Have Fun With DEI: Five Team-Building Activities

Diversity and inclusion are instrumental parts of every workplace. Proper understanding and implementation of DEI leads to increased productivity, a positive workplace culture, and more! But as with many initiatives, we are always looking for ways to make this educational process more fun. As such, I have compiled a list of five DEI team-building activities for the workplace that can be conducted with any level of employees, from new recruits to leadership teams. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

1. My Fullest Name

This activity is a great icebreaker. In small groups, allow everyone to share the story of their full name: who gave it to them and why, any nicknames they have and why, the linguistic and/or ethnic origins of their name, and so on. Through this sharing, people have an opportunity to both express their own cultural heritage and learn more about the cultural heritage of others, which may lead to conversations about the importance of naming in various cultures. It may even spark curiosity about one’s own name, such as if one doesn’t know the linguistic origins! As a result, this activity is a simple but fun way to bring people together. The only point to note is that if transgender employees are participating, they are in no way expected to provide their deadname; the name they go by is their “fullest name.”

2. What’s Shaped Me

Similar to the previous activity, this DEI exercise is one based upon sharing. Each individual will think of three—or whatever number is most appropriate for the group at hand—moments from their lives that they believe were significant in shaping their identity. For example, a definitive moment that shaped my identity was when I moved to the US, because that move is what made me an immigrant. It has shaped how I view my opportunities, my environment, and the world itself. Each person will record their chosen moments on sticky notes and post them in the designated location, such as on a whiteboard. Afterwards, participants have the opportunity to explain each moment (to the extent they are comfortable), allowing for discussions of how these moments differ between each participant and why.

3. “I Am, But I Am Not”

This activity is a powerful and engaging way to discuss stereotypes. To participate, each individual fills out five different statements using this framework: “I am [x], but I am not [x].” The crucial element of this activity, of course, is that the two parts of the sentence people fill in should be related. Typically, the first part should be a reflection of an element of one’s identity, and the second part is a consequential stereotype. For example: “I am disabled, but I am not helpless.” This activity is often a personal one, as it requires reflection on the stereotypes that have harmed us and that other participants may believe (whether they’re aware of such or not). Nonetheless, this exercise is a powerful tool for constructive conversations about DEI in an engaging, nontraditional format.

4. Privilege Monopoly

We all know how competitive Monopoly can get, and this version takes it to the maximum (in an educational fashion, promise)! This activity can be played with any version of the Monopoly board game, as it is identical to a typical game of Monopoly—with one major exception. Before the game begins, assign random advantages (privileges) and disadvantages (discrimination) to various players. Some potential advantages include: one person gets double pay each time they reach GO; one person is given a set of three properties off the bat; and one person does not have to pay luxury tax. Some potential disadvantages include: start one player in jail so they lose their first three turns; one person gets only half pay each time they reach GO; and one person has to pay double luxury tax. What this activity demonstrates is the operation of privilege with a system—a microcosm of our own society, as it were, including the benefits of extensive financial resources and the struggles of surviving when we don’t have such privileges.

5. Poker Face

Last but certainly not least, this activity also demonstrates a microcosm of social privilege, only on a smaller—and less intense—scale than Privilege Monopoly. In this exercise, all participants should be given a playing card, but they cannot look at it. Instead, they need to place their cards on their head (perhaps with a headband or skin-safe adhesives) with the value facing outward, that way everyone can see what card they have except themself. Afterwards, instruct participants to interact with people based on the value of their card. For example, a King of Hearts has a higher value than a Three of Spades, meaning people would flock to the person with the King of Hearts. In essence, the higher the number, the closer participants want to be, and the lower the number, the further they want to be. This activity thus explores how society values some people more than others, which will ideally foster a conversation about privilege and how they manifest as “invisible” advantages and disadvantages (“invisible” in the sense that no one knew what card they had, meaning they didn’t know ahead of time what privilege or lack thereof they were being afforded).

So there we have it! Five DEI team-building activities that allow us to approach conversations of privilege, stereotypes, diversity, multiculturalism, and more, all in entertaining, engaging ways. You know, I think I’m in the mood for a game of Privilege Monopoly—anyone want to join me?

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

What Does Artificial Intelligence has to do with Unconscious Bias?

More and more organizations are incorporating AI into their systems, from facial recognition software to healthcare allocation and everything in-between. And while perhaps AI has allowed certain organizational practices to operate more smoothly, we must remember that human-created AI software inevitably reflects human flaws, including our unconscious biases. Let’s look at a few examples:

1. Amazon and Gender Bias

In the past, Amazon created not one but two different AI systems, both of which were created to assess résumé submissions. A seemingly innocent application, both of these AIs taught themselves gender bias. Historically speaking, the tech industry has been dominated by men. Although demographics have been changing in recent years, the AI was “trained to vet applicants by observing patterns in résumés submitted to the company over a 10-year period,” the majority of which came from men. Because of this historical gender imbalance, the AI began “penaliz[ing] résumés that included the word ‘women’s,’ as in ‘women’s chess club captain,’” pushing their applications lower on the hiring chain. It also demoted candidates who attended all-women colleges.

Amazon’s second AI had a similar issue, also born from the historical gender imbalance in the tech industry: “the technology favored candidates who described themselves using verbs more commonly found on male engineers’ resumes, such as ‘executed’ and ‘captured.’” In short, a historically higher number of résumés from men led these AIs to teach themselves that résumés from women were flawed. Bizarre, isn’t it? Although such consequences were unintentional, these software systems were programmed by humans and thus incorporated the unconscious gender bias of humans into their workings.

2. AI and Racial Bias

One of the most prolific issues afflicting AI systems is unconscious racial bias. The list of examples feels neverending, but two of the most life-threatening instances of AI’s unwitting racial bias appeared in systems that calculated prison recidivism and healthcare allocation.

“Recidivism” refers to the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend. An AI created by Northpointe, Inc. was meant to assess how likely an incarcerated person would become a recidivist, but the software was unwittingly underlain by racial bias. The program misclassified Black defendants as “higher risk” recidivists at twice the rate of white defendants; misclassified white defendants who did reoffend as “low risk” at nearly twice the rate of Black defendants; and “even when controlling for prior crimes, future recidivism, age, and gender,” the system falsely determined that “[B]lack defendants were 45 percent more likely to be assigned higher risk scores than white defendants.” Again, this bias was wholly unintentional! But we must remember that the lack of intent does not negate the harm this software facilitated by perpetuating misleading stereotypes of Black violence.

AI racial bias also manifested in a healthcare allocation system. Researchers from UC Berkeley discovered that an AI allocating care to 200 million people was assigning lower-risk scores to people in the Black community, despite that Black patients were “statistically more likely to have comorbid conditions and thus… experience[d] higher levels of risk” related to health issues. The consequence? Black patients were receiving lower standards of care, which decreased their access to necessary treatments and ultimately risked their lives. When we think of healthcare and medicine, our first association should be life-saving treatment, not higher risk of death.

3. Facial Recognition and Misgendering

Numerous studies have been dedicated to how AI recognition systems can result in racial profiling, but we must consider that gender- and sexuality-based discrimination walks right alongside it. AI recognition systems work with simplistic assumptions to “determine” a person’s gender, which can leave individuals more vulnerable to transphobia and gender-based discrimination, regardless of if they are transgender or not. How? Well, keep in mind that AI “uses information such as… whether or not a person wears makeup, or the shape of their jawline or cheekbones,” and so forth to “determine” that person’s gender. However, basic logic tells us a person with a more square jawline, for example, is not necessarily going to be a man. As a result, the issue of AI technology misgendering a person affects both transgender and cisgender people. Additionally, AI facial recognition operates on a binary: man or woman. This dichotomy erases many nonbinary identities, especially people who do not see themselves on male-female spectrum at all.

While this type of software can and has been used on a broad social level, such as security cameras or other forms of identificatory practices, this type of gender- and sexuality-based bias perpetrated by AI can harm people on more personal levels, too. Giggle, for example, is a “girls-only” social media/networking app where to register, people must upload a selfie that is evaluated by an AI called Kairos to determine if they are “actually” a girl. This software not only risks excluding trans women, but it also risks excluding cisgender women who don’t wear makeup or who don’t appear “traditionally” feminine in other ways, either. As a result, AI recognition software perpetuates unconscious gender bias born from the understanding of “gender” as male/female. In doing so, it harms not only the LGBTQ+ community but also anyone who does not appear “traditionally” masculine or feminine, including many cisgender people.

What Now?

AI is an exciting realm full of opportunity, I won’t deny that. AI may also one day be able to make the world an easier, more accessible place for people of all identities and abilities. All the same, artificial intelligence remains artificial. It is created by humans, meaning the likelihood of AI being free from human bias anytime soon is low. In other words, when we see AI being incorporated into levels of any organization, from the corporate world to healthcare, we must always keep in mind the human biases these artificial softwares may unintentionally perpetuate.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Tips For Managing Unconscious Bias in Healthcare

In this blog, we will explore unconscious biases in healthcare, reviewing not only statistical disparities but also individual patient treatment, what specific biases impact healthcare professionals, and how healthcare professionals can address these biases. We have a lot to cover, so let’s get started!

Biases in Healthcare

All people experience unconscious bias, meaning it should come as no surprise to acknowledge that healthcare professionals, too, experience various forms of bias. Unconscious bias in particular is most likely to surface “when someone is tired, busy, under pressure, carrying a high cognitive load (a lot on their mind), or when decisions must be made with incomplete or ambiguous information,” meaning healthcare workers, who often work in high-stress environments where the life and well-being of their patients depend on them, are perhaps even more vulnerable to expressing unconscious bias. This commentary is not to suggest healthcare professionals are “more” biased than the general population, but rather that their work can involve split-second decisions, and these decisions might unwittingly rely on implicit stereotypes.

For example, a medical team was struggling to diagnose a child experiencing difficulty breathing. No matter how long they agonized over the x-rays, they couldn’t determine what was afflicting the child. Another doctor, however, not on the medical team, happened to pass by and see the x-rays, immediately declaring that the patient had cystic fibrosis. Why did the medical team struggle to diagnose the child? Because the child was Black, and cystic fibrosis was a “white disease.” This diagnostic struggle was not deliberate and ill-intentioned, but rather a result of unconscious racial bias.

Biases in healthcare go beyond racial forms of unconscious bias, however. Many healthcare professionals struggle with confirmation bias, best understood as “[s]eeking and accepting only information that confirms a diagnosis rather than information that refutes a diagnosis,” which may increase the risk of misdiagnosis if a physician already has a set conclusion in mind. A 2020 study of nurses’ cognitive and perceptual bias, for example, found that as many as 63% of nurses exhibited confirmation bias when treating patients.

Additionally, healthcare professionals also struggle with anchoring bias, i.e. the risk of relying too heavily on the first pieces or most major pieces of information told to them about their patient’s condition. A devastating example of anchoring bias was in 2000, when a 15-year-old boy passed away because attending nurses “interpreted the lack of a blood pressure reading as a faulty blood pressure cuff instead of hypovolemic shock.”

 Attribution bias, defined as “the tendency to explain a person’s behavior by referring to their character rather than any situational factor,” also poses difficulty for healthcare professionals. For example, a physician may handwave an overweight patient’s shortness of breath as a product of their weight instead of considering other possible diagnoses.

While these biases are perhaps the most prevalent among the healthcare profession, the National Library of Medicine offers a detailed breakdown of numerous potential biases that can affect healthcare providers. They name the bias, define it, and give a practical example of the bias’s manifestation in medical diagnostics. This breakdown is an excellent resource for anyone seeking further detail!

So, we know healthcare professionals struggle with biases as much as the rest of us. After all, they and we are only human! But how do these biases affect patient care on an individual level?

Individual Effects of Bias in Healthcare

The International Journal for Human Caring first offers some insight into how bias can affect patient care. For one, unconscious bias can impact the warmth and friendliness a practitioner demonstrates to a patient (including facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice), which ultimately impacts how welcome a patient feels in a healthcare environment. In a negative scenario, bias may result in the patient feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable in an environment ostensibly supposed to help them feel better! Bias among healthcare professionals can also affect how much attention a healthcare provider gives patients and even what rooms patients are put in, which may cause a patient to be both emotionally and physically isolated from their caretakers.

