Racial Equity: The Cornerstone to Success Both On and Off the Field

In football, every play must be measured and intentional; success does not happen by accident. It is an important lesson for leaders—particularly those looking to move the needle on DE&I.

This was one of the biggest takeaways from my recent conversation with NFL operations chief Troy Vincent, a Black, former All-Pro defensive back, who I interviewed for our?Redefiners podcast.

“Diversity is a fact,” he told us. “I was born a Black American. That is a fact. But inclusion is an actual choice, and who I include in the hiring process and who I interview is a choice. If you believe in making change, you have to be?intentional?in your choices.”

There is still a lot of work to do to become intentional. According to a?Gartner study, 35% of HR leaders see DEI as a top priority for hiring in 2022. That is too low. And companies that do not consider diversity and inclusion in upper management a tent-pole priority may not be recognizing a lack of diversity as a weakness. It is.

By acknowledging a lack of racial equity and developing hiring and mentoring programs and initiatives to advance minority employees, leaders can create a deeper, stronger more diverse pool of talent in the organization. Being proactive about supporting minority education, businesses, and advancing minority employees into management ranks will reflect and foster a credible social conscience among all employees.

Corporate America is faring no better than the NFL

An analysis done by?The Washington Post?in 2021, for example, showed that out of the 50 largest corporations, only 8% of C-suite executives were African American, while Black people represent 14.2% of the US population. And while more companies have been adding Chief Diversity Officers, only 13 of the top 50 companies by revenues, according to the Post’s analysis, include those diversity chiefs in top leadership circles. Without inclusion in the C-suite, the influence of these individuals is limited.

Indeed, diversity chiefs face pressure to create opportunities for all underrepresented groups, including women and LGBTQ employees. But many HR and diversity chiefs who talked to the Post say special attention must be paid to Black employees, who typically trail other racial demographics in senior leadership ranks. Since corporate interest in equity and diversity has climbed since the killing of George Floyd, more corporations, the Post asserts, are beginning to acknowledge the role racial bias has played in how Black employees are treated and evaluated, hampering their chances of promotion.

One outcome of these trends: No more than 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs at any time have been Black. “The extreme underrepresentation of Black talent in executive roles suggests a broken succession process in which many factors other than merit are at play,” noted Bradley Benn and Danielle Lafhaj, two Russell Reynolds Associates consultants who co-authored an?article?on the topic. “Frustration with this system has prompted a growing number of rising Black leaders to take unconventional and entrepreneurial routes to the top, often starting their own companies or changing employers to fast-track their careers.”

A failure to be intentional to create greater equity can be to the detriment of a company’s performance and competitiveness. The superior decisions and ideas that diverse teams generate tend to lead to long-term advantages such as above-average numbers of new products, based on a?North Carolina State University study?of how 3,000 companies performed over a decade.

Vincent points out that embracing DEI and baking it into an organization serves all stakeholders in the broader world, not just the equity owners and the shareholders, but importantly the customers, employees, suppliers, and entire communities. In 2019,?according to the US Census Bureau,?for the first time, more than half of the nation’s population under age 16 identified as a racial or ethnic minority. Among this group, Latino or Hispanic and Black residents together comprise nearly 40% of the population.

Diversity of backgrounds by race, income, education, age, and even geography of upbringing--while also considering performance, skills, achievements--make any institution stronger, more dynamic, and more resilient. That goes for companies, sports leagues and teams, educational institutions, and more.

Much like a football game, there is a clear winner and loser in DEI; the stakes have never been higher and the need has never been greater to put it all out there and fight for fairness and equity; our future depends on it.?