Many companies now have Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) departments and/or top executives who are responsible for creating a more diverse and equitable workplace. That's a good thing. It's encouraging to see so many organizations prioritizing this and making real investments in their work cultures. Their intentions are great. But sadly, many are not getting the results they hoped to achieve. Their candidate pipelines aren't as diverse as they hoped. Their C-suite executives are still almost exclusively White and male. The level of engagement among associates is “meh”—OK at best. Why? Why haven't DE&I efforts to date really done the job?

Forbes identifies five big reasons that diversity efforts have not been successful:¹

1. Resistance: Employees are either skeptical of their company's ability to make real change, feel victimized because they are painted as the “villain,” or are singled out as a member of a diverse group. Some research has shown that mandatory diversity training can actually create more friction and animosity toward other employee groups.
2. Poor implementation: Simply having a DE&I program doesn't mean it will be effective. Many diversity training sessions have been classroom-style workshops, focused on changing behaviors, rather than changing the inside of an organization. For example, mentoring and sponsorship have been shown to be highly effective in creating a diverse workplace, yet these elements have been absent in some DE&I programs, particularly early ones. Employees say, “Yeah, we tried that, and it didn't really change anything”—and unfortunately, it's true.
3. Lack of consistency: Companies often implement a DE&I program after there has been an “incident,” and this can come across as insincere and inauthentic, like the company is slapping a bandage on the problem just for better optics. It's like closing the barn door after the horses have gotten out. Or they do what I call “launch & abandon,” making a big show of their new diversity program, but a few months later, it sputters and dies because there is no follow-through.
4. Lack of leadership buy-in and support: This is one of the most common challenges DE&I programs face. Early diversity efforts focused on the more humanitarian side of diversity, the “We are the world” mindset and many leaders just … yawned. Today, we know that diversity is good for business, with metrics that impress leaders and employees alike (and investors!).
5. The “D” word: Say the word diversity to some people and you can see them mentally rolling their eyes or even getting defensive. They have “diversity fatigue.” I've written three books on diversity from the standpoint of business (marketing and sales, the customer experience, and leadership), and I always used the phrase people not like you instead of the word diversity. I found that people were much more open to talking about “people not like them” than they were to “discussing diversity.” Early on, the “D” word just made people tune out. That's changed a lot, as DE&I programs have evolved, and companies and employees have seen and experienced the value of a diverse workplace. But the word diversity still alienates some employees.

Despite our progress on diversity at work, talking about race—and specifically, racism—still feels taboo for many employees. Data from SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, which is the premier organization for all things relating to work, employees, and workplace culture, revealed that 43 percent of American workers believe discussions about race are inappropriate at work. Yep, in-appropriate! That's a strong word. Not uncomfortable or awkward: inappropriate. Employees don't ever want to do anything that's deemed “inappropriate” at work! It's too risky. So the difficult conversations that need to be had have not been happening.

That's changing. Companies—and their employees—are realizing that we can't make real progress on racial equality without discussing race itself and racism. The sickening, brutal, public death of George Floyd brought into sharp focus, especially for Whites, that we are not all treated equally, that complaints about police brutality on Blacks are real. Eric Ellis, president and CEO of Integrity Development Corp., an Ohio-based consulting firm, put it this way: “People would say, ‘Black people exaggerate the race card,’ because they couldn't see it [racism]. Most people couldn't believe the George Floyd video because it was so vicious. Now they can't unsee it.”

What companies found in the wake of George Floyd's death was that employees wanted to discuss race and racism. Employees were not OK. They were traumatized and needed a way to talk about their feelings and experiences. Jaime Irick, a vice president at PPG, a global coatings company, wrote a deeply personal email to the 6,000 employees he leads. He called for two things: action and honesty. Regarding action, Irick wrote: “We can't afford to stand on the sidelines. As human beings, we have an obligation to take an active role as to what's going on in our country.” As for honesty, Irick said using the word racism is key. He stated, “I believe strongly in first embracing reality, and then defining what winning looks like. To first embrace reality, we have to use the word racism.”