Lamar University further assesses that biases among healthcare professionals can result in:

• Rushed or inadequate patient assessments

• Concerns and questions that are not taken seriously or fully addressed

• Less time devoted to patient care

• Incorrect diagnoses

• Inappropriate treatment plans

• Lack of patient follow-up, especially after discharge

In short, on an individual level, unconscious bias can cause medical practitioners to feel detached from their patients and their patients to feel neglected and lacking true care. Consequently, patients who experience discrimination and disengagement from their healthcare providers often delay getting prescriptions and medical care; may use preventative services at lower rates; are less likely to adhere to recommendations from their healthcare providers; and are overall more likely to miss medical appointments. In worst-case scenarios, bias in the medical field has led to dismal health disparities across marginalized communities and even patient death.

Community-Wide Effects of Bias in Healthcare

Healthcare providers treat patients across all communities. From a positive perspective, this gives healthcare providers a rather unique opportunity to be exposed to the innate diversity of the world. A negative consequence, however, is that unconscious bias within the medical field extends across this widespread treatment, resulting in poorer care often being afforded to those most vulnerable.

Racial Discrimination

Racial disparities are one of the most discussed forms of bias amongst medical professionals, and for good reason: unconscious racial bias has resulted in poorer medical treatment across the board for communities of color. A 2016 assessment found that white patients were more likely to be recommended for bypass surgery than Black patients, the reason being that physicians assumed “their Black patients were not as well educated and so would not take part in the necessary physical activity after surgery.” A 2015 study from the World Surgery Journal found that Black patients receiving “major oncological surgeries were more likely to experience post-operative complications, in-hospital mortality, blood transfusions, and prolonged hospital stay.”

Even more frightening is the fact that though these studies are from the mid-2010s, unconscious racial bias still impacts healthcare for communities of color today. In October of 2021, an indigenous woman in Canada died from excess fluid in her lungs because the attending doctors and nurses assumed she was addicted to drugs and suffering from withdrawal (despite having no foundation for this assumption). They sedated her instead of conducting proper examinations when she complained of heart palpitations. The patient had a history of diabetes and cardiomyopathy, meaning her complaints should have warranted immediate testing, but anti-indigenous bias caused her concerns to be disregarded and unfounded racial stereotypes applied to her health, ultimately leading to her death.

Gender-Based Discrimination

Another highly studied form of bias amongst healthcare professionals is gender bias. Given that more than half the world’s population consists of people who identify as women, such attention is appropriate! Truth be told, we might be able to pull aside any woman on the street, ask her if her medical provider has ever disregarded her health concerns, and the answer is heartbreakingly likely to be “yes.” A 2018 review found that health professionals are more likely to dismiss chronic pain in women than in men, for example, because providers are more likely to assume a woman patient is too emotional, too sensitive, and even too time-consuming to deal with than a male patient.

In a terrifying near-tragedy, one husband found himself at a total loss of what to do when doctors and nurses would not take the severe abdominal pain of his wife seriously, declaring her preliminary diagnosis of kidney stones as fact instead of conducting a thorough examination. What was actually wrong? She had an ovarian torsion, a surgical emergency. Medical negligence nearly cost this patient her life because her providers continually dismissed her pain on the basis of her gender.

Additional Forms of Discrimination

Race and gender, though perhaps the most prevalent factors that underlie unconscious bias in the medical field, are not the be-all, end-all of bias among healthcare professionals. On the axis of sexuality, a 2015 study found that “[h]eterosexual [medical] providers’ implicit preferences always favored heterosexual over lesbian and gay people.” Additionally, a 2019 study found that “more than 80% of medical students had an implicit bias against lesbian and gay people.” When it comes to age, a 2017 study discovered that medical professionals were more likely to assume that older patients would be “unwilling to receive treatment; offensive; helpless; [and] demanding” during diagnostic processes.

Ableism is also a significant bias that affects healthcare providers, as a 2020 study found that over 83% of medical practitioners implicitly preferred people without disabilities over people with disabilities. Many providers also assume that disability is an inherent negative in a person’s life. Furthermore, too many medical facilities still struggle with accessibility, such as if certain equipment cannot be adjusted for a person in a wheelchair. Healthcare practitioners are also not immune to unconscious class bias, as a 2017 study found that providers view patients from lower socioeconomic status as less intelligent, less independent, more irresponsible, more irrational, and less “likely to comply with medical advice or return for follow-up treatments.”

These statistics are frightening, yes. But does that mean combating unconscious bias in healthcare is an impossible fight? Not at all! Because of the high-stakes environments that healthcare providers work in every day, it is of the utmost importance that we break down specific strategies medical professionals can implement on an individual level to address the issue of bias. Let’s waste no time!

Addressing Bias in Healthcare

First and foremost, the National Library of Medicine offers a simple checklist for making smart, unbiased clinical decisions:

1. Consider whether data are truly relevant, rather than just salient.

2. Did I consider causes besides the obvious ones?

3. How did I reach my diagnosis?

4. Did a patient or colleague suggest the diagnosis?

5. Did I ask questions that would disprove, rather than confirm, my current hypothesis?

6. Have I been interrupted or distracted while caring for this patient?

7. Is this a patient I do not like or like too much for any reason?

8. Am I stereotyping the patient or presentation?

9. Remember that [we] are wrong more often than [we] think!

These questions are a perfect guideline for helping any medical provider take a step back and reevaluate their gut reactions, particularly in situations where a split-second decision is not required for the patient’s care.

Once these strategies are under a provider’s belt, the American Journal of Nursing offers more nuanced techniques for combating implicit bias in healthcare. Though each strategy is framed through the lens of nursing, they are not limited to nurses and can be utilized by any type of healthcare professional. Let’s look at the strategies below:

As we might expect, each technique calls for a pause, reflection, and empathy, allowing any healthcare professional to better understand their patient’s wants and concerns. Although these strategies require more time to master, any medical provider can testify that the happiness of their patients is worth the effort.

Lastly, an efficient rule of thumb to address bias in the medical field: “Flip it to test it.” What does this mean? Let’s walk through an example!

In 2018, a woman went to her doctor, describing issues of shortness of breath and high heart rate. She had a history of blood clots, so she didn’t want to risk not getting checked out. However, multiple doctors who saw her said her abnormally high blood pressure was because she was overweight and too stressed, and each doctor sent her home. Her condition worsened, and eventually a final doctor discovered the true diagnosis: the patient’s kidneys were shutting down. The woman got treatment in time, but fatphobia and sexism intersected and almost wrote her a death sentence. But what does this have to do with “flip it to test it”?

If those doctors had paused and asked themselves, “‘[W]ould I be sending a skinny man home with this blood pressure or would I investigate?’ [the patient] would (most likely) have gotten treatment much sooner.” In other words, when in doubt, reverse the situation and see if that impacts the treatment plan! While this “rule” is not hard and fast, and treatments inevitably vary based on the individual patient, “flip it to test it” is still an efficient way to take a step back and consider how bias might be affecting medical care.

So there we have it! An exploration of bias among healthcare providers, the individual impact of biased care, the community-wide manifestation of these biases, and how healthcare professionals might go about addressing their bias. As depressing as it can be to confront health disparities among marginalized populations, this emotional response speaks to the importance of such a conversation. Healthcare can be a life-or-death situation, and combating bias within healthcare is therefore one positive way to help ensure life-saving care will prevail in the end.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Uncover Unconscious Bias in the Medical Field

“Unconscious bias.” Many of us have heard of this term before, and in essence, all “unconscious bias” refers to are the biases that an individual holds that they are not aware of. Most importantly, each and every human being holds bias of some kind, meaning we are never alone in our journeys to combat unconscious bias. Of course, the universality of unconscious bias makes it no less acceptable, and it is imperative we take action to eliminate unconscious bias from all fields of life, such as the healthcare system.

Although the idea of bias in the medical system may be difficult to grasp since healthcare providers are legally prohibited from discriminating against their patients, we must remember that unconscious bias is exactly that—unconscious. For example, a doctor might outwardly support the queer community, yet assume that their woman patient who is sexually active has a male partner. In other words, the disparities that arise for marginalized groups in healthcare treatment are often unintentional, and although the provided example is a comparatively minor one, that makes these biases no less dangerous. Let’s take a look at three categories:

1. Racial and ethnic disparities

Through reviews of several hundred empirical studies, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) determined that Black Americans are particularly vulnerable to racialized healthcare disparities. Compared to white Americans, they are less likely to receive certain necessary surgeries (organ transplants, knee and hip replacements, cardiac surgeries, etc.) and are more likely to undergo certain unnecessary, or rather, preventable surgeries (diabetic amputations, castration for prostate cancer, etc.). A study by the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey found that people of color—especially Black Americans—are less likely to be prescribed pain medications, such as opioids, for the same diseases and injuries as white people. The Journal of Internal Medicine also reported that Black patients are more likely to be labelled as “less cooperative” than white patients. This research is supported by the IOM’s findings that patients of color may be more likely to convey mistrust towards their medical providers or refuse treatment because of discriminatory interactions rooted in unconscious bias that they had with medical practitioners in the past.

Despite the severity of the above information, perhaps this is the most damning statistic of all: as determined by the IOM, the overall Black mortality rate is 60% higher than that of whites. Such a discrepancy is terrifying and speaks to the imminent need to combat unconscious bias in the medical field. Simply put, there is no question that racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare exist, and moreover that they can be deadly. Worst of all, they are not the only discriminatory discrepancies.

2. LGBTQ+ disparities

An analysis of queer populations in the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report as well as several other studies has revealed the prevalence of anti-queer discrimination in healthcare. About 30% of LGBTQ+ individuals have delayed care—both imminent and preventative—because of disrespect and discrimination from their providers. One in five transgender individuals have been outright refused care by doctors or other medical practitioners because of their gender, with trans people of color being more likely than white trans people to experience this refusal. A 2010 study found that a third of lesbian women avoid medical care, such as delaying necessary appointments like Pap screenings, because they fear anti-gay discrimination. Some research suggests that unconscious anti-queer bias can run so deep as to negatively impact the healthcare of children who have gay parents. Overall, LGBTQ+ communities also have less access to insurance and healthcare than cisgender, heterosexual populations. As a result of this restricted access, compounded by anti-queer discrimination, they find themselves at higher risk of certain cancers, diseases, and more. Like racial and ethnic disparities, there is no question that queer disparities in healthcare exist because of unconscious bias and that the need to take action against them is imminent.

3. Weight-based disparities

Few people deny that obesity can be a physiological health risk. However, we must also acknowledge that being obese can have dire consequences on a person’s mental health because of the discrimination (and the stress of this discrimination) that comes with being overweight. For example, stereotypes held against overweight individuals by medical providers, nurses, and the general public include but are not limited to: lazy, lacking in self-control, unsuccessful, unintelligent, and dishonest. Obesity gets written off as the fault of the overweight individual, i.e. that they are too lazy to exercise and eat healthy, when in reality the causes of weight gain are far more complicated. For example, obesity can be caused by other health conditions. It can also result from poverty (e.g. poorer people are often unable to afford healthier foods—as items like fresh fruits and vegetables tend to be more expensive—or they may live in food deserts, where these healthy items are outright unavailable to them). Simply put, a person’s weight is almost never an exclusive result of how much they exercise or eat.

