Want a diverse and inclusive culture in your organization but not sure how to start? That’s OK! Starting with yourself to build and lead with a D&I mindset is the most important thing to do.
Why D&I at work is important
Research proves diverse and inclusive teams make better business decisions and outperform their competition. And don’t forget recruiting and retention – 67% of people consider diversity an important factor when deciding where to work.
We often think of diversity as visible differences, such as race, gender, age and more. But we must also consider less visible diversity, such as life experiences and leadership styles. An inclusive culture is one in which all differences are welcomed, respected and valued.
Achieving D&I success
Creating diverse and inclusive cultures requires strategy, metrics and expectations integrated into every part of the business. But the single most important success factor is leadership commitment, because culture starts at the top.
A D&I mindset doesn’t mean being an expert in every facet of diversity. That’s impossible. A D&I mindset is about having curiosity and courage to learn about people who are different from you.
Start with your personal mindset
D&I training plays its role, but a classroom experience can only take you so far with real growth in the D&I space. As a leader, your authentic self is evident to those you lead, so if you haven’t done your work to expand your ability to welcome, value and respect differences, you won’t succeed in fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. It all starts with the self and much of the work happens in our personal lives.
While it’s natural to gravitate toward people similar to you, it’s important to replace biases with real experiences to inform your thinking. Having diverse friends makes you better informed, more thoughtful and more empathetic – all competencies for a great leader and an inclusive culture.
Three easy D&I steps
Developing a D&I mindset is a journey with no finish line. It’s a process of progressively becoming more aware. To get started, embrace the 3Cs:
- Courage: Have the courage to be honest about your biases. Notice who you don’t hang out with or have over for dinner. Diversity missing in your personal circle indicates where you may have biases worth exploring. Look beyond obvious differences and consider socioeconomic status, professional and education level, political views and more. Put yourself in situations to meet people unlike yourself by volunteering, attending community events and socializing where diversity is more prevalent.
- Coffee: Invite people who represent a dimension of diversity missing in your personal life to coffee with the simple objective of getting to know them.
- Conversation: Don’t worry about putting your foot in your mouth. As long as conversation comes from a place of curiosity, you’ll be fine. Use three simple phrases guaranteed to spark meaningful conversations:
- “I’m curious to know…” This is a way of asking something on your mind without casting judgement.
- “Tell me more” gives someone the opportunity to expand on the question in whatever way is meaningful to them.
- “Thanks for sharing.” Thank the person for being vulnerable and reciprocate by sharing something about yourself.
Don’t expect anyone to speak on behalf of any particular group. No two people are alike. By meeting many different people, you’ll appreciate the nuances inherent in difference. The more people you know, the broader, deeper and richer your understanding of complex issues will be.
When in doubt, consider South Africa
Before you dismiss achieving a diverse and inclusive culture via one relationship at a time as Pollyannaish, consider South Africa.
I lived in South Africa two years after the end of apartheid. I experienced a country transition from a divided apartheid state to a unified democracy. The transition was possible due to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was founded in the belief that storytelling would help South Africa come to a shared understanding of their past and a new identity for the future. The commission held hearings across the country in churches and community centers where victims and perpetrators of crimes under apartheid shared stories in the spirit of healing.
The stories were aired on TV every Sunday, which helped spark a spirit of relationship-building across the country. I saw how an intentional effort to understand the human beyond differences healed an entire country. If it can be done in South Africa, you can do it in your organizations.
Start with yourself and consider it a new lifelong journey of understanding others.
Beth Ridley is founder and CEO of The Brimful Life, former vice president of planning integration for Northwestern Mutual and a host for the BizTimes MKE Podcast.
