Diversity and Inclusion Matters

Expert guidance and step-by-step instruction for building a successful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative from scratch

In Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Tactics and Tools to Inspire Equity and Game-Changing Performance, award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) expert Jason R. Thompson delivers a practical and engaging handbook for implementing a DE&I program in your organization. The CAPE technique, developed by the author, gives you a clear blueprint and the tools you'll need to make your diversity program a success.

In this book, you'll learn how to achieve early and significant wins to create the necessary and long term organizational change needed for successful DE&I programs. Find out what data you need to collect, how to analyze it, and choose the right goals for your organization. In addition, the CAPE technique will show your progress and ROI.

You will learn to:

• Manage and lead a diversity council and implement diversity initiatives in the correct order
• Get early buy-in and long-term commitment from a Chief Executive Officer by knowing what to ask for and when
• Set appropriate and realistic expectations for a DE&I program with the executive leadership team

Perfect for diversity and inclusion professionals, human resources leaders, founders, business owners, and executives, Diversity and Inclusion Matters will also earn a place in the libraries of students of human resources, leadership, management, and finance.

Preface ix

Foreword xvii

Part One The CAPE Process 1

1. How to Become an Exceptional DE&I Organization 3

Four Shades of Brown 3

The Importance of DE&I Now 5

A Diverse Workforce Will Have Tension 6

DE&I Officers Need a Broad Range of Skills 8

Why DE&I Programs Fail 10

The How: CAPE Foundation for Successful DE&I Programs 12

2. DE&I Fundamentals, CAPE, and Organizational Change 17

Overwhelmed and Needing a Process 17

The Basics of Every DE&I Program 19

3. Data for DE&I 31

Fill the Cup of Others 31

The Illusion and Challenge of Data 33

The Recruitment Data Challenge 37

4. Collect the Data 41

Give a Brown Guy a Chance 41

When to Start Collecting Data 42

What Data to Collect 43

Where to Get the Demographic Data You Need 45

Who Is Being Included in the Data? 48

Respecting Demographic Data 49

5. Analyze the Data 53

Seeing It So Clear Now 53

Using the Data to Know What You Have 54

The How: Analyzing Data to Identify Recruitment Issues 58

The How: Analyzing Data to Identify Retention Issues 59

Assume Competence 62

6. Plan your Program 65

The World’s Park 65

Plan Only after You Analyze the Data 67

Getting Started on Your Plan 68

4-2-50 Program 70

How to Measure ROI in Your DE&I Program 72

The How: CAPE DE&I Plan Template 73

How to Complete the CAPE DE&I Template 74

7. Execute on the Plan 79

Audio Must Match Video 79

E Is for Execute 80

The How: A CAPE Path to Execute 82

Part Two Practical Lessons Learned in DE&I Programs 89

8. DE&I Programs Should Look Like the Company 91

Looking for Four-Leaf Clovers 91

Sports – US Olympic and Paralympic Committee 93

Healthcare 94

Tech – Techstars 96

Education – University of Wyoming, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Western Governors University 98

