Diversity and Inclusion Without Equity Webinar with DEI ProFinder

We are super excited for this presentation. And let me— I'll just do a quick intro, and then I'm gonna pass it over to Sharita for her presentation on this very important topic about equity and how often equity is overlooked or sort of not focused on enough in DE&I strategies and programming. So excited, excited for this conversation. But just so you know who you're speaking to, I am Juan Taveras. I am the co-founder and CEO of DEI Profinder, and DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. And ultimately, we are on a mission to demystify the DEI landscape. There's a lot of misunderstandings about what DEI is. And, and I was an HR leader for 13 years. So I know from the inside, being an HR leader, how often DEI can spur confusion and conflict and division, when actually the goal of DEI, when it's done well, is quite the opposite of that. It's about bringing people together. It's about fostering understanding and respect and valuing each other's differences. So on our platform, we work with wonderful consultants and practitioners like Sharitta And we connect them with HR and business leaders looking for support with their DEI strategies. So I sort of live in the middle and foster those connections and build those relationships with the end goal of making our workplaces more inclusive and safer for everyone. And we host— we help our consultants host these types of events. on a monthly basis. And today we're gonna be talking about equity and the importance of keeping equity in the DEI formula. All right. So Sharitta Marshall is the founder and CEO of Visionary Development Consulting. And Sharitta is committed to creating a more equitable world by sharing tools and resources that foster psychological safety, which I love. And she does this by helping her clients create effective employee resource groups or ERGs. Through program management that directly aligns with the organization's strategic priorities. So Sharita is also a speaker, a facilitator, a trainer, and a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist. And we're so excited to have her facilitate this conversation with us today. So take it away, Sharita.

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for that wonderful introduction, Juan. I truly appreciate it. And I just wanna make sure everyone can see my screen before I go off camera. Awesome. Yay. Okay. All right. So when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, I have found that one, a lot of people kind of lightly gloss over or just outright ignore equity. And I believe that that has been to our detriment and allowed for a lot of the legislation and pushback against DEI. So with today's training, if I can see, what we're going to be talking about is some of the pitfalls and missed opportunities. And the objective of this webinar is really to focus on why equity is not just an add-on, but the cornerstone of an effective DEI practice. We're going to look at emphasizing equity that can drive DEI efforts forward. And most importantly, how it can address and overcome the pushback that often arises with these initiatives, especially with what's happening right now with a lot of legislation allowing for DEI to be completely eradicated within our communities. And this allows us to go beyond just acknowledging differences when it comes to us really being proponents around equity. We are actively pursuing fairness and impartiality within opportunities, treatments, and the investments an advancement for all individuals. So my goal for this webinar is for you all to gain a deeper understanding of the role of equity within DEI, some insights into common pitfalls when equity is sidelined, and some practical strategies for embracing equity into your DEI efforts to create lasting and meaningful change. So Juan did talk about who I am. As your, as your speaker and facilitator for today, as a former global ERG leader and now full-on ERG strategist and consultant, what I have been able to not just take from my prior corporate experience, but also use to make sure that my clients are really successful is around program management. And with program management, I speak about addressing issues, and we can't address issues without assessing what the issue is. And so the biggest issue that I've seen in talking not only to my clients, but just the community at large, is that equity still is one of those things where it's either misunderstood or sidelined or ignored. And a big reason for that is that a lot of people misconstrue or what I like to say, use interchangeably is equity and equality. And so what I wanna do is talk about equity in the context of D&I. When it comes to equity, equity is providing different levels of support or resources to ensure a fair and just experience for everyone. When it comes to quality, that means treating everyone the same regardless of background or need. So in a conversation I had with Juan, I was given the example of the apple tree, and 2 individuals had ladders to reach the apples in the apple tree. The only difference is that one side of the apple tree was leaning really close to the ground, and the ladder was more than sufficient for that person to climb up and get the apples. But the other side of the tree where the apples were, were significantly higher up, and even the ladder did not allow for the individual on the other side of the tree to get the apple. So equality is both individuals having a ladder. Equity would have been either for the ladder on the side where the tree was higher up to be longer, or for that person to be invited to the other side of the tree where the apples were closer to the ground. So when it comes to D&I, it's important to really push the principle of treating all individuals fairly and impartially without discrimination or bias regardless of sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other specific characteristics while also keeping in mind that levels of support and resources need to be adjusted based off of those individuals. Oh, one thing I wanted to mention also is that I'm not lecturing at you. So if you have any questions, please feel free to put them in the chat or raise your hand. This is a discussion. So if you have any thoughts around what I'm saying or any questions around what I'm saying, please, please feel free to interject, because again, I don't wanna just talk at you. This is an important conversation we need to have. So I would love for you guys to be engaged in the conversation. So it's important to note that while equality is a fundamental principle, not just within DEI, but just in how we exist in this community of the world, it doesn't always lead to equitable outcomes. So in some cases, treating everyone exactly the same may perpetuate existing disparities or fail to address historical inequities. And this is why the concept of equity, which focuses on providing different levels of support and resources to address specific needs and historical disadvantages, has gained prominence within DEI discussions. But it's just not enough. People seem to, again, either relegate it to the sideline or just ignore it altogether. But it is such a cornerstone important part of an effective DEI strategy and practice. So in practice, DEI efforts should really aim to strike a balance between equity and quality to ensure that all individuals have a fair and just experience.

