It’s been nearly two years since the murder of George Floyd spurred a major moment of reckoning for organizations that realized they needed to do more to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in their ranks. Today, many of those organizations have come to realize that this is really, really hard work.

“At this point in 2022, going on two years after the murder of George Floyd, a lot of people and organizations of good will are losing patience with the journey and are opting out,” says Nicholas Pearce, a clinical professor of management and organizations.

Pearce was speaking on a recent episode of The Insightful Leader podcast, where he answered a question from one of this newsletter’s readers. Rachel Daricek had noticed that at most of the places she’s worked, the diversity of employees drops off considerably once you get to the senior-leader level. How, she wanted to know, could she as an individual work to change that?

“We all acknowledge that we need to do something, we need to do more,” Daricek says. “We need to do better, but what do we do? What’s that first step? What’s that second step? How do we even start scaling that mountain?”

Today, we’ll hear Pearce’s answer. And if you’re hoping for something like an easy 5-step guide, you’re going to be disappointed.

“When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, in a very deep way, there aren’t five quick bullet points to take away,” he says.

How to Realistically and Effectively Approach DEI

While Pearce stressed that there are no quick fixes or formulas, he did point to a few big-picture steps individuals can take. They include:

Own your diversity story: In all likelihood, you have some experience of being different. Are you from a religious minority, or were you less wealthy than your peers growing up? Maybe you were the shortest or tallest kid in class. “It may not be as moving or dramatic as someone else’s story, but it’s still your story,” Pearce says. “Whatever your experience with human difference is, own that.” Specifically, he recommends that you think about what it would have meant if someone tried to help you push back against adversity when you needed it most. Centering this idea can help you commit to the long-term work of DEI.

Next, turn your attention outward: Analyze how you interact with different types of people. Pearce says to ask yourself, “How do I engage across lines of difference, whatever they may be: race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomics?” Do you speak to people from these different backgrounds or identities as peers? Do you notice when they’re not represented? “It’s asking who’s missing from this environment and why?”

Bring your work to the institutional level: Introspection is key to starting this process, but you can’t make the changes all by yourself, Pearce says. So think about how you can be part of a bigger process of change at the institutional level. Identify changes that need to be made in your organization—maybe it’s how job ads are written or where recruitment is done—and “situate yourself in an ecosystem with other leaders or other organizations that have a similar vision of the way the world could or should be, and are willing to commit resources, whether they’re social, economic, political, or what have you—human—to making this vision a reality in our space.”

One last piece of advice from Pearce, which might be particularly hard for leaders to swallow: this is going to be a long, often inefficient process. But it still needs to be done.

“Efficiency and inclusion are often in competition,” Pearce says. “Until resources are distributed equitably, this is going to be a very inefficient process.”

Want More from Pearce on DEI?

Want to hear more from Pearce about how to improve DEI in your organization? Well, you are in luck because there are two upcoming opportunities to do so.

Pearce will be our guest on the next The Insightful Leader Live webinar, How to Supercharge Your Company’s DEI Efforts, May 25 at noon central time. He will offer his perspective on how individuals and organizations can push through apathy, frustration, and trepidation to create meaningful, sustainable change. You can register for the free webinar here.

If you’re looking for something more in-depth, Pearce is teaching a Kellogg Executive Education course, Beyond Diversity: Executive Strategies for Constructive Disruption, June 21–24. The course isn’t a traditional DEI program that introduces the fundamental ideas and encourages executives to explore the possibility of change. Instead, it is designed to empower DEI leaders to take proven concepts and translate them into bold actions, creating meaningful change for yourself, your employees, and your organization. You can find more information here.

Today’s Leadership Tip

“Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom is for founders to virtually never discuss exits with shareholders.”

—Adjunct lecturer Mark Achler in his new book, Exit Right: How to Sell Your Startup, Maximize Your Return and Build Your Legacy, on why it’s important for founders to ignore that conventional wisdom.