HEARING ABOUT RACISM FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

When you were a kid, was there ever a time when you were the last one picked for a team or a school project? It's a lonely, alienating feeling—to think that no one really wants you to work with them or play with them. Sure, your school or team may have made it mandatory that everyone be included, but that doesn't mean someone wasn't picked last. And the kid picked last knows that others don't really want him or her. They know that the others are required to include them. That's not acceptance—it's just compliance. What an awful, uncomfortable, self-conscious feeling that conjures up.

For many people of color, this is daily life. Made to feel last. Less than. Different. Unwanted.

At work, what must it feel like to be the only one, or the one left out of the group, or the one who is grudgingly accepted, but only because the others have to comply? You can imagine how awful that would feel to your diverse employees. You can imagine this because you're a good person and you have empathy. You're committed to making your team or your company better for diverse employees, and, especially if you're White, it starts with flexing your own empathy muscle and thinking about what work must feel like for them.

Articles, books, training, and classes on DE&I are terrific and necessary. But if you're White and you listen to someone of another race or background describe their first-hand, personal day-to-day experiences, it's eye-opening. Because the terrible things that happen to Black, Brown, Asian, LGBTQ+, Jewish, Amish, and Muslim (or any minority group) people just don't typically happen to Whites. We can't imagine how bad it is, or how often it happens, and we can't comprehend the chronic toll it takes on a person.

When you work with a diverse team, you have a unique opportunity to hear your colleagues' and coworkers' real stories. When they share their experiences about the things that happen to them or that are said to them, it's no longer abstract.

I think that many White people are afraid to ask about their coworkers' experiences with race, either because it's awkward or because they think that their coworkers will feel anew the pain or hurt of what they experienced. In my experience, most people are not only willing to share their stories, they're glad that someone is asking about them and wants to learn.

You have to be respectful, of course. You can't just barge into someone's office and say, “Tell me if you've ever experienced racism.” Nor can you start a meaningful conversation at 2:45 p.m. when someone is prepping for a meeting that begins at 3:00 p.m. You need to choose the time and place so that a substantive and thoughtful conversation can take place. Here are a couple of examples of what starting that conversation could look and sound like.

In one-on-one conversations:

• You're having a one-on-one conversation with your colleague about their holiday plans and they share that they'll be celebrating Hanukkah with their family. The two of you are discussing what foods and activities they have planned. You say, “With all the emphasis on Christmas in our culture, does it make you feel overlooked or marginalized that Hanukkah is not given the same attention? All the TV ads show Christmas scenes, and I imagine that could be hurtful and make someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas feel left out.” This shows empathy because you're trying to imagine what that would feel like. If your colleague shrugs and replies, “Oh yes, it's hard! But what are you going to do?” you can ask, “I'd like to be more aware of the situations and things people say that can offend or hurt. Can we talk sometime about your experiences and feelings around that topic? Would that be OK?”
• Something horrific has happened that is targeted at a minority group or groups: a racially motivated murder or brutal beating. Or a bombing. Or extreme harassment, kidnapping, or torture. Or desecration of graves or monuments. It's all over the news. You are horrified and heartbroken and you wonder how your diverse colleague must feel. Reach out and find out. You could say, “Mario, this bombing is all over the news and it's so awful. You've been on my mind and I wanted to check in with you and see if you're OK. I'm here for you if you want to talk about it and grieve together. If you don't, I understand. I'm here for you, no matter what.”
• You're in the office breakroom grabbing a coffee and your diverse colleague makes a general comment about racism or exclusion. You can say, “Shanyee, I want to be a better ally to you and other diverse people. I respect your opinions and thoughts and I want to understand as much as I can about racism and inequality so that I can do better. I want to learn. Would you be willing to talk with me about your experiences and perspectives sometime?”

