamental Cs” of leadership personality traits: courage, commitment, and consistency. These traits have always amplified our potential to outmatch the most complicated environment. As a student, I had no tip-off about DEI; as HR professionals, the contributions to diversity make us feel expressive, and the 3 Cs are yet crisp and contemporary.

Fostering the DEI values is a collective responsibility, and the subject is profound that constantly needs greater awareness. Together we can make the world more inclusive; please tag me to your DEI leadership narrative.? Heather Ace Craig F. Linda Simon, Ph.D. Megan Graham Pooja Joshi Michele Raymond Sujith Kuttaiah Shriya Dutt Aarathi Kumar Austin Norfleet Winston Arockiaraj Kaarthick Kumar Manju P Gowda 高静思 Ashwini Mudaliyar Ravi Rama Krishna Sripada