Despite the inherent nuance that is therefore required to discuss obesity, the statistics of weight-based disparities in the medical field present a dismal reality. According to various studies headed by Cambridge and the University of Washington, weight-based discrimination in the United States has increased by 66% in recent years; 53% of overweight women report rude or inappropriate comments from their healthcare providers; and overall, obese patients report regular disrespect from their medical practitioners, causing them to be more likely to avoid routine care (e.g. cancer screenings). The Rudd Center found that 31% of nurses did not want to attend to overweight patients, and 24% of nurses outright admitted that overweight patients “repulsed them.” In other words, we don’t have to go far to find stories about overweight individuals who have their pain dismissed by doctors who choose to attribute any problems their obese patients present as being an exclusive result of their weight instead of conducting appropriate examinations⁠—unconscious bias at work. Similarly, if an obese patient is struggling to lose weight, unconscious bias can lead doctors to blame this struggle on the patients’ supposed laziness or insist that the patients simply aren’t trying hard enough rather than investigating what other factors might be at play.

So, what can we do? And why does this matter to the corporate workplace?

Fortunately, there are numerous steps that can be taken to address racial, ethnic, queer, weight-based, and numerous other disparities in the medical field. Some steps are a matter of practicality, such as providing armless chairs and larger examinations gowns to better accommodate obese people in the medical locale, but these solutions must also be accompanied by more rigorous institutional change. Best of all, many of these institutional changes to combat unconscious healthcare discrimination are also applicable to other organized workplaces, including those of business and the corporate world.

The first step, as always, is education. Medical providers must be made aware that unconscious bias exists in the medical field and that healthcare disparities occur because of unconscious bias, often despite practitioners’ good intentions. Following this introductory step, medical providers should then be informed of their own unconscious biases, such as by taking Harvard’s Implicit Association Test (IAT), which has tests that examine bias in race, sexuality, disability, weight, religion, and more. Similarly, cross-cultural education should be made available to medical practitioners, as knowing more about different cultures will help practitioners develop a more diverse, accessible approach to medicine for all their patients. The application of such education to the business world is self-evident: the more educated we are about unconscious bias in our workplaces, the more we can do to address and even prevent it, and the better we can embrace our diverse employees and clients.

Beyond education, communication is also critical to combating unconscious bias in the medical field. First and foremost, researchers emphasize that trust must be established between the patient and the provider, such as using the Berlin and Fowkes LEARN model:

This model emphasizes the need for active and empathetic listening by the practitioner. For example, medical providers should ask patients open-ended questions and neither interrupt nor directly contradict their patient’s experiences while a patient speaks. Practitioners should also ask if their patients have any specific concerns. Moreover, medical providers must keep in mind their patients’ access to healthcare, e.g. if the patient has to take time off or arrange specific transportation to come to the doctor. In a similar vein, this type of empathetic communication is also critical to the corporate workplace, as it can help ensure diverse employees feel included and heard in their efforts toward the organization as a whole.

Speaking of the overall organization, education and communication must be accompanied by policy changes to address disparities in the medical field, such as revising regulations to acknowledge how healthcare plans often become disrupted along socioeconomic lines. These types of policy change should also be applied to the medical workplace itself. One way to determine the changes needed is to get a feel for the organizational culture of the respective medical location (hospital, doctor’s office, etc.). Organizational culture can be thought of as the unconscious biases of a collective group that unwittingly maintain a biased status quo. Conducting anonymous surveys of current and former medical employees to find out what issues they presently face as well as the issues that made people leave can provide clarification about what realms of bias need to be addressed first. The application of this strategy to the corporate workplace is therefore straightforward, as non-medical organizations, too, should get a feel for the unconscious biases within their organizational culture through items like surveys in order to better address and even eliminate these biases.

Unconscious bias in the medical field is an active threat to marginalized populations, as access to appropriate healthcare can be a life or death situation. Although this grave reality makes the task of combating these health disparities all the more intimidating, we cannot allow ourselves to back down. If making the world a better, safer place can be accomplished through strategies as straightforward as education, communication, and policy changes, then I say there’s no reason we cannot begin today.

Much to think about.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Fostering Inclusive Dialogue

The ever increasing recognition of the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace comes with an expectation that we as individuals should know how to participate in and encourage inclusive conversations. ‘But that’s overwhelming!’ some of us might fret. ‘I want to get this right, but where should I start?’ Fear not—terrifying as this communication may seem, fostering inclusive dialogue is a task any of us can accomplish, whether we’re experts in D&I or just dipping our toes in the water for the first time.

In this blog, I will offer straightforward advice on how to hold inclusive conversations, from internal self-reflection to tips on what we should avoid. I will also have a special section specifically dedicated to responding to microaggressions, as a culture of inclusion means one of welcome and respect for all, which microaggressions actively work against. That’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in!

To foster inclusive dialogue, here are some strategies to keep in mind and apply where appropriate:

What to Ask Ourselves

• In conversations with others, how many times do I speak? For how long? Am I dominating the conversation?

• Am I inviting others to share their insight?

• In what ways does my presence contribute to the sense of safety within this group, such as how comfortable someone else feels to voice their opinion around me?

• Am I being respectful to other participants by validating and appreciating the different experiences they have shared during this conversation?

• Have I been clear about my own boundaries? Am I respecting the boundaries of others regarding what they feel comfortable disclosing?

What to Say to and Ask Others

• I encourage you to correct me when I make a mistake.

• I’m not the right audience for this subject.

• Based on what you have told me, I believe we share [x].

• Based on what you have told me, I believe we have different perspectives on [x].

• I don’t think we’re at a point of mutual understanding yet. How can we get there?

• What do you mean when you say [x]?

• I struggle to hold that sentiment because I believe [x].

• Would you mind walking me through your thought process regarding [x]?

What to Avoid

• Only halfway listening to a conversation.

• Dominating a conversation.

• Overplaying the “devil’s advocate (conversations will inevitably stall if someone tries to argue or counter too much).

• Asserting that our opinions = facts.

• Disregarding the assumptions and mental shortcuts in our own thinking.

• Being silent in the presence of a rude or irresponsible comment (see the microaggressions section at the end of this article!).

Engaging in Inclusive Conversations

• REMEMBER: Communication is a constant! Verbal, nonverbal—from our words to our bodies, we are always saying something.

• Begin where others currently are, not where we want or think they “should” be.

• Be curious!

• But when we ask questions, listen to the responses we receive to learn, not to have a debate.

• Know that we can only speak for ourselves and our own experiences.

• Reflect on the information we are hearing to avoid distorting someone’s words. (Never be afraid to double-check for understanding.)

• Last but not least, pay attention to how others react to our statements. Invite them to challenge our perspectives, helping us all grow!

Though engaging in inclusive conversations may seem like an intimidating prospect, the truth is that fostering inclusive dialogue is a skill like any other. The more we do it, the better we’ll get! And I believe there is little more important than the intentional acts of checking ourselves, self-reflecting, and searching for ways to implement inclusion in every aspect of our lives.

But what do we do when someone, intentionally or not, seeks to hinder our inclusive conversations through the insertion of microaggressions?

All of us have likely been in a situation where we have witnessed a microaggression. During those situations, perhaps we didn’t know what to do, what to say, or how to react. And that hesitancy is understandable! Microaggressions bring discomfort, but if we don’t resolve those tensions, our efforts toward fostering inclusive dialogue will grind to a halt before we have traveled very far. Fortunately, today we’re going to review 12 simple strategies on how we can respond to microaggressions. Let’s dive right in!

1. Remind the individual about organizational policy.

“Maybe you didn’t know, but comments like that are against the code of conduct.”

2. Ask the individual for clarification.

“Could you explain what you meant when you said she’s too pretty to be an engineer?”

3. Present a lack of understanding, such as in response to a rude joke.

“I must be missing something. Why is this funny?”

4. Apply humor.

“‘He plays like a girl’? Like Simone Biles? Venus Williams? Billie Jean King? You’ve gotta be more specific!”

5. Remind the individual they know better.

“Oh, please. I know you’re too smart to say something so unfounded.”

6. Appeal to the individual’s principles.

“I know you really care about promoting respect in this office. Those comments about her weight, though, undermine your goals.”

7. Challenge stereotypes, such as offering alternate perspectives.

“In my experience, most young people don’t have their hands glued to their phone, especially when it comes to serious matters.”

8. Express your own feelings.

“I feel isolated and ignored when you brush off my comments during board meetings, especially as the only Black woman in the room. I appreciate that you start giving me a chance to speak.”

9. Encourage empathy, such as asking the individual how they might feel if a similar comment/action was directed toward them.

“They’ve asked to be called Mona. How would you feel if someone kept calling you ‘Jesse’ instead of ‘Alex’ even when you asked them not to?”

10. Separate intent and impact.

“I know you didn’t mean it this way, but you joking about Shun needing to work for IT instead of HR was hurtful because that’s not what he studied to do.”

11. Share your own process with the individual.

“I noticed that you refused to introduce yourself with your pronouns. I used to not see the point, either, but then I learned that stating our pronouns is an easy tactic to ensure others know how to refer to us in our preferred way.”

12. Remind the individual “what’s in it for them,” such as explaining how diversity and inclusion are beneficial for everyone.

“The world is full of all kinds of people! When better to learn how to navigate and appreciate those differences than right now?”

And there we have it! 12 straightforward ways to respond to microaggressions, because a fundamental element of fostering inclusive dialogue is defusing tensions before they can combust, and countering microaggressions therefore becomes a crucial part. An inclusive conversation will fail from the start if we allow subtle comments that reinforce bias and stereotypes to go unchecked.

All of us are now aware of practical tips we can apply to any conversation to help foster inclusive dialogue, from questions to ask ourselves to strategies for addressing microaggressions. That’s right—engaging in inclusive conversations is a goal well within our reach!

(Adapted from the University of Illinois and from the University of Oregon’s School of Law.)

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Diverse Hiring Checklist

1. How to Write the Job Description

• Arguably the most important part of the process; it is the act of opening the doors to diverse candidates

• Ask oneself, “Does the job posting avoid words that might discourage women, people of color, and other members of underrepresented groups from applying?” (source)

• Avoid gendered language

  • Here are a list of examples of masculine- and feminine-coded language to consider when writing a job description

  • There are several tools one can use to detect gendered language in a job description: Gender Bias Decoder; Textio; Gender Decoder

  • Use gender neutral pronouns, such as “they” or “you”

  • General rules of thumb: avoid aggressive language (e.g. “crush”) and superlatives (e.g. “superior”)

• Avoid requiring “[x] years of experience,” which can exclude younger applicants; instead, specify the specific skill required (e.g. knowledge of social media) (source)

• Avoid unnecessary dress requirements, e.g. disallowing head coverings can dissuade people from many religious backgrounds from applying (source)

• Outline the organization’s benefits

  • Ask oneself, “Does your company have an official mission statement? How about a stance on diversity and inclusion? What do your benefits packages look like? Do you offer parental leave? Paid family sick leave?” (source)

  • Also include employee opportunities, such as mentorship programs

• Provide the organization’s DEI statement

2. How to Advertise the Job

• Demonstrate the organization’s existing diversity (source; source)

  • On the organization’s website, social media, etc. include photos of diverse employees as well as make their personal stories available for candidates to access (could be a drop-down tab on the website)

• Here is a list of 25 diverse job boards where one can advertise the position; includes boards for people of color, women, queer people, disabled people, veterans, older people, and people with criminal records

• Connect with diverse organizations, such as HBCUs, groups dedicated to a diverse cause (e.g. an organization for women of color in tech), as well as “nontraditional” organizations, such as rehabilitation centers (source)

3. How to Put Together the Hiring Committee

• Ensure those involved in the hiring process have completed implicit/unconscious bias training; for example, Harvard offers its Implicit Association Test (IAT), which one can use to get a better understanding of the biases they currently hold

  • The Harvard Business Review also offers a breakdown of effective unconscious bias training for those uncertain where to begin

• Ensure the hiring committee is itself diverse, with at least three people from different backgrounds involved at each step of the process (source)

  • By putting together a diverse hiring committee, one has already taken a critical step to ensure biases will be questioned and privilege considered during the hiring process because the different backgrounds of the committee members will be able to “catch” one another

• Ask oneself, “Has the hiring committee carefully and thoughtfully discussed the criteria for screening applicants and come to a shared agreement about how criteria will be applied?” (source)

  • In other words, make sure the hiring committee is on the same page; simple but critical

4. How to Undergo the Hiring Process

• Conduct a blind résumé review (source; source)

  • Exclude items such as name, gender, age, race, education history, years of experience, photos, etc.

