Pride Month's D&I Challenges

When I speak at Diversity and Inclusion forums and conferences, one of the questions I get asked most often is; how can organisations celebrate LGBT Pride month in ways that are not unintentionally exclusionary? Meaning, how can a company celebrate it's LGBT employees in ways that everyone can relate to, and be part of? The answer to that is not as complicated as it may seem at first glance. It comes down to the issue of not just do LGBT employees feel welcome and included in a workplace, but by extension, is the organisation a place were everyone feels that they can bring their "true selves" to work?

Three weeks ago in Toronto, meeting with my company's North America team, we talked a lot about our various "selves". Our work self,  our home/family self, our friends/social self, etc. In type theory we call that flexing to our environment.  Who we are, and what we choose to share about ourselves varies, based on where we are, what we are doing, and with whom. The true aim of any Diversity and Inclusion effort in the workplace is, to create an environment where people feel comfortable bringing as much of all of those dynamics to the table as is needed to be successful in their job. Their "True Self", as it were.

The key to achieving this, is to start on the front end. To hire for "fit".  What do I mean by that?

When someone is a fit for their job, it means their natural talents, and spontaneous behaviours are an advantage in being successful in their role.  A key aim for Diversity and Inclusion efforts in the recruitment space, is to enable you to attract and retain people whose "true selves" will be an asset to your business. Now when you do that, you get some interesting side-results. First, you get a corporate culture that is unique. Meaning, diverse perspectives are more easily leveraged and your staff can better achieve their maximum appropriate involvement with your overall goals. Second, you get an environment where creativity is a norm, not a risk factor to be "managed".  

The challenge is to move beyond just "inclusion" and into real cultural competence. This goal is to transition from a workforce that feels merely welcomed and included, to a workforce that is empowered to contribute beyond the confines of just their "work self."

Employees don't just want to feel welcome, they want to contribute on a level that best leverages the various strengths and perspectives they bring to work. They want opportunities for professional development and progression that are not limited by who they are, but rather enhanced by what they do.

100 percent scores on Corporate Equality indexes are a great thing. Affinity groups participating in cultural events like Pride Celebrations are a great thing. The challenge is to take inclusion from being a talent and community relations strategy, and make it an operational business reality.