Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Good for our businesses. Good for ourselves.

I think the word for this time in our lives is Justice: When I think of that word justice I have a picture in my mind of the blind statue of Justice at the Supreme Court.  She can’t see gender, or ethnicity, or color, or infirmity or age or any of the differences used today to deny equal treatment to anyone.  At WITH we know that for justice to prevail we must see and embrace these differences. We know “Black lives matter”.  We know “Girls rule the world” and we know “Variety is the spice of life”. 

That’s why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are so important.  DEI leads to appreciation of our differences. DEI leads to more free and better communications that allows organizations and individuals to benefit from new points of view. DEI leads to a new mind-set and a new, more just, corporate culture. DEI  leads to justice and justice leads to more trusting, productive and satisfied individuals and teams, more successful businesses, and a better world.  

The two prong strategy of DEI is to (1) ensure the people within your organization reflect the perspectives of the people you serve and (2) ensure that your policies and practices are equitable and (3) result in inclusion, significant representation and real power.

Businesses can build DEI programs that eliminate road blocks and implement those strategies. DEI starts with top management support but it is the work of each person in the company. Components of a good DEI program include policies and actions each person can take to ensure we recruit, mentor, promote, and retain people in a way that ensures justice and reflects the world we live in.