In a meeting:

• A discussion in a meeting about racial inequality may be a great time to ask your diverse colleagues for their perspectives. Or it may not. Don't put your diverse colleagues on the spot by asking them to share their experiences. You can ask if anyone has business or life experiences to share that would help the group understand where and how your company can do better. If no one volunteers, that's OK. There will be more meetings on the topic of diversity and racism as you build your DE&I plans. Respect your colleagues' choices to share or not share.
• If someone does choose to share, listen without judgment or defensiveness. Personal experiences are exactly that: they're personal. You can't refute them; it's not open to debate. It's like someone expressing their opinion. If I say that in my experience, summer is better than winter, you can't say I'm wrong. It's my experience. It's valid because it's mine. It can be difficult and painful to listen to someone's experiences of hurt, injustice, and discrimination. Many personal stories are terrible. But they happened and those experiences leave marks on people and their lives. If someone is willing to share their perspective and experience with you, consider it a gift. It's something you wouldn't have if they didn't offer it. It should be treated with respect, deference, and empathy. Don't be defensive, dismissive, or argumentative. Don't try to minimize or justify what another person experiences.

If people feel respected and they know their experiences and stories will be treated with respect and empathy, they are usually willing to share. I think in many cases, it helps to share, to speak about experiences rather than suppressing them and not acknowledging them. When people know that your interest in them and their experiences are coming from a genuine desire to do better and be better, they are usually open to sharing.

When Irick sent his heartfelt email to his 6,000 team members, the response was swift and quite personal. Their stories poured out and they expressed gratitude for being able to really talk about their experiences. “What surprised me was how many people wanted to tell their stories,” he said. Another PPG executive, Tatiana Berardinelli (human resources director, global architectural coatings), said she was shocked when she heard Black colleagues describe being terrified after being pulled over by police while driving. Still other Black colleagues explained how they worried about their children's safety when they left the house. “These things never came to my mind,” says Berardinelli. Daily acts of racism happen to other people, not her.

LaTreece Butler-Morton of VMware, Inc., a California-based software company, says she thinks that her White colleagues feel that Black people who have violently died in racist incidents are “somehow different” from the Black coworkers they see every day at work. “By sharing experiences and stories, I want them to see that it's all Black people who have fear, not just ‘those Black people.’”

The fear that Black people live with every day is not just confined to being abused, beaten, or murdered. Subtle forms of racism are pervasive and a central thread running through the fabric of their lives. I don't believe that most White people can comprehend the daily, ongoing, never-ending racism that Black people—and other people of color and minority groups— experience, in ways big and small. I know I can't comprehend it. That's why it's so important for White people to hear the personal stories from people we care about and the people we work with. It's the only way that we can get a tiny inkling of what is actually happening around us.

I had a wake-up call myself on this recently. I took up boxing a few years ago. The boxing gym I go to is in a strip shopping center with a few anchor stores, including Ace Hardware, Party City, and JOANN Fabrics. My gym is located right next to the JOANN store. If I had to create a demographic profile of the typical JOANN shopper, it would be this: White woman, in her mid- to late sixties or older. That's who I see going in and out of the store every time I go to the gym.

I'm White. My boxing coach, Randy, is Black. We were talking about racism recently and Randy said that casual insults happen to him all the time. I asked, “Like what?” Randy replied, “Every time I leave the gym and head to my car, I can hear the door locks clicking on all the cars in the parking lot outside of the JOANN store. Those women are afraid of me.” I was stunned. And sad. And embarrassed, because I'd never given a thought to what my coach's life is like as a Black man. I pushed back on Randy a bit, to see if he was exaggerating. I said, “C'mon, seriously? You walk out of the gym, a grown man in your 40s, dressed in gym clothes and carrying a workout duffle bag. In broad daylight. And you hear car door locks locking?” He replied, “Yes. Every day.” He said it even happens to him when he arrives at the gym in the morning. He said, “I pull up in my own car and get out of my own car and walk across the parking lot to the gym entrance. Click, click, click—the doors lock all around me. I guess they think I'm going to carjack them.”

