The Strategic Advantage You Can't Afford to Ignore

My first exposure to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) was when I worked to integrate disability hiring strategies into corporate business models.? The company leaders I met understood DEI, but viewed disability as separate from DEI.? It is not.? Disability is interwoven through all of DEI and therefore exists in all diverse/DEI categories. This concept led me to really understand and value the intersectionality of who we are and thrust me into advocating for all DEI.?

Though DEI often “buckets” people into groups, that’s just not reality.? We are all an incredible web of intersectionality.? I used this fact as a strategy to get buy-in on including and implementing disability hiring into companies’ diversity programs.?

Even though this concept is easy to understand, early in my DEI career I found that many times I had to explain the benefits of DEI in general.? Some of the initial reactions I received ranged from skeptical to outright dismissive. I’d explain the concept and people looked at me as if I’d suggested they join hands, sit in a circle, and sing "kumbaya." "Sure, DEI is important," they'd say, "but does it really affect the bottom line?"

The answer is a resounding yes…and (as my teen daughters would say) …I’ve got the receipts to prove it.

When I started advocating for this approach, the naysayers were loud. "There’s no funding for DEI," they said. "It’s too hard to hire people with disabilities at scale." Those folks were stuck in their old ways, clinging to the way things had always been done.

But what they didn’t see (and what I refused to give up on) was the potential for something better. Something more efficient, more innovative, and more impactful. I wasn’t just out to fill a quota or check a box. My team and I were determined to build a system that would transform businesses and, in doing so, change lives.? Each time we implemented our new framework and process, something incredible happened... it did exactly what we thought it would do...and exceeded our clients’ expectations.?

Let me tell you about one of the companies that integrated our framework. This company had been struggling with high turnover rates and inconsistent productivity in certain departments. They were skeptical about hiring disabled talent, not because they didn’t want to, but because they feared the disruption to their carefully optimized systems.

What we did was simple but profound. We showed them how to incorporate disability hiring into their existing processes, with minimal changes, and how to provide enough support to help their new hires feel comfortable being themselves at work. The results were astonishing. The managers selected were excited about the program, attended the training, sought ways to work the framework, and became champions of the program sharing their successes with their peers.? Within a year, in the office where they piloted disability hiring, the employee retention rates for diverse talent (not just disabled talent) soared to 85%, and productivity in key roles shot up by 150%. Their total employee satisfaction rating on their annual survey for that office, as a whole, scored higher than it had ever been.

Think about that for a moment. Imagine what those results could do for your business. We all know the financial and morale toll turnover takes—from lost productivity to the constant churn of finding, interviewing, and onboarding new employees. But when you create loyalty and connection to mission AND experience greater productivity, well, that’s a game-changer!

This is what DEI does…DEI isn’t just about doing what’s right; it’s about doing what’s smart.

That example isn’t a one-off success. Time and again, I’ve seen how truly embracing DEI transforms organizations. Having diverse talent in your company consistently produces new ways of thinking, creates inclusive environments, and invites real innovation into the workplace.

It’s like eating a bland meal as a kid sitting at your parent’s kitchen table, and later as an adult, with a more refined palate, you experience a similar dish from that new ‘fancy restaurant’ you always wanted to try… and when you did, it was packed with complex, unforgettable flavors. It’s the different spices, and how to use them, that create such an amazing depth of flavor.? Those dishes imprint your brain, and I bet you tell everyone about an incredible-tasting meal.* That’s how I feel about our DEI—the results are that powerful.

DEI isn’t a charity project and should not be a checkbox on a corporate to-do list. Only when it is treated as a strategic advantage and becomes “just what you do” does it create positive ripple effects across the entire business. Companies that succeed in today’s market are the ones that understand the power of diversity and use it to innovate, drive growth, and retain top talent.

My advice to you…don’t wait until tomorrow to start reaping these benefits. The future of your business depends on it!

Note: I chose this picture of Scarpetta 's spaghetti with tomato and basil because it is a dish I talk about a lot. It was so simple yet so good! I've had spaghetti thousands of times, a hundred different ways, and this amazing dish is at the top of the list of deliciousness!

Please try it if you get the chance. I had it (now several times) in Las Vegas at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.

Thank you Rondu Vincent for telling me to order it!

Much like this spaghetti dish, DEI can be so simple... yet so impactful!