You Cannot Make Change If You're Afraid To Shake The Tree

All you have to do is talk to any DEI professionals who has been actively posting on LinkedIn since George Floyd’s murder and you’ll find that there are some aggressively racist white people in a lot of organizations.

They reveal themselves in the comments section of posts merely advocating fairness and equality in the workplace.

Ask LinkedIn and Cisco how their town halls on diversity went.

Cisco had to fire some people and LinkedIn would have fired some people if they hadn’t allowed for anonymous comments.

You’re Going To Have To Get Rid Of Some People

The sad fact is that there are people in your organization who you are going to have to get rid of in order to get where you say you want to go.

And the only way you’re going to find out who these people are is to institutionalize the open dialogue that causes these people to reveal themselves.

Because as soon as the open dialogue stops, the sooner those who actively oppose workplace equality get to go back to comfortably being the silent roadblocks to diversity that they’ve always been.

Open dialogue about diversity makes those who oppose diversity uncomfortable enough to vocalize it.

The defenders of the status quo will speak up.

Some of them, you’ll be able to help get with the program.

Others, you’ll just have to get rid of because you’re not going to be able to change their beliefs.

Take An Honest Look In The Mirror

As the CEO, if you maintain an environment where people with biases or flat out racist or sexist behavior are allowed to go about their anti-diversity efforts in comfort, then you are complicit.

You cannot be in favor of diversity and equality if you are going to keep people on staff who are not in favor of diversity and equality.

Some people cannot be trained or educated and they’re just going to have to go.

Some people are just incorrigible.