Navigation Categories

Do you think Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives begin and end with hiring? Think again. Your next hire is just one decision of many that can affect your D&I metrics. You need to go beyond hiring initiatives to create a real and lasting impact.

Go Beyond Hiring

A prospective client, the HR director of a small investment firm, called me to inquire about D&I programming. After some small talk, I asked if there was a problem they were trying to solve, or if they had a goal in mind for the session.

She replied candidly, “I’m having trouble getting some of the managers on board with our diversity initiative. We’re a small firm with very little turnover. They asked me if I was going to fire ten people and hire for diversity. This got me thinking. What can we do to show diversity and inclusion is a priority for us, if we’re not hiring anytime soon?”

This is not a unique concern. I talk to owners of small and medium-sized businesses all the time. They want to do the right thing. They want the innovation, sustainability, and profitable growth that come with a diverse workforce. Here are some ideas I

Include the People You Already Have

Find out, to a person, what makes each of your employees feel included or excluded. Talk to everyone to learn what the trouble spots are, or bring in trained facilitators to help you. Chances are, your employees already see the firm from very different perspectives. Ask them how you can do better.

Work with Diverse Suppliers

Whether you’re looking for printer paper, toilet paper, or an event caterer, there are probably dozens of diverse suppliers in your area who can meet your needs. Rather than sending your office manager a big-box store, invest in your community be seeking out a minority-, woman-, or veteran-owned vendor. Your local Chambers of Commerce (yes, there are several in every city), WBENC regional partner, or NMSDC office are a good place to start.

Broaden Your Funds and Portfolios

Admittedly, I know very little about investment management. Still I have to imagine that fund managers make decisions everyday that affect millions of people’s jobs and livelihoods. With this in mind, put some intention around the firm’s investment products and its own investments. Adherence to ethics guidelines, diverse board representation, and transparency around pay equity all contribute to a company’s long-term success. Some investors will be especially interested in products that both do good and perform well.

This one is specific to the client I referenced, but look for ways to apply this kind of thinking to your own business’s offerings and operations.

Mind Your Philanthropy and Pipeline

Your firm probably helps fund fellowships, scholarships, internships, and other “feeder” programs for aspiring financiers. Look outside the alma maters of your founders. Intentionally invest in students at HBCUs, for example, to maximize your impact and to create a sustainable talent pipeline.

Pay Attention to Your Hiring Processes, Too

You may be six months away from hiring your next employee. Now is a great time to shore up your selection process. Review job descriptions for bias, create a system for reviewing resumes, implement training for conducting interviews. Look in new places to be sure your talent pipeline isn’t artificially limited to exclude veterans, women, Black and brown people, or people from the “wrong” Ivy League school. It’s much easier to fix these problems now, than when you’re scrambling to find a new team member.

TL;DR: In Summary…

Think beyond hiring if you’re really committed to sustainability, profitability, innovation, and inclusion in your organization.

Someone in your network is probably hiring right now. You probably know several people looking for a job, ready for a promotion, or dissatisfied in their current roles. Try reposting resumes or open positions when you see them in your feed. If you know people personally who might make a good hiring manager / job seeker match, offer to make a warm introduction. We all want a valuable network. The best way to achieve that is to be of value to your network.

Regardless of your role in a company or industry, you need to understand your organization’s customers. For networking purposes, anyone who could be buying your company’s product or service is a customer. Connect with them on social media. Join user communities and fan pages. See if you can glean why some customers choose your company over competitors. By observing, you can learn a lot about market trends, customer expectations, and your organization’s reputation.

Are you facing a tough challenge or change at work? You might get frustrated if you expect steady progress or quick resolution. None of us is going to glide smoothly from start to finish. So, what do you do when you hit a rough patch? Your answer can mean the difference between success and defeat. Change your perspective to realize you’re collecting footage for your montage.

The montage is one of my favorite cinematic storytelling devices. A montage is an edited series in a movie wherein a main character advances through scenes in quick succession. In the best montages, we watch the character transform from awkward novice to confident badass, while a catchy pop tune engages our emotional response.

Famous Montage Examples

Think about your favorite movies. In Rocky (1976), director John G. Alvidsen didn’t have the time to show us every workout and every sparring practice that built a champion; he used a montage to show incremental improvement, setbacks, and small triumphs along the way. In the 1984 bromance hit Footloose, we cringe at Willard, Ren’s best friend, who enters the montage as an uncoordinated oaf, unable to stomp to a simple beat. In a steady-but-edited-for-time progression, we witness his miraculous transformation into a teenage dance floor sensation. And in Disney’s animated feature Mulan (1998), we watch as the main character pushes her way through military training. She fails at first but slowly gains competence, ultimately overcoming the “impossible” challenge set for her by Captain Li Shang.

As you read the last paragraph, did you catch yourself singing “Eye of the Tiger,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” or “Be a Man”? The songs, too, are often edited for length so that you felt the whole transformation take place at warp speed. Think about how many hours of planning, rehearsal, costumes, makeup, raw footage, B-roll, retakes, camera angles, animation, sound effects, and editing went into create your favorite movie montage. All of that for less than three minutes of concentrated storytelling!

Get to Work!

While you’re doing the hard work – when this whole ordeal seems like it will never end – remind yourself that you’re collecting footage for your montage. The planning, practice, pain, and frustration are all fodder for the montage memory you will someday have of going through this challenge. So, pick a catchy soundtrack and get started.

After you attend an online conference or virtual event, follow up with the people you met there. You can send an email, request a social media connection, or even send a handwritten note via snail mail. Gently remind the person how you met and what you talked about. Perhaps you can suggest a book or article that would be of interest to them, or make an introduction that will help them reach their goals.