How to make DE&I a part of your organization’s ethos–and not just a box to check

When first exploring what it means to create an organization that prioritizes DE&I, I recall hearing a phrase that helped me immediately understand what was missing in so many organizations.

 “If diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.” 

I viscerally remember what it felt like, as a teenager, to be invited to a party or to attend a school function where dancing was involved. I stood against the wall or sat in a corner, and when my favorite song came on, nobody asked me to dance. That feeling was worse than if I had just stayed home.

This is exactly where so many organizations get it wrong. As we saw at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020, countless organizations made bold commitments toward DE&I efforts. I’m willing to bet that most of those efforts were made based on how it looked to the outside world by creating diversity hiring goals (read: inviting folks to the party) and were less concerned about listening to their teams and considering how it actually felt within their organization (read: inviting everyone to dance).

What so many fail to consider is the importance of belonging in cultivating a truly inclusive culture where people feel psychologically safe to be themselves.