It’s Time for Leaders to Step Up: Moving Beyond Lip Service and Limited Action
Whether we’re talking about changes in the demographic makeup of the American population or changes in the spending power of marginalized groups, we’re talking about relatively slowly developing trends; trends that have been taking place for decades. The benefit of slowly developing trends is that they give companies a long time to adjust. The downside is that business leaders often neglect to account for such changes and constantly see them as something to worry about tomorr
Pushing Past the "Stuck State"
When George Floyd was murdered we all noticed. In our noticing we noticed something else—the progress being made in terms of inclusion and equity is not enough. We’ve entered a “stuck state” that holds back not only talented members of our organizations, but our organizations themselves! It wasn’t just one thing that led us to this stuck state, and it is not just one thing that will push past it. Making real progress on diversity at every career stage will require intentional
When It Comes to D&I: Equity is the Outcome
Over the 20 years of our practice, we have often found it exceedingly challenging to get CEOs and other leaders to "get it." They know what diversity is and they often think they know what inclusion is—yet they fail to actually include the voices of the people in their organization who can help them better connect with, and understand, their target audiences. Now a new term has been introduced—equity. The kind of equity that would mean that people like George Floyd would be t
When a Country is Tone Deaf: A Lesson for All of Us
Addressing racism is a touchy subject, one that has to be handled with care and sensitivity. Even when those looking to broach the subject have the best of intentions and feel they have carefully thought through their messaging, reactions can range from rolled eyes to outrage. Case in Point: When Good Intentions Backfire Case in point—a recent campaign by the government of Spain to address racism in the country. Spain has had a troubling history of racism – both state-sponsor