  • Allows for the closest possible scenario of “merit-based” assessment

• Always be willing to reconsider the “necessity” of certain degrees

  • Ask oneself if a level of education is truly required for a position; for example, does a candidate truly need a master’s degree, or would a bachelor’s provide them with the appropriate knowledge?

  • Ask oneself if a specific degree is truly required for a position; certain majors are often dominated by certain genders (with higher-paying degrees more often dominated by men), and thus a specific degree requirement may limit the applicant pool

• Ask all candidates the same interview questions in the same order to allow for more direct comparisons between candidates (source)

5. How to Evaluate Candidates

• It goes without saying, but evaluate all candidates using the same criteria

  • The University of Washington’s HR department provides two different candidate evaluation form templates to help ensure candidates are evaluated fairly, equitably, and with minimal influence of bias (for example, assessing the adaptability of the candidate, how prepared they presented themself as, etc.): Template 1 & Template 2

• What to consider during the evaluation process:

  • Members of the hiring committee should be on the same page about what constitutes a given rating (e.g. on a scale of 1 to 5, the difference between a 3 and 4, etc.); moreover, they should hold each other accountable to remain consistent in how they provide ratings

  • “Discuss multiple ways candidates can meet or demonstrate the criteria,” i.e. no rating should be limited to the presentation of only one trait

  • Keep in mind one’s implicit biases, e.g. determined by Harvard’s IAT, such as by asking oneself why one supports one candidate but excludes another

  • Discuss a candidate’s strengths first, i.e. what skills they as an individual could bring to the organization

  • Do not let numerical ratings be the sole deciding factor

• “Select the candidate that is most qualified for the role. Most qualified does not automatically mean the candidate who is most formally educated or with the most years of experience. It also does not mean the candidate with the overall highest score. The most qualified is the candidate who is able [to] demonstrate they meet or exceed the criteria for the role, and who may also bring a different cultural perspective or unique expertise to the position and department.” (source)

• When offering a job, ask oneself, “Has the committee attempted to ensure that new hires from underrepresented groups are not offered less pay or less prestigious titles for the same work?” (source)

Other Tools:

• This website provides an editable checklist for undergoing a diverse hiring process; for example, it includes a section to write the relevant job description, evaluate the organization’s diversity statistics, and so on. In other words, it’s a way to lay out much of the information discussed above in a way specific to one’s organization.

Measuring Progress in DEI

It is one thing for an organization to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. It is another thing for an organization’s DEI initiatives to be successful. As such, companies should make the effort to analyze the metrics of their DEI initiatives in order to ensure these initiatives are working. In other words, they must assess that their workplace environments are indeed becoming more diverse and feel more inclusive to those employed. While this may seem like an overwhelming task, tracking these metrics can be broken down into manageable steps. Let’s take them one at a time:

1. Consistency with DEI Training

To begin, we must start with the obvious. A company can only be successful with DEI initiatives if they actually implement the training. This step is easy to track, as companies should record each time they do DEI training and ensure all employees at all levels participate, from upper management and leadership positions to workers at lower levels. Furthermore, DEI initiatives are not a “one and done” scenario. These issues require review and in-depth understanding, and as such demand revisiting.

2. Measuring Diversity: Analyzing the Demographics

In this step, quantitative data becomes prominent, as there are several subsets of information that companies should keep track of to ensure they are successfully creating diverse work environments. The overarching theme of this step is simple: measure employees of underrepresented groups—people of color, women, people with disability, the queer community, etc.—overall in comparison to majority groups. If there are disproportionately fewer Black, Hispanic, Asian, and indigenous employees compared to white employees, or disproportionately fewer women to men, that is a sign the DEI initiatives in place are lackluster in their effectiveness. Companies can and should break down this data further:

1. Diversity in new hires

2. Diversity in leadership positions (organizations cannot claim to value true diversity if they are only willing to implement it at lower levels)

3. Diversity in promotions (organizations must ensure they providing opportunities equally to all groups)

4. Diversity in retention

The last point is particularly crucial, as DEI initiatives are only effective if they are maintained. Who is leaving the company? Are people of color, women, and queer individuals choosing to seek work elsewhere at disproportionately higher rates than people from majority groups? If so, that is a sign a company’s DEI initiatives are falling flat and require rethinking.

Overall, keeping track of diversity is a matter of recording and analyzing the demographics of minority groups versus majority groups within employment records. If the numbers steadily improve, then it is fair to conclude the DEI initiatives are effective and the organization at hand is creating a diverse environment.

3. Effectiveness: Equitable Pay

As of 2021, Black women only make $0.63 to non-Hispanic white men’s $1, and this is only one example of many wage gaps that persist across the United States. Women, people of color, queer individuals, disabled individuals, and especially people who fall within multiple groups are typically paid less than an able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual white man. While this gap is not always deliberate, organizations must pay attention to their wages and ensure they are fair. For example, a company might consider analyzing the average monthly paycheck for each minority group. After doing so, they can determine if any group is being paid substantially less or substantially more than others and make adjustments accordingly.

4. Measuring Inclusion: Data Behind a Feeling

Inclusion is the trickiest of DEI initiatives to evaluate, because how can a company really know if they are making their employees feel included in the workplace? Fortunately, there is a simple place to start: ask them, and ask them regularly.

Surveys are a fantastic tool for measuring the inclusivity of a workplace, but only when conducted repeatedly. By using the same questions, companies can compare the results of current surveys to previous ones and determine if their efforts at workplace inclusivity are improving. It is one thing to recognize the value of a survey measuring inclusion, however; it is another thing to make one.

Aleria offers 9 Categories of Inclusion that present an excellent basis for a survey on workplace inclusivity:

These same categories are explored further by Forbes. The Gartner Inclusion Index also has seven statements that form the basis of its assessment of inclusion, ranging from fair treatment to a sense of belonging. In other words, there are numerous tools available for companies to develop a survey that measures inclusivity. By doing so, companies can both assess on an individual basis and analyze as a whole who feels most included in their workplace and why. From there, specific areas can be pinpointed for improvement in future DEI initiatives. For example, an organization may be strong in ensuring trust between employees but struggle with making all employees feel equally heard by people in higher positions. By repeating these surveys on a regular basis, it is easy for a company to track if they are heading in the right direction.

While inclusion is largely based on qualitative information because it is about an individual’s feeling, there is also quantitative data involved. Looking back at step 3, an important subset was “diversity in retention.” Turnover rates are not only reflective of demographic diversity but also an environment’s inclusivity; if a workplace is not generating a sense of inclusion for minority groups, then people from those groups are more likely to leave and find different work. There are also new analytics tools and technologies that can help assess inclusion in a workplace; for example, organizational network analysis, or ONA. ONA uses company data to produce a visual map that demonstrates connections within an employee network, both the number of those connections and how strong they are. A workplace might use ONA and realize all the connections their Hispanic employees possess occur at lower levels, suggesting their company lacks Hispanic connections within higher positions. In other words, their company has not succeeded in creating an inclusive environment for people of color at all levels.

As with analyzing diversity demographics, the key to assessing inclusion is to do it over and over, continuously comparing current results with previous ones. Only then can true growth be recognized and specific areas targeted for improvement.

5. Transparency: Publishing Results

While this final step is arguably more optional, transparency in itself can go a long way in making a company more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. For one, publishing DEI results informs prospective applicants and current employees that efforts are being made towards improvement. It also demonstrates how effective those efforts are. Moreover, transparency suggests that an organization recognizes their own fallibility—humility is a virtue, after all. Most importantly, DEI initiatives are always evolving to meet new expectations. Because of this constant flux, a company being open about changes is an encouraging sign to individuals seeking to work in truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments.

As you can see, measuring DEI metrics is only overwhelming if we let it be. Breaking the process down allows for easier management of information as well as for more accurate collection and analysis of data. If organizations put in the work to ensure their DEI initiatives are successful, thus creating a work environment that is truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive, then it is only a matter of time before they—and their employees—reap the benefits of these efforts.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

5 Tips to Engage Gen Z

The newest members in today’s workplace are those of Generation Z. The general consensus places this generation as beginning in 1997 and ending around 2012, meaning as of 2022, the oldest of Gen Z are 25 (fairly fresh into the workforce, or perhaps still in college) and the youngest are only 10 (near the end of elementary school).

Despite their youth, Gen Z is a confident bunch, and it would be remiss of those of us commanding the workforce to dismiss their skill and grit. Gen Z knows what they want and, more importantly, they know what they deserve. This blog will thus review five straightforward ways to engage Gen Z in the workplace!

1. Create a Fitting Culture

In this period of economic flux, a global climate crisis, and institutional injustice, Gen Z values security and stability in the workplace above almost all else. Ensuring they feel aligned with the corporate culture is critical for hiring and retaining them. For example, Gen Z is the only generation currently in the workplace that has grown up surrounded by technology, hence why 91% say that a company’s technological sophistication will impact their decision to accept a job offer. In other words, it is imperative that a company’s culture demonstrates value and knowledge of modern technology to better connect with Gen Z.

2. Offer Opportunities for Growth

Gen Z may be willing to start at the bottom level of an organization, but like many of us, they aren’t willing to stay there! An employer must show interest in the career development of their Gen Z employees, including through opportunities like mentorship and sponsorship. Gen Z can be competitive, so there is a fine line we must walk of encouraging their intuition without feeding into unnecessary aggression, but when the end result is the chance to harness their inventive spirits, finding this balance is well worth it.

3. Contribute to the Community

The average employee of Gen Z does not want to work solely for an organization’s bottom line. One of the most notable characteristics of this generation is how much they care for others, including a willingness to accept diversity in ways we cannot deny us older generations have struggled with in the past. In fact, 30% of Gen Z would take a 10-20% pay cut to work for a company with a mission they care about. Do not mistake me as advising anyone to reduce Gen Z’s salaries! Rather, I seek to emphasize that many of Gen Z want to contribute to the greater good of their community and beyond, and it is of the utmost importance that employers support them in these desires.

4. Value Diversity and Inclusion

As established, Gen Z cares deeply for their communities, and they are incredibly accepting of others. This acceptance extends into DEI initiatives—they desire a workplace that embraces the value of diversity and inclusion, and it is in those environments where they flourish. In fact, Gen Z themselves “are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation,” which only further illustrates just how important diversity and inclusion are to engaging Gen Z in the workplace.

5. Give Them a Voice

At the end of the day, Gen Z values a manager that not only encourages them to share their opinions but ensures they feel heard and recognized. After all, it is one thing to let a person talk—it is another matter to truly listen to them. Gen Z are realists as much as they are optimists, and giving them an opportunity to share their thoughts on an issue will help lead to practical solutions. “We’re going to change the world!” they boldly claim, and if we are willing to step back, let them have their voice, and listen closely to what they have to say, I think we’ll all come to see exactly how Gen Z intends to make our world a better place.

And there we have it! Five straightforward strategies to engage Generation Z. Of course, these tips are all easier said than done—what do you say we follow in the footsteps of Gen Z and walk the talk ourselves?

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

What Does St Patrick's Day Have to do with Diversity & Incusion?

The predominant associations many of us have with St. Patrick’s Day can be summarized as follows: wear green, get drunk, and party! If we aren’t having a good time on March 17th, then we must be celebrating this Irish holiday incorrectly, right?

Well, truth be told, our modern conception of St. Patrick’s Day couldn’t be much farther from the origins of this celebration. St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday of rather nonlinear origins, as it developed gradually over time with influence from both the Irish in Ireland and the Irish in America. We might think of St. Patrick’s Day in three parts: celebrating Irish culture in the face of discrimination from both British and Americans; honoring the religious legacy of St. Patrick; and remembering the push for Irish national liberation.

But first, a little history.

