WHAT I HAVE LEARNT OVER THE YEARS BEING A DEI PRACTITIONER

The work of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is interpersonal, systemic, complex, and generative all at the same time - it can be both deeply satisfying and frustrating. In my two decades of being a practitioner in this field, as an employee, executive within organisations, and an independent consultant, I have witnessed all four of these aspects of this work. This is a field that is regularly misunderstood, where everyone thinks they can ‘do diversity work’ or facilitate its conversations because the basis of diversity is our identity.

It is a fact that no individual or organisation can claim territory over the concept of DEI, yet at the same time, it is a field that requires practitioners to invest careful study and have a willingness to practice reflection before attempting to help others navigate the complex terrain. I have learned that DEI work (of which coaching is an integral part) requires training, dedication, passion, and certification and, most importantly, resilience, if we are to make a good impact. Some of the lessons I can share.

1. ‘Give us the tools so that we can get on with it’

There is nothing wrong with providing tools to help with implementation, but often I have come across leaders who want to avoid doing the hard ‘inner work’ of heart transformation and who do not want to allocate enough time to this important work, simply wanting me to give them the tools. What use will those tools be if you do not internalise how to use them? Imagine being asked to teach or facilitate racism workshops in a once-off two-hour session? That is not only impossible but dangerous.

Leaders need to commit to the journey, as challenging as it may be. Shortcuts will always take you back to the starting point and come with wasted resources of time and money.

2. Management prefers to focus on core business, and deprioritise DEI

There are endless examples of organisations that believe that as long as you do DEI work with lower-level staff, you would have addressed DEI issues. In fact, some will have a budget to work with all levels but exclude the executive or senior levels because they do not have the ‘time’ and are focusing on ‘important’ areas of the business. When this happens, it is a clear example of a lack of understanding of how integral DEI is to the day-to-day workings of any organisation. When you are facing problems with a lack of performance, customer or stakeholder complaints, or low sales, how will you know if some of the root causes are not related to inclusion or exclusion, which inevitably impact productivity?

Leaders need to engage with staff and unearth underlying issues. You cannot separate DEI from the way you conduct your business. Staff take their cues from senior leadership, and if you are not leading by example, the DEI initiative will fail.

3. ‘Help us with workshops - that is all we need’

Effective DEI work is systemic. It is not a ‘tick the box’ quick workshop approach. There is nothing wrong with needing only workshops from your DEI provider if you are doing the steps internally and are following a process with clear milestones and know how to measure impact along the way. My experience is that there are many organisations who believe that workshops are the panacea to everything. Even if you were to commit to taking everyone through workshops, your efforts will not be sustainable if you do not approach this as a whole system change process.

NENE’S CHALLENGE FOR LEADERS

Leaders need to commission pre-assessments and measurements, internal committees, training, recognition mechanisms, coaching, ongoing communication, and impact assessments. I invite you to use the GDEIB write-up and tools that will be of great help in ensuring sustainability.

4. ‘Don’t upset that leader, they are an excellent performer’

This is when a leader has tenure, connections, and is known to be an excellent performer, but their values do not resonate with those of the organisation. Reports of discrimination, harassment, and even mental health issues as a result of their leadership style emerge, but the organisation cannot afford to lose them or even reprimand them, so you are cautioned not to upset them. Often, this is not stated blatantly or overtly, but I have picked up signals, and when I highlight them, I hear comments like “Well, if it were not for them, we would not be meeting or even excceeding our targets.” This behaviour often sends double signals to team members. On the one hand, leaders must live our values; on the other hand, they must overlook them. Whilst acknowledging their excellent work, discussions should be held about the impact that they have on their staff. If a leader cannot multiply talent, their success is short-lived - and so will the organisation’s if they rely on one person’s performance with no pipeline.

Leaders need to regularly recommit to their organisation’s values and enable staff to do the same. This can also be commemorated in the form of an annual event where examples of where leaders deviated from that should form part of performance reviews. The mental health of all staff should be prioritised so that no personal egos come at the cost of someone’s life or wellbeing.

My experience as an African, Black and Female consultant

In my book titled ‘A Journey of Diversity and Inclusion in South Africa: Guidelines for Leading Inclusively’ I address the concept of being a director and an actor in the same movie. My role as a consultant is to guide, advise, facilitate difficult conversations, and lead the co-creation of solutions alongside clients to confront exclusion, sexism or racism in their organisations.

The trials and crucibles of navigating this journey require inner resolve and resilience. I utilise

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

James 1:2-4

“ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.”

2 Corinthians 4:8 encouraging scriptures from my Christian faith when I experience such situations, in particular, two scriptures which are quoted below.

Here are some crucibles that I have experienced in my consulting journey.

• Being told, “We are happy with your experience in this field, but you need to bring a White person with you - that will carry more weight.”

• Hearing remarks that my pricing was too high and that I should be happy to have my foot in the door, only to discover that the White consultants who are consulting for the same company are paid way more.

• Constant reminders that “We pay you a lot of money, so we must get a good product from you.”

• My consultants being told they had to travel together by car and could not fly to save costs, while consultants of another provider (a White-owned company) were not only allowed to travel by air but could claim for travel time as well.

• The person who invited me to the prospective client experiencing discrimination within their organisation and projecting that onto my company. They become extremely anxious and want to scrutinise every step I take and even take over the design.

• Discovering that the prospective client contacted six of my previous clients for references. Upon inquiring whether this was standard practice to phone so many clients, I was told ‘in confidence’ that it was an unwritten rule in that organisation that Black consultants are overly scrutinised because their standards tend to be low.

• Conducting an interview with my White colleague, and I was ignored despite the fact that we were both leading the interview. The only time the interviewee (a senior executive) looked at me was when she spoke about some donations her company had made in a Black township.

As you read these, you might think this is an exaggeration or petty complaints - what they have taught me is that when someone comes to me with allegations of unfairness or discrimination, be they on the grounds of colour, race, sex, gender, disability, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, age, class, etc. I must learn to suspend my judgment and afford them the opportunity to explain as opposed to trivialising their lived experience. When I am on the side of privilege (because rank, power, and privilege are contextual, we move in and out of them depending on where we are), I need to be especially aware of my privilege and be willing to listen and investigate where I have the power to do so. There are numerous other examples, but it’s important to not throw in the towel and persevere with the bigger vision in mind.

What gives me hope and excitement

Despite all the challenges listed above, there are many leaders (including the 12 I have featured on this cover) who can lead beyond their personal identity, who see people for who they are. Receiving feedback that my journey and crucibles are creating a better, braver path for others keeps me going, like the messages I often receive from those who read my book or attend my workshops. One such message came from a young psychologist who wrote: “When I listened to your keynote address and read your book, it felt like you were a voice for a part of me that never had a platform to vocalise the injustices of my everyday life as a Black young woman who is trying to establish herself in a profession.”

No one says this work is perfect. Whether you are a White or a person of colour, of any gender, you will make mistakes, you will learn from them (hopefully), but know that when your margin of error is so small compared to others, remind yourself that there are many other leaders who have demonstrated excellent leadership qualities of fairness, integrity, and passion for change and transformation of society. I give such recognition to all those featured in this magazine.

My challenge to leaders across the Global South is clear: embrace the power of your words and let them ripple through generations. As leaders, Drop in the Bowl of inclusion can create waves of positive change. Be deliberate in sharing your wisdom on success and inclusion, inspiring the upcoming generation of leaders to rise. You have a role to play in contributing towards a brighter future for nations in the Global South through the transformative influence of your insights and guidance.