What are the key components of a successful diversity and inclusion strategy?

In my experience, true diversity is hard to achieve as many on the ‘inside’ don’t recognise the fact that the ‘inside’ should look like the ‘outside’ for the organisation to be better aware of the community it exists in. By community I mean Australia. A great strength of Australia as a nation is its diversity in its population. We’re all from somewhere else - or our origins are. When we reflect the group we want to connect to - and the group see themselves in your organisation - that’s when the magic happens!

Here are the key components of a successful diversity and inclusion strategy: 1. Leadership Commitment 2. Inclusive Policies and Practices 3. Diversity Training and Education 4. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) 5. Mentorship and Sponsorship Programs 6. Diverse Leadership Development 7. Transparent Communication 8. Supplier Diversity 9. Inclusive Benefits and Work-Life Balance: Review employee benefits to ensure they are inclusive and cater to the diverse needs of the workforce. 10. Regular Assessment and Accountability

First off, we need leadership buy-in. Without leaders who truly believe in diversity and inclusion, our strategy will crash like a sandcastle. Next is education and training - employees should be equipped with knowledge on unconscious bias, cultural awareness, and inclusive practices. Communication is also crucial. Regularly engaging with employees through surveys and town hall meetings can help foster an open and inclusive environment. We have to remember, that diversity isn't just about ticking boxes - it's about celebrating our differences and embracing them as superpowers that can save the day in any situation!

Yes, defining your vision and goals is very important starting point for any personal and/or business endeavor. However, when we are talking about the mission and values - they need to be defined by including every single individual in your team. Sit down with them and define your COMMON mission and values and than you can continue with the strategy and the goals. Thus, you have your whole team on board, working towards shared goals, based on common values. Also, be aware that this is an ongoing process and as you grow and change, the mission, values and goals might/most probably will change. So, make sure that there is constant, open communication and reality check as often as possible.

As we discuss I&D, it is important for us to remember that SOME of us are from somewhere else; however, each continent has an indigenous population. Inclusion entails us acknowledging the indigenous population of the Americas, Australia, Africa, Asia, etc., including Europe. Saying we all are immigrants does not acknowledge the indigenous population’s legacy and heritage or the legacy and heritage of those kidnapped and brought in bondage. We are now all here working for a common goal of fairness and treating all with dignity and respect.

Make sure you are checking for diversity across all levels of your organization too. Saying you have a commitment to diversity while having and all white, all male executive leadership team shows that you are missing the point.

Yes, regular assessment of how diverse and inclusive an organization is, is crucial. Just make sure that you are a living example of embracing and building on diversity and inclusion. Otherwise all the assessments, policies and practices will be totally useless and won't have any value. And only do it if you sincerely believe in it, and not because someone told you diversity and inclusion is a good thing, or you have to do it for some other reason. People are smart and sensitive beings. They will see the difference and will respond to all your efforts accordingly.

When evaluating your D&I efforts, the number one consideration is to check your performance metrics. D&I should not come at the cost of employee performance, product quality, or customer/client satisfaction. Nor should it dilute or betray the values of your company. Based on my research, it seems several firms are implementing a "paper compliance" strategy through check-off boxes and quotas without direct, ground-level evaluation to ensure its efficacy and impact. To create an integral D&I strategy, great care should be taken to ensure that those you include in the company's future are dedicated creating a fantastic product to a high standard of excellence, and satisfying your clients and customers above and beyond all expectations.

The leaders have to know and honestly assess their current status regarding D & I. When they have clarity, they then can be stretched to set clear, actionable goals. There's a bridge that needs to be crossed with education, coaching and more; it's multifactorial: - Commitment: authentic commitment to change (not just as a marketing ploy) - Mindset: seeing possibilities in a different future vision that benefits all. - Values: valuing humans for their unique skills and thinking, appreciating them for who they are, while creating a belonging culture, not a "fit in'culture. (this takes courage). - Culture: working to build a courageous culture where everyone feels safe to do their best work as they show up as their best selves.

Please don't forget the shared values when designing and implementing your action plan. And also make sure that the plan includes first and foremost growing in consciousness coaching, mentoring and/or training. As Albert Einstein says: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

Ensure that your plan encompasses multiple parts of your business. Creating a D&I Council with senior management makes sure that activities & successes are regularly reviewed. Include your ERGs in your overall activities - including ERG leadership sponsors for increased organizational awareness. Vendors, customers, employees, clients - all stakeholders should know what you stand for as an employer, especially as it relates to D&I.

