I have a PSA to leaders investing in DEIB support: You’re focusing on the wrong ROI.
Instead of Return On Investment, DEIB progress must be measured by Result Of Impact.
DEIB is a long game. It takes time to undo decades of habit and culture, and it can be done. Studies about inclusive workplaces show they are more productive, innovative, and engaged. If you want to attract and retain talent, stay competitive in the marketplace, and be a leader in your field, you can’t afford to ignore DEIB.
(With the possibility of a recession, companies have already started cutting their DEIB programs. It’s a move that will have severe consequences and lead to regret. Thankfully, some companies have wised up: Warner Bros recently backtracked on their diversity program cuts.)
But you can’t expect change if you focus only on reaping rewards from the money you spend. You won’t see progress if you prioritize only the bottom line at the expense of inclusion and belonging for your employees.
To assess the success of DEIB initiatives, stop thinking about the money you’re spending and think instead about the impact you’re making.
How?
Start by asking questions of your team and yourself to determine if your inclusion efforts are making an impact on people:
Is your staff happier, especially underrepresented individuals?
Do your staff feel like valued members of the team or like tokens selected to represent an entire group of people?
Has community engagement within the organization increased?
Another often overlooked — but very important — question that leaders forget to ask is how they may be hindering DEI progress with their own outdated thinking… in this case, by focusing on the wrong ROI.
As a leader, you must be an example. Are you willing to change to become that better person who can make the world (or your office) a better place?
Because this is the truth: If you want the world — or your company — to be a better place, then give the world a better person.
One way to fill the workplace with better people is to take my brand-new course, The Allyship Challenge.
The course helps you move from a performative ally to a true accomplice in the quest for more diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
You’ll discover:
Why being a “good person” sabotages progress – and is a myth anyway
How to build emotional intelligence for authentic relationships
How to increase self-awareness to overcome outdated beliefs
Why the fear of saying “the wrong thing” blocks necessary conversations
Register today to gain immediate access when the course unlocks on November 7th!
Why November 7th? It’s a meaningful day to me — my mother’s birthday.
My mom, Gloria, passed away in January of 2019. She was my most constant supporter. I will never forget the words she spoke just five days before she died: “Kimberly, I need you to start your business.”
She was adamant about this, despite her fragile condition. And her words soon proved prophetic — by May 2019, I had launched Harden Consulting Group, and here I am, almost four years later…thriving!
I dedicate the The Allyship Challenge Course to her. Thank you, Mom. I miss you. Now back to you. If you’re a leader or aspiring leader and you want to make meaningful change, to be better so that you can do better, I encourage you to take The Allyship Course.
Because as Theodore Roosevelt said: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
