5 Actions to Recharge your DEI
“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.” —Melody Beattie
Happy New Year, everyone! As you read this, I’m traveling back home from two weeks in Sydney and the South Island of New Zealand. Absolutely beautiful. I hope if those places are on your list of where to go, that you make it there one day soon.
We’ve made it to the new year! 2023 was quite a whirlwind. This time last year, I was preparing to speak at the G20 Summit in India. 2023 had many ups for me, but also for me and many of my DEI colleagues, 2023 was extraordinarily difficult as we continued to navigate the many headwinds facing us in this work. If you are reading this, I know that you’re committed to the work of equity and justice. Let’s make sure your organization is on board as well. Here are my Five Actions to Recharge DEI for 2024. I’d love you to work on these as you kick off this year.
1. Assess your current DEI efforts: Take a moment to celebrate and reflect on your wins from last year. Now take a critical look at your current DEI initiatives and policies. Ask yourself, are they effective? Are they meeting the needs of your employees? If not, it's time to reevaluate and make changes.
2. Create/utilize DEI committees: Engage employees from all levels of the organization to form a committee responsible for reviewing and improving DEI efforts. Consider keeping core leaders on the committees but have rotating committee members in the organization so the DEI work is shared among teams across divisions.
3. Foster an inclusive culture: Encourage diversity and inclusion in all aspects of your workplace culture. Yes, this does include celebrating different cultures and holidays, but it also includes providing greater accommodations for disabilities and creating a safe and respectful workplace for all employees. The key is intentionality. To make a real impact, you must be thoughtful and deliberate in your actions and practice.
4. Hold leadership accountable: Hold leadership accountable for DEI efforts. Ensure that they are actively engaged and supporting DEI initiatives, and that they are held responsible for progress and results. What should that accountability look like? Carrots or sticks or both - which works best for your culture?
5. Provide training and education: Provide regular training and education on DEI topics to all employees. And make it practical! I will always give actions, scenarios, and takeaways - in addition to explanation and inspiration - when I talk about authenticity, belonging, unconscious bias, microagressions, allyship, inclusive leadership, communicating across differences, and inclusive leadership. A good story makes people think differently; a good training makes them act differently. That’s our goal. Let me know if you want to chat about all the different training options available, whether you’re interested in on-demand, virtual, or in-person.
The work of inclusion is an ongoing process, and it requires continuous effort and commitment from everyone in your organization. There are numerous ways to drive meaningful change, so start implementing them today.
Do the work
This week, I commit to evaluating and assessing my personal inclusion journey, celebrating my past growth, and determining how I can contribute to creating a safer, more inclusive workplace for myself and my colleagues.
Spread the word
If you want to keep going
Authentic Diversity: How to Interrupt Bias
and Build an Inclusive Workplace
Join me for an engaging, interactive virtual program that will shift your understanding on the challenges for inclusion in the workplace, and take up the call to action for every individual to build spaces of authentic diversity for all. What does diversity, equity, and inclusion mean? How do we make the business case for diversity? What is unconscious bias all about? How do colleagues experience microaggressions? And how can I build an inclusive workplace centered on belonging and authenticity for all? With stories, scenarios, and expert insights, I will give you the tools to interrupt bias, build inclusion, and make the work of diversity matter for good.
