By ELLISE A. SMITH
“I went into a store and started negotiating and I don’t even know if I got a fair deal, but we came to an agreement.”
A few weeks ago, I was having a discussion with a colleague, and he mentioned that he was reading “The Message” by Ta-nehisi Coates. The aforementioned quote was his summary of an event Coates wrote about during his time of travel.
As my colleague described the scenario from the book, his summarized quote stuck out to me. It was a statement that described the multiple times I have engaged with business leaders about the value of diversity, equity and inclusion and the impact it has on that organization and its consumers. It reminded me of the crux of DEI’s framework which is to make critical changes amid difference to reach an agreement that is equitable, intentional, and mutual. This includes business. My colleague’s statement reminded me of a few things:
- Your consumers bring in a plethora of experiences when they engage with you. Some bring in stories of being ignored, attacked, the refusal of service and being followed around the store based on suspicions rooted in bias, discrimination and stereotypes.
- There are individuals occupying communities that have experienced gentrification, exploitation, and limitations leading to the closure of small businesses, family-owned businesses and minority-owned businesses. In return, they are forced to stand by and watch larger corporations drain resources from their businesses, unable to compete, compensate or contain themselves once larger organizations arrive.
- Create opportunities to collaborate between businesses and the communities they serve in or commute to improve economic development, trust and improved communities.
With the ever-changing landscape around DEI, our leaders are being called-in, now more than ever, to be intentional, accountable, and factual when engaging with programs, practices, and policies impacting our communities struggling with the dismantling of equity-based programs that provide necessities such as affordable housing, intentional healthcare, access to healthy foods and financial security to name a few.
As you navigate the landscape of business, people, and culture, there are things you can do to remain informed, intentional and supportive of communities you occupy by being a resident or commuter:
- Emotional intelligence: knowing how you and your business shows up in the crux of challenge. Are you reacting with bruised emotions or feelings, leading to outbursts of anger or acts of being dismissive? Or do you take a moment to pause, quickly reflect and intentionally respond in a way that takes in multiple perspectives, identities, and experiences in the situation? Some would say this is “sticking to the facts.”
- Motivation: the behaviors in which you enact, as a response to an experience or need. For example, creating more opportunities for employers to engage in employee wellness to prevent burnout, increase retention and reduce turnover, which may look like flexible work hours, encouragement to utilize PTO without fear of getting behind in work or having additional stress upon return, advocacy for fairly increased wages, and improved communication between different positions of power to create an equitable work environment.
- Accountability; having the ability to accept responsibility for one’s actions. Accountability is for the individual and should also be embedded within business practices. This may look like owning up to mistakes, researching and reviewing the histories of the communities your organization occupies and recognizing the people in and outside of your business are a vital resource to success. How you treat the aforementioned topics will determine how you challenge yourself and the organization to create a welcoming environment and make improvements.
- Accessibility: the ways in which your organization makes products, services, environments, interactions and relationships accessible to a wide range of identities, experiences and needs. If your products or services aim to reach the masses, are there barriers preventing access (i.e. news information behind a paywall or lack of affordable internet in lower socioeconomic areas creating disadvantages in access to education or work opportunities). Another example includes hiring a person with disabilities but not providing the accommodations to support their experience and reluctance to invite their voice in the decision-making process. We must also note that accessibility does not always mean inclusivity.
As you reflect on how to implement or improve your business with these topics in mind, I want to bring you back to the quote I began this article with: “I went into a store and started negotiating and I don’t even know if I got a fair deal, but we came to an agreement.”
Remember, the work is more effective when you aim to improve. The work begins and continues with you.
Take care, friends!
Your #DEIHomegirl
