Time to value people above DEI dogma

If you or your company want to be a leader, it’s time to drop DEI and adopt a new commitment to people that is real and believable, not a political litmus test.

DEI – for diversity, equity and inclusion – is on the defensive, and for good reason.  Mainly because DEI programs have become a disguise for raw discrimination against, well, anyone a given DEI office doesn’t think is worthy.  The courts are pushing back, legislatures are pushing back and stakeholders are pushing back. 

Fundamentally, DEI sounds like a good idea.  It started out as a way to help remove barriers to a range of people who in some cases were unfairly blocked from career opportunities based on race, gender, etc.  Hard to argue with that.

Good ideas gone bad 

But good ideas sometimes get hijacked by zealots who believe a generally good idea gives them the right to use whatever means they want to address the problem.  In the case of DEI, that philosophy has become quite ugly. Supporting one group by discriminating against another one is never a good idea.

But despite documented abuses of the concept of DEI across the country, years ago it became virtually required for leaders to check the DEI box.  If you were a CEO, campus president, elected official, etc., you either pledged allegiance to DEI and created whole bureaucracies to enact its agenda, or you were fair game for a full frontal attack by DEI advocates.  

Leaders don’t just go along

And most so-called leaders chose to go along. But let’s be honest: No matter what side you’re on, leadership is always about challenging the status quo to advance to a higher state. It has never been about surrendering when the establishment demands that you do so.

DEI became the establishment, backed by legions of true believers. 

But that is changing as courts and lawmakers pull back the curtain to expose the reality of what DEI has become.  Like it or not, leaders now must face the DEI problem and find a new path.

Here’s an idea for one: The value of all people.  

Valuing all people > DEI

As a principle, is there anything inherently wrong with saying you or your company are committed to the value of all people? 

If “all” means all, then said people are all of us – all races, all genders (however many there are), all intellectual abilities, all religions, all body types. Even people who don’t like tacos!

All means all!

But what does it mean for all of those people to be valued? I think it would mean that companies would strive to accept and support everyone to the best of their ability.  If a job opens up, the company would value every single applicant and do its best to support each one in their career journey, even while only one would win the job.

It would mean that every applicant would be considered for the job, not thrown out at the start because they don’t belong to a preferred and aggrieved identity group. Those not chosen for the job, or not even selected to get an interview, would be weeded out because they lack the experience, skills, or mental or physical capacity to excel at the job. 

Take off those equity goggles

No “equity lens” would be used to try to correct some perceived societal failing. Merit and potential would be the determining factors. Valuing all people. All.

Ultimately, the person doing the hiring would choose the person they believe is the best person for the job. And they would value all of the candidates by treating them with the respect that all people deserve and providing useful feedback and guidance to help them find the right job for them.

Leaders need to lead.  DEI and the myriad ways it is still applied to discriminate against unfavored groups clearly and undeniably declares that some people are valued less than others.  Inclusion for me, not for thee.  Prove me wrong. 

Prove it

Better yet, prove that you are a leader in action, not just by title.

Value all of the people, all of the time.

Equally and fairly. Without bowing to the altar of the DEI overlords.   

Go ahead…lead.

Eric Whittington has been advising leaders and businesses, from startups to Fortune 200s, about complex strategy questions for decades. Contact him at EricW@ThisWGroup.com or 210.240.9041.