Sharita, really quickly here, I'm gonna put a link to that, to that image you were just describing, because it's so— it's one of my favorites, and it's a good illustration. This is the easiest way to share it.

Awesome. So delving into, again, why equity matters, historical and ongoing systemic biases have created and continue to perpetuate uneven playing fields, and people from historically disadvantaged backgrounds may lack access to resources and opportunities enjoyed by others. This right here is always the pushback I give to people who think that the push for DEI, or the reason why DEI exists, is to take away from some other group or some individual. That's not what it was created for. That's not what it is right now, and that's what is not going to be in the future. It has always been designed to give people who have lacked access to resources and opportunity, access to the appropriate resources and opportunity. That's what equity is. That's why equity is in between diversity and inclusion, because it bridges the gap from those individuals who have been historically disadvantaged to being able to have opportunities for inclusion. Without equity, D&I doesn't matter. Because you can bring all the diverse people in that you want to, but if you don't give them access to the resources and opportunity they need, they will never be able to be included in anything. And that's just a fact. So when we think about the historical biases that continue to be plagued, and I know a lot of people want to think in past tense, and past tense is not that far away. It's not like 50 years was that far away. It's not like 20 years is that far away. We can even look at the most recent example of a name Navy Federal Bank disenfranchising Black homeownership by denying Black individuals who were qualified for loans on a 50% basis against those who have the same application criteria who were white. This disenfranchisement is not just about homeownership. It's about access to creating generational wealth. And the generational wealth gap between Black Americans and white Americans grows by the day. by the year. And at this point, there is almost no ability to not even catch up. So when we look at things being removed from the basis of historically disadvantaged individuals, this lack of access to resources and opportunities really does hinder them the ability to play in any game. And also, when we try to focus solely on equality, which treats everyone the same, it perpetuates those type of inequities and also continues to uphold those systemic biases and barriers for a lot of historically disadvantaged individuals. Equity ensures the fair and just experience by providing a targeted support to level the playing field. And an example that I like to share is Imagine a company with a mandatory training program for a promotion. However, some employees lack access to childcare or work long hours, making it difficult for their— for them to attend. So you have the equality of, hey, if everyone attends this mandatory training, they'll get a promotion. But the inequity is that some individuals can't due to their life circumstances. So a more equitable approach would be to offer flexible scheduling options or childcare assistance for those who specifically need it. This is not taken away from the individuals that don't have kids. This is not taken away from the individuals who have time. This is just giving access to resources so that they— everyone can have the same opportunity. So another historical example is that education opportunities weren't always equally accessible for different races. And one clear example of that is the existence of historically Black colleges and universities, because that was the only place for Black Americans to get not even a higher education, but even a secondary education. And also standardized testing may disadvantage students from undersourced schools. And this is something that continues to be perpetuated, which is why a lot of colleges and universities are not requiring these standardized tests anymore, because they recognize the inequity within the education system. Another example is companies offering unconscious bias training for managers to create a more equitable promotion process. That's great that they want to do unconscious bias training, but what is the unconscious bias within promotion that they're looking to address? My gripe with unconscious bias training is that a lot of it lends to be a one-size-fits-all, and that does not address the bias that really needs to be addressed. Unconscious bias training works best if it is aimed to address a specific bias and give practical resources to address it on an ongoing basis. But having a blanketed unconscious bias training that's required for all employees to take once a year Does not do anything. It's a waste of time, effort, energy, and money. And I never participate in it. I've turned down those type of offers because I'm like, this is not gonna do anything. Equitable D&I strategies address these issues across the board. And equity is not just about fixing past wrongs. It's about creating a future where everyone has the tools to succeed. Equity can't address the things that happened in the past. It's just looking to create corrective course action moving forward from here, moving forward. And if we continue to ignore it, all we're gonna do is continue on the path of perpetuating historical biases and systemic barriers to resources and opportunities.