The first step in implementing any D&I strategy is to ensure company values are not just taught, but expected at every level of the company. Most D&I training fails to align D&I to an actual material benefit to the company that is not ephemeral, or based on future speculation. "Make it make sense" to your teams and ensure that there is a current, tangible benefit, OR that your teams have buy-in for the future outcomes sought by your D&I plan. No committee, LMS module, celebration event, or policy will have lasting material benefit if they are not themselves based on the values of the company, or if they have no tangible, beneficial, direct connection to your product or service. If not, re-evaluate the cost/benefit of the directive itself.

Start with the high-level senior stakeholders - even before you think about a strategy. No change can happen without buy-in from senior management. Or it can, but it won't be very effective. If the strategy is not drafted and executed separately, but is baked into the overall organization's strategy, all stakeholders see the importance. Senior leaders have the most impact in the company and can positively influence several layers with their behavior and signals.

It's especially important to avoid "just ticking the box" if you want the benefits of a diverse organization (substantially higher profitability, making the world better instead of worse... whatever motivates you) you need more than one person to make a change. If someone is the only woman, or only person of color in the room, they won't feel free to speak their mind. It's intimidating

Make sure you have ‘the meeting’ with allies before the meeting, so there is a chorus of voices at the meeting. The only woman or person of color need not and should not be the person that always introduces I&D at the official meeting. The topic should have several people who take turns as the lead, just like the V formation for geese. It preserves energy and avoids burnout.

Before anything else, you must meet with the board and/or your chief executive teams, and have an honest conversation about D&I. In certain industries, the quality of the product sits at a level of importance far above and beyond all other considerations; particularly if your brand has cultivated a reputation of excellence. Ensure that whatever strategy you implement is directly tied to the company's values, or has direct benefit to the product or service. Start with your values first; D&I is a tool to communicate that within your company. Remember, D&I itself is not a value, is a set of efforts that cultivate and reinforce your values; and it's not the only tool in the box.

Before you evaluate results, establish the mindset that ‘Inclusion is a Journey.’ While you may take advantage of well researched I&D models, tools, and processes, don't expect to go from worst to 1st overnight. Instead of best-in-class, define what the "Best Next" achievement is for your organization. Recognize that journeys are seldom traveled in a straight line. Prioritze your I&D goals. Allow the flexibility for the organization to progress at different rates toward achieving different milestones. Lastly, celebrate wins -- even small ones! This will demonstrate intent and encourage people to stay focused.

And again, do not forget the values. They are the common ground and the glue that keeps people together and move them towards achieving their common goals, by putting all their hearts, minds and creativity into the process. And once you have adjusted your strategy and actions according to the current evaluation - start the process again and again, and again. Keep the communication pipeline constantly open at all levels and clearly show to all of your stakeholders that they are seen, heard and appreciated. And don't forget to celebrate every little step and every little achievement towards making your organization more diverse and inclusive.

The number one metric you should be tracking to evaluate if D&I is effective is employee satisfaction. D&I is an instrument designed to infuse your values into all levels of the company. If your people are happy and engaged because there is a values-match with the company, ultimately this translates into higher profitability potential though improved product/service quality and customer/client satisfaction. Anonymous climate surveys, 360 evaluations and if applicable, secret shopping programs are some methods to gather data that you can use to get a pulse on whether or not D&I is unifying your company under a shared vision and cohesive culture.

Many D&I intitives fail because they place the initial focus and priority on diveristy -- identifying and quantifying differences. Put the "I" before the "D" and focus on building inclusive leaders. Inclusion is a mindset and an essential set of leadership skills that enable and inspire teams and individuals to contribute thier best. An inclusive leader consistently demonstrates that each person's contributions are valued regardless of who they are, how they think, or where they're from.

Technology, adaptability, scalability, and socioeconomic impact. Without these additional considerations, D&I becomes a lose-lose proposition.

Yes, thank you for including inclusion is demonstrated because inclusion is both a mindset and an intentional action. A vision not implemented will never be fulfilled. Wishing and hoping does not move the needle. Inclusion is deliberately choosing to take action to accomplish the goal.