On the alleged death of DEI

I’ve been in Singapore this week, arriving here via the world’s longest non-stop flight to deliver a series of master classes on creating inclusive cultures and nurturing the talents of women leaders. The clients were a mix of name-brand global companies and institutions based in Singapore and Malaysia. All of them view expanding their talent and leadership base to include former outsiders, such as women and ethnic minorities, as key to 21^st century competitiveness.

It was an inspiring trip, reminding me of the bedrock reason that organizations around the world continue to invest in diversity and inclusion. They do so not from a desire to be compliant with their governments or because leaders feel the need to demonstrate political correctness.

Rather, they are driven by their dependence on a workforce that has grown increasingly diverse, and the fact that a highly diverse workforce can only reach its full potential when inclusively led. At bottom, these are business considerations.

A change in the US administration is not about to alter this reality for companies and organizations that must operate in a global environment.

I’ll have more to say about the situation over the next few months, after I interview people in the field to get a sense of how these challenges are being addressed. In the meantime, I’d be grateful to hear from anyone who either shares my perception that this issue is far bigger than the moment we’re in, or who disagrees. We’re about to go through some changes, and we need to do so together.

Like what you’re reading? Click here to order my most recent book Rising Together, or How Women Rise, both are available from Amazon or from your favorite bookseller.