Sharita, I have a quick question.

Sure.

Do you feel like part of the reasons that some companies focus on the equality piece of it is for legal compliance reasons of not wanting to potentially like get in trouble for not doing things kind of evenly across the board?

I'm going to give a 2-part, 2-prong answer to that. So yes and no. Yes, from a legal standpoint, because they're like, well, we don't want to have to get into the muck of actually addressing systemic issues, because that is a big lift. And no company or corporation can really attack that. And I say no, because that's an easy cop-out. There are things that can be done to increase equity that does not take away from other people. It just needs to be done in a way where it's a win-win for everyone. But in a capitalist society, Late-stage capitalism cannot proliferate in an equitable society. And I'll say that again, and I'll explain what I'm saying.

Yeah.

Late-stage capitalism cannot proliferate in equitable society, because an equitable society would allow for everyone to have access to the resources that they need. Late-stage capitalism hoards resources, and it doesn't allow for the accessibility of opportunity and resources for everyone. So that's why I say there's a yes and no. But again, there are things that can be done that can address inequality. Just the example I gave about a mandatory training, you get a promotion, there's some people that can't do it for obvious reasons. Creating those equitable flexibility in scheduling, self-paced learning, or providing childcare. Those are equitable solutions to an inequity, but it would require giving access to resources and opportunity. And a lot of late-stage capitalism is against that. So yeah, did that answer it?

Yeah, no, thank you so much for that perspective.

