The Huge Advantage You Have If Inclusion Is NOT Part of Your Day Job

If Inclusion Is NOT Part of Your Day Job

You’ve got benefits that you don’t even realise!

Get your pen and paper ready because we’re talking about the huge advantage you have if Inclusion is NOT part of your day job.

I think of you as an Everyday Leader. 

You have de facto responsibility for creating an Inclusive workplace. 

This does not mean formal responsibility. 

This does not mean it’s your day job. 

It does mean that you have taken it upon yourself to build Inclusion where you work. 

- Not for the awards. 

- Not for the accolades. 

- Not because you were told to do so. 

This is why I admire you so much. 

It’s often a thankless task. 

I want to thank you for your service and contribution to the workplace. 

I also want to encourage you by reminding you of a privilege that you may not be aware of. 

You don’t have the burden of performance. 

You are free in a way that the average HR leader or DEI Leader is not.

You do not have to succumb to the intense peer pressure that undermines their free and critical thinking. 

This is why so many copy and paste what other people do.

If Inclusion Is NOT Part of Your Day Job you don’t have this problem 

You don’t have the same Principal Agent problem

This obligates them to pursue short term wins and compromise long term gains.  

We learned about this at School when I studied Economics:  

Think of the Inclusion Leader as the Agent. 

Think of the organisation as the Principal. 

The Agent acts on behalf of the Principal. 

In Economics the Principal Agent Problem occurs when there’s a conflict of interests between the Agent and the Principal. 

Suppose the DEI Leader is paid based on their performance this year. 

This creates an incentive to do stuff that gets results this year.

Whatever that means.

What if building Inclusion takes longer? 

The Agent has an incentive to act in their best interests even if this conflicts with the best interests of the organisation.

If Inclusion Is NOT Part of Your Day Job you don’t have this problem 

You don’t need the approval of people who know less than you 

One of my most popular posts in 2022 on social media was about DEI Leader job descriptions.

I spoke about how I read over 40 DEI Leader job descriptions.

Here’s what none of them said:

- The hiring panel knows less about Diversity than the candidate

- They don’t know what outcomes are realistic in the next 18 months

- They want 10+ years experience; but they’ve been motivated for 10 months

- They require qualifications that they don’t understand

DEI Leaders are often held accountable by people who don’t have a clue about what they do or how to do it. 

If Inclusion Is NOT Part of Your Day Job you don’t have this problem 

You get to ease Inclusion into your Everyday life without the unnecessary pantomime. 

Even if you miss, you can’t miss. 

You can start a Book Club once a month for the rest of the year. 

If 5 people attend in the whole year. 

That’s a win. 

You can pick one episode of our podcast and offer to host a meeting to discuss a key principle explaining how it can affect your team.

If 1 person is interested. 

That’s a win. 

If you simply forward this newsletter to a colleague making a commitment to change a behaviour in order to benefit them. 

If they acknowledge your idea and do nothing else. 

That’s a win. 

These things are wins even if people ignore you or don’t participate. 

You don’t need to default to Flags, Food and Fun. 

You don’t have to host panel events to show you did something. 

You don’t need a big budget to justify your contributions. 

It also means there’s a chance that you’re the one with the highest standards. 

You need to understand that as a regular member of our audience.

Your standards regarding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion are among the highest in the world. 

There are people with direct responsibility for building Inclusion in their workplace with less insight than you. 

I talk more about this more on the show.

In particular:

- Why this makes you a natural leader.

- Why you won't fall for the scams that HR and DEI Leaders do.

- Why you are protected from 3 Book Diversity Experts

Learn more here.

I’m excited to learn about what you’re going to do this year. 

It could be anything but what I do know.

You’re going to play your part in building a workplace where: 

- Everyone can perform 

- Everyone can belong 

- Everyone can reach their potential 

As always 

I’m cheering you on 

Dr. Jonathan 

In Other News:

Check out my interview with Sharon Hurley Hall (she/her)

You can find it in Sharon's Anti Racist Newsletter

Sharon’s a prolific writer on this platform and I like her for some obvious reasons: 

She's got a podcast.

She's got USEFUL reading lists.

She's got interviews.

If you want a deeper understanding of Anti Racism that includes books. 

But is not limited to books. 

You should consider Sharon's Anti Racist Newsletter.

I'm a subscriber myself.

PS. 

Next week is our first Book Club for 2023! 

We're back!

We'll be discussing

The Waymakers 

Clearing the Path to Workplace Equity with Competence and Confidence 

By Tara Jaye Frank

Register here to attend

Whenever you're ready, there are a few ways I can support your Inclusion Journey:

1.      Work with me 1:1 

2.     Get Practical Book Insights 

3.     Get our Free Email Course