NWC is 5 Years Old. Here's What I've Learned as a DEI Practitioner.

This month, we celebrate year five at Nika White Consulting and I could not be more delighted. Over the last 5 years, NWC has reached 200+ clients, worked on 500+ projects, and reached way too many people to count with our work. However, all of this success hasn’t come without many hard lessons and moments of gratitude.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the past five years as a DEI practitioner and founder.

The wrong mindset can make inclusion and equity feel complicated

For some people, DEI work can look like an insurmountable mountain with endless obstacles. When people approach this work, they are already thinking of the end goal. They can trip themselves up by feeling daunted about diversifying their workforce, hiring a chief diversity officer, or building an internal program to support their staff of color.

Over the past five years, I’ve been on a mission to simplify DEI and make the steps to walking this journey feel practical and achievable. Part of successfully navigating DEI involves developing a resilient and positive mindset. If we see inclusion and equity as complicated and intimidating concepts, we’re going to feel defeated before we even start. When people call me, they’re usually starting at ground zero. They ask me, “where do I start?” and I say there’s no one “right” place to start. The key is to just start.

I recommend breaking down large DEI goals into small bite-sized pieces. Be intentional about each step and know you may fumble or make mistakes along the way. However, we can’t wait for all of our i’s to be dotted and t’s to be crossed before we begin. We must move even in the face of uncertainty. Small incremental steps can lead to a big impact on your DEI goals.

The vastness of the human experience is great

When it comes to humanity, I’ve learned the power of intersectionality and just how vast the human experience is. We come in so many different shapes, sizes, and forms. Some of us carry visible, invisible, and private identities that shape how we show up in the world. Some of us are neurodivergent individuals. While others of us carry radical differences in our age, race, and gender identities.

When I think of who DEI is for, I think of the vastness of the human experience and how this work benefits all of us. These last five years have shown me that every individual is unique with challenges and experiences that bond them and differentiate them from others. I’ve learned there’s no “one way” to include and support the people in our lives.

Acknowledging the vastness of the human experience has given me a deeper appreciation for the power of cultural competency and how we build and cultivate meaningful relationships.

People’s personal stories are impactful

Stories bond us, they always have and always will. Over the past five years, I’ve honed in on listening to the DEI stories of my clients, staffers, and vodcast guests. We do a disservice to each other by only witnessing the surface level of our lived experiences. We see a stranger and think their identity is only skin deep when it’s much deeper. We all have the capacity to go deeper and get to know each other's personal stories to connect on an authentic level.

On my Intentional Conversations Vodcast, I take the time to have weekly conversations where I explore my guests’ stories and lived experiences. My team and I hold space for people who are similar and dissimilar to us and we hear their stories without judgment. These conversations have opened the door for more inclusion and belonging in my business, even on a digital scale.

Each of us has the capacity to listen to the stories of those around us and deepen our empathy and compassion for one another.

Even DEI practitioners can cause harm if we’re not careful

After a challenging past couple of years with the coronavirus, hiring many brilliant minds, and needing to peel back the layers of my business, I’ve had a lot of time to witness how DEI practitioners with the best intentions can still cause harm.

I’ve learned that all of us can be more thoughtful about the messages and language we use. Even those of us who are trained on knowing the “right” and “wrong” words to say, we can still cause harm if we’re not careful. People's lives are at stake and how we navigate the DEI space as leaders and guides largely depend on how we communicate with one another.

There's a certain level of heaviness that comes with this work and I’m learning to check in on people who practice DEI in their personal and business lives. People may be experiencing stress, trauma, and mental health issues while in this space, and may choose to not share their struggles.

It’s our responsibility as practitioners to go deeper with our knowledge and use it to help other practitioners feel a sense of acceptance and belonging, not isolation.

Every client’s journey is different, there’s no one-size-fits-all

These past five years have given me a wide array of clients to work with. From big national brands to midsize boutique businesses, I’ve learned that every client’s journey to a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse workspace is different.

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to DEI. Despite the sometimes vastly different approaches to client strategy, one thing rings true: we need to strike a balance between meeting clients where they are and not leaving them there.

Being too comfortable and complacent can leave some businesses behind on their DEI goals. It’s part of my learning to know the balance of when to push and pull my clients into the next level of their journeys.

We all deserve community

We’re human beings. We’re not meant to live life alone. As a woman entrepreneur, it’s easy to feel that I have to do everything myself. But, as I’ve gone through this business journey, I’ve learned that I, too, need support

All of us can benefit from having a group of people to guide, support, and encourage us when life gets tough. When we feel lost or when we need cheerleaders to encourage us to keep going.

As someone who proudly occupies the identities of business owner, entrepreneur, Black woman, and DEI practitioner, I realize those intersections are complex. To feel understood and valued, I need to lean on those who support me in each of those identities.

Living in community is one of the most nourishing and supportive things we can do for ourselves. And as entrepreneurs and people in the DEI space, building relationships with those who get us is so important to maintaining our drive, stamina, and resiliency in this work.

Final thoughts

The last five years have been rewarding, challenging, and full of lessons. I’m still learning, but I’m proud of how far NWC has come and how these new insights can inform the work we do with our clients this year and beyond.