Be careful who you crown as your D&I, and Supplier Diversity champion. With great power comes great responsibility.
Best intentions aside, what (life) experience or certifications should Supplier Diversity or D&I leaders have?
Yesterday I nipped out to catch the last of the sun's light, and played 9 holes on my local golf course. There I met a man who had some responsibility for trying to improve the diversity of the local Police service.
I'll exercise some discretion by not providing too many descriptors in order to protect his identity, but this gentleman was a retired senior exec following a career in financial services.
😮 He made some wild statements about Stop & Search.
🥺 He really pissed me off with comments on 'Black on Black' crime.
😲 He naively thinks that more black and brown people in the police service will reduce Stop & Search.
😬 He failed my 'Unconscious Bias' field test.
😡 He complained that his two son's were now struggling to get a job, and intimated that this was because women were taking up more appointments in senior roles.
Supplier Diversity, and D&I initiatives are not a joke.
These are serious matters that need to be taken seriously.
Too much is at stake if we get this wrong.
Too many people will continue to remain marginalised if we fail.
The lives of many will be negatively impacted if equality, and equity are not the outcome, as a result of appointing poorly informed, poorer experience people in to positions of power & influence.
Appointees must qualify.
They must be able to demonstrate an acute awareness of bias, and how bias impacts society.
They must hold no ill-will, or self interest.
I always recommend reverse mentoring as a start.
'Black on Black' crime is not a thing. It's a media trope. Crime is crime.
Women achieve promotions because they earned the right.
And until society is reflected through its media, tv, print, government policies, school curriculum; and underpins the message of equality, those leading the charge must demonstrate an awareness of the importance of getting D&I initiatives right.