A Slice of DEIB

As a new and fun way to engage my team, I decided on a great bonding activity - we would all make a pizza and enjoy it together! I was so excited. I bought one of those new fancy pizza ovens and bought the best pizza dough I could find. I invited the team to bring whatever toppings they wanted on the pizza and meet me in the outdoor break area.

I got there a little early to get the pizza oven set up and get the dough prepared. Each member of my team brought their favorite topping. There was cheese, of course, pepperoni, sausage, pineapple (who brought that), bacon, Canadian bacon, bell peppers, mushrooms, and jalape?os.

As I fired up the pizza oven, I invited each team member to add their ingredient to the pizza and tell us why it was their favorite. Amy started with the shredded mozzarella that she got from a deli she used to go to with her Father. Frank put on this spicy pepperoni that his mother actually makes! The stories were great as each person put their item on the pizza and now it was finally ready to put into the oven.

But, after looking at the pizza, I decided there were way too many toppings. There was too much pepperoni and jalape?os on it and the pizza was going to be too spicy so I removed some of them.?Did we really need two forms of bacon? Not really. I removed some of them as well. And honestly, who puts pineapple on a pizza - they had to go.

Now the pizza was ready to be put into the oven. But as I looked at the pizza, I realized, with all these ingredients, I needed to turn the temperature up on the oven to ensure an even and well bake. While the pizza was baking, we took the opportunity to provide team status updates and in no time, the pizza was ready.

While everyone grabbed a plate and the smell of fresh pizza filled the air, I cut the pizza into even slices, one for each of us. But, before I could even say "enjoy", Amy had already finished her slice and asked if there was any more. She explained that she worked late last night and missed dinner and was running late this morning and never had breakfast, and was starving. This frustrated me immensely because this was typical of Amy - she's always looking for a handout. She doesn't eat and somehow it becomes all of our problems to solve. I told her she was just going to have to figure it out like the rest of us who manage to act like adults.

Meanwhile, I noticed Frank had barely touched his slice. Curious, I ask if there was something wrong with his pizza. He explained that he was hungry earlier and decided to eat his lunch and wasn't hungry now. Not being one to let great pizza go to waste, I found a spare Tupperware container so Frank could take his slice home and eat it later.

John was off in the corner working on his laptop. Turns out this guy is not only allergic to gluten but is also a vegetarian - so no pizza for him. And since Maria works hourly and my policy?states that she would have to clock out to join us, she opted to eat her slice cold after she clocked out for the day. Despite some of my team being problematic, almost everyone else had a great time.

If this story seemed a bit off to you, it should. The purpose of this story is meant to serve as an analogy of how to define Diversity, Equality versus Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice. It also serves to illustrate what happens if we focus on certain areas while neglecting others.

The DIVERSITY, or the presence of difference within a given setting, is reflected in the variety of toppings?but, the analogy also points to the dangers of relying solely on diversity as it may succumb to subjectivity, as illustrated by my determination that there were too many toppings, but only of a certain type. Depending on the power structure that is present, diversity is relative.

EQUALITY, or the state of being equal, is represented in the way I cut the pizza - each person received the same number of slices.

EQUITY, or correcting inequalities and addressing the imbalance, would have been best reflected in ensuring that Amy had enough to eat, regardless of her circumstances.

INCLUSION, or the feeling of safety, appreciation, and value within a given setting, and BELONGING, the feeling of being a full member of the larger community, would have been achieved had I ensured there was a gluten-free or vegetarian option available so that all team members could partake.

And JUSTICE, the changing of systems that disenfranchise historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, would have been achieved had I changed the long-standing policy of clocking out, during team activities which dissuaded and prevented Maria's participation.

But as leaders, EMPATHY?and EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, as represented by the pizza oven and its heat, is the catalyst that enables the pizza to be made and enjoyed by all. These skills allow leaders to place the needs of their teams ahead of their own, ensuring that all these concepts flourish and that teams thrive.

Does this analogy resonate with you? What would you change, amplify or have questions about?

Let's connect!