“doing nothing is not an option.”
by minda harts
in from success to significance: the radical cpa guide
when you think about the structural elements it will take to create a company culture that is both diverse and inclusive, what comes to mind?
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real cultural shifts take time, money and buy-in from all stakeholders. a more diverse and inclusive environment is not only intended for internal use, but will also help you attract and retain more diverse clientele. verna myers said it best: “diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.”
companies can no longer view their diversity and inclusion initiatives as “meets expectations.” companies must take a hard look and consider the proper strategies that will take their business from checking the box to being a champion in the accounting industry for diversity and inclusion. many companies pat themselves on the back when they employ less than 5 percent women and underrepresented groups, and increase it the following year by a percentage point.
one could say they did, in fact, make progress, but that’s what i consider passive progress, not intentional progress.
as a woman of color, i spent two decades working in environments that were not diverse and minimally inclusive. as someone who has experienced diversity and inclusion initiatives that were well-intentioned, yet over time eventually fell short, my hope is that you find ways to implement or enhance your d&i initiatives. have structured meetings with your senior leadership on how they can play an active role in shifting the culture.
consider implementing these five steps to create a company culture that is both diverse and inclusive. these steps will help you access your company’s current culture and foster future change.
passive versus intentional initiatives
hiring a d&i director is a great first step. if your firm does not have someone overseeing your diversity and inclusion department, or you do not have one, this is your first benchmark.
creating this department or having someone designated to support your diverse talent sends a strong signal that diversity and inclusion are important to your firm. your company is being intentional in creating an environment in which all employees can thrive and have an equal playing field.
being diverse is not only race-related, but includes gender, religion and sexual orientation to name a few other categories. we often think that diversity means only race, yet having an inclusive environment spans much further. perhaps your current workforce is not inclusive, but now provides an opportunity to prepare for future employees and the environment you want them to experience on day one.
i remember consulting with a d&i director of a fortune 500 company who oversaw an affinity group of color. oddly enough, the woman managing this group was caucasian. it was hard for me to believe that there was no one qualified to oversee an affinity group of color who was also someone of color. in this example, you are sending another wrong signal: 1) you realize the need to have an affinity group of color, but 2) you hire someone who doesn’t adequately represent the group, and 3) you did not take the time to hire someone who would be their best advocate. does this mean no one of color is qualified for this role? my guess is this was not the company’s intent, but this is a strong case of passive progress.
when senior leaders take on this type of mindset, they are not doing their diverse talent any favors; they are reaffirming that diversity and inclusion are not a priority. a more intentional approach would be to hire someone who represents that particular affinity group to speak on their behalf – someone in the company this population can identify with. it is crucial for businesses to understand that while diversity matters, representation matters even more.
when you think about the culture you want to create, ask the following question: are we just checking a box or are we signaling to the rest of the company we are taking deliberate steps to create a culture with a winning strategy? do not settle for receiving a passing grade. if you already have someone overseeing this department, ask yourself: is this the right person to represent this group? are they actively engaging with our underrepresented groups and are their voices heard? again, don’t fall into the trap of assuming what your diverse talent needs.
ask them!
engagement is the best policy. just because a big four firm has a program that functions in one manner doesn’t mean that this is how you should run your diversity and inclusion initiatives. find out what your employees need from you to be successful. the recipe to success is 360 engagement. this responsibility not only falls to your designated d&i director but additionally to your senior leadership – make sure they are engaged with your diverse talent as well.
having buy-in from decision makers is equally important. this culture should trickle down from the ceo to the secretary. all employees should view diversity and inclusion as part of the company’s mission. perhaps you are not in a position to create a robust plan; if so, i would suggest outsourcing to a firm that specializes in helping companies reach their maximum potential. at my company, the memo llc, one of our traditional services is conducting workshops for senior leaders on how to engage, retain and manage diverse talent. all leaders/managers should understand the fundamentals of engaging diverse talent. if they have not been equipped with the skills to do so, or have never managed a team of diverse talent, you are going to run up against a lot of human resources-related problems, which can lead to unconscious bias. it is beneficial that your leaders understand their role in creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment. you might also want to keep in mind that there are companies being graded on their diversity and you don’t want yours to fall short.
recruiting and retaining diverse talent
in recent years, most of the publicity around diversity and inclusion has focused on recruiting diverse talent, yet this has sometimes left tenured employees feeling left out.
what are you doing for your talent once you hire them?
employees already have a vested interest in seeing your business win, and should be retained accordingly. some of these employees might be great candidates for leading an affinity group or getting promoted into your new diversity and inclusion director role. create opportunities for your diverse talent!
the key to a sustainable diversity and inclusion plan requires all seats at the table taking a vested interest, from the top down. i would also suggest diversifying where you recruit your talent. always drawing from the same talent pool is not a good sign of diversity or inclusion. think outside the box. if you need more ideas on how, outsourcing to firms that specialize in recruiting and retaining diverse talent can help.
let’s say that you lack a diverse workforce concerning race. if you’re looking to increase your percentage of black and brown employees, you might want to consider adding new schools to your recruiting calendar. some historically black colleges and universities (hbcus) have incredible talent getting ready to enter the workforce. add one of these institutions that specializes in your industry and make the investment. another solution is reaching out to the national association of black accountants, an essential partnership that could help increase your pipeline and visibility. thinking about ways to diversify your workforce is important. consider offering flexible or telecommute options for mothers and fathers returning to work after parental leave (if your firm has parental leave). this will require your firm to be flexible and inclusive.