I appreciate it. So, and that's a good segue into the pitfalls of ignoring equity. You have failed DEI initiatives. So without equity, underrepresented groups continue to be excluded from leadership and growth opportunities. That's just the way it is. When we're not proponents of equity, we are upholding systems as they are, and we're allowing them to perpetuate because when we push equity, Just like what I mentioned, if we push equity, it requires the deconstruction of the way that things are. That's, that's the truth. And that's the reason why a lot of people don't want it, because they know that it will help to dismantle that. Misconceptions and mistakes. Top talent from underrepresented backgrounds will leave when they don't feel included or valued. No one wants to be somewhere where they are continuously traumatized to pay bills. No one wants to live like that. Do some people live like that because economically, that's what they have to do? Yes. But does this make for a quality of life? Absolutely not. And so if they have the opportunity to leave, they will leave. And now you are left with your cost of talent acquisition, your loss of knowledge, your loss of time, and then a reputation where, you know, I know that I've told people that have come to me about a company that I've worked for to say, hey, I'm interested in that. And I told them, absolutely not. If you value your mental health, do not work for this organization. But a lot of organizations don't know these conversations are being had. They're assuming like, oh, well, they'll just go to Glassdoor. Yeah, they might go to Glassdoor too. But hey, we have LinkedIn. People DM people all the time about companies. Like, these conversations are being had. And to ignore the fact that that happens can be to the detriment of a lot of companies. Because 83% of Gen Zers are looking for equitable workplaces. That push DEI, that push work-life balances, that want to create equitable futures for everyone. And now as we move into Gen Alpha eventually becoming, you know, into the workforce, they're gonna be pushing it the same as well. And to still stick with this idea that equity is taking away and not creating a society where everyone flourishes and thrives is going to be to the detriment of a lot of organizations. Missed opportunities to the point of what I said, like an equitable culture will hurt your external brand and really stop your ability to attract diverse talent. And so there are a couple of state case studies that I have found around failed DEI initiatives. So one was an all-hands meeting. So a company instituted a mandatory lunch and learn on unconscious bias, which, ugh, However, the presentation only focused on hypothetical scenarios and lacked practical tools for the employees to address biases, which again, that's my problem with a blanketed unconscious bias training. This one-size-fits-all approach failed to consider some employees might need more support than others to overcome ingrained biases. This lack of equity in training led to disengagement and frustration and hindering the D&I initiative. Another issue was a tech company implemented a diverse hiring program, but focused solely on attracting a wider range of candidates. They neglected to address the lack of equity within their interview process itself. Unconscious bias from interviewers and a lack of interview training specific to diverse talent candidates resulted in diverse— the diverse talent pool being there, but non-diverse selected hires. So that means you have all of these diverse candidates within your talent pool, but no one makes it to the actual working stage. So did it work? Yeah, you have a diverse talent pool available to you, but you didn't hire any of that diverse talent pool. So the company implemented a diversity recruitment program hiring a wider range of candidates, but did not bother to employ those candidates. And then for those that actually do onboard or hire those diverse candidates, they overlook onboarding and mentorship needs for these new people, because a lot of times these diverse candidates are coming into organizations where they are one of few or one of one. And so this lack of support leads to higher turnover among diverse talent. Showcasing the failure of a purely equal approach. This highlights the need for equity throughout your entire DEI journey. And going into some of the misconceptions and mistakes. The greatest misconception is if we treat everyone the same, that's equality, everything is fine. The misconception with this is that it ignores the fact that people come from different backgrounds and need different levels of support to succeed. A mistake is focusing solely on diversity numbers without considering equity. So you hire a diverse workforce to start, but now the true inclusion doesn't happen because you're not addressing underlying biases and ensuring that everyone has equal opportunities for advancement. And then the greatest missed opportunity— I mean, excuse me, the greatest misconception around equity, which I spoke to spoke to before is that equity means giving parents preferential treatment. Equity is not about quotas or handouts. It's about removing unfair barriers and ensuring that there is a level playing field for everyone. And when it comes to the missed opportunities, there is a limit in innovation when talented people are excluded or lack equal opportunities to contribute. Organizations miss out on a wealth of perspective and ideas. Equity focus fosters an environment where everyone feels comfortable in sharing their ideas, leading to a greater innovation and problem-solving environment. Employees feel disadvantaged when they don't have access to equity within their realm of work. They feel isolated, frustrated, and ultimately disengaged. When it comes to their employees. And this has a negative impact on employee morale, productivity, and retention. And one thing I think is really not addressed when it comes to those employees that feel isolated and frustrated is that when they voice this, they become the problem, not addressing the inequity. And this leads to them being pushed out of organizations because they're trying to address the fact that they do not feel included, do not feel like they have access to equitable opportunities. And this does lead to having a negative employer brand. And some companies may feel like, fine, I'm okay with that. I don't need to have diverse people within my organization. But again, moving forward, the new workforce population is diverse. You can't undo it. These people are here. And so you need to be able to present yourself as a organization where people can come in and thrive. Otherwise, you're going to have a revolving door of talent, losing knowledge, high talent acquisition costs, and a very negative brand. Some people can live with that. Some organizations can live with that. Some can't. The choice is yours whether or not that's the future you want to have. So when we think about addressing what that looks like, we need to think about drafting a holistic and sustainable DEI strategy. And that really comes into 3 main elements, which are key elements, understanding long-term benefits, and integrating equity right now into your existing DEI framework. A holistic DEI strategy is not just about including different groups, but about integrating equity into every aspect of organizational culture. A holistic DEI strategy is one that addresses the varied dimensions of diversity, practices equity in every opportunity and resource, and fosters an inclusive environment where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued. When we think about what that means, that means that DEI as a whole should not be siloed underneath HR. DEI should be ingrained in the organizational company culture, and that means everyone understands it, everyone participates, everyone is held accountable for its success. So when we delve into the key elements of an equity-focused DEI strategy, It really does start with assessment and acknowledgment. Starting with an honest assessment of your current DEI efforts, acknowledge areas needing improvement, particularly where equity may be lacking. Gathering data on your current workforce demographics, identifying gaps, and understanding employee experiences. This data provides a baseline for measuring progress. When we think about numbers and data when it comes to DEI, there's a proliferation of data out there. And everything shows that DEI is worth it. DEI is good. DEI should be included, but people ignore that. So this is where I always push back and say, what is your DEI data within your organization? And a lot of people just say, well, we don't know. Well, we have an idea, but you know, some people don't wanna give that information. Exactly. Why is that? And that's where it's always a pause, like, hmm, if people are not willing to give you their demographic information, why is that the case? That's the issue. The issue is because there has been so much demonization, ignorance, and problematic proponents of DEI that it