One Thing I Know for Sure….

Diversity and inclusion practitioners are highly skilled, talent management leaders.  Many have served in previous Human Resources roles in areas of change management, leadership development, talent acquisition, talent management, team building and so on.  In addition to possessing backgrounds in a number of business sectors they are passionate and caring people.  D&I practitioners approach change from a collaborative viewpoint and are skilled at meeting client organizations “where they are.”

A growing finding among practice leaders is that the D&I maturity levels within the client organizations often times are misaligned with either organizational goals, the espoused culture of the organization, or its politics.  This misalignment can dominate and create roadblocks to early success in developing the future state.  Regardless of the situation, (and trust me, I have experienced a number of anomalies)  the one thing I know for sure is that we cannot allow our vision of the future to become larger than the vision of the client.  Simple?–but not easy.  I am certainly guilty of it as are a number of my colleagues working in this space.  Because we have the right answer! Right?

The Yin and Yang of this field is in knowing where the low-hanging fruit resides, maintaining constant communication with key stakeholders (this is not a Lone Ranger line of work), being highly evidence based, and sometimes—-and here comes the tough part, being willing to start with a blank sheet of paper.  What?  That’s right!  Put aside all of that knowledge and experience and be willing to meet the organization where it is.  Simple?–but not easy.  And, for goodness sakes, forget this stuff about teachable moments.  The opportunities are rare and often times far and few between to sit across from a senior executive…. and teach.  Utilize your 30 minutes to learn.  Exhale…..and be willing to learn alongside the organization, while building trust and credibility.

Three must haves…

• Executive and senior leadership support – Conduct a stakeholder analysis during your organization assessment.  Regardless of your ability to design a plan, if senior leadership is not bought into the notion of diversity, equity and inclusion; success will be difficult.
• A culture that embraces change – Observe where agility and innovation are being demonstrated.  Is the organization willing to breathe life into its stated mission.  Is there shared dissatisfaction with the current state?
• An aligned infrastructure – A D&I strategy is as viable as the infrastructure supporting it.  If your job is to develop strategy and governance, go back to the first bullet.  Determine why dynamic systems, structures and processes are not in place.  The answer could be a critical success factor.