This post is going to be somewhat more personal than how I usually write.
Normally, I try to write and argument as factually and data driven as possible. I’m not one that feels comfortable to carry my emotions on my sleeve. And even less as some of the topics I write about are truly important to me.
Some amongst you that know me personally will be aware: My work is my passion. I do what I do from the core of who I am, with the intent do contribute with my expertise, the passion and the elbow grease to businesses becoming future fit, genuine leaders for good in our societies.
I am a believer of a job well done comes first, and only then we can talk about. And I am not willing to make concessions on ethics – certain things are non-negotiable.
My efforts are genuine, if not perfect. I have failed and I keep learning. There will be more lessons going forward, no doubt. But I hold myself accountable to doing the best I can, while learning how to do better.
But: There are a couple of things that upset me in the present. They related to the #blacklivesmatter movement on the one hand, but maybe more specifically to the related discussion on #racism – globally.
No worry: it is neither the demonstrations nor outspoken demands that upset me. From where I stand, these should have never stopped (latest) after 2016/2017. In fact, they should not be needed, albeit they no doubt are. That these were bound to be needed again was clear to any onlooker. Too much that was continuously brushed under the carpet. And not just in the US. There is much that needs to be brought into the bright daylight.
No. What upsets me is this conglomerate of observable facts that for anyone who dares to take note, tell a story in their own right: A story of ongoing absence of genuine intent.
The Fact-Talk Gap
All
these statements by corporations, by individuals, by organisations,
and by some governments (local, regional, national) that have been
made available to the public over the last weeks.
Not only did
they not add anything new to the discourse. But much worse: As good
as all of these companies, organisations, institutions have
previously and officially claimed to be ‘equal opportunities
employers’.
And yet: once you look at the diversity data
available (rarely readily, mostly requiring a fair bit of research
effort), and particularly those for the Board of Directors (BoD), the
C-Suite, senior management and so on – those public statements
proof to have little substance to them.
Not when it comes to
‘equal opportunities’ of people of colour, not for women, not for
people with physical disabilities. Not for any one minority worth of
a representation in our institutions and our society.
The Talk – Accountability Gap 1: Lack of Transparency
There is more to this though. Few if any organisations dare to even own up to their situation and e.g. release such data for all their workforce – from the BoD through to the delivery driver and warehouse worker – publicly. And even less so as a timeline over the course of say 10 years, so that positive or negative trends would become apparent.
The Talk – Accountability Gap 2: Lack of Action
To continue from the above: some organisations shout about the actions they take. And some don’t – whether the latter is due to absence of action or fear for being attacked despite genuine efforts, we’ll never know. Also here more transparency would be needed: No need to shout about it tough, just publishing for example a short document explaining concrete actions taken, the rationale and any positive or negative experiences (based on data, of course!) would be plenty.
Without data to benchmark developments against, and no insights into actions taken – what remains is hot air at best.
The developed nations focus: Focus on one, forget the others
There
is a broad, and sometimes deep going acceptance of racisms –
particularly institutionalised racisms – in many geographies of
this world. To list just a couple
of sadly
long-running ones: The situation in South Africa; the Rohingya in
Burma; the situation of the Untouchables in India; the travellers,
Roma and Sinti, in Europe; the Uighurs in China; the
situation of Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories; or
– maybe surprisingly – the absence of certain basic rights of
foreigners (permanent residents, foreign workers) living and
working in Japan manifested
yet again in the context of the current Covid19 crises.
Depending
on the exact geography, the results are the same as in the US:
exaggerated police or military violence with no or very little
consequences to the perpetrators; deep going social divides between
the haves and the have-nots; long-running challenges of access to
education and job opportunities by the discriminated (which are
not necessarily always the minority by numbers); prisons statistics
that are self-explanatory. To
just name a few.
The situation in the US has for a long time
been unacceptable. No one who ever was required to travel to the US,
for example on
business, could pretend we did not see. We did. But we felt not only
powerless, but to some extent also threatened by the situation and
its systemic context. I for one, as a foreigner, felt scared for my
own safety in the face of US Police and/or
Border Controls. Precisely because being foreign– how would I be
able to ‘manage’ if ‘anything’ happened? It is a fear that I
have not had in any
other country I travelled to in my life.
But I also feel strongly bothered by the absence of public
outcry, real action and public demonstrations, against the situations
in those countries where these issues are just as much putting
people’s lives on the line. But because there
it is not a developed nation, it is of
lesser priority. Or possibly worse: the outcry is sacrificed to the
economic interest and political relationships involved.
Racisms, particular systemic racisms, is not, and must not ever be, a pawn of political and economic relationships. We have learned that lesson (at least!) three times in our recent history already: WWII, Civil Rights Movement in the US, and Apartheid in South Africa.