doesn't show impact regardless of the data that's out there. So when we're looking to get data within our internal organizations, we need to address the fact that we don't have data for a certain amount of information. And it's not because, you know, legally we can't force people to do it. Of course, that's the case. But why do people not want to do it? Is it because certain demographics have been pushed outside of their ethnicity to be white? Is it because certain ethnicities have been erased from a box and just put as an other? Like, those things need to be understood so that we can understand like, hey, here's where our gaps are. Like, if you look at your data and just look at the data for what it is and don't actually look at what's missing, then you're really missing a full holistic assessment. You have to look at it as a whole picture and look at what's here and what's not here. And that can give you a better understanding of where you are with your current DEI efforts. And then tailored approaches, implementing tailored approaches that recognize and address different needs and barriers faced by diverse groups, developing programs that address specific needs, can help avoid a one-size-fits-all solution, and it also secures strong buy-in from senior leadership. This means that leaders must be champions of the DEI effort and role models for inclusive behavior. When it comes to leadership, this would be great if everyone saw the value and wanted to do it because it's great to do. That would be great. And if that was the case, it would be done. It's not. What's the ROI? What's the bottom line? What do I get if I do this? You have to show that, because again, we live in a capitalist society. They want to know what they get from investing in it. It's just what it is. If we want it to work, we need to work within the— to a certain extent, we need to work within the confines of a capitalist society while also pushing for its democratization, if you will. And then also looking at inclusive policies and practices, setting clear goals for your DEI strategy, tracking progress regularly, regularly reviewing your data and adapting your strategy as needed. Your strategy should not be a we do it once and that's it, and you never look at it again. You need to look at it to see if it's still relevant. Do you have the data to support it? Are you meeting your targets? If you're not, what's happening? Should it still be a target. This will help you develop policies that ensure for fair treatment and equal opportunities. Education and training. There should be regular education and training for employees that foster understanding of equity, specific unconscious bias training, and the value of diversity. Feedback and continuous improvement. You have to have channels for feedback, but not just channels where everyone leaves feedback and nobody looks at it and nobody addresses the people that left the feedback. Otherwise, people are not gonna give feedback. It needs to be somewhere where everyone has transparent eyes on it, and what's being done to address, acknowledge, and deal with the actual feedback needs to be available for everyone. This will foster an environment where employees feel safe to speak up and share ideas and report incidences of inequity or biases. And then for those of you who should already have a DEI framework, when you are looking to really integrate equity to be the stronghold and the cornerstone of your strategy, reevaluate everything you got going on. Reevaluate your unconscious bias training, reevaluate your diversity initiatives, reevaluate your inclusion, Go beyond just awareness and address practical strategies for mitigating biases in decision-making. And then also, if you have employee resource groups, this is the best resource for feedback. This is the best resource as a litmus test. This is one of the best extensions of your DEI strategy. Make sure that you are considering, you know, the needs of your diverse employees. Make sure that there are opportunities for really specific and deep-diving unconscious bias training. And then make sure you have the adjustability and flexibility to adjust your strategy. And when it comes to long-term benefits, there's so many. Like, they, they go beyond just checking a box for DEI. They present a strong case for the pushback against DEI. By taking a holistic approach with equity at its core, your DEI strategy will be more sustainable and more impactful. It will help you to build a more diverse and inclusive workplace. It will translate to a resilient and adaptive workforce capable of thriving in a changing world. Equity is a journey, not a destination. So you need to constantly monitor, evaluate, and adjust for a critical and long-term success. So I know that was a lot. So if you guys have any questions, please let me know. All right. So as we move forward into practical steps, these steps are the steps that I really like to push in order, which is Leadership commitment, conducting an equity audit, reviewing your policies and procedures, intentional unconscious bias training, employee resource group program management, and regular and continual communication and feedback. When it comes to creating an equitable workplace, you have to have strong, committed leadership buy-in. So that means before you even go off and say, I'm going to do this, make sure that you talk to leadership about what it is that you're trying to do and the results that you're looking for. And then let them know, like, hey, this is where we were wanting to do. We want to make equity the cornerstone of our DEI strategy. And we want your support because we want to do X, Y, and Z steps. And then from these steps, here's the expected outcome. Here's the expected ROI. And we're going to continue to keep you in the loop and continue to communicate with you throughout the process so you are aware of what's going on. This gives them an idea of what you're doing, because if you jump past leadership commitment and just do an equity audit and come back and say, hey, we did this audit and this is what we found, they're like, well, why? Then you have to go back and explain why you did it, what you're looking to do. Start with your why first so you can get them used to what it is that you're trying to do so that they understand what the intended outcome is and are part of the process along the way. They want to feel included. They want to feel a part of it. And a lot of times they have to sign a check in order for you to get the funds to do all of this. So you might as well start there. After you've gotten that commitment and that buy-in, when you conduct an equity audit, this helps you identify areas where equity is lacking by identifying— by analyzing your workforce demographics, pay equity, promotion rates, and employee engagement across different groups. When you're looking at your policies and procedures, look at them from the lens of, are they free from bias? Do they promote inclusive practices? Are there flexible work arrangements and parental leave policies that cater to diverse needs? Unconscious bias training. Invest in training that goes just beyond awareness. Focus on specific things that you have found within your equity audit. That's what leads to intentional unconscious bias training, and that's why I pushed it all the way to where it is, is because If you don't know what you need to address, if you don't know your gaps, then you're just doing a blanket unconscious bias training and not actually addressing the issues that are being— that your employees are actually dealing with on a regular basis. Employee resource groups. If your organization has employee resource groups, make sure you're providing resources and support and collaborating with them to address specific needs for those individuals within those groups. Regular feedback and communication. I can't push this enough. Transparent communication will get you farther than anything else. Have open communication about equity, what it is, what it's going to do, how everybody benefits. Conduct surveys, hold focus groups to understand your employees' experience. And then come back again throughout all this process to leadership to say, hey, here's our findings. Here's what we thought would happen. Here's what actually happened. Here's what we're looking to do to move forward to make this even better. Make sure that you are utilizing tools and resources like surveys and feedbacks, DEI metrics and dashboards that are specifically addressing the gaps that you looked at from your equity audit. I'm gonna keep coming back to this because you don't wanna just have metrics and people are like, well, yeah, that's a good metric, employee engagement. But is that the issue? No. So make sure you have that, and then partner with DEI consultants to gain valuable expertise and guidance. Juan is a great resource. He has a whole bunch of DEI people that you could choose from to help you do these steps. Now, does everyone do this? No. Am I a big proponent of it? Am I an expert in it? Absolutely. Should you hire me?

Yes.

But there are other people you can choose from as well. So I also want to give examples of success. Mentorship circles. Instead of having one-on-one mentorships, consider creating mentorship circles where a group of senior leaders mentors a group of junior employees. This can foster broader communications as well as diverse perspective. Offering flexible work arrangements. Now people are trying to push everybody to come back in the office. Realistically speaking, a lot of people can't do that. So to be inflexible around work arrangements is going to be the detriment to a lot of companies. Unconscious bias hotline. Have a confidential hotline or reporting system where employees can report their concerns about bias or discrimination. And this should be something that is really confidential. If you have a small organization and somebody does this, and you can tell by the words they use or the names they drop, who it is. That is not confidential, and people will not use it. So a quote that I recently came across is, equity is when everyone has a fair and equal chance to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. It's not just about treating everyone the same. It's about recognizing that some people have been starting a race from a much further back position, and they need extra support to get to the finish line. And this is by Bryan Stevenson. Equity is the cornerstone of everyone's success, no matter if you come from an underrepresented group or not. So I really do encourage you to explore the critical role of equity within creating a truly successful and inclusive DEI strategy. We discussed the importance of moving beyond equality and addressing specific needs of diverse employees. I talked about the key elements of building a holistic DEI strategy with equity being at its core. I've also shared practical steps that you can take to create a more equitable workplace, from intentional unconscious bias training to equity audits so that you know exactly what the problem is. I encourage you to take One actionable step. I know I threw a lot at you. It is a lot, but I encourage you to just do one thing that you can implement either within your team or department to promote equity. Share this idea with your colleagues. Start these hard conversations. And if you don't know how to start these hard conversations, connect with Juan and DI ProFinder to find people who can help you have these very difficult conversations. I am one of those people. I can come in to help you have difficult conversations with leadership to not only support equity throughout your organization, but also give that pushback of why DEI matters and why we need to continue the fight for it. So you are not alone. We are here to help. I am here to help. And if you Would love to. I would love for you to connect with me, reach out with me either via my website or LinkedIn, and we can continue this conversation. This is a very important conversation, and I would love to be a proponent for equity within your DEI strategy as well as throughout your entire community. So with that, I'm going to open it up for questions.

