And if you’re that CEO, read this.
Over the past few days, Black Lives Matter has been at the forefront. People are using this time to speak up about racial inequity, mainly police brutality, and it’s not only the black community. We have been shouting out from rooftops all over the country about it for decades, though it’s just today that non-black leaders from organizations both big and small in scale have felt the responsibility to say something.
So why now?
Maybe it’s COVID. As we shelter in place, we’re left with an abundance of social media and non-stop news. Although people have been capturing appalling videos on their smartphones for some time, we have fewer distractions these days, and as consequence, we can pay closer attention. Besides our cleaner air, self-reflections, re-connecting with each other, and other silver linings of the pandemic, we can focus on what’s been wrong with this country and we can commit to the cause.
That could be one of several reasons why race relations is moving back to the center at this very moment and I could try to theorize further, nevertheless for this article - we’ll be talking about how the topic of racial disparity is being addressed at your workplace.
Has your manager sent out “the note?” Or has your CEO?
I’ve read the emails from some leaders out there and the messaging is abstract: Take the time and explore if you have any unconscious bias; Engage in dialogue outside of your comfort zone; Listen to your colleagues; Don’t be afraid. The sentiments seem nice and all, but could we count on people to do that work, know how to do that work, and proactively change?
Tacked on that, I’m sure there’s a closing statement something akin to we value diversity and inclusion.
Inclusion. That word bothers me. It implies that the group has already been established without my vote. Thank you for including me, but shouldn’t I already have had a seat at the table or at least a say about who does? Currently we don’t, especially in terms of leadership.
Thirteen percent of this country is black, yet less than one percent of The Fortune 500 CEOs are black. Percentage of white people in our cabinet right now? A whopping eighty-six percent compared to the sixty-one percent that makes up America. Those who are making the rules do not represent us.
I’m going to pick on the NFL since it has such a huge platform. Roger Goodell has finally found the errors of his ways and has apologized. Let’s take a look at your racial report card, Roger. Seventy percent of NFL players are black, yet out of the thirty-two teams about four head coaches and zero team presidents are African-American. We are mostly aware of the head coach’s job though let’s remind ourselves that the responsibilities of the club presidents don’t only include having the final say of who leads their team, but they are additionally in charge of hiring other staff, scouting, and determining salary caps. All in all, the league’s decision-makers are majority white even though the players who are arguably the ones making the money are majority black. Goodell has been commissioner for over a decade. He had time to redesign his organization and he didn’t. It couldn’t be more clear that he, like other executives, don’t value diversity as claimed.
Let’s help build a case for them on why diversity might matter.
- Diversity increases creativity and innovation.
- Diversity increases retention for the company.
- Diversity increases the company’s market share.
- Diversity increases profits for the company.
- Diversity improves the company’s reputation (here’s looking at you, NFL.)
I can speak to some of this from personal experience. I am a black female in a white male-dominated place. Like myself, my manager is also a black female in Corporate American which makes me feel very comfortable and open with talking to her. She’s someone I can relate to and it seems to me that she a champion for my success. As a result, I am more motivated to perform better and to take on additional responsibilities and opportunities which ultimately leads to my job satisfaction. It’s the small talk that makes a difference. Such topics as hair, music, family tend to make its way into the conversation which I welcome the well-needed break. Meanwhile, my white counterparts don’t usually don’t ask anything about me making our exchange pretty cold as ice. If it weren’t for my manager, I don’t think I would have lasted as long as I have — and I will toot my horn and say that I am one of the highest performing employees. My not sticking around would be at the detriment to the business.
If companies seek the best and the brightest on top of the aim to be high-achieving, they shouldn’t just talk the talk, they should walk the walk when it comes to diversity. Make it known what the next steps are. Don’t speak in vagueness, have an action plan.
Examples are:
- Recruit from HBC’s.
- Start a sponsorship program and pair of people of different backgrounds.
- Look beyond managers to those who want to advance, and upskill them.
- Share the demographics. Even if it’s embarrassing, it’s a jumping point.
- Look at the salaries. If minorities are on the low end, find out why that is.
Listen, bosses - apologies and thoughtful words with reference to the current state of events is fleeting.
To take you seriously, we need something measurable.
We’ll forgive you for not hearing us before as long you put your money where your mouth is — and as mentioned, the money will come for all of us involved. In addition to the financial rewards you could reap (even though there is more to life than that), having a diverse organization has been proven to be gainful in terms of the employee experience as well. Win-win.
And back to the phrase Diversity and Inclusion, we gotta do something about that. Eventually, we’ll need to re-coin it to something like “Diversity and Perspectives” to fit the bill. We’re not sitting around waiting for that invitation to be included — we were here all along.
And thank you for those who knew that we were.