Silence is complicity: by national governments around the world
Few if any governments have taken a stance against (systemic) racisms in public. If so, then at best on selected individual cases. Hardly any have taken up the ball and owned up to their own failures. Justin Trudeau’s silence and subsequent statement was a highlight – and more than telling.
Silence is complicity. For governments and entire nations as much as it is for business and individuals. Silence is complicity.
Speaking out: Discrimination vs Trend
I am also am concerned by all those that have looked away for far too long, just to now hop on the band wagon.
Don’t
get me wrong: I am immensely grateful for every single person,
organisation, business that has chosen that now is the time to speak
up and to speak out. But the fact that they did not dare – or chose
not to – do so before, should worry us.
It means we are a
discriminatory society. #blacklivesmatter and #antiracism protests
are currently
widely accepted. Just as the #fridaysforthefuture were before.
But
only a couple or so years ago though, both of these movements would
have had dire consequences for the people involved: Being at risk of
being thrown out of school in the second case; sever social
harassment in the other. Not so long ago, real and deep going civil
courage was needed to speak up, act up. And now?
The role of the board and/or leadership
With all the above: I am particularly bothered by businesses.
As I wrote in an earlier post: business and organisations are lead by individuals. And if organisations are complacent, in means the individuals within, and particularly those ‘leading’ their organisations, are complacent, too.
Which means … Leadership and corporate boards in particular are not living up to the public statements made by the companies they represent. They have so far missed out on requiring action, publication of data, and holding themselves and their companies publicly accountable. They have been complacent. Not just when it comes to people of colour. But when it comes to sexism, classism, xenophobia … you name it.
Because: Go serious. Take Action. Or go home.
Leading by example starts at the leadership level. And it is sobering to realise how preciously little leadership there has been.
We’re in this together: let’s turn talk into action, let’s roll up our sleeves.
A call to engage, to keep learning:
- Would you like to discuss?
- Seeing angles I have overlooked?
- Know of good resources for boards on how to best walk the talk?
I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Walking the Talk on Diversity & Inclusion: Some practical resources for corporate boards
| Description | Resource Link |
|---|---|
| Created originally for a globalised South African context, the document concretises what the term ‘diversity and inclusion’ means in all its facets suggests concrete and actionable steps discussion of the pro and con arguments often raised | Diversity in the Board Room: Perspectives and Practice, Deloitte South Africa |
| Particularly relevant for the US context, the Alliance for Board Diversity (ABD) researches data and methods to increase gender and ethnic diversity on US corporate boards. | The Alliance for Board Diversity |
| The ICGN outlines the role board positions and activity plays in ‘making diversity & inclusion happen’: Board Chair Committees Policies and disclosure Composition Evaluation and succession planning Recruitment It also contains a section on the role shareholders should and could play in this effort. | Guidance on Diversity on Boards, International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) |
| This webinar discusses what business leaders at all levels can say and do to tackle racism in their organizations and in society in light of #blacklivesmatter. Impact of recent (2020) events on the Black community. What White people can do to be authentic allies and drive change. What leaders and HR can do to address systemic racism and build inclusive organizations for all. | Racism Matters: Eradicating racism in the corporate world. KornFerry webinar |
| In this Webcast, PWC Switzerland outlines the research methodology and use case studies to demonstrate how a Diverse & Inclusive workplace can step change performance KPIs within the Operations environment. | Diversity & Inclusion Webcast: methodology & KPIs within the Operations environment |
| The selection of meaningful diversity and inclusion metrics is an art, rather than a science. This article outlines 8 steps to setting meaningful diversity and inclusion metrics, and also suggests some dimensions to look at, depending on business strategy. | Meaningful metrics for diversity and inclusion |
| Case Example: Diversity metric by the Australian Department of Defence: Community Lens People Lens Government Lens | Out performance indicators of Diversity and Inclusion in Defence |
| Case Example: Levi Strauss’ release of their D&I data. Not looking great at all – but they own up to their short-comings. Releasing the data is the first step, and shows willingness to be held accountable to work on progress. | Levi Strauss & Co.: Diversity and Inclusion report |
| Five classic (and overlooked) D&I mistakes: What D&I diagnostics have taught us. Assuming the root cause of a D&I gap is a D&I issue. Going for the easy fix. Promising something impossible. Going for best-in-class prematurely. Focusing on representation and not on pipeline. | Five classic (and overlooked) D&I mistakes |
Food for Thought: Keeping on Thinking, Learning
Jane Elliot is an American diversity educator. She is well recognised for her immersive approaches to address (institutionalised) racism – particularly in the US. Her approach however, can be easily replicated in most geographies across the world. Have a look:
