This is the Biggest, Small Mistake You Can Make With Diversity and Inclusion

In the beginning of UNBIAS, I share a quote from Winston Churchill: ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’ This quote packs a punch when it comes to creating diverse and inclusive spaces where people belong. Why? Because it’s a journey. And our human nature is to stop when we’re uncomfortable. 

Break it down:

We keep stopping and starting the journey in this country and world, as individuals and organizations. When we’re not sure what to do or say, we revert to old habits. I see a familiar expectation when it comes to discussing DEI. We swung the pendulum pretty far in one direction and waited for magic to happen. We wanted inclusive workplaces, NOW! We expected changed minds and hearts, TODAY! We demand that change happen immediately.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the magic to apparate and disapparate like Harry Potter. Or wiggle our nose like Samantha in I Dream of Jeanie (I’m dating myself here). Our journey to inclusion will take time. We must see it for what it is and keep going through it. I previously wrote that we must not regress. The opposite of regressing is to keep going forward — through the discomfort, the awkwardness, and the slow pace of it all. 

Do Something Different:

Speaking of that slow pace… it’s frustrating, I know! But that doesn’t mean we throw our hands up. There are concrete, life-changing things YOU can do for the next step on your journey:

Hire the person anyway. I’m not advocating that you ignore warning signs and make a bad hire, but hear me out: how many times have you hired a mediocre white guy and said to yourself, ‘he’ll pick it up along the way’? Yet when it’s a Latinx woman, you expect her to come in knowing everything… and you’re on high alert for her to make a mistake. Then when (not if, because we’re human) she stumbles, it confirms your bias. So hire her. And if you notice yourself watching her like a hawk to make a mistake...

Give your colleague/direct-report/manager a second chance. Don’t pull out the performance improvement plan for Lourdes if you wouldn’t pull it out for John.

Analyze your metrics. Speaking of performance plans, what percentage of Black, Latinx or queer employees in your organization are on performance improvement plans, compared to hetero white employees? How about men compared to people of other genders? This is part of our human nature, too: we do it with our children, parents, neighbors, folk across the political aisle, and people whom we view as different: we give them a hard time. We expect them to make mistakes — in the realm of work, employees of color experience this frequently. But you CAN stop looking. People make mistakes — we all do as we stop and start this journey towards inclusion — and they are an opportunity for learning, not a failing.

When was a time you caught yourself looking for a mistake? If you haven’t reflected on this previously, there’s no time like the present. Need a tool to help? Try my DEI Quiz. It’s an awareness builder (not a personality assessment!) that will get you thinking about how you’re showing up and interacting with others in your workplace, where you’re being effective, and where you could benefit from additional learning and practice.

About the Author: Stacey Gordon is Executive Advisor + Chief Diversity Strategist at Rework Work (reworkwork.com). For more research, examples, and detailed action steps to take, her book UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work is for you. It’s a tool to create healthy, equitable, and inclusive workplaces, and it will power your journey and you can find it at unbiasbook.com.