England was the major colonizing power in Ireland for centuries, resulting in intense discrimination and persecution directed toward the Irish. Protestant England despised Catholic Ireland for their refusal to convert to Protestantism; for their long-time refusal to learn English; and for how different Irish culture was compared to English culture. Although such violent hatred between two groups of the same race might seem unusual to us in the 21st century, it is worth recognizing that during the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, and even the early 19th centuries, reliable long-distance transportation in the British Isles was nearly nonexistent. Most people lived and died within a few miles of where they were born. As a result, distinct cultures, lifestyles, and languages developed between England and Ireland despite the isles’ comparative closeness to one another. To the English, the Irish were an “Other,” which meant they needed to be put down.

English discrimination came to a head in the mid-1800s. Most of us are familiar with the Irish potato famine, although some of us may not know that this famine was a product of British landowning colonial power more than it was a mere natural disaster. Facing starvation, over a million Irish fled to America in the hopes of escaping English persecution and finding a better life.

However, the vast majority of Americans at this time were descended from British colonists. Anglo Americans had strong English heritage, were predominantly Protestant, and thus despised the Irish with the same intensity as their colonial counterparts in the British Isles. As in Britain, Irish immigrants to America were hated for their Catholicism and their distinctly non-English culture. They were stereotyped as lazy, violent drunkards and criminals who were incapable of getting jobs and contributing to the economy, though in reality their lower employment rates were a result of refusal by Anglo Americans to hire Irish immigrants.

Over time, especially with the advent of increased industrialization, Irish Americans were hired into what we’d call “blue collar” jobs, such as working in factories. Because they were Irish, they were paid significantly less than Anglo American employees, which led to an anti-immigrant rhetoric that is still pervasive today: “They’re stealing American jobs!”

Employers could get away with paying Irish Americans less money because they were seen as lesser (for being Catholic, for being immigrants, etc.), meaning many sought to hire Irish Americans, since they knew they wouldn’t have to fairly compensate them for their labor. Instead of recognizing that employers were taking advantage of discrimination against Irish Americans, Anglo Americans blamed the “stealing” of jobs on Irish Americans themselves, who in reality were barely scraping by with the pitiful wages they received. This anti-immigrant, “job-stealing” rhetoric echoes throughout American history, from denigrating the Chinese on the West Coast in the mid to late 1800s to the way Hispanic immigrants crossing the southern border of the US are labelled today.

Of course, what does the history of Irish discrimination have to do with St. Patrick’s Day? Well, a key component of the origins of this celebration was taking pride in Irish heritage as a direct response to the persecution they experienced. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day through parades and other organized movements was therefore a way of announcing, “We are Irish. We know who we are, and we are proud of who we are. You can hate us, you can stereotype us, you can lie about us, but we aren’t going anywhere.”

In a similar vein, another component of the origins of St. Patrick’s Day was specifically honoring the religious legacy of St. Patrick, a Catholic who sought to teach and spread Catholicism even in the face of intense persecution for his beliefs. It is no surprise, then, that the Irish—who were oppressed by Protestant England and America for their Catholicism—found resonance in the tale of a man who refused to sacrifice his faith because of what others believed. Consequently, honoring their religion and refusing to give up their religion despite pressure to convert was an integral aspect of the original Irish St. Patrick’s Day.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, remembering the push for Irish national liberation was the final third of the origins of St. Patrick’s Day, and this remembrance comes primarily through the association of the holiday with the color green. When we think of green and St. Patrick’s Day today, many of us might jump to “good luck” and “four-leaf clovers.” But in reality, green is connected to St. Patrick’s Day because it is a symbol of Irish independence and individuality. When the Irish in Ireland battled for their freedom from the English, they eventually chose to wear the color green because it stood out so fiercely against the English red. There was nothing “lucky” about the push for Irish liberation; they fought hard to develop an identity and nation that was uniquely, independently Irish. As a result, the color green honors their fight.

Knowing that St. Patrick’s Day was originally a celebration of Irish culture, religious faith, and national liberation, how did it become what it is today—an excuse for people to drink and party? How did this holiday return to the stereotype of the lazy Irish drunkard that so many Irish Americans fought to disprove?

As with many immigrant groups, the legacy of Irish Americans is complex. Despite that the original St. Patrick’s Day was an effort to celebrate Irish culture, daily discrimination still wore on Irish communities. Moreover, Anglo American society pushed the Irish to assimilate into mainstream culture—in other words, to become more American than Irish. This assimilation occurred twofold: not only did Irish Americans suppress their own heritage, but many sought to turn the discrimination they faced against others, such as toward Black Americans and other immigrant groups. To escape oppression, they would oppress others.

This vicious cycle and the legacy of assimilation is thus reflected in the history of how St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. Initially a symbol of cultural survival, as Irish Americans became assimilated into mainstream American culture, so was St. Patrick’s Day assimilated into mainstream American celebrations. Rather than honoring Irish heritage and resistance in the face of persecution, St. Patrick’s Day was commercialized by Anglo American society—it became a way to sell alcohol, let loose, and represent little more than “a good time.”

There are many lessons to be learned from the history of St. Patrick’s Day. For one, discrimination is not so clear cut as we might believe. Moreover, discrimination often operates in a vicious cycle—assimilation is a powerful force, encouraging victims to put down other oppressed groups in order to uplift themselves. Perhaps it is time we again recognize St. Patrick’s Day for its revolutionary roots: a celebration that invokes cultural pride, religious freedom, and national liberation. So this March 17th, let us put down the beer and instead lend an ear to this valuable chapter in the story of Irish history.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. 💚 🧡

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Elevating Inclusion With Five Microaffirmations

Melinda Briana Epler of TED defines microaffirmations as “little ways that [we] can affirm someone’s identity; recognize and validate their experience and expertise; build confidence; develop trust; foster belonging; and support someone in their career.” Because although it is crucial to recognize and combat microaggressions, it is just as important to uplift individuals from marginalized communities through positivity. The blog will explore five key microaffirmations we can implement in our workplaces every day:

1. Uplift achievements and amplify voices

This microaffirmation can be as simple as mentioning an individual’s achievements in conversation or as grand as publicizing it through an award. That said, we must also interpret “achievement” in the most capacious way possible: uplifting achievements includes recognizing an individual’s expertise and skill; giving them specific credit for their contributions; and making a conscious effort not to hold certain people to higher standards than others. For example, research found that “nearly two-thirds of women and people of color in engineering reported having to prove their expertise repeatedly,” where their successes and knowledge were dismissed time and time again. We must therefore amplify the voices of these individuals; their experiences are valuable and should be both heard and understood.

2. Facilitate comprehensive participation

This microaffirmation operates along two lines: firstly, we must explicitly invite individuals from marginalized communities to sit at the (literal or figurative) table where discussion occurs. Note the plurality of individuals: these invitations should be intentional, not tokenistic in nature. Secondly, we must then take steps to ensure these individuals are able to make their voices heard at the table. When we notice someone being excluded, we should ask for their thoughts. If we notice someone being talked over, we correct the interrupter before requesting the person who was interrupted to repeat themself. This microaffirmation is all about paying attention.

3. Establish acceptable and unacceptable behavior

This microaffirmation can apply to the above: during discussions, for example, we should lay down expectations that interruptions will not be tolerated. But we can take this microaffirmation a step further, too, applying it to the organization and workplace as a whole. These policies should then be communicated to everyone. Not only does communication ensure wider awareness, but doing so also allows more precise correction of wrongdoings because we can refer to these specifically articulated expectations. This way, individuals of marginalized communities know they are supported across all levels of an organization.

4. Provide regular and quality feedback

Unfortunately, research shows that “[w]omen — and especially women of color — tend to receive less quality feedback that can help them make needed course corrections and develop as leaders.” Fortunately, knowing of this situation means we can make intentional efforts to correct it. This microaffirmation should also be interpreted as capaciously as possible: “feedback” refers to both formal comments (e.g. offering advice on how to deepen one’s understanding of a specific skill) and informal comments (e.g. demonstrating attention through body language when a person is speaking as well as responding to their suggestion). Furthermore, feedback must be constructive and positive, where recommendations are given for improvement at the same time as recognizing what an individual is already doing well (that way they’ll continue doing it!).

5. Make note of religious and cultural holidays as well as life milestones

This microaffirmation is positive all around; not only do we demonstrate our support to our peers by remaining aware of their lives’ events, in the case of holidays, it is often fun and rewarding to broaden our horizons by researching these experiences! We can wish our Jewish colleagues “Shana tova” on Rosh Hashanah, and we can take Ramadan into account when scheduling major workplace events out of respect to our Muslim team members. Moreover, we can celebrate birthdays and keep in mind anniversaries (such as congratulating a wedding anniversary and offering condolences on that of the death of a loved one). This microaffirmation helps individuals feel seen and supported by those around them.

Microaffirmations are simple actions any of us participate in to create a workplace that is more inclusive for all within it. By doing so, we are better able to uplift people who have been historically pushed down, and moreover we show that we are willing to provide support in many forms.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Let's be Super Allies: Three Paths to Allyship

When asked if we are an ally for underrepresented groups, most of us would confidently answer, “Yes!” When asked what we’re doing to be an ally to underrepresented groups, however, some of us might falter. And such a reaction is understandable! Discourse surrounding allyship can be complex, especially because most of us are part of more than one community—a cis Black woman, for example, may want to stand up for her trans sisters in the workplace, but isn’t sure where to start, because she knows the misogynoir she experiences isn’t exactly the same as transmisogynoir. The good news is that there are certain roles of allyship that any of us can participate in, and by doing so we begin an ally’s work of making our world a better and more inclusive place. Let’s dig into the three key types of allies, inspired by Karen Catlin’s breakdown:

1. The Sponsor

The Sponsor is an ally who recognizes the skills of individuals from marginalized communities and provides specific credit to them for those skills, ideas, and contributions. Being a Sponsor includes celebrating an individual’s major achievements, such as awards, but it must also involve recognition on the everyday level. When a Black coworker provides insight on a matter, the Sponsor articulates credit for that insight: “Joana showed me [x], [y], and [z].” In doing so, they provide recognition to the individual and moreover help them build their credibility before the audience at hand. In essence, we must give credit where credit is due!

The role of the Sponsor doesn’t end there, however. Recognizing the skills of people from underrepresented groups also means handing the mic over, both literally and figuratively. If we recognize that we aren’t the right person to speak on a subject, we must ensure that someone who is the right person to do so gets to speak. Karen Catlin gives this example:

In May 2015, Andrew Grill was a Global Managing Partner at IBM and a speaker at the Online Influence Conference. He was on a panel along with five other men when a female member of the audience posed the obvious question to the all-male lineup: “Where are the women?”

The moderator then asked the panelists to address the topic of gender diversity, and Andrew, after sharing some of his thoughts, quickly realized he wasn’t the best person to respond. In fact, none of the panelists were. He instead asked the woman who asked the question, Miranda Bishop, to take his place on the panel.

Being a sponsor means redirecting questions, passing the mic over, and being intentional in crediting the voices and ideas of individuals from underrepresented groups.

2. The Amplifier

The Amplifier is similar to the Sponsor in that we must emphasize giving credit to the contributions of marginalized communities, but there are some key differences, too. In essence, the Amplifier pushes for “representation within communication,” where we choose to pursue roles of advocacy. Codes of conduct for meetings are a classic example, where they ensure all participants have a chance to be heard. But the Amplifier goes further. For example, if we are attending an event and we notice that individuals from underrepresented groups are absent from the invitees, the Amplifier works to gain them access, including—or even especially—for public roles (e.g. speaking or presenting). The Amplifier also ensures that networks are available to individuals from marginalized communities, such as by offering to set up introductions. In essence, we must open doors and thus amplify voices!

That said, there is another half to the Amplifier’s role. While it is critical to uplift individuals from marginalized communities, Amplifiers must also call attention to the problems and challenges they notice these individuals face. For example, if Michaelyn uses they/them pronouns, but their coworker keeps referring to them with she/her, the Amplifier steps in and corrects the coworker. It is important to note that amplifying issues does not mean generating conflict, as it is likely the person from the marginalized community will suffer from the blowback. Rather, the Amplifier “pushes back on offensive comments or jokes, even if no one within earshot might be offended or hurt,” which can be as simple as shutting down a conversation before it escalates.