a clear path toward the c-suite
this brings me to my third point. once you have been thoughtful and intentional about having a successful diversity and inclusion department, what is the career track for these individuals?
historically, the accounting field has struggled with proper representation of minorities and women; as a consultant, i can tell you that this is one of the major areas in which employers fail. they have implemented d&i initiatives, meaning they are hiring more diverse talent, but then not promoting that talent or hiring that talent into executive positions. it’s not enough to say you hire diverse talent. are you developing diverse talent?
if the answer is no, then how successful are your d&i initiatives?
this goes back to passive versus intentional. the goal should be, when you look around your leadership table, you see a slice of everyone in your company represented in some way, shape or form. you can start with speakers at industry conferences. are the speakers diverse? women make up 57 percent of the workforce and ideally should represent the same percentage in senior roles and as speakers.
if you do not see that over time, your grade moves from pass to fail. your diverse talent should have a clear track upward. this is a recurring problem in many industries. not everyone you hire wants to be or should be in a leadership role, but what are you doing to foster and develop the talent who do?
having diverse talent adds to your bottom line and fosters innovation. determine if your firm will be a leader in your industry for diversity and inclusion or miss out on promoting a talented group of employees. again, this responsibility rests on each team member. having a seat at the table is critical. this signals to the entire company that representation matters. always remember one rule of thumb, inclusive is inclusive. if your business is not diverse and inclusive, then you are doing something wrong.
affinity groups
affinity groups signal another intentional step toward creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace. an affinity group is a group of individuals generally underrepresented in the larger culture who are linked together by a commonality or a purpose. affinity groups can comprise people of color, women or lgbtq employees, among others. if your company employs any underrepresented groups that do not have a support system in place, this is an intentional way to create an inclusive environment.
the memo has conducted workshops for affinity groups of color at fortune 500 companies. i am always impressed when companies take the time to create affinity groups and invest resources to help their employees thrive. affinity groups can serve as a professional development tool and provide networking opportunities for your employees. this is a chance for them to create community with staff they can identify with. relationship- and community-building is essential when creating an environment for inclusivity.
when our firm conducts workshops for affinity groups, we focus on ways to help each team acquire and enhance their skill set. for example, one popular workshop is on how to craft your elevator pitch. if you are a small firm, you might not have the budget to pull off providing frequent professional development opportunities, so start small. host a talk, workshop or lunch-and-learn once a quarter. alternatively, sponsor your diverse talent to attend conferences, workshops or seminars that would be mutually beneficial to their work and professional development. these opportunities provide outlets for your employees to thrive; thriving talent is retained talent, and supported talent will reflect their happiness in their output and your bottom line.
try and put yourself in your talent’s shoes: if you were part of an underrepresented group, what tools would you need to succeed?
overcoming unconscious bias
what is unconscious bias? the university of california, san francisco defines it as social stereotypes about particular groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups; these biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing. once i joined a new team, and a colleague asked me if they hired me to handle all the black clients. i would like to think my colleague didn’t mean any harm, but regardless of her intention, this is a form of unconscious bias. i was not tasked to handle the black clients any more than anyone else on our team. i replied by letting her know that i was hired because of my talent and ability to engage all clients.
let’s reverse the conversation; i would never think to ask a colleague if they were employed for one sole reason. and at this particular organization, there was no affirmative action. certain words and behaviors that might come out of your mouth may be well-intentioned, but the effect is that the receiver may deem them offensive and borderline racist. this is why having the right benchmarks and training is key to streamline the amount of unconscious bias.
for example, take two resumes; one applicant’s name is jerome and the other’s is jack. right off the bat, you are going to assume jerome is an african-american male. but many men in the south (during a period of time) were named jerome regardless of race. as another example, take a pregnant woman interviewing for a job. you might automatically assume several stereotypes regarding expectant mothers. some hiring managers might see this as a problem, while others might view this as a win. but if a man interviews and mentions that his wife/partner is six months pregnant, it doesn’t stop the show.
unconscious bias, in my opinion, is the gateway drug to microaggressions. microaggressions by definition are subtle forms of prejudice. neither are award-winning behaviors, and as someone who has experienced both on several occasions, i can say that it’s something no employee should encounter in the workplace. these attitudes run rampant throughout some companies, and you should establish a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior. it is one surefire way to diminish all the work you are creating to be more inclusive.
again, to this kind of workforce, you must communicate from the top down. in my own career, my experiences of unconscious bias came straight from the senior leaders. i don’t believe they were aware of their behavior, but there was never an environment in which i felt safe to address my concerns. i went years just pushing through uncomfortable situations. your leadership is responsible for change.
diversity and inclusion is a long game. the culture cannot shift overnight, but you must implement steps now so the future of your company can sustain a diverse talent pool. use these five steps as your metric and benchmarks.
i suggest to my clients implementing 30-, 60- and 90-day plans. if you already have a robust d&i department, what can you do to take it to the next level? how can you support your diverse talent going forward? you have the power to change the ratio by taking meaningful, thoughtful and strategic steps toward change. doing nothing is not an option.
what are you going to do to make your industry more inclusive?
minda harts is the founder and ceo of the memo llc, a premier career development platform for women of color. the memo helps women of color prepare for their seat at the table with education, community and access. additionally, the memo conducts career workshops for fortune 500 companies to enhance their diversity and inclusion initiatives. harts has been featured in essence magazine, the huffington post, nbc news and the guardian. she also serves as a mentor at general assembly.