Reimagine Inclusion

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Reimagining what inclusion can look like in our organizations starts with understanding why these 13 DEI myths are not true—with practical and effective strategies for implementing transformative inclusivity.

In Reimagine Inclusion, veteran DEI leader Mita Mallick debunks 13 myths that hold us back from transforming our workplaces. She delivers powerful storytelling combined with practical and hands on ways for us to be more inclusive leaders. She teaches us that when we show up as more inclusive leaders, we have the power to change our organizations, ultimately creating a ripple effect across our ecosystem. You’ll learn:

• How to understand, confront, and mitigate your own biases as you commit to do the work that starts with yourself.
• How to coach future leaders and to be intentional about how you lead in your organization—both in public and behind closed doors.
• To become an active participant in building your workplace’s culture.

Reimagine Inclusion walks you through how to: understand the leader’s journey in your organization, interrupt bias at every key decision point, and transform your organization’s systems, processes, and policies to improve inclusivity at every level. This is a must have resource for managers and executives, founders and CEOs. Reimagine Inclusion is for anyone with a stake in building more inclusive, empathetic and resilient organizations, where each and every one of us can thrive.

Introduction ix

Myth 1 Of Course I Support Black Lives Matter Why Are You Asking If I Have Any Black Friends? 1

Myth 2 I Always Allow Everyone to Speak in Meetings Of Course I Am an Inclusive Leader 17

Myth 3 It’s Time to Have Some Courageous Conversations on Race Let’s Ask Our Employees of Color to Lead Them 35

Myth 4 I’m All for Diverse Talent As Long as They Are Good 51

Myth 5 We Protect the A- holes Because Our Businesses Wouldn’t Run Without Them 71

Myth 6 Why Are You Asking for a Raise? You and Your Husband Make More Than Enough Money 89

Myth 7 We Need More People of Color in Leadership Let’s Launch a Mentorship Program! 105

Myth 8 Of Course We Support Women! We Just Extended Maternity Leave 123

Myth 9 These DEI Efforts Don’t Benefit Me My Voice as a White Man Doesn’t Count Anymore 141

Myth 10 No One Can Question Our Support of the LGBTQ+ Community Look at How Much Money We Invest in June Pride Month! We Aren’t Diversity Washers 157

Myth 11 Our Ad Wasn’t Racist It Was Simply a Mistake 175

Myth 12 We Aren’t Apologizing People Need to Stop Being So Sensitive 195

Myth 13 We Can Work from Home Now The Future of Work Is Inclusive 211

Conclusion: Now That We Have Debunked 13 Myths, Here’s What Comes Next 223

Notes 231

Acknowledgments 249

About the Author 251

Index 253

MITA MALLICK is??a corporate change-maker with a track record of transforming businesses. She’s a Chief Diversity Officer and highly sought-after speaker who has advised Fortune 100 companies and startups alike. She is a LinkedIn Top Voice, a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Adweek, Fast Company and Entrepreneur. Mallick holds a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and an M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Reimagining what inclusion can look like in our organizations starts with understanding why these 13 DEI myths are not true—with practical and effective strategies for implementing transformative inclusivity.

In Reimagine Inclusion, veteran DEI leader Mita Mallick debunks 13 myths that hold us back from transforming our workplaces. She delivers powerful storytelling combined with practical and hands-on ways for us to be more inclusive leaders. She teaches us that when we show up as more inclusive leaders, we have the power to change our organizations, ultimately creating a ripple effect across our ecosystem. You’ll learn how to understand, confront, and mitigate your own biases as you commit to do the work that starts with yourself. You’ll also discover how to coach future leaders, how to be intentional about how you lead in your organization—both in public and behind closed doors—and how you can become an active participant in building your workplace’s culture.

Reimagine Inclusion walks you through how to: understand the leader’s journey in your organization, interrupt bias at every key decision point, and transform your organization’s systems, processes, and policies to improve inclusivity at every level. This is a must have resource for managers and executives, founders and CEOs. Reimagine Inclusion is for anyone with a stake in building more inclusive, empathetic and resilient organizations, where each and every one of us can thrive.

Praise for REIMAGINE INCLUSION

“Mita is saying all the quiet parts out loud. She’s taking on the myths that stop us from making meaningful progress at work. This is a must-read for anyone committed to building a more inclusive organization.”
—Gretchen Carlson, Journalist, Female Empowerment Advocate, Bestselling Author, Co-Founder: Lift Our Voices

“A practical and engaging guide on how to bring more inclusion and diversity of voices in organizations, helpful both for leaders and new hires looking to have their voice heard.”
— Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business and Bestselling Author of Adrift

“Mita understands the imperative of the inclusive leader. She provides a roadmap for relevance and effectiveness, with clear actions for inclusive skill development. This work is for you, it’s for me, it’s for every one of us who holds the responsibility and privilege to lead.”
— Rosanna Durruthy, Vice President, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, LinkedIn

“Mita’s voice in the marketplace is a welcome breath of fresh air on how to create change and inclusion, but more importantly how to be intentional in doing so. Reimagine Inclusion is a must-read to understand what it really means to do the work.”
— Elizabeth Leiba, Bestselling Author of I’m not Yelling: A Black Woman’s Guide to Navigating the Workplace

“Mita Mallick’s deep expertise helps us debunk myths that hold us back from meaningful progress in our workplaces. She offers practical and actionable tips on how we can all show up as more inclusive leaders—starting tomorrow.”
— Dorie Clark, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of The Long Game and Executive Education Faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business

“Mita makes the undeniable case for inclusion being a driver of the business. This is required reading for anyone scaling and building businesses—and wanting to stay competitive in today’s marketplace.”
— Denise Woodard, Founder and CEO, Partake Foods

“Inclusion is the new competitive advantage, a reality Mita beautifully demonstrates through her masterful storytelling. She is THE voice businesses need to heed. Her insights transform inclusion from an abstract concept to a tangible, actionable, and indispensable part of modern business.”
—Lan Phan, Founder and CEO, community of SEVEN