3. The Learner

This final type of ally commits to the journey of self-education and self-reflection. In some ways, this task is straightforward: the Learner reads books about anti-racism, attends events and workshops run by marginalized individuals, asks questions (where appropriate) to further their understanding of injustice, and takes the initiative to spread existing resources developed by underrepresented groups within their own communities. But another component of this ally’s role is to then put that knowledge into action. Intentional action includes tasks like donating to bail relief funds, but it can also be as simple as supporting businesses owned by underrepresented individuals: shopping from Black grocers, supporting Hispanic-owned restaurants, buying from queer clothing brands, and so on. The Learner doesn’t interject their own experiences. Instead, they seek to understand the experiences of others.

But as with the previous categories, the role of the Learner doesn’t stop there. While it is critical that we educate ourselves on the systemic injustices that marginalized communities face, we must also act as confidants to individuals from these communities. Why? Because “listening to their stories and trusting that they’re being truthful creates a protective layer of support.” Empathy and understanding goes beyond overarching issues; the Learner shows they care about and will fight for the rights of the specific individual at hand, too. Educating ourselves cannot stop at the “overall.” We must recognize how discrimination and injustice are presented in our immediate surroundings, too.

True allies are intentional in their efforts to support underrepresented groups, and as this list of key types of allies demonstrates, there are numerous ways we can illustrate this support. Want to know the best part?

Each and every one of us can be all three: the Sponsor, the Amplifier, the Learner.

An ally.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

5 Website Best Practices For Demonstrating Commitment to DEI

While the push for diversity and inclusion has seen tremendous progress in recent years, there are still some areas in which many organizations struggle to demonstrate their commitment to DEI. One of the most common? The website! Surprising or not, many websites fall short of truly illustrating an organization’s commitment of DEI, no matter how well-implemented DEI policies themselves are incorporated into their workplace. This blog intends to share five tips for DEI website best practices. 

1. “About Us”

The “About Us” page tends to be one of the most visited on a website, containing information on an organization, their leadership, and more. As a result, it is imperative that this page illustrate an organization’s commitment to DEI. Vision and mission statements should include specific references to DEI and its role in the organization. For example, the statement might articulate why diverse and inclusive leaders and employees are critical to helping the organization achieve their mission and vision. It should be emphasized that while these statements are not expected to display every aspect of DEI in the organization—we’ll get to that in a moment—they must not be vague and nondescript, either. The more specific a statement is written, the more genuine it reads, because greater specificity is indicative of a deep, extensive commitment to DEI, not a shallow, superficial one.

2. DEI Page

Some organizations have a page dedicated to DEI, but lack sufficient content. Others may not have DEI information at all! But once we have that crucial page available, the next step is ensuring it is suitably comprehensive. The DEI tab should be visible and accessible from the main page of the website, and the page should ideally also be linked within the “About Us” section. On the DEI page itself, there should be information about DEI committees/task forces, DEI projects and proposals currently in progress, as well as summaries of both long-term and short-term goals. Links on this page might include DEI-related causes the organization supports, various organizations dedicated to diversity (such as the National Diversity Council), and so on.

3. “Join Us” Page (Recruitment-Related Pages)

“Join Us” pages should have specific information on an organization’s dedication to diverse and inclusive recruiting, hiring, and retaining, such as a statement or outline of how they aim to accomplish this goal. They also might consider linking to the DEI page for more information. Furthermore, on “Join Us” pages with new membership forms, there should be a space where the individual filling out the form can input their preferred pronouns. Alternatively, if the form includes a dropdown box for pronouns, more than simply “he/him” and “she/her” should be listed! “They/Them” is one of the most common gender-neutral pronouns used by nonbinary people, but it is also important to include neopronouns. 

4. “Resources”/“Education” Page

While educational pages should indeed provide information about resources dedicated to DEI for the intention of instructing people of majority groups, commitment to DEI resources cannot end there. Information on mentoring for minority groups, especially marginalized communities, for example, must be made available, such as for women, the Black community, Asian communities, Hispanics, the queer community, disabled individuals, and so on. Information on employee networks for people of marginalized groups should be made accessible and available, too. Importantly, these various resources must be intersectional..

5. Gender-Neutral Language & Diverse Photos

The first four tips are primarily dedicated to specific DEI-related pages across an organization’s website, but this final tip applies to the entire site itself. Firstly, ensuring that all writing uses gender-neutral language is a simple but critical way to demonstrate an organization’s commitment to DEI! Remember, “they” is the accepted singular, gender-neutral pronoun in English (and has been used for centuries); avoid using “he or she,” “s/he,” or the universal masculine. Secondly, it is critical that diverse photos be intentionally incorporated across appropriate pages of the website. Generic stock photos are not only often white-centric but are often ungenuine. Pictures of an organization’s employees of all races, ethnicities, and genders should be displayed across the website, thus illustrating the diversity already present within the workplace.

And there we have it—five tips for DEI best website practices. But today, there is a bonus section of this blog:

+1. Beyond the Website

Many organizations use at least one form of social media, if not more. From Facebook to Instagram to Twitter, demonstrating a culture of inclusion doesn’t have to end at the boundaries of the website! Some excellent DEI practices for social media include:

• Using diverse clip art and/or photos (again, preferably of the organization’s actual employees, not stock photos) in social media posts;

• Developing a multicultural marketing process to widen target audiences beyond majority groups, such as by researching values held amongst diverse groups in order to effectively and respectfully appeal to them;

• And last but not least, honoring celebrations of diverse communities. Many people and organizations acknowledge Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but what about Indigenous Peoples’ Day (the second Monday of October)? Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st)? International Asexuality Day (April 6th)? Lunar New Year (beginning the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ending on the first full moon)?

Illustrating an organization’s commitment to DEI across their website and social media may seem like a daunting task, but hopefully these tips show that all one needs is the willingness to sit down and start making changes. Now go forth and turn practice into progress!

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Seven Tips to Succeed at Hiring Diverse Talent

As the value of diversity and inclusion becomes ever more recognized within and across organizations, the push for diverse hiring is growing, too. Of course, there has never been positive momentum that didn’t meet resistance, and the task of diverse hiring is no exception. It’s high time we debunked the myths around diverse hiring and explored the best way for an organization to succeed at this goal!

1. Redefine “Diverse Hiring”

Many of us have heard the term “diverse hiring” used in a derisive manner, usually an attempt to discredit the process. Some people associate “diverse hiring” with “unqualified hiring” or “lowering the bar,” perhaps believing that No way should anyone of lower skills or abilities be given preference to those of higher abilities based on gender, race, or beliefs! When such a misunderstanding occurs, perhaps the resulting resistance makes sense. But this association is a false equivalency, as diverse hiring is not tokenism or filling a quota with whatever diverse candidates are available. Consider this definition from Ideal instead:

“Diversity hiring is hiring based on merit with special care taken to ensure procedures are free from biases related to a candidate’s age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to their job performance.”

In other words, diverse hiring might be thought of as a bias extraction! By ensuring diverse candidates will not have their diverse traits held against them, the hiring process inherently becomes more equitable.

2. Go Against One’s Own Bias

This step may seem obvious, but it doesn’t make it any less critical! We must keep in mind that people tend to hire those who fit the image of themselves, though such an instinct is often unconscious. To combat this bias, we should remind ourselves and others involved in the hiring process to look for complementary skills sets among the candidate pool (rather than unwittingly pursuing sameness).

3. Remember the “Two in the Pool” Effect

The Harvard Business Review determined that when the final candidate pool for a position has only one individual from a marginalized community, their chance of being hired is statistically zero, despite the candidate being as qualified as their fellow finalists. However, such a conclusion is not all doom and gloom! HBR also calculated that “[i]f there are at least two female candidates in the final candidate pool, the odds of hiring a female candidate are 79 times greater. If there are [at] least two minority candidates in the final candidate pool, the odds of hiring a minority candidate are 194 times greater.” By having at least “two in the pool,” the hiring process again becomes more equitable, and it helps ensure diverse candidates won’t be dismissed unconsciously because of their diversity.

4. Stop Aspiring to Hire the Unicorn

Successful hiring often means taking an objective approach, not aiming for an “ideal” candidate. While many of us would love to employ the titular unicorn who meets every exact qualification, the fact of the matter is that such a person… Well, they don’t always exist. It is thus worth looking critically at the relevant job description: Does this position really require a master’s degree? Does this position really need to be full-time? And so on and so forth! This step is particularly relevant to diverse hiring; research suggests that the content and wording of job descriptions can dissuade diverse candidates from applying because they don’t consider themselves to be the “unicorn” who meets every listed qualification.

The next step, then, is to address this dilemma of phrasing!

5. Be Intentional with Inclusive Language in the Job Posting

While it is critical we stop searching for unicorns, we must also ensure job descriptions aren’t written in a manner where only this hypothetical unicorn feels equipped to apply. After reevaluating the contents of a job description, there are numerous resources available online to help one write an equitable, unbiased job posting; Textio, for example, helps eliminate gender-biased terms. In a similar vein, these revised job descriptions should be made more available to diverse candidates, such as being uploaded to sites like Jopwell and Include.io.

6. Balance the Team

To continue our theme of looking past the unicorn, another critical step of diverse hiring is broadening our mindset toward a candidate’s “value.” “Value” is a fluid term, and yet it is often interpreted narrowly to mean looking at what a candidate can supply solely to the exact role for which they are potentially being hired. Now, such an examination is important; no one denies this. But we must also look at the value a hire can bring to the team as a whole, and diversity is a critical component of that value. The fact of the matter is that diverse teams are more creative and more productive, meaning a lack of diversity in our teams is a gap we want filled!

Furthermore, balancing a team through diverse hiring cannot stop at the lowest levels of an organization. When considering an individual for a promotion, such as to management, the overarching value of a candidate’s diversity should follow them; for example, “being a member of an underrepresented minority… [means] that person is more likely to be able to manage a multicultural team effectively,” which is an excellent skill for a team manager to have.

7. The Healthy Circle

The best part of recruited and retained diverse hiring? It generates a positive feedback loop. Forbes puts it well:

“[T]he more diverse talent you already have, the easier it will be to attract additional diverse talent, and the more likely it is that the diverse talent that you hire will feel valued and contribute more to the success of your company.”

Once effort is put into diverse hiring, it is a process that will sustain itself, which is all the more reason why taking the metaphorical plunge is worth it. Remember, diverse hiring is not about filling a quota with unqualified individuals. It is about taking action to remove systemic barriers that prevent diverse candidates from making the final cut or even applying in the first place.

Lastly, let us conclude with a three-pronged approach to addressing the argument that “diversity hiring means lowering the bar”:

• Take a deep breath, then ask the resistant party why they associate “diverse” with “unqualified.” Point out that these terms are not synonyms, and that they are certainly not interchangeable. Are they implying an employee might be unqualified because of their diversity? Such an equivalence cannot be made, because an employee can easily be both diverse and technically-qualified at the same time—these traits are not mutually exclusive.

• Ask the person voicing this concern if or why they’re thinking of diversity in terms of tokenism. Because it is true that employers have an obligation to understand the distinction between true diversity and tokenism when they are hiring! But if an organization is hiring diverse employees solely for superficial purposes, any issues that arise fall on the employer’s shoulders, not those of the diverse employees. Furthermore, diverse hiring does not equal tokenism, and such a distinction must be made clear.

• Remind the resistant individual that our world is naturally diverse. If society was free of bias, diverse hiring would not be necessary, because diversity would automatically be reflected across employees. But society isn’t free of bias, which is why homogenous organizations predominate. We must directly address this bias through diverse hiring to level the playing field, thus allowing diversity to foster naturally, as it always should have been.