Sharitta, I loved that you had shared some of those success stories because I think some people think about putting equity into organizations like, you know, that visual of the guy pushing the boulder up the hill.

Yeah.

It can start small and doesn't need to be kind of that massive thing. But could you speak a little bit more to— because I mean, I've experienced many DEI-related initiatives when I worked internally on teams of, you know, these kind of one-and-done initiatives. Basically, we did an audit, never have to do it again, we're fine now. Can you speak a little bit to kind of what the continuous process is or what you perhaps recommend in engaging with a DEI consultant to kind of start the work and kind of continue the work that needs to happen?

It always comes from having feedback loops. So those organizations that do the one and done don't have continuous feedback loops, and they also don't have regular check-ins with their initiatives, meaning at least once a quarter. Like, where are we to go? What are the impediments? What's working? What's not working? What should we start, stop, and continue doing? All of those things need to be done on a continual basis, whether it's once a quarter, half the year, semi-annually, or annually. They always need to be going on. And then the feedback loop, that needs to be checked and monitored on a regular basis because that's what indicates what's working, what's not working, what should you not do ever again. That feedback loop is really the gold mine. And what I have found is that a lot of employees get pissed about the feedback because they give feedback and then they don't know what happens to it. No one mentions it. No one says anything. Nothing happens. It's like it's not even acknowledged it was there. So they're like, well, what's the What's the point if you're not going to acknowledge the fact I'm giving you feedback? Or what are you doing with the feedback? Or I hate what I hear a lot of times is, yeah, we had your feedback. We're going to meet as a team, discuss it.

And?

Like, that's it. They end the statement with, we're going to meet as a team and discuss it. What's the process? Like, when it comes to feedback, you can't just have Feedback loops and have ways of feedback without telling people. Here's the process for feedback: you give feedback, we look at it once a week, we meet once a month or something, and then we you know acknowledge the fact you gave us feedback. We look to see what we can address. What we can address, we'll give you information on and say, "Hey, you know this is something that we can't do right now," or "It's beyond us," blah blah blah blah blah. Give the process and then stick to the process. Like, when you're just out here just like, yeah, we're gonna meet and talk about it.

What does that mean?

So that, that's how you continue the— this is why it matters, this is what's being done, and this is how you continue the evolution of your DEI strategy. There should never, ever, ever, ever, ever be a DEI strategy that's a one and done. It should be a living, breathing thing that evolves as your organization evolves, as your priorities change, as the community at large changes as well.

I love that. Thank you, Sharita. And that's a great question, Ashlyn. I'll just add on really quickly here from like my— I always bring like an HR lens into everything. And what you're saying, Sharita, I take that beyond just DEI strategy, right? This is how you should be How leaders and employers should be interacting with, with their staff members on a regular basis, because it can be feedback about anything. And if you're, if you're developing, if you're establishing those processes in, in an equitable way where everyone has an opportunity to express their concerns or, or request specific things, right? And there's a process for it, and that process is transparent, and you know what's gonna happen. or at least can expect a certain outcome after you submit feedback, then that starts to move the needle. And to answer, just piggyback off what you just said with Ashwin's question, it's really starting with one thing, right? So that's how you ended your presentation. What one thing are you gonna commit to to make this change? Because oftentimes where this work can be overwhelming when there's just so much to do, and it's easy to just say, oh, It's too much. We don't have time or the resources, or other priorities are more important. But if you break that down, which you did an awesome job in your presentation of showing us exactly, like, when you focus in on a specific issue, a specific gap, or a specific thing that your team is requesting or asking for, then you start to move the needle in those small ways, and that adds up over time. And then people start to build trust, right? And like, okay, my leaders Asked for my feedback. They actually did something about it. I'm noticing some changes. So now I can be more involved and more engaged, and that sort of creates a snowball effect over time, and you start to real see some experience, some real change. But it takes time, and that's, and that's one of the things that, at least with some of the people that I engage with, they're like, oh, we, we want to develop a DI strategy and have it implemented in 3 months. And I'm like, well, that's awesome. But Let's get real. And, and it might take 3 months just to do the, that initial assessment, right? Just to get into the, into the weeds there. But anyway, yeah, that's, that's a great question. Anyone else?