Organizational Mission Alignment 99

The How: An Organizational Mission- Alignment Exercise 100

9. DE&I Challenges That No One Tells You 105

Whose Mother Are We Talking About? 105

Staff and Budget 107

Responsibility for Things Beyond Your Control 109

Managing Expectations 112

10. When to Get CEO Involvement 115

What Friends Do 115

Setting CEO Expectations 117

When to Involve the CEO 118

Connecting CEO and Leadership Commitment to Diversity 121

How to Get CEO Commitment 123

11. Employee Resource Groups 125

Check Your Bias 125

Employee Resource Groups 127

Define ERG Membership 128

Setting Boundaries for ERGs 130

Establish Communication Guidelines 132

Managing ERG Fundraisers 133

Let ERGs Fail 134

The How: Suggested Rules and Structures for ERGs 135

12. DE&I Committees 143

Focus on the Right Things 143

Why DE&I Committees Fail 145

What Happens When Companies Start with a DE&I Committee 147

Three Simple Rules for a Better DE&I Committee 148

13. Using DE&I Training to Make Organizational Change 153

Trees Just Don’t Happen 153

Diversity Training: Episode versus Series 155

DE&I Training as a Response to an Episode 156

DE&I Training as a Series of Ongoing Trainings 157

CAPE and DE&I Trainings 158

The Two Types of DE&I Trainings 159

Unconscious Bias 159

The ADKAR Model 161

14. Inclusion Practices 167

Don’t Ask Me to Organize the Davids 167

How to Measure Inclusion 169

How the CAPE Inclusion Tracker Works 171

The Fair Pay Solution 174

15. Your Mental Health 177

A Day at the Pool 177

Mental Health for You and Your Colleagues 180

Part Three Things I Wish I Had Known 185

16. Top Challenges for DE&I Professionals 187

Voices Telling You What You Can’t Do 187

The Myth That Diversity Lowers Quality 189

A Hire from an Underrepresented Group Is Not Performing 190

Chain of Command 190

Your Positional Authority 192

Staffing and Budget 193

Diversity Committees 194

Working with Other Departments 195

Efficacy of Résumé Redacting 196

Belonging versus Inclusion 197

Allies 199

Making the Implicit Explicit 199

Bridging the Gap Between Intent and Impact 200

Validating the Experiences of Others 201

17. Jason-isms 203

The Gift of Time 203

The Jason-isms 205

Conclusion 209

Acknowledgments 211

About the Author 213

Index 215

JASON R. THOMPSON is a successful and experienced diversity officer that has developed and led diversity programs in higher education, sports, healthcare, and tech. He has been quoted by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA Today, FOX News, and CNN.

Many companies have made public commitments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) yet struggle to meet their DE&I goals. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has to be more than theoretical. The lack of practical, real-world advice for DE&I professionals, CEOs, and HR practitioners has resulted in poor outcomes, little change, and frustration with their diversity efforts.

In Diversity and Inclusion Matters:Tactics and Tools to Inspire Equity and Game-Changing Performance, award-winning diversity leader, Jason R. Thompson, delivers a groundbreaking and hands-on roadmap of how to build and implement a leading diversity program that achieves its goals and creates organizational change. The book walks readers through weekly, and even daily, tactics to build an effective DE&I program. The practical and concrete steps are accompanied by advice on what data to collect and what metrics to measure, as well as how best to analyze and assess the data.

Readers will learn how to choose effective and achievable diversity and inclusion goals for their organization given their current resources and how to measure the impact of the programs they implement. The CAPE process developed by Jason will give you a practical tool to achieve your DE&I goals. Among other actionable guidance, the author describes how to manage and lead a diversity council, the order in which to establish programs to ensure the success of each subsequent piece of the puzzle, and how to get early buy-in—and a long-term commitment—from a CEO.

This book includes real-world experiences and examples shared via Jason’s unique storytelling and often-quoted “Jason-isms.” You will learn from Jason’s successes and failures thus saving you time and maximizing your efforts.

Ideal for CEOs and other executives, human resources leaders, and recruiters in any industry. Diversity and Inclusion Matters is required reading for anyone who seeks to help their organization build a strong, durable, and resilient workforce that takes full advantage of the vibrant diversity in our world.

Praise for DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MATTERS

"DE&I has been on the forefront of business as a differentiator, and yet, there are almost no practical, real-world examples of how to implement an effective program. Jason knocks it out of the park with Diversity and Inclusion Matters. This is the textbook and daily handbook that companies should be looking to for guidance on effective DE&I programs."
—D.A. ABRAMS, CAE, President, Black Tennis Hall of Fame; author; C-Suite Executive; Global DE&I Strategist

"Jason's expertise in the DE&I landscape is innovative and transformative. His methods have proven successful in sports/entertainment, technology, higher education, and healthcare. Readers will understand the fundamentals of DE&I as well as tested, measurable, scalable, and replicable tactics to promote inclusivity in any industry."
—TALIA MARK BROOKSHIRE, Olympic Sports; Higher Ed Diversity Executive

"Jason's breath of experience and leadership in a variety of complex work settings gives him a unique perspective from which to provide common sense guidance and ideas, particularly for those settings not yet fully committed to and/or successful with previous diversity and inclusion efforts. If your goal is to help move the organization forward in DE&I, the human element is key, and Jason is a master of getting people to think about these values in a very human, individual, and behavioral way. Jason’s leadership gives DE&I efforts realistic hope for success."
—DELORES SAUCEDO CARDONA, PHD, Board Retiree; former Associate Dean of Students, University of Wyoming

"Jason advised our start-up during Techstars, and his knowledge coupled with functional implementation tools unlocked a clear path for us to weave a robust DE&I plan into the fibers of our company DNA. Diversity and Inclusion Matters is a must-read for all business leaders looking for clear, practical guidance building their own DE&I initiatives."
—ROB GREGG, Founder and CEO, Gales Inc.