How to Address DEI Program Challenges in Corporations

DEI can learn a lot from Emergency Management (EM) But DEI can't become traditional emergency management - it has to be what EM strives to be: strategic, just, and embedded in operations and culture. DEI efforts are often approached in a reactionary way - in response to some trend, public outcry, or internal crisis. This post focuses on how to proactively operationalize plans. But keep in mind that a strategy is the foundation our plans are built upon - it is customer/client-centric and helps us choose to do somethings and not others. With planning, the organization is the focus. I learned this the hard way in my private sector career, 20+ years in federal and local government, and consulting with 100+ clients. POETE is an acronym to help build a capability - it can support more intentional action. POETE stands for: ⒈ Plan 📝: (A) Collaboratively develop plans with stakeholders (especially people closest to the work and closest to impacts); (B) Ensure plans are based on quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis disaggregated by demographic data - statistics need narratives to provide context ⒉ Organize 🧩: Build and strengthen teams and organizational structure to implement the plan - include diverse perspectives from every level of the organization ⒊ Equip 💰: Dedicate resources so teams can implement plans - dedicated position(s), budget, leadership support, and time ⒋ Train & Educate 💡: Ensure that all employees - leadership, managers, and frontline employees - have the necessary training and education to play their respective roles in implementing the plan ⒌ Exercise/Practice ☑️: Practice the newest and prioritized parts of the plan(s) to make sure people can do what is expected of them. Adjust plans, organizing, equipping, and training/education based on outcomes of practicing and practice again. At every part of this continuous transformation process, just practices are critical - HOW we do what we do is often even more important than what we do. This approach can make the implementation of your DEI vision more vibrant than you could have ever imagined.

In the wake of the recent executive orders targeting DEIA initiatives within federal organizations and beyond, it’s clear that the current administration is setting the stage for broader attacks on inclusion efforts. From the establishment of a “hotline” for reporting DEI language to the appointment of DEI critics to key leadership roles, these actions are not just a government matter—they are a signal of what’s to come for private businesses. As I’ve said before, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. However, instead of retreating, we must act now. The playbook being deployed isn’t new, and it’s more important than ever to double down on creating cultures of belonging and environments where all voices are valued and heard. Here are six actionable steps leaders can take to safeguard and strengthen their commitment to building inclusive workplaces: 1. Embed DEI Into Core Business Strategy Treat DEI as integral to your business strategy, not a separate initiative. Align DEI initiatives with organizational objectives, and tie them to measurable outcomes like employee retention, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Pro Tip - Ensure Merit, Excellence & Intelligence (MEI) is highlighted. 2. Invest in Psychological Safety Ensure your workplace fosters open communication where employees feel safe to express themselves without fear of retaliation. This foundation of trust enables innovation and builds stronger, more cohesive teams. 3. Be Transparent and Data-Driven Use metrics to assess the current state of your culture and workforce. Share findings transparently with employees and leadership. Pairing data with storytelling humanizes the numbers and helps make the business case for DEI. 4. Strengthen Leadership Equip leaders with the cultural competency and tools they need to champion inclusion authentically. Empower them to drive change at every level of the organization, making them visible advocates for a culture of belonging. 5. Collaborate Across Sectors Join forces with advocacy groups, industry leaders, and community organizations to share resources, amplify impact, and stand united in advancing inclusion. This collective approach can strengthen resilience against external pressures. 6. Listen, Learn, and Adapt Create regular opportunities to listen to employees and communities impacted by your decisions. Use their feedback to refine and adapt your DEI strategies to remain relevant and effective. While the current climate might be challenging, this is also an opportunity to reaffirm your commitment to creating workplaces where everyone feels valued and supported. Proactive leadership in the face of adversity not only protects your organization but also positions it for success as workforce and market demographics continue to evolve. Rise to meet the challenge, stay the course, and collaborate to create a workplace where belonging thrives. Together, we can ensure our workplaces are resilient and inclusive moving forward.

If you are a leader or practitioner of #diversity, #equity, or #inclusion, do you facilitate activities, or do you create impact? They're not the same thing. In conversation after conversation I've had with DEI teams in the last few months, a common theme is anxiety in the face of change. The language they've spent years using is being forced to change. The activities they've made into their bread and butter are being suspended or forced to adapt. Newer or less mature DEI teams tend to see their activities and their impact as one and the same. They reason that, if they provide event programming and support employee networks, their impact on the organization must be "event programming existing" and "employee networks feeling supported." In the face of change, they grieve not only the loss of the status quo, but the perceived loss of all impact they could make. More established or mature DEI teams see their activities as a means to achieve their desired impact. They're able to identify problems in the organization that need solving and develop activities that best utilize their resources to solve these problems. They reason that, because the organization fails to adequately create belonging for all of its employees due to inconsistent manager support and a company culture that doesn't value people, they can solve the problem by increasing managerial consistency and creating a more people-centric culture. In the face of change, they grieve the loss of their activities—but can quickly pivot to new ones that achieve the same goals. We can learn a lot from these teams. If you want to sustain your impact even through disruptions to your team's typical operations, you can start by doing the following: 🎯 Define the problem you're working to solve, in context. Data, both qualitative and quantitative, ensures that you can identify the biggest gaps in your organization's commitment to its values, understand what areas DON'T need fixing so you can conserve your effort, and can start strategizing about how to solve root causes. 🎯 Pull out the biggest contributors to unfairness and exclusion. It's one thing if a manager in Sales communicates disrespectfully. It's another thing altogether if the culture of the entire Sales team glorifies disrespect. Understanding the scale of the issues we face can help us prioritize solving the biggest issues affecting everyone, rather than chasing symptoms. 🎯 Design interventions, not activities. Too many practitioners create an initiative because that's what they've been asked to do. Think of them instead as interventions: carefully-designed attempts to shift the status quo from Point A to a more inclusive, more fair Point B, by solving real problems that hold your organization back. The more we shift our work toward real impact, the more effective we'll be—regardless of the sociopolitical climate, regardless of backlash. Let's hone our focus.