Move the Needle on Diversity and Inclusion

In the last few years of the post-George Floyd era of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), I’ve met so many well-intentioned leaders eager to do their part in moving the needle on equity within their sphere of influence. As their equity consultant, I’ve struggled alongside them to identify and address the inequities that exist within and that are perpetuated by their organizations. Through these experiences, I’ve gained invaluable insights about how organizations show up and navigate transformational change based on where they are on their equity journey, which key leadership styles are needed in organizations to champion and dismantle systemic racism, and how to center the needs and elevate the voices of those that are often ignored or excluded to fuel innovation. 

The hardest lesson that I’ve learned on this journey though is that it’s not enough to envision and strategically plan for a new world where: 

• Black staff don’t report having a statistically significant less satisfying experience, less access to promotions, and higher turnover than their non-black colleagues
• Customers can see people who look like them in the leadership seats of the organizations that serve them, not just in the customer-facing positions
• Staff of color feel seen and heard and do not live in fear of retaliation and job loss for sharing their truth
• Programming and funding allocation is driven by the needs of the populations served, not just the strategic priorities of organizations’ leaders and/or funders.

The hard truth is that if we want to BE different and experience different outcomes, we have to actually DO things differently.

I founded The Solution Consulting Consortium (Solution Co) to support action-oriented individuals and organizations to unleash the power of diversity, disrupt and dismantle racial inequities, and cultivate inclusion and belonging to drive innovation and amplify impact by moving from intention to action.

Whether you are new to the world of DEI or you’ve been in the game for a while and are looking for new solutions, our team is here to help you and your organization foster a culture of innovation that maximizes your collective impact, promotes profitability, and increases employee retention and morale. This week I’m excited to share two great resources my team and I have put together to help you move to the next stage of your equity journey:

• A personality assessment that helps you and other members of your organization identify your Equity Warrior Archetype to understand your strengths, anticipate your challenges, and set actionable goals. Upon taking the assessment, you will receive your result and gain access to information about your unique approach to equity transformation. To understand all five archetypes that you may encounter in the world of DEI and how they may help your efforts, you may also choose to invest in access to an asynchronous instructional course that will be released later this week. You can access the assessment here.
• Complementary resources that will foster the knowledge and capacity needed to design and lead strategic equity action within your respective organization(s) for those that are newer to their equity journey. Our team has compiled resources to better understand the:
• History of racism in the United States 
• Business case of why equity is good for business
• Key stages an organization goes through on their equity journey 

Later this week, I’ll share some more information about additional opportunities to come together online and in person that will help you and your organization achieve your collective equity goals and aspirations.

Lastly, I just want to take this chance to thank you so much for inspiring the journey of Solution Co. and for continuing on into this next phase of growth with us. I’ll leave you with some words from author Mary Roach: “Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history”. In this long, arduous battle for justice, my team and I vow to lift you up when you fall, arm you with the tools you’ll need, and celebrate every win along our way to ultimate victory.

Make sure to follow The Solution Consulting Co. on LinkedIn and Instagram for updates and information about how to learn more about our offerings, and be on the lookout for another exciting announcement later this week.

Recklessly optimistic,