How to Develop a Diversity Skillset and Advance Your DEI Strategy

As the leader of global diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Allegis Global Solutions (AGS), I am continuously studying the evolving DEI landscape and identifying key areas of growth and opportunity for us internally at AGS as well as how to position ourselves as leaders in our industry. 

As such, I was excited to serve as guest host on Allegis Global Solutions’ Subject to Talent podcast, where I welcomed Dr. Caprice Hollins, co-founder of Cultures Connecting, to discuss the ongoing need for and benefits to organizations incorporating DEI practices into their workforce strategies. Cultures Connecting is an organization that provides workshops, keynotes, leadership coaching and consulting services to organizations seeking to improve their ability to dismantle institutional racism. Dr. Hollins has over 20 years’ experience providing culturally relevant professional development, assisting individuals and organizations in improving cross-cultural relationships. Her work is crucial in developing a sense of inclusion and belonging in a professional environment.

3 Key Takeaways on Advancing Your DEI Strategy

My conversation with Dr. Collins covered so many different aspects of DEI and ways that businesses can push their initiatives further towards real change. I encourage you to listen to the full episode. Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation:

1. Diversity is a Skillset, not a Checkbox

I have had dozens of conversations this year about DEI, but Dr. Hollins really crashed onto something for me that I hadn’t experienced. She introduced the idea of viewing diversity as a skillset, and I asked her to please pause and take a minute to talk a bit more about that concept – why it's so important and how we can develop that viewpoint.

Dr. Hollins explained that diversity is not something that companies should consider for the sake of meeting a quota or showing proof of their commitment to DEI. Rather, diverse experiences are a skillset that brings value to the organization by offering different perspectives, creativity, values and ways of thinking. Within her own company, Dr. Hollins deliberately chose a business partner whose background was different from hers in as many ways as possible. These differences helped shape their company and promoted growth and success.

She’s so right. Diversity has its own inherent value. One of the things that kind of clicked for me as she was talking about this was how people describe themselves and how that reflects what they bring to the table. People will say things like, “I have book smarts, but I don't have street smarts,” and vice versa, but they both can be equally valuable depending on how you leverage your experiences and depending on the space that you're in. And so, I was invigorated by everything she said around diversity as a skillset because I think it's such an important viewpoint.

Dr. Hollins then added, “My degree says that I have a skillset, so why wouldn’t my lived experiences not echo that exact same thing? You're not hiring for the sake of diversity; you're hiring for what that diversity can do for your organization.”

2. Inclusion and Belonging Require Intentional Actions

During the course of our conversation, we discussed that hiring for diversity is not enough if companies do not create a culture where people can bring their authentic selves to work. In her experience, Dr. Hollins said that successful companies invest in creating work environments that are welcoming to people from a variety of backgrounds, as this demonstrates respect and care for their employees. She gave some examples of how companies can do this, such as:

• Providing a place for prayer and reflection
• Allowing people to speak their native language
• Handling discriminatory incidents quickly and seriously
• Talking about race and differences openly
• Paying attention to pay equity

These are exactly the type of details that I try to stress when I speak on taking DEI beyond the hiring stage. It's those systematic micro inequities that organizations need to examine. If they don’t look at those things, those issues can start to peel away at your organization and turn into bigger problems, as they compound with other concerns that are not being addressed. It could be those small micro-inequities that are changing the opportunity for those individuals. Things like, ‘hey, this person has dreadlocks and that probably doesn't fit within our culture,’ or those kinds of things can undermine your DEI efforts.

In addition to addressing micro-inequities, I also advise leaders to focus on talent that is a “culture add,” not a “culture fit.” I'd much rather have a culture add because I know that person is going to broaden things out, which means that I have more opportunity from a business standpoint to tap into other cultures that I may not be able to tap into today.

When you create a workplace that promotes a sense of belonging and hire for a culture add, you set yourself up for diverse workers that you can mentor and develop so that in the future you can promote from within and continue to grow through a truly integrated workforce. However, this starts with asking the hard questions and doing the work. It is crucial for businesses to take an honest look at their DEI processes and ask, “How are you including that diversity into your everyday practices?”

3. DEI Work is Hard, Messy and Ongoing

Integrating DEI practices into organizations is not easy, and many companies are still struggling to overcome the challenges and biases that have hindered past efforts. Dr. Hollins cites a 2020 study that showed companies committed to investing $50 billion in DEI initiatives, but only 0.5% was spent towards those goals.

I have found organizations struggle in not recognizing their own biases and therefore not seeing the need for change and the opportunities to improve with which they are presented. Unconscious bias is a concern because we all have it. As Dr. Hollins said, “I think the challenge for me was in understanding that my being a person of color or my being a woman or my having a stepmother who's from Thailand or a brother who's gay or a mother and siblings who are white, that those relationships did not keep me from having bias. It didn't mean that I didn't have my own work to do.”

Her vulnerability and honesty really resonated with me. I loved that she talked about how relationships don’t keep you from being biased. I think sometimes that's one of the things that goes on in our heads. ‘Well, I'm a black male, so I can't possibly be biased, right?’ or, 'I’m related to so-and-so; therefore, I can’t have any biases or prejudices built into me.’ That's a pretty powerful way to hold that mirror up to ourselves.

How to Move DEI Practices Forward

The challenges that keep organizations from moving forward with their DEI strategies are often fear-based. Leaders, afraid of the unknown, push back on proposed DEI work. They relegate the work to their DEI directors or consultants and don't take initiatives themselves to lead their corporation's DEI efforts. In addition, many companies treat DEI work as an event rather than a way of being. To advance their businesses towards real change, Dr. Hollins urged leaders to grow their understanding of DEI. She says, "If you as a leader are not willing to grow in your understanding of DEI, then you're never going to grow your equity lens and commit to the work when hard decisions need to be made."

Organizational leaders often talk about self-development, but reiterating what Dr. Hollins said, if diversity is a skillset, then we can hone our viewpoints to see it. We can examine our biases and strive for improvements. That's one of the many ideas I took away from this discussion.

Another noteworthy point was that you don't need grandiose actions to move the needle. Little actions can make people feel like they belong. Those little things can lead to greater retention and productivity. When a worker feels 'this is the place that welcomes me as I am,' that company becomes a place where people want to work and develop a sense of loyalty. Without the mindset that workers must fit into a specific box to be successful and valued, people can thrive and give their best efforts to that organization.

Dr. Hollins ended the conversation with a hopeful vision for the future, where conversations about racism are normalized, and people can identify and mitigate their biases. She says, "This is the work. We're figuring it out as we go along because we've never seen what we hope for in our nation." We are trailblazing these efforts to reach a better, more equitable world.

To learn more about Cultures Connecting and Dr. Hollins, visit their website, and listen to our conversation on the Subject to Talent podcast.