Five Questions to Get the Diversity and Inclusion Conversation Started with Your Organization #5

What is one thing we can do to positively impact diversity and inclusion training?

Now, it’s time for the fun part, action.  Assuming you have mapped out questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 and worked through the tough stuff – why it matters, what it looks like, the gains, and the barriers – the real work is ahead.  This is where the rubber hits the pavement on the road to diversity and inclusion.  Time to fill in the potholes (our analogy for barriers) and make the road equal for everyone.

Ask your organization to think through, what is one thing we can do to positively impact diversity and inclusion training?

The importance of making it singular with one thing is that it magnifies the intensity.  It forces people to prioritize and double down on what is really important.  It clears the playing field of “nice to have” and basic solutions and gets to the heart of the matter.

Best facilitated with the answers to questions 1-4 displayed, people can easily see where we want to go and why and what the gaps are in getting there.  Once all ideas are shared and all are documented (no idea is a bad idea), the ideas are bucketed in like groups, and voted on.  The organization decides how many ideas they have capacity to take on and assign owners to the activities.

I call it the prioritized list the diversity and inclusion training road map.  It paints of picture of a future reality when achieved will result in a higher performing team.  It clearly is different than the current reality and thus needs work to achieve.

Clear road map priorities include:

  • Specific details on what the action is and is not (also known as boundaries)
  • A metric to know when it has been achieved
  • A timeline with date of when the achievement must happen
  • Resources (budget and people) that are dedicated to make it happen

Committing to diversity, equity and inclusionThe diversity and inclusion road map works because it personalizes the experience to everyone in the organization that have participated in the process.  People need to personally identify with diversity and inclusion and weigh in to buy in.  If they have a chance to share their one thing and it becomes a part of a bigger road map activity, then they are bought in to making it happen.

Still not sure where to start the diversity and inclusion conversation?  I have more ideas for successful diversity training.