Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have taken a real hit over the last six months. People are taking a stand against DEI and saying it’s reverse discrimination. Is it really that important? Yes! It’s an indisputable fact that companies attract top talent when they build diverse workforces and inclusive office environments.
Doing what’s in the best interest of your company means prioritizing DEI efforts. The sooner we can accept this as a fact of business, the sooner we can stop pointing fingers and start solving challenges related to DEI together. I challenge leaders to stop following the whims of political agendas and instead bring common sense back into the topic of DEI, particularly to build diversity and inclusion in their corporate boards.
A Commonsense Approach to Diversity
It’s common sense to prioritize diversity at your organization, including on your corporate board of directors. It has been proven over and over that the more diversity in thoughts, mindsets, opinions, and perspectives you have on your team, the better it is for your team. No one benefits from a bunch of similar people, and you don’t want a bunch of “yes” people who all bring the same bland perspective. Instead of worrying about filling quotas, use common sense to bring in the people who are best for the team—and before you panic, remember, the people who are best for the team are a diverse group of people.
Additionally, diversity in the workplace and on your corporate board means more than just race, ethnicity, age, and gender. Don’t get me wrong; it’s tremendously important to seek out diverse representation in those areas. I’d encourage you to expand your definition of diversity to include factors like geographic location, education, work experience, physical abilities, cognitive abilities, lifestyle, skills, hobbies—the list goes on and on. No single type of diversity is more important than the other. The more perspectives you can bring together, the more equipped your corporate board will be to navigate complex decision-making in the best interest of your organization.
The Universal Experience with Inclusion
Just as having diverse representation affects the success of your corporate board, so does building an inclusive environment. To benefit from the diverse representation on your board, everyone needs to feel included and welcome. On inclusive teams, everyone feels respected, accepted, safe, and valued, allowing them to maximize their contributions.
Think about it this way: we’ve all experienced a situation when we didn’t feel included, like starting at a new school, joining a fraternity or sorority, or encountering cliques of people your first day on the job. I remember when I was in fourth grade, I changed schools, and it was traumatic. When you’re the kid sitting alone at the lunch table, it feels like you’ll never recover. I think we all can recall a childhood experience when we weren’t included—and how awful it made us feel.
In any environment, from a school cafeteria to a corporate board room, inclusion is fundamentally important to allow everyone to show up fully as their best self. Inclusion benefits each individual and the organization as a whole.
Unity on a Global Board
Among diverse perspectives, inclusion makes unity possible. I experienced this firsthand during my time serving on the Entrepreneurs’ Organization board of directors. Our board members represented ten different countries: USA, Canada, Mexico, India, Germany, Malaysia, Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands. I served as our board’s global chair with board members from seven different countries. Leading that team required diligent listening. We were able to achieve an environment where everybody’s voice was heard while still coming together with one unified voice. Our cultural differences made unanimous consent unlikely, and it was challenging—but it made us all better leaders, and better people, in the long run.
DEI and Your Organization
DEI is more than just an acronym, a strategy, or a quota. It’s a mindset. As a business leader and a board member, you need to establish a culture where DEI-minded efforts are more than just boxes to check. Diversifying your corporate board is no longer an option; it’s a necessity to maximize your board’s ability to guide your business into the future. As you move forward, I encourage you to stop worrying about why and how we got here and instead focus on leading with a DEI mindset.
Questions to Consider
- What’s the diversity makeup of your team?
- Does your organization have a diversity mindset or just a diversity plan?
- How does DEI at your organization need to continue to evolve?
If you’d like to discuss how to prioritize diversity and inclusion for your organization’s corporate board of directors, contact me. I’d love to help you learn more about leadership development and high-performing teams.