Questions, thoughts, feedback? Keisha, Michelle, I mean Melissa, sorry.

Okay, Keisha is typing a question. No worries at all, Keisha. So how do you get that leadership buy-in even after showing the ROI?

Good one. Leadership buy-in. So I work with my clients specifically to create an executive presentation. And when I say an executive presentation, I come from the having had conversations with C-suite individuals pretty much the majority of my career. Just because of the way my positions have been juxtaposed within organization. It's not enough just to show them numbers. You have to come in with— I literally come in like we're starting a business unit, meaning, hey, here's the executive summary. Here's what we're looking to do. Here's the expected impact. Here are the resources required. Here's the projected timeline.

Mm-hmm.

Here is, you know, the support that is needed. Here are the— is the ROI. Here's the communication plan. Here is X, Y, and Z. Like, you have to lay it out for them as an actual project that you're doing and show them high-level details about what's involved in it. What is an expected impact outcome, and then how it directly ties into the organization's strategic priorities. It's not just enough to say, hey, this is what I'm looking to do. This is why it's good to do. You have to show them the ROI. You have to show what's in it for them. How are they going to look good by doing this? That's how you get the buy-in.

Yeah, I love that. I was just typing in the chat just to follow up on that. What I'm hearing is developing a detailed and intentional plan, right? So it's not just about showing them the research that has been done on the ROI and why this is good, but bring it, make it real for them in their day-to-day, right? So like tie it back to their business priorities and goals and develop a detailed and intentional plan. And while you do that, you're predicting a lot of their questions and potential pushback. So the more prepared you are, the easier it is for them to wrap their mind around this. And it's like, oh, you've, it seems like you've covered all the bases. So let's give this a shot. They'll be like easier to go along with it. And this is assuming, of course, it's a leader that, or leaders that are, you know, not even— it depends on what I'm trying to say is that it depends on the awareness, right? How aware are these leaders? Because even in my work, I'll have like an HR leader come to me, for example, who is an advocate for DEI. But is the only or one of the few people on the broader leadership team that is advocating for this. So they just need support with sort of galvanizing the rest of the team, but you already have somebody on the inside that sort of gets it. But anyway, sorry.

And that's where you can come in. That's where you can bring in a consultant to help you build this out so that they can actually present it in a way that the executive team can get behind. Because when you are directly tying the strategy initiatives and goals of your DEI overall strategy and program to the organization's strategic priorities, they can see directly how it benefits them to invest in this. You want it to be an easy yes. You want to use your executive presentation to Check off any nos. They would say no because of the timeline. Well, this timeline can be adjusted. They would say no because of the resources. We're here at XYZ resources, and based off of what's going on, this is why this timeline is created like this. Here's the expected impact. Okay, well, it's directly tied to our 2024 initiatives that we're looking to do to increase our revenue so we can have an IPO. Things like that. Makes it hard for them to say no. You want to make it as easy of a yes as possible.

Awesome. Thank you, Keisha. Great question. All right. Any other questions? Do you want to be mindful of time? We're coming up here at the top of the hour.

And if there are any other questions after this, please feel free to reach out. I am available on On LinkedIn, and Juan knows how to get a hold of me as well. So this is something that I am a proponent of. This is something I'm going to continue to fight for. And these are the tools that I'm going to equip everyone within the DEI space to have so that they can continue this fight, because at this point it's a fight.

It is. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Sharita, and I'll make sure to follow up with all of our participants here with a recording and also Your, your contact info. So this was so, so great. Awesome conversation. Thanks for facilitating that. Yeah. And wishing everyone an awesome day, and we'll, we'll see you soon.

Yes. Have a great rest of your day, everyone. Thank you.