Diverse hiring means inclusive, equitable employment. Diverse hiring means choosing individuals who are qualified and bring unique value to an organization. Diverse hiring means fostering an environment that reflects the stunning, multicultural world we live in. In my mind? No goal could be more admirable for an organization to pursue.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

What Business Can Learn From the Courts For Combating Unconscious Biases

Unconscious bias is a term that has an increasing presence in conversations of diversity and inclusion. In simplest terms, unconscious bias refers to biases an individual holds that they are not typically aware of, hence the designation of “unconscious.” Remember, unconscious bias is a universal issue! “Results of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) taken by millions of people show that 75 [%] of test-takers have a pro-white bias,” for example. In other words, we aren’t navigating these challenges alone. But because so many of us don’t realize we have these biases, unconscious bias can tremendously impact the ways in which we navigate society. Sometimes, these situations may be life or death. Consider: unconscious bias in the courtroom, particularly amongst juries.

Unconscious bias in courts of law can present itself in many ways, including racial bias, gender bias, ableism, religious bias, and more. Racial bias is the most pervasive, with numerous studies documenting its presence in jury decisions. One study found that when mock jurors were presented information about a masked gunman, some shown photos of a man with light skin and others shown a man with dark skin, they were more likely to determine the dark-skinned man to be guilty than the light-skinned man based on the same evidence. Other studies support this evidence of implicit racial bias, demonstrating that “[w]hite juries in criminal trials are more likely to convict Black and Latinx defendants than white defendants on similar facts.”

Implicit bias in courts of law is not exclusive to juries, of course; a study suggests that lawyers tend to view female judges less favorably than male judges, interpreting their behavior as either too masculine for a woman or not masculine enough to fit the expectations of a historically-male position. Judge Mark W. Bennett outlines some of the most common ways unconscious bias can present itself in the courtroom:

• Implicit biases affect [a] client’s choice of lawyers.

• Unique caseload pressures, combined with implicit biases, may result in initial [prejudiced] evaluations by lawyers, such as public defenders, which impact future case decisions in significant and potentially undesirable ways.

• Implicit biases unknown to prosecutors may dramatically affect prosecutorial discretion in undesirable ways.

• Implicit biases affect lawyers’ evaluations of judges.

• Implicit bias affects jurors’ memories, their interpretation of ambiguous evidence, and the presumption of innocence in ways often averse to minorities.

Because juries are the ones with the ultimate power to determine a verdict, most concentration toward the effects of implicit bias falls upon them. Simply put, unconscious bias can drastically color jurors’ evaluations in the courtroom, from how they interpret a lawyer’s capability (e.g. believing white litigators to be more capable than litigators of color) to how they judge the credibility of a witness (e.g. dismissing the testimony of a Black individual because Black communities are stereotyped as being less trustworthy than white communities). As a result, unconscious bias can dangerously sway a jury’s verdict in life-or-death situations; past studies have shown that juries are more likely to sentence Black individuals to death for a murder conviction, particularly when the victim was white. Those results are especially frightening when considered in tandem with the aforementioned fact that Black defendants are more likely to be convicted than white defendants on the same evidence, meaning an innocent Black person is more likely to receive a guilty verdict as a result of unconscious bias.

Because unconscious bias can unwittingly be the deciding factor in jury verdicts, including those of life or death, it is critical that the legal system enlighten individuals on these biases. Fortunately, steps are being taken, and while not foolproof, these strategies are moving the courts in the right direction:

1. Increasing Awareness

Seeing as many people have never heard of unconscious bias, the first step is educating jurors on what unconscious bias and how it presents itself, such as using the educational video created by the Western District Court of Washington. Some courts have jurors take Harvard’s Implicit Association Test, which takes about 10 minutes to complete and informs jurors of the unconscious biases they themselves possess. Judge Mark W. Bennett, mentioned earlier in this article, would provide unconscious bias training himself to prospective jurors, putting special emphasis on the presumption of innocence unless and until the prosecution demonstrated guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He also had jurors sign an affirmation at the end of his training vowing that they’d conduct a fair trial; similarly, at the end of the trial itself, jurors had to sign a certification that no biases had been involved in their verdict.

In other words, a jury can only be expected to combat their unconscious biases once they know how to look for them, hence the necessity of education on the subject.

2. Ensuring Diverse Juries

The US legal system has a history of all-white juries being expected to provide fair trials to defendants of color during the heights of segregation and other explicit anti-Black laws. Nowadays, social awareness has risen, and pushing for equity and fighting against unconscious bias means educating jurors on implicit bias and engaging more diverse juries (rather than allowing homogeneity to reign). Diversity amongst jurors has similar effects to diversity in other facets of life, such as the workplace. Simply put, more diverse juries are less likely to produce biased verdicts because diversity encourages greater deliberation and produces a more level playing field amongst jurors. In order to ensure verdicts reflect the reality of a case, juries should reflect the reality of our society: diverse in race, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, ability, and more.

3. Encouraging Dialogue

A final critical step courts are taking to combat unconscious bias is the simple operation of encouraging dialogue, including but not limited to during voir dire, when a lawyer has an opportunity to question prospective jurors and can thus engage them in discussion of implicit bias. The King County Bar Association eloquently expresses the inherent value of dialogue surrounding unconscious bias:

“[We] can have an intelligent and fruitful conversation with jurors about implicit bias without alienating them or making anyone feel like an idiot. It’s worth the effort, because unconscious bias and stereotypes that lurk below the surface can pose a substantial risk to [a] client’s case.”

When jurors, lawyers, and judges alike are allowed to hold active discussion about implicit bias, it ensures the presentation and judgement of the case at hand is more likely to be equitable and less likely to be underlain by unconscious bias.

Again, awareness of unconscious bias in the courtroom is critical because a person’s future may be at stake, such as facing death or life in prison; even a punishment as seemingly inconsequential as a fine can irreparably damage a defendant’s reputation. And this is only thinking in terms of the legal system! How might unconscious bias affect other aspects of society, including—or perhaps especially—the workplace?

Just as a person’s life can be placed in the hands of a jury, their life can be placed in the hands of an employer, too, as an individual depends on their position for their livelihood and well-being. Efforts must be made to combat unconscious bias in the workplace in ways not dissimilar to the approach of the courts: 1) educate employees at all levels on unconscious bias; 2) ensure diversity in hiring and promotions; and 3) encourage dialogue on the presentation and consequences of implicit bias in the workplace.

At the end of the day, the path we must take to combat unconscious bias is a road worth travelling, no matter how rocky it may be. With education and dedication, we can foster a culture of inclusion in the courts, the workplace, and in every aspect of our lives.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Main Areas of Focus in a DEI Strategy

Embarking on the journey of increasing diversity and fostering inclusion in the workplace can seem daunting. However, with a well-defined diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy, we can establish a clear plan to execute our DEI vision. To fully ingrain DEI into our businesses, we must integrate our inclusion efforts into all aspects of the organization. Through this blog, I will share key internal and external ways to incorporate diversity into our businesses.

Here are some areas to look into as we put together a DEI Strategy for our organizations:

Internal communications: Ensure the leadership team communicates the company’s focus on DEI in its corporate values, mission statement, and other messaging within the organization. 

Feedback channels: Implement ways for employees to share ideas for increasing DEI or to express concerns about discrimination and harassment in the workplace. 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Create ERGs to bring together employees with similar backgrounds, such as women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and emerging professionals. The most effective ERGs are inclusive and open to everyone – both members and allies.

Recruitment: Determine the most common barriers that affect recruiting historically marginalized groups and seek a diverse pool of candidates. Offering unconscious bias training to hiring managers supports diverse recruitment efforts.

Talent pipeline: Create a talent pipeline to develop diverse candidates for future leadership roles, and ensure underrepresented employees are included in mentorship programs. 

Ongoing workshops: Provide ongoing workshops regarding DEI topics like unconscious bias, working across generations, and handling discrimination case studies.

Roundtable discussions: Plan monthly small group roundtable discussions with executive team members and a diverse group of employees to gain input on workplace culture in relation to inclusion. 

Leadership Compensation: Include the focus on DEI in the leadership team’s performance evaluation and compensation plans. 

In addition to making improvements within the organization, we can exhibit our DEI commitments externally:

External communications and branding: Share the company’s focus on DEI by stating the commitment on the website and through social media posts.

Community engagement: Encourage employees to volunteer with associations and universities serving historically underrepresented groups. 

Putting together and implementing a DEI strategy can feel overwhelming since it needs to be integrated throughout all aspects of an organization. The best way to tackle this process is through a phased approach. We begin by identifying and implementing the low hanging fruits:  initiatives that are easier to start implementing. What matters is creating momentum and gaining buy-in. That is when we are able to foster real long-term change in our workplace and surrounding communities. 

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company. Her mission is providing guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within their organization.

Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential.

How to Manage Unconscious Biases

Unconscious biases are constantly affecting our thinking, reasoning, and perception of people and things around us. This quick process of judgments and decision-making can negatively impact our businesses and social interactions. To overcome these unconscious biases, we must make an intentional effort to question our automatic thoughts and begin to reconsider the world around us. Here are a some critical steps to managing unconscious bias. 

Become More Self-Aware

The first step to overcoming unconscious bias is noticing the problem within ourselves. These quick perceptions are ingrained in our minds as a survival tactic. We must first begin to recognize our patterns of bias and slowly work to disrupt them. The perfect way to do this is through self-reflection activities focused on unconscious bias. We can begin by asking ourselves a few simple questions: 

• Who do I feel most comfortable working with? 

• Who do I feel least comfortable working with? 

• What could I do to better understand or work more effectively with my coworkers? 

• How does my behavior in the workplace affect the office culture as a whole? 

These four introduction questions help us think about our own unconscious biases and how they play into workplace relations. To take this to the next level, try bias indicators like Harvard’s Project Implicit. This resource contains a myriad of short modules that test our biases for different religions, sexual orientations, and even our political views! These activities and questions challenge our current assumptions and unveil our unconscious biases. 

Be a Courageous Ally

Being a curious, courageous, and committed ally helps manage unconscious biases and creates a more comfortable work environment for all. As an ally, our job is to stand up for minority team members who may be experiencing discrimination or harassment. Whether directing team members to your Human Resources team or establishing a safe space in the office, do not be afraid to take action. Through dedicated action, we can generate a positive change for our team. By speaking up for those who may not have a voice, we improve organizational culture, increase employee engagement, and create an inclusive workplace for all. 

Expand Our Circles of Friends

This may seem a little out of the ordinary, but our friend groups have an incredible influence on our view of the world. Similar to the Circle of Trust exercise, think about your closest friends and coworkers. Is this group diverse? A homogenous friend group can lead to harmful echo chambers, which reinforce unconscious biases. By expanding our circles of trust, we can become closer with unique individuals and confront our unconscious biases with healthy relationships. The more we interact with diverse groups of people, the more our minds will be opened to others’ experiences. Through this process, we begin to break down harmful stereotypes and establish new ways of thinking. 

Managing unconscious bias does not happen overnight. It is a lifetime commitment to the three steps listed above. We must continuously work to become more aware of ourselves, our actions, and our chosen network. However, our diligent self-reflection and work will lead to a ripple effect of positivity within our workplaces and even surrounding communities.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.

Uncover Your Unconscious Biases

Unconscious biases are subliminal prejudices that influence the way we make decisions. These practices often negatively impact our businesses, leading to an unhealthy workplace. We each have over 180 biases. In this blog, I share information about fifteen of the most common ones and provide examples for each. With the knowledge of these biases, we can begin the conversations needed to create an inclusive workplace for all. 

Affinity Bias: Responding more positively to individuals with a similar race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

 A supervisor is considering employees for a promotion. One team member reminds the manager of themselves when they were just starting out in the field. Based on this information, the supervisor promotes this employee. 

Anchoring Effect: Relying too heavily on the first piece of information offered 

A manager reviewing resumes for possible candidates notices that one individual attended an Ivy League college. Without reading the rest of the resume, the manager offers the candidate an interview. 

Bandwagon Effect: Jumping on board with something primarily because other people are doing it

When making corporate decisions, managers are swayed to agree with large groups and fail to discuss unique options. 

