Inclusion Revolution

Tackle racial bias and discrimination at your company and create a representative and diverse leadership team

In Inclusion Revolution: The Essential Guide to Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace, workplace strategist and C-suite executive Daisy Auger-Domínguez delivers a timely, inspirational, and practical exploration of why mainstream efforts at diversity improvement tend to fail and what you can do today to successfully create a diverse and representative leadership team at your company.

In the book, the author explains her four-step process of reflection, visualization, action, and persistence, and walks you through how to use research-based strategies to promote diversity. This hands-on toolkit for leaders and people professionals will show you how to:

• Achieve the benefits—including higher revenues and more satisfied employees—enjoyed by high-performing, diverse companies
• Fruitfully address the complex and fraught issues of race, power, and exclusion at your firm
• Transform the seemingly intractable problems of racial bias and discrimination into realistically solvable issues you can begin to address immediately

Perfect for managers, directors, executives, entrepreneurs, founders, and other business leaders, Inclusion Revolution is also a must-read for people officers and human resources professionals at companies of any size and in any industry.

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Your Inclusion Ambitions 1

Chapter 2 Build the Best Teams, Period 21

Chapter 3 Overhaul Your Recruitment 41

Chapter 4 Make Better Hiring Decisions 61

Chapter 5 Nurture a People-First Culture 85

Chapter 6 Set Psychological Safety in Motion 111

Chapter 7 Tune into the Whispers and the Screams (and Everything in Between) 137

Chapter 8 No Talent Left Behind 165

Chapter 9 Build Support Scaffolding 195

Chapter 10 Get to the Heart of Accountability 219

Chapter 11 Persist 245

Notes 263

Bibliography 275

About the Author 295

Index 297

"While her advice is directed at employees at any level, Inclusion Revolution, by longtime DEI executive Daisy Auger Dom??nguez, focuses on what managers should do—for instance, track diversity metrics for hiring, retention, and growth; acknowledge conflict openly; and incentivize progress."
—Harvard Business Review

"Auger-Dom??nguez's plan is intended to address organizational problems at the root.... She pulls no punches, urging readers to take a good hard look at their own motivations and practices and reminding them that they are the ones responsible for taking action. Leaders eager to make a change should give this a look."
—Publisher's Weekly

DAISY AUGER-DOMÍNGUEZ is an executive and leader with extensive experience heading organizational transformations on the leading edge of culture and people. She was the Global Chief People Officer at Vice Media and is a sought-after speaker who has advised Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and nonprofits. Daisy is a LinkedIn Top Voice and has been published in Harvard Business Review and other outlets. She holds a BA from Bucknell University and an MPA from NYU. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

We find ourselves amid a global reckoning on race and racism. Corporations and companies are on high-alert, aware that conventional approaches have fallen short but unsure about what to do next.

In Inclusion Revolution: The Essential Guide to Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace, C-suite executive and workplace strategist Daisy Auger-Domínguez delivers a singularly insightful take on why popular and mainstream efforts at diversity improvement tend to fail. She also offers a definitive and authoritative roadmap for a diversity revolution at your company, laying out a step-by-step process that shows you exactly how to create a racially inclusive team.

The author explains her four-step process by presenting each stage—Reflection, Visualization, Action, and Persistence—in turn. Each stage is supported by research-based strategies that make it possible to create a more diverse team at your company. Inclusion Revolution is a practical, hands-on toolkit, turning racial inequality from an intractable problem into one you can solve in the relatively short-term if you and your team are willing to put in the hard work.

The book walks you through how to achieve all the benefits that a diverse team offers, from higher revenues to more satisfied employees and reduced human resources churn. It addresses head-on the complex and controversial subjects of race, power, and exclusion that drive the issues the author continually sees in boardrooms and offices across the country.

Perfect for managers, executives, directors, founders, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders, Inclusion Revolution is also a must-read resource for human resources and people professionals in companies of all sizes and from all industries. It’s time your firm enjoyed the benefits of a fully diverse and high-performing team.

PRAISE FOR INCLUSION REVOLUTION

“While her advice is directed at employees at any level, Inclusion Revolution focuses on what managers should do—for instance, track diversity metrics for hiring, retention, and growth; acknowledge conflict openly; and incentivize progress.”
—HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

“Packed with exercises and reflection questions, the book provides concrete tools managers can put into action to address issues of race, power, and exclusion.”
—HOLLY CORBETT, Forbes

“Auger-Domínguez’s plan is intended to address organizational problems at the root. She pulls no punches, urging readers to take a good hard look at their own motivations and practices and reminding them that they are the ones responsible for taking action. Leaders eager to make a change should give this a look.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“In this no-holds-barred manifesto, Auger-Domínguez calls out every quick-fix and conceptual pitfall that derails progress, guiding managers through the steps necessary to create meaningful change. Each page is layered with the warmth of a friend who is rooting for you to succeed and the urgency of a leader who understands the consequences of failure. Do not read this book unless you are serious about bringing your workplace into the 21st century.”
—ALICIA MENENDEZ, MSNBC anchor and author of The Likeability Trap

“Finally: a book about workplace equity that’s not afraid to dig into the real issues. Daisy Auger-Domínguez is a powerhouse corporate diversity leader, and her practical guide is both groundbreaking and immediately actionable. The stakes are high, and Inclusion Revolution is the roadmap to genuine inclusion that we’ve all been waiting for.”
—RESHMA SAUJANI, founder of Girls Who Code and New York Times bestselling author of Brave, Not Perfect

"Packed with exercises and reflection questions, the book provides concrete tools managers can put into action to address issues of race, power and exclusion."
―Holly Corbett, Forbes

"Inclusion Revolution is the perfect book for our times. Based on her decades of experience in hiring and retaining diverse talent, Daisy Auger-Domínguez has written a practical, inspiring roadmap for building and growing equitable workplaces. Filled with concrete steps to take and an approachable style that invites readers in, this book is an invaluable call to action for everyone, no matter where you are in your career. After all, as Auger-Domínguez reminds us, meaningful change is a result of 'millions of people acting in millions of different ways.'"
―Cecile Richards, activist and author of Make Trouble

"Finally: a book about workplace equity that's not afraid to dig into the real issues. Daisy Auger-Domínguez is a powerhouse corporate diversity leader, and her practical guide is both groundbreaking and immediately actionable. The stakes are high, and Inclusion Revolution is the roadmap to genuine inclusion that we've all been waiting for."
―Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code and New York Times bestselling author of Brave, Not Perfect

"Put on your seatbelt and hold on tight. Inclusion Revolution is the ultimate roadmap for leaders who are willing to excavate their beliefs and cultivate the courage to prioritize belonging in their organizations and in their lives."
―Tiffany Dufu, Founder & CEO, The Cru, and author of Drop the Ball

"Inclusion Revolution is a must-read guide for leaders throughout industry who are ready to respond to the urgent call for equity and productivity. In clear and accessible language, Daisy Auger-Domínguez confirms the benefits of diverse and inclusive workplaces and demonstrates how to achieve them."
―Anita Hill, Professor, Advocate and Chair of the Hollywood Commission

"In this no-holds-barred manifesto, Auger-Domínguez calls out every quick-fix and conceptual pitfall that derails progress, guiding managers through the steps necessary to create meaningful change. Each page is layered with the warmth of a friend who is rooting for you to succeed and the urgency of a leader who understands the consequences of failure. Do not read this book unless you are serious about bringing your workplace into the 21st century."
―Alicia Menendez, MSNBC anchor and author of The Likeability Trap