This first blog post of 2022 begins with a message of hope for new beginnings. The New Year is about dreaming big, setting goals, and challenging yourself to achieve your aspirations. Seize the opportunities presented to you this coming year, and I wish everyone the greatest success for 2022!
A quote from my new book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, encapsulates this time of hope and positive change:
“This is an inflection point. The next DEI chapter is yet to be written by leaders like you. It’s a moment – an opening – of timely opportunity.”
How do we use this moment, this opportunity and this new beginning to make our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts sustainable? In this newsletter I share the fifth principal from my book, Know What Matters & Count It, which is fundamental to moving from performative actions to sustainable progress.
First, here's a quick recap of the previous four principles:
In June and July, I addressed the first principle, Make it Local. I shared how Barclays localized their LGBTQ strategy while pushing for change even in LGBTQ unfriendly countries. I also shared how Alain Morize disrupted the status quo and pushed to include women in the Sodexo workplace in Saudi Arabia.
In August I explored the second principle, Leaders Change to Lead Change. I shared the importance of leadership commitment. To lead authentically, leaders have to internalize the importance of DEI to the organization and to them personally. I interviewed a transformational leader from India, Rishi Gour.
In the September newsletter I explore the third principle, And it’s Good Business, Too. I shared about the importance of developing a compelling change narrative showcasing how Barilla leaned on the business, legal and fairness & equality rationales for change for PWD to successfully embed DEI in their business model creating competitive advantage for the organization.
In October, I shared more details on the fourth principle. Go Deep, Wide, and Inside-Out and how organizations are comprised of interconnected systems that work in concert with each other. I spoke with Peter Brown, Group Vice President, Digital Platforms Agency, Charter Communications, Inc. and he shared how he embeds accessibility for people with disabilities in their product development and in their processes.
Now, let's explore the fifth and final principle, Know What Matters & Count It.
The fifth principle, Know What Matters & Count It, focuses on the importance of metrics to provide a global framework and cohesive narrative. Metrics communicate both an organization’s intent and commitment. They spotlight problem areas and possible solutions as well as enable and promote accountability.
One way of thinking about metrics is in terms of lag measures and lead measures. Lag measures are specific outcomes you want to achieve such as number of underrepresented staff in management positions. They are retrospective assessments of whether you have reached your targets. Lead measures on the other hand look at activities and behaviors that you want to encourage and if done consistently will result in the desired outcomes.
To only measure the representation lag outcomes is insufficient. You must also measure and quantify the inclusive actions necessary to achieve those outcomes. Using both measures in tandem can mitigate and reduce resistance, as we found out at Sodexo when we launched the Sodexo Diversity and Inclusion Index (SDII).
At its inception, Sodexo began with tracking only lag measures. However, these alone were confused with quotas which triggered resistance. Feedback suggested that we would see more widespread buy-in if managers were also rewarded for changing their behaviors and actions to be more inclusive. With the addition of lead measures, the scorecard gained widespread acceptance, eventually being integrated into the performance management process.
Ensuring that the metrics employed are meaningful and meet the business needs of the organization can also help mitigate resistance. The visual below shares the considerations for identifying appropriate metrics and how metrics should be evaluated on a regular basis to ensure they remain effective.
To learn more about effective metrics in more detail, as well as how best to deploy metrics globally given the variation of laws and contexts, click here to order my book, Leading Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
To listen to a summary of all 5 principles in my book, click here.
More than just a book...
To celebrate the launch of my book, I have created a series of resources that I hope you find useful.
Learn from my Experience
I'm excited that on Wednesday February 15, 2022 @ 10:30 am EST I will be hosting my 5th Learn from My Experience session, a 1 hour live virtual Q&A session facilitated by Laura Shipler Chico, an actress and facilitator based in London.In the last Learn from My Experience hosted in December, we had leaders from over 10 countries register to join the session including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Turkey, Spain, India, Peru and France. Companies represented were also incredibly diverse including Sodexo, Starbucks, UN Women, Citigroup, USTA and Unilever.
I look forward to another engaging session and to answering your DEI questions. To register and submit a question for this session, please click on the link below.
Please do share the link with colleagues and friends who may be interested in joining and learning more about Global DEI
Time zones: 10:30 EST 07:30 Pacific 15:30 GMT 16:30 CET 08:00 IST 22:30 Singapore
Free DEI Resources
Since my book launched in November, I have had a busy schedule giving presentations, writing articles for publications and speaking on podcasts. A few highlights include:
My book launch party.
Being featured in the Harvard Business Review article ‘DEI Gets Real’.
Speaking on The Conference Board podcast, Off The Shelf.
Moderating the Women Business Collaborative's Global Call on Diversity session.
Presenting to The Centre of Global Inclusion community.
I am pleased to be continually adding new resources to my website to help you with your DEI journey.
Learn from the DEI Community
There are now over 400 people in the Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion LinkedIn community group! Bringing together global leaders to connect and learn from each other, I hope it enhances your capability to drive sustainable, impactful change.
Bring your questions, share your experiences and connect with fellow leaders who, like you, are driving DEI change and progress. Why not also share with colleagues and friends who are also on their DEI journey and are searching to identify ways to enhance impact across different regions!
Learn from Leaders
In this series of interviews, Dr. Anand has wide ranging conversations with industry leaders about their DEI journeys.
Interviewees include:
Peter Brown, Group Vice President, Digital Platforms Agency, Charter Communications, Inc.
Kristen Anderson, Former Chief Diversity Officer, Barilla
Rishi Gour, CEO, Theobroma
Alain Morize, Senior Vice President, Energy and Resources, Sodexo US
Mark McLane, Head Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing, M&G
This book and Rohini's work are the most comprehensive and comprehensible approach to DEI that you can find. Every Chief Diversity Officer or CEO who cares about DEI should have this as a resource and refer to it regularly.