Beauty Bias: Prejudices based upon the attractiveness, superficial personality, or physical appearance of an individual 

A survey of Fortune 500 companies found that male CEOs are 2.5 inches taller than the average man. People unconsciously perceived tall men as powerful, smart, and capable when compared to shorter men.

Confirmation Bias: Seeking information that supports one’s beliefs and ignoring details to the contrary

A CEO who believes the organization does not need to improve diversity and inclusion conducts a workplace survey to investigate the status of diversity and inclusion. When reviewing the results, the CEO highlights and reports all the positive comments and overlooks areas of improvement. 

Guilty By Association: Unfairly judging individuals by the company they keep 

A new employee is assigned a desk next to known slackers in the office. After some time, the employee becomes friends with these individuals, and the manager notices. In performance evaluations, the manager penalizes the new employee for being a slacker, even though they have met all deadlines.  

Hasty Generalization: Making a large claim based on a small amount of information

A supervisor has a team of 300 employees. When conducting a workplace survey, the manager only asks three employees for their opinions. The manager then makes executive decisions based on this small sample size. 

Halo/Horn Effect: Allowing impressions of an individual in one area to influence the overall impression

An employee is initially organized, successful, and productive, and their manager sees this talent and recognizes them for it. With time, however, the employee begins arriving late, missing deadlines, and so on, but the halo effect prevents their manager from noticing this underperformance, still viewing them as a top worker.

In the inverse, an employee has a rocky start, where they show up late on their first day and fall just short of a few deadlines during the early weeks of their new position, which their manager is displeased with. After an adjustment period, however, this employee becomes one of the most diligent, organized, and timely individuals in their department. But because of the inverse halo (the horn) effect, their manager fails to recognize their improvement, still seeing them as a slacker.

Herd Mentality: Adopting specific thoughts, prejudices, or behaviors to fit in with a certain group of individuals

A manager joins a company with a pervasive sexist office culture. When given the chance to hire a new team member, the manager only interviews men for the position and unconsciously disregards female applicants.

Hindsight Bias: Believing that a past event was predicted without any reasoning or evidence 

A candidate fails to prepare for a job interview and has a bad interaction with the hiring manager. When the candidate does not get a job offer, they insist that they wouldn’t have been hired anyway. 

Negativity Bias: Allowing adverse events to overshadow equal positive events 

Employees have three great quarters and one quarter below average. In performance reviews, the manager focuses the majority of their evaluation on the negative quarter. 

Optimism/Pessimism Bias: The likelihood to overestimate a positive/negative outcome based on attitude

Optimism: The financial analyses are back, and an organization’s leadership receives the news that their company met their goals and increased profits the past year. Delighted with their overall success, the leaders fail to recognize the areas in which profits were lost, thus taking no steps toward improvement.

Pessimism: A prospective worker participated in a job interview for which they were ultimately not hired, although they were qualified. They have another job interview for a similar position tomorrow, and they think they won’t get this job, too, even though they remain just as qualified.

Self-Serving Bias: Taking personal credit for positive events but blaming outside forces for negative events

When getting a promotion, an employee states it is all because of their hard work and diligent effort; however, when falling short of a deadline, the employee blames faults on their team members. 

A manager takes credit for a great quarter of sales but blames their team for the following below average quarter. 

Slippery Slope Fallacy: Rejecting an idea with little to no evidence simply because someone insists it will lead to an adverse major event

A prejudiced supervisor arguing that hiring one minority employee will lead to the deterioration of company culture and, eventually, the fall of the organization. 

Stereotypes: Overgeneralized beliefs about a particular group of people

 A manager assumes that an Asian employee is good with math and assigns them to certain projects because of this belief. This practice prevents the manager from realizing the employee’s real strengths and viewing all team members equally. 

These definitions and examples allow us to spot biases and accurately correct injustices. With this information, we can strengthen our culture of inclusion and empower employees with a deeper understanding of biases. By increasing our awareness of discrimination, we prevent negativity from subliminally spreading within our workplaces. 

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company. Her mission is providing guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within their organization.

Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential.

The Customer is NOT Always Right

Many organizations tout the mantra “the customer is always right.” And while they pursue diversity and inclusion initiatives amongst their employees, they are not always able to enforce that same level of respect from their customers. At hospitals, bigoted patients might see an overweight nurse and request that they be seen by a “thinner” nurse. Other patients have turned their noses up at a Black nurse, demanding that they wanted a white nurse instead. Such hateful rhetoric is not limited to the healthcare sector. At a bank, a customer encountered a Black teller and insisted they would rather wait for a white teller to assist them. Another customer even went so far as to refer to their Black teller as the n-slur. It is evident in these scenarios and too many others like it that the customer is not always right. The question, then, is how companies can create respectful, inclusive environments where their employees feel safe without the fear of losing business. Moreover, how can they create environments where their customers treat employees with the respect everyone deserves to receive.

An important solution is in the language. Instead of being complacent with the notion that “the customer is always right,” organizations can and should articulate specific statements that assert their expectations for customer behavior towards employees. The following companies have mastered the appropriate language, emphasizing that they will not tolerate harassment of employees from their clients:

An airline:

“Your safety and comfort – and that of our team members – are our top priority. We expect our team members to care for our customers with respect. We also expect our customers to interact with our team members and other customers with respect. If you act in a violent or inappropriate manner, you will not be able to continue your journey with us.”

Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge:

“Women’s Hospital has zero-tolerance for threatening or aggressive behavior. Disruptive visitors will be asked to leave.

Staff is supported in pressing charges for aggressive behavior they encounter while caring for patients.

Incidents may result in removal and possible prosecution.”

Cardiovascular Institute of the South:

“CIS fosters a safe, kind and secure environment for our patients, visitors and team members. We hold ourselves to these standards of behavior, and we kindly ask for your courtesy and respect in doing the same.

We ask that you:

• Show courtesy and respect

• Be appropriate in language, tone and interactions

• Abide by public health rules

• Be an active participants in your plan of care

Please refrain from:

• Discriminatory language

• Rude, threatening or demeaning language or tone

• Profanity

• Verbal harassment”

These statements have important qualities in common.

1. Emphasize the need for mutual respect between customers and employees.

2. Specify that aggressive and hateful behavior will not be tolerated from workers or customers.

3. State outright that there will be consequences for individuals who do not meet these expectations, from as simple as a customer being asked to leave to as drastic as legal prosecution.

The specificity of the languages leaves no room for misinterpretation. By setting firm guidelines, these organizations are being intentional in generate environments of true inclusion, where respect is fostered with every interaction on all levels.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company. Her mission is providing guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within their organization.

Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential.

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Beyond the Language of "Equal Opportunity Employer"

“We are an equal opportunity employer.”

Companies are required to include this statement or a similar phrase in their job descriptions, a supposed attempt to demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. But how inclusive is this short phrase? Does this generic line truly encourage individuals of underrepresented groups to apply to the job at hand? Does it guarantee a woman’s application will be judged with the same expectations as a man’s, that Black individuals will not be held to harsher standards than white individuals, that the transgender community can expect the same treatment as cisgender people? Most of the time, no. This standard language is exactly that: standard, if not the bare minimum. As such, this standard must be changed.

While there is more to ensuring diverse, inclusive workplace environments than modification of language in job descriptions alone, these smaller steps are just as crucial to the big picture as larger ones. By going above and beyond the standard statement and providing additional, detailed information about inclusivity in the hiring process, companies make important progress in generating inclusion all around. Consider the two examples below:

Deloitte:

“Our diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture empowers our people to be who they are, contribute their unique perspectives, and make a difference individually and collectively. It enables us to leverage different ideas and perspectives, and bring more creativity and innovation to help solve our client most complex challenges. This makes Deloitte one of the most rewarding places to work. Learn more about our inclusive culture.”

“What we do for our clients, we strive to do for our own people: make an impact that matters. We are regularly recognized as a top employer across a range of categories, including inclusion, well-being, innovation, leadership, and places to start your career. To learn more, check out our latest accolades.”

“From entry-level employees to senior leaders, we believe there’s always room to learn. We offer opportunities to build new skills, take on leadership opportunities and connect and grow through mentorship. From on-the-job learning experiences to formal development programs, our professionals have a variety of opportunities to continue to grow throughout their career. Learn more about our commitment to developing our people.”

Mastercard:

“We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better business results.”

A crucial element present in both of these statements can be summarized as “the why.” Not only do these organizations emphasize that they are equal opportunity employers, they provide explanations into why equal opportunity and diverse employment is essential for their workplace. When a company can articulate the reasons behind their desire for diversity, it is a sign they truly value different perspectives. If an organization is able to recognize and lay out the benefits they gain from a diverse and inclusive workplace, then it is safe to conclude the environments they foster are inclusive not just in language, but in practice, too.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company. Her mission is providing guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within their organization.

Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential.

5 Tips for Diversifying Board of Directors

In today’s climate, it is common to hear the phrase “we need to diversify,” particularly at upper corporate levels. Namely: the board of directors. But despite the increased citation of this desire, diversity within boards of directors is not yet commonplace. According to a fall 2020 analysis of the 3,000 largest publicly traded U.S. companies conducted by the Institutional Shareholder Services’ ESG division:

“[J]ust 12.5% of board directors were from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, up from 10% in 2015. The report also found that only 4% of directors were Black (up from 3% in 2015), while female directors held 21% of board seats (up from 13% in 2015).”

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, there were increases in the number of women and racial minorities appointed to Fortune 500 boards, but the majority of directors are still white men. How can this issue of homogeneity be adjusted? Fortunately, there are five crucial steps boards of directors can take to ensure diversity in their ranks:

1. Analyze the Demographics

In order to improve diversity within a board of directors, the board must know where their organization stands. First, look at the racial, ethnic, gender, etc. demographics of the board. Second, look at these same demographics within the community as a whole. What groups are disproportionately represented? Underrepresented? How drastic is this difference? Once a gap in diversity is identified, work can begin on deciphering why this gap exists, and from there a board can begin searching for solutions to resolve it.

2. Offer Training

This step is essential to understand how beneficial diversity is to an organization. By offering diversity training, individuals will better understand why diversity is so crucial in the first place. On a similar note, unconscious bias training is also important, as it helps combat internalized prejudices all individuals have, be they aware of them or not. How? Because “[u]nconscious bias can shape all aspects of the hiring and recruiting process, from the way openings at your organization are posted to the experience employees or board members have once they’re selected.” While no individual can ever be free of bias, making people aware of their biases will allow for implementation of genuine diversity in these upper levels.

3. Expand Your Candidate Pool

When appointing boards of directors, many organizations appoint retired executives. However, appointing active executives is also beneficial, as they are more aware of current situations evolving around them (e.g. in a market, with COVID-19, etc.). Similarly, when appointing new members to a board of directors, an organization should broaden their horizons beyond accepting referrals from current members, as people tend to have connections with individuals similar to them. Consequently, a board is unlikely to see an increase in true diversity with applicants garnered through such narrow recommendations. Expanding the pool of candidates is a simple yet effective way of diversifying a board.

4. Avoid Tokenism

As aforementioned, some boards are interested in diversity only for appearances’ sake. Diversity and unconscious bias training are key ways to address this issue, but another important tactic is ensuring new voices make up at least 30% of the total in a group. By doing so, a board not only avoids tokenism in appearance, but also in practice, as these new members will feel less isolated and therefore will likely be more encouraged to speak their minds. As stated earlier, increased diversity leads to increased innovation, meaning hearing these new ideas more often than not ends up being helpful.

5. Measure Progress

The final step is simple and perhaps the most important: “To stay focused on your objectives and goals, monitor your progress semi-annually.” Yes, it is that straightforward. Diversity is not a simple checklist but a practice. Are the demographics improving and representing the community that the organization serves? Are individuals from diverse groups being appropriately represented? Are their ideas being heard and implemented? Are these individuals staying on? Are they reporting any issues? Keeping track of progress is thus the ultimate step to truly diversifying a board of directors.

While the task of diversifying boards of directors may seem daunting, it is a necessary one, and only through active change can it be accomplished.

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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization.

Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.