Mind the Blind Spots by Engaging Stakeholders
“It is crucial when developing leadership for your organization that customers and community partners be included in the process.”
When your industry, organization, or even your team are trying to identify opportunities to address the equity, diversity, and inclusion blind spots and challenges currently being faced, don’t forget about potential blind spots and challenges that may have yet to come into view. Meaningful cultural changes will live far beyond the timeframe in which they began, so it is crucial when developing leadership for your organization that customers and community partners be included in the process. Looking internally with a focus on finding the people who may not be represented or heard in the way they should, can be difficult. Even more so when those people may be the same ones you aim to serve.
Client Spotlight
Recently, we’ve had the pleasure to work with a local youth-focused organization that has begun to do this with the creation of an EDI-focused Council dedicated to this exact task. For me, one of the most exciting aspects of this collaboration has been the goal to include not only a truly representative group of staff but also past and current teenage participants, as well as parents. These are the voices that will be charged with the process of further developing, instituting, reviewing, and redeveloping EDI policies and practices. Although the process is in the early stages, the levels of insight and engagement from this group have been eye-opening in a wonderful way.
As we approach the first anniversary of the re-invigoration of the movement for impactful social change that spread across the world, consider not only what you have done this past year to move the needle closer to your EDI goals, but what are you going to do not only next year but the year beyond. And don't forget to find a way to seek input from the people that will be taking the lead of these changes for years to come.