When it comes to DEI, are most leaders planning to fail?

Welcome to Simply Diversity. This bimonthly letter breaks down key diversity concepts and explains how you can apply them... simply. There are plenty of terms heard ‘round the Internet as we prioritize diversity, inclusion and belonging in everything we do. This newsletter explains what these concepts are, why they’re important, and how to practice them.?

You can’t see the view from a tower when you’re still standing on the ground.?

From the ground, all you see are walls. Your perspective is limited, and you can’t possibly know what the vista will be from the top.?

But when you start climbing, every step gives you a new perspective. The same is true of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

This is where senior leaders run into problems: they try to plan for the top of the tower before ever starting to climb and having no vision of the eventual view.

Break it down:?

Leaders must start the work of diversity, equity inclusion without having a full plan in place.?

Does that give you heart palpitations? I get it: It’s very common for the leaders I work with to think they must have their whole DEI approach worked out. They don’t want to say a word to their teams and employees before they have an A-Z plan that makes them feel prepared, confident, and certain.?

This doesn’t work. Why? Because you can’t plan for the top of the tower from the ground. You can’t make promises to your team about change, outcomes, or timeline because you don’t know what’s at the top of the tower — nor what you’ll learn on your way there.?

What you CAN do is communicate that you’re starting. That you have a plan to begin, an authentic desire for change and the confidence to remain flexible along the DEI journey.?

I cannot overemphasize the power of upfront communication. Clear and transparent communication is how you engender trust and confidence in your employees. They don’t need you to have all the answers, but they do need you to lead the effort .?

This is a struggle for many of my clients: even when senior leaders are working on DEI, no one tells their employees! Employees are left wondering what’s going on and questioning if leadership cares.

It’s a critical act of leadership for senior leaders to start DEI work. You cannot outsource something this integral to your organization. You can’t assume it will “trickle up” from the rest of your staff if you give them enough training budget.?

So how do you start??

Do Something Different:

Start climbing the tower with just the beginnings of a plan. You’ll gain more input on every rung, allowing you to develop your plan with information and perspective:

• Prepare yourself to be surprised. Leaders don’t typically like surprises, and that makes this challenging. When we say get comfortable being uncomfortable, THIS is one of the things we’re talking about. Understand that you can create a plan to move forward without knowing the full destination.
• Pledge to do something. Acknowledge to your team that you’re tackling the first step, and communicate what that is — Leadership coaching? A workshop? Review of your company’s data? Create that accountability and practice that communication. Speaking of which…?
• Get comfortable with communication. Commit to proactively communicating what you’re doing. You don’t need to tell your employees everything, but assure them that DEI is on your mind and part of the company journey.
• Rework Work’s Why of DEI is a great place for senior leaders to start. It helps you tune into your unique why, and gives you a solid foundation for having meaningful and change-making conversations that strengthen your relationship, interpersonal, and leadership skills.

In order to see the whole perspective, you have to start climbing. And with a foundation of understanding for senior leaders, your whole company can share a common language. You’ll know what to say when an employee raises a DEI issue like a microaggression .?

You’ll be able to hear them, understand where they’re coming from, and you won’t be tempted to ignore the issue out of fear or discomfort. Instead, you can share the steps you’re taking to address it. True leadership isn't answers, it’s action. So stop stalling, and start climbing.

About Stacey Gordon and Rework Work:

Stacey Gordon is Executive Advisor and Diversity Strategist of Rework Work where she and her team coach and counsel executive leaders on DEI strategies for business, while offering a no-nonsense approach to unconscious bias education for the broader employee population. Stacey’s unconscious bias course was the most popular course on LinkedIn Learning platform in 2021 and it has also been translated into multiple languages. Stacey is also the founder and host of the Rework Work Community , a free diversity, equity, and inclusion learning and practice space for professionals. You can find Stacey’s book, UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work , at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and wherever books are sold.