I didn't know what to say. That's never happened to me. People aren't afraid of me. I can run my errands and go anywhere I please and never give a thought as to whether I scare someone or am in danger of being hurt. But Randy has a different experience every day.

The DE&I efforts and steps that companies have been taking are important. And we can build on them. But we have to do more. A key step in making DE&I progress is assessing if what you're currently doing is working and where the opportunities are to do more.

IF YOUR DE&I EFFORTS AREN'T GETTING THE JOB DONE, YOU'RE NOT ALONE

A new trend in the corporate world now is to publicly disclose the successes and shortfalls of business DE&I efforts. In the past, this information would have been kept strictly internal, but companies are now sharing their DE&I results, partly to be transparent and partly to hold themselves accountable for making real change.

At Levi Strauss & Co., 38 percent of the company's total U.S. workforce is non-White. Despite that, as of this writing, there are no Black individuals on its corporate board or among its executive leadership team. And of their top 250 executives, only 2 percent are Black (16 percent are Asian and 6 percent are Latinx).

Chip Bergh, Levi's president and CEO, wrote an open letter that was widely published after George Floyd died. In it, he stated candidly:

We pride ourselves on being a progressive company that takes bold stances to promote equity, justice and inclusivity all around the world—but the hard truth is that we have not always lived up to these principles internally… .

It has forced us to face the brutal truth that, as much as we want to believe we've made headway in creating a more just and equal society, the data, facts and stories confirm a very different picture: we have made little or no progress in stemming deep-rooted, systemic racism. It makes me sad and angry that this is where we are as a country, but it also feels like this time is different. That gives me hope that meaningful progress can really be made.

We also have to face another brutal truth. If we aren't actively doing something about racism, then we are an accomplice to the continuation of racism. Doing nothing is not an option. This is not somebody else's problem. This problem belongs to all of us. Saying that we stand for equality and that we reject all forms of racism is a start, for sure. But unless we put our words into action and commit to measurable progress, history has proved that we will not get very far.

The best place for us to start is with what's within our own control: our own “house.” And the data, facts and stories for us internally also are very clear: we are not where we need to be. We must step up and live our values of empathy, integrity, courage and originality and fight for racial equality, inclusion and belonging, starting inside Levi Strauss & Co.

Wow. The corporate world doesn't usually talk like that. Bergh's words are so raw, real, gutsy, and honest. He takes responsibility for missing the mark and not doing enough at Levi Strauss & Co. When a leader of a global company speaks like that, it sets the bar for the rest of us. If Levi Strauss & Co. can admit its failings and shortcomings and speak to our collective role in systemic racism (and yes, we can say the word racism), then we can, too. We can start there, with courage and painful honesty, and a sincere commitment to do better. And be better.

Bergh's full letter announces several new ways that he plans to strengthen Levi's DE&I efforts, for all of its retail and distribution employees, as well as corporate employees. I was impressed with the transparency expressed in the letter, and Bergh's public commitment to do more and do better. You can find the entire letter here: www.levistrauss.com/2020/06/16/our-diversity-problem-and-our-plan-to-fix-it/.

Irick said that we have to use the word racism. I agree with him. It's not an easy word to insert into a business conversation. He said, “There are a lot of people who are unaware about racism. So if you don't call it out, my view is that you're apathetic. You can't claim ignorance. It's just apathy.”

His company, PPG, is far from apathetic. It already has extensive diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. But conversations about racism are different from the company's other DE&I efforts, says his colleague Tatiana Berardinelli: “What we haven't done before is have these open discussions and understanding of our colleagues' experiences. We're talking about racism. We never talked about this before.”

In the next chapter, you'll learn why you dread the topic of race and racism at work so much and how to start a conversation centered on this topic. There is a method for